Benefits

HC Deb 30 November 1983 vol 49 cc532-4W

Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in how many known cases an error by an official of his Department has led to a person claiming benefits incurring a debt which would not otherwise have been incurred in the last year for which figures are available.

Dr. Boyson

Cases of this kind are not identifiable from the records kept about wrongly paid benefits. Generally, overpayments of benefit resulting from departmental error or omission are not treated as debts incurred by claimants, but are regarded as irrecoverable; where official error leads to an underpayment, the mistake is rectified. If the right hon. Member has a particular case in mind, I shall be glad to consider it.

Mrs. Rumbold

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now publish the take-up estimate of supplementary benefit derived from the 1981 family expenditure survey compared with the 1979 figures; and if he will make a statement.

Dr. Boyson

Take-up estimates for 1981, together with those for 1979, are as follows:

Estimates of take-up of supplementary benefit for 1981
		Total likely to be entitled at any one time	Proportion receiving benefit at that time	Number eligible but not receiving benefit	Estimated benefit unclaimed	Average weekly amount unclaimed
		(000's)	(per cent.)	(000's)	(£ million per annum)	(£)
(i)	Pensioners	2,480	67	810	210	5.00
(ii)	Non-pensioners*, total	2,350	75	580	550	18.10
(iii)	Sick and disabled	290	67	100	70	14.30
(iv)	Unemployed	1,580	75	400	410	19.60
(v)	One-parent families not included in (iii) and (iv)	400	88	50	40	15.30
Total for all groups	4,820	71	1,390	760	10.50

Estimates of take-up of supplementary benefit for 1979
		Total likely to be entitled at any one time	Proportion receiving benefit at that time	Number eligible but not receiving benefit	Estimated benefit unclaimed	Average weekly amount unclaimed
		(000's)	(per cent.)	(000's)	(£ million per annum)	(£)
(i)	Pensioners	2,590	65	900	145	3.10
(ii)	Non-pensioners*, total	1,420	78	320	210	12.70
(iii)	Sick and Disabled	300	63	110	90	15.40
(iv)	Unemployed	700	81	130	70	10.50
(v)	One-parent families not included in (iii) and (iv)	370	85	60	30	10.20
Total for all groups	4,010	70	1,210	355	5.60
* This total is slightly greater than the sum of lines (iii), (iv) and (v) because it includes a small residual group of miscellaneous cases.

Notes:

1. Estimates of those with an unclaimed entitlement are based on DHSS analysis of income and other information recorded by respondents to the family expenditure survey (FES). The estimates of those in receipt are derived from the annual statistical inquiry of supplementary benefit claimants.

2. The estimates relate only to people living in private households; families and persons in institutions are not sampled in the FES.

3. Estimates are subject to statistical error; all figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000.

4. Calculation of entitlement to supplementary benefit is based on the appropriate scale rates—ordinary for allowances and long-term for pensioners—with no allowance for additional requirements, except where heating additions would be automatically provided on age grounds. Disregards of income are allowed under the normal rules.

5. FES participants are not asked about the amount of capital they have, only about income received from capital, and assumptions have to be made from this information about capital holdings.

6. No entitlement to supplementary benefit is assumed if the family would be financially better off claiming housing rebates.