HC Deb 22 January 1982 vol 16 cc206-7W
Mr. Field

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has yet completed the analysis of cases in which payment of supplementary benefit is suspended pending an appeal referred to in paragraph 4.32 of the annual report of the Council on Tribunals.

Mrs. Chalker

Officials will be supplying the information to the Council on Tribunals in the near future.

Mr. Marlow

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what benefits are now purchased by national insurance; what benefits were purchased by national insurance on 3 May 1979; what benefits are now related to the level of contribution; and what benefits were related to contributions on 3 May 1979.

Mrs. Chalker

There has been no change since 3 May 1979 in the following list of benefits which are provided from the national insurance fund:

  1. (1) Retirement pension
  2. (2) Widow's benefit
  3. (3) Sickness benefit
  4. (4) Invalidity benefit
  5. (5) Maternity benefit
  6. (6) Unemployment benefit
  7. (7) Industrial injury benefit
  8. (8) Industrial disablement benefit
  9. (9) Industrial death benefit
  10. (10) Other industrial injury benefits
  11. (11) Guardian's allowance and child's special allowance
  12. (12) Death grant
  13. (13) Pensioners lump sum payments.

There has been no change in benefits which are related to the level of contributions, except for the earnings-related supplement payable with short-term benefits, which was established from 3 January 1982, subject to continuing rights for certain claimants until 30 June 1982.

Mr. John

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to make available up-to-date figures on the failure to take-up benefits by persons entitled to them in respect of (a) supplementary benefits and (b) all other social security benefits to replace the 1978 figures at present used.

Mrs. Chalker

An estimate of the take-up of supplementary benefit based on 1979 family expenditure survey data is expected to be available shortly.

The two other social security benefits where failure to take-up entitlement is a significant problem are one-parent benefit and family income supplement—FIS.

The latest estimate of take-up of one-parent benefit relates to data at December 1980. For details of that estimate I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Leek (Mr. Knox) on 24 November 1981.—[Vol. 13, c. 745–46.]

The latest estimate of take-up of FIS is based on data from the family finances survey which took place during the 12 months ending September 1979. For further information I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Barking (Miss Richardson) on 18 December 1981.—[Vol. 15, c. 257–581.]