HC Deb 06 May 1986 vol 97 cc70-1W
Mr. Chris Smit

h asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of (a) single payments and (b) urgent needs payments, weekly and one-off, paid to claimants who (i) are under pensionable age and are not required to register for work, (ii) are under pensionable age required to register for work and (iii) are over pensionable age; and what is (x) the average rate per 1,000 claimants in (i), (ii) and (iii), (y) the average payment made to claimants in (i), (ii) and (iii) and (z) the number of claimants in (i), (ii) and (iii) with dependent children for the latest available year at Bloomsbury, Finsbury Park, Highgate, Hoxton and Stoke Newington area offices of his Department.

Mr. Major

The following table sets out the information available on(a) single payments and (b) urgent needs payments made by offices specified for the year ending April 1986 for the categories requested. Information about claimants with dependent children is not available.

(a) Single payments
Category Bloomsbury Finsbury Park Highgate Hoxton Stoke Newington
Claimants under pensionable age not required to register for work
Number of awards 969 5,206 4,291 4,084 2,266
Average rate per 1,000 claimants 558 1,120 1,003 1,136 927
Average payment £196.22 £90.40 £105.86 £98.47 £96.67
Claimants under pensionable age required to register for work
Number of awards 1,158 4,506 3,285 3,237 2,065
Average rate per 1,000 claimants 245 489 361 599 457
Average payment £220.76 £85.67 £106.30 £95.67 £110.96
Claimants over pensionable age
Number of awards 501 1,338 1,034 1,359 659
Average rate per 1,000 claimants 183 302 220 367 285
Average payment £96.38 £50.38 £63.37 £53.84 £64.64

(b) Urgent needs payments
Category Bloomsbury Finsbury Park Highgate Hoxton Stoke Newington
Claimants under pensionable age not required to register for work
Number of awards 148 148 122 217 208
Average rate per 1,000 claimants 85 32 29 60 85
Claimants under pensionable age required to register for work
Number of awards 1,174 396 503 381 468
Average rate per 1,000 claimants 249 43 55 70 103
Claimants over pensionable age
Number of awards 50 11 12 0 22
Average rate per 1,000 claimants 18 2 3 0 10

Information is not available of amounts paid for urgent need.

Single and urgent need payment awards for year ending April 1986 have been set against the counts of live cases in action at 12 February 1986 for the calculation of a rate per 1,000 claimants (the latest available figures).