§ Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the latest estimate of the amount of unclaimed social security benefits; and if he will take additional steps to increase the take-up of benefits by people who are entitled to those benefits.
§ Mrs. Chalker[pursuant to her reply, 16 April 1981, c. 290]: The only social security benefits with any significant take-up problem are family income supplement, supplementary benefit and one-parent benefit, formerly called child benefit increase. I will let the hon. Member have a reply on FIS as soon as possible.
With regard to supplementary benefit, it is estimated that about £340 million may have gone unclaimed in 1977, the latest date for which information is available. This figure is from an analysis of the 1977 family expenditure 202W survey. It is subject to a number of assumptions. The basis of these assumptions is described in the former Supplementary Benefits Commission's administration paper No. 7. A copy of that paper is available in the Library of the House. All retirement pensioners and widows are invited to claim supplementary benefit and all retirement pension books include a claim form. Unemployment benefit claimants receive an explanatory leaflet. Posters are displayed and leaflets are available in post offices, unemployment benefit offices and social security offices. We are also making a determined effort to improve and simplify our leaflets. The emphasis of the new supplementary benefit scheme introduced last November is on entitlement. It sets out claimants' rights in regulations for the first time. Claimants are now given a written notice of assessment, showing them how their benefit has been worked out. A handbook has also been published, which explains the new scheme in layman's terms.
The latest estimate for one-parent benefit, based on 1979 data, is that about £20 million may not have been claimed in that year. Measures being taken to bring one-parent benefit to the attention of lone parents were listed in my reply to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Dr. Thomas) on 10 March.—[Vol. 1000, c. 291–2]. As I said then, I hope that the new name, in particular, will help lone parents to realise that this benefit is for them and that they will claim it, thus improving take-up. In addition, a letter about one-parent benefit will be sent as soon as possible to some 300,000 recipients of child benefit whose order book is issued in the name of one payee only.