HC Deb 31 March 1988 vol 130 cc662-3W
Mr. Ken Hargreaves

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made in each of the social security regions on converting existing supplementary benefit claims to income support; and when he expects the conversion to be completed.

Mr. Portillo

We plan to complete the conversion of current supplementary benefit claims to income support by 11 April in all offices although a small number of offices still have some way to go. The table shows the position in each of the seven regions on 11 March 1988.

Region Percentage load converted1
Scotland 89
orth East 83
North West 84
Midlands 82
Wales and South Western 85
London North 74
London South 70
1 Staff are using the conversion to update claims records. The exercise has shown that some claims are still recorded as live even though the person is no longer receiving supplementary benefit. This means that some recent counts of the number of current

supplementary benefit claims on which these percentages are based have not reflected the fall in the number of people receiving supplementary benefit.

Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide for employee families with children, figures similar to those in table 9B of "Impact of the Reformed Structure of Income Related Benefits" showing average changes in disposable income after housing costs(a) below gross earnings levels ranging from £75 to £200 and (b) below present disposable income levels after housing costs ranging from £75 to £200, the figures all to be displayed in £25 steps.

Mr. Portillo

The figures are in the table:

All income related benefits: Average change in disposable income after meeting housing costs: Employee families with children in real terms
Gross weekly original income, less than (£) Average change Present disposable income after housing costs, less than (£) Average change
£ per week £ per week
75 +4.10 75 +12.60
100 +3.10 100 +3.70
125 +3.60 125 +3.40
150 +340 150 +3.50
175 +3.40 175 +3.50
200 +3.40 200 +3.40

The estimates are consistent with assumptions in "Impact of The Reformed Structure of Income Related Benefits," October 1987, cover survey families of all sizes, ages and tenure types and include both couples and lone parents who are employees in employment working 24 or more remunerative hours. No adjustments have been made for the 1988 Budget changes.