HC Deb 09 June 1986 vol 99 cc86-8W
Mr. Madden

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the number of claimants in receipt of (a) sickness benefit, (b) invalidity benefit, (c) industrial disablement benefit and (d) non-contributory invalidity pension, housewives. non-contributory invalidity pension or severe disablement allowance for the latest available year at each of the Bradford offices of his. Department at Westfield house, Law Russell house and 373 Leeds road.

Mr. Major

The number of claimants in receipt of sickness and invalidity benefit and severe disablement allowance as at 6 May 1986, and in receipt of industrial disablement benefit as at II February 1986—the latest dates for which information is available — at the Department's offices at Westfield House (Bradford (West) office), Law Russell House (Bradford (South) office) and 373 Leeds Road (Bradford (East) office) is as follows:

Sickness and Invalidity Benefit Severe Disablement Allowance Industrial Disablement Benefit
Bradford West 2,393 399 328
Bradford South 2,537 731 413
Bradford East 2,095 496 418

Separate records are not kept of the number of claimants in receipt of sickness and invalidity benefit.

Non-contributory invalidity pension and housewives' non-contributory invalidity pension were replaced by severe disablement allowance from 29 November 1984.

Mr. Madden

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many claimant couples with children were in receipt of (a) unemployment benefit only, (b) supplementary benefit only and (c) unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit for the latest available year at each of the Bradford offices of his Department, Westfield House, Law Russell House and 373 Leeds Road;

(2) how many claimants are in receipt of (a) unemployment benefit only (b) supplementary benefit only and (c) unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit for the latest available year at each of the Bradford offices of his Department at Westfield House, Law Russell house and 373 Leeds road, excluding pensioner claimants and claimants with dependent children.

Mr. Major

I regret that this information is not available. Statistics are not kept routinely so that the information requested could be obtained only by a special exercise which would be disproportionately expensive.

Mr. Madden

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the number of (a) single payments and (b) urgent needs payments, both weekly and one-off, paid to claimants who are (i) under pensionable age and not required to register to work, (ii) under pensionable age and required to register for work and (iii) over pensionable age.

Mr. Major

For the year to 8 April 1986 the information requested is as follows:

(000s)
Under pensionable age and not required lo register for work Under pensionable age and required to register for work Over pensionable age
Number of awards under the Single Payments Regulations 1,787 2,079 508
Number of awards under the Urgent Cases Regulations:
Weekly 7 6 *
One-off 88 178 5
* Less than 1,000.

Dr. Godman

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total cost in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland of payments to the unemployed in each year since 1977 of (i) unemployment benefit, (ii) supplementary allowances and (iii) housing benefits, respectively.

Mr. Major

I regret that this information is not available.

Dr. Godman

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing the numbers of unemployed people in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland, by entitlement to benefit for each year since 1979 and distinguishing between (i) unemployment benefit only, (ii) unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit, (iii) supplementary benefit only, (iv) no benefit and (v) housing benefit.

Mr. Major

The table shows the numbers of unemployed people in(a) Greenock and Port Glasgow and (b) Scotland in November each year since 1979 receiving the the following benefits: (i) unemployment benefit only (ii) unemployment benefit and supplementary benefits (iii) supplementary benefit only (iv) no benefit. Similar information for Strathclyde could only be obtained by a special exercise which would be disproportionately expensive. The information is not available for housing benefit.

(Thousands)
UB UB + SA SA No. Benefit Total
(a) Greenock and Port Glasgow
1979 1.7 0.2 2.2 0.6 4.7
1980 2.6 0.3 2.7 0.6 6.2
1981*
1982 1.8 0.5 4.6 0.7 7.6
1983 1.8 0.4 4.6 0.6 7.4
1984*
1985 1.8 0.6 4.8 1.0 8.2
(b) Scotland
1979 64.4 9.2 66.9 25.5 166.0
1980 106.7 14.3 85.7 29.3 236.0
1981*
1982 92.3 24.8 168.7 41.2 327.0
1983 85.7 22.5 185.5 34.9 328.6
1984*
1985 84.1 21.2 188.7 44.4 338.4
* Figures for 1981 and 1984 are not available because of industrial action.

Source

Quarterly Count of Unemployed Claimants.

UB=Unemployment benefit.

SA=Supplementary allowance.

Mr. Frank Field

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what happens to the benefit rights of those claimants who are required to sign on quarterly but who fail to turn up to register.

Mr. Newton

If a claimant who is required to sign quarterly at an unemployment benefit office fails to do so, he loses entitlement to benefit because he has not satisfied the conditions for receiving it. However, departmental instructions require staff to interview any such claimant, at the local office or by home visit, to ascertain the reasons for his failure to sign so that benefit payments can be continued if, for example, the claimant is found to be sick and so that he may be warned about the implications if he continues to fail to sign without good reason.