HC Deb 11 December 1990 vol 182 cc376-8W
Mr. Hannam

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people will receive disability working allowance because they were receiving(a) invalidity benefit alone, (b) severe disablement allowance alone and (c) a disability premium with income-related benefits within eight weeks before claiming disability working allowance.

Mr. Scott

Estimates of the likely case load of disability working allowance can be only tentative. Our best estimate is that, once the benefit is established, about 50,000 people will receive DWA at any given point. Of these, around 25 per cent. will have been getting invalidity benefit (but not income support) before claiming DWA; 10 per cent. will have been getting severe disablement allowance (but not income support) before claiming; and 35 per cent. will have been getting an income-related benefit with a disability premium (alone or with invalidity benefit or severe disablement allowance) before claiming. A further 30 per cent. will already be in work and will qualify because they have disability living allowance. Of the first two categories a number will have been receiving housing benefit or community charge benefit.

Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has any plans to extend financial assistance available to disabled people with special dietary needs.

Mr. Scott

The OPCS surveys showed that the existing extra costs benefits are providing good coverage of people with all sorts of disabilities, including people with eating, drinking and digestion disorders. The new disability living allowance with its lower rates will extend this to people not currently receiving benefit.

Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish estimates of the extra expenditure in gross and net terms if no tariff income from capital was taken into account in calculation of disability working allowance.

Mr. Scott

Estimates of the likely expenditure on disability working allowance (DWA) have been based on assumptions about behavioural changes among people who have a continuing entitlement to a long-term incapacity benefit, but who might take the opportunity offered by DWA to do some work. As a result, the projections can be only tentative and it is not possible to estimate with confidence the extra expenditure, either in gross or net terms, if no tariff income from capital was taken into account.

Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the average potential gains in income for recipients of the disability working allowance.

Mr. Scott

Disability working allowance will ensure that the great majority of potential recipients will be better off in work than they would be on incapacity benefits. However, it is not possible to predict with confidence the average gain in income for recipients.