HC Deb 04 March 1981 vol 1000 c124W
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of people entitled to receive but not claiming a non-contributory invalidity pension.

Mr. Rossi

Approximately 100,000 people who are receiving supplementary benefit would be eligible for non-contributory invalidity benefit if they claimed it. No estimate is available of the number of people eligible who are outside the supplementary benefit field.

Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the net cost at 1980–81 benefit rates of extending entitlement to invalidity benefit (a) to all those now receiving and (b) to all those now entitled to receive a non-contributory invalidity pension; and what would be the additional cost of extending entitlement to invalidity benefit on the same basis to married women.

Mr. Rossi

The additional cost of paying invalidity benefit at 1980–81 rates to all those now receiving non-contributory invalidity pension (NCIP) is estimated to be about £85 million in a full year. There would be offsetting savings in supplementary benefit which cannot readily be estimated but which could amount to more than £20 million.

About 100,000 people are eligible for NCIP but only receiving supplementary benefit, and the additional cost of paying invalidity benefit at 1980–81 rates to them would be £155 million gross. It is not possible to estimate the substantial supplementary benefit savings which would come from such a change. It is also not possible to estimate the number of people eligible for NCIP but not receiving it or supplementary benefit.

If NCIP were paid to housewives on the same basis as it is to men and single women, and at the invalidity benefit rate, it is thought that the extra cost would be of the order of £350 million gross. It is not possible to estimate the amount of any supplementary benefit savings.