HC Deb 27 November 1990 vol 181 cc367-8W
Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current level of income support benefits received by(a) a single householder aged under 25 years, (b) a single householder with disabilities aged under 25 years, (c) a pensioner couple, (d) a pensioner couple with disabilities and (e) an unemployed man with dependent wife and two children aged five and 11 years; and in each case what would they have received if the pre-April 1988 system of supplementary benefits were still operating.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

The question is not sufficiently specific concerning the circumstances of each beneficiary to enable an assessment to be made of what benefit they might have been entitled to under the old scheme. In addition, it would not be possible to calculate the likely entitlement of these individuals today, had the old scheme stayed in place, since it is not possible to say how the scheme would have evolved in response to changing circumstances.

Mr. Madden

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of(a) the effect on the future number of income support claimants of the proposal to reduce the definition of full-time work from 24 hours to 16 hours and (b) the number of existing claimants who would lose entitlement if there were no transitional protection; and, in each case, if he will subdivide the figures into the childless, two-parent families and one-parent families.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

Many families who are working part time will be better off as a result of the reduction in the remunerative work from 24 hours to 16 hours, because they will become entitled to family credit. Some people who are currently claiming income support will also be encouraged to take up employment, and therefore transfer from income support to family credit. We will introduce protection for those claimants who need it at the point of change.

The information requested is in the table.

Number of claimants transferring from income support to family credit at point of change Number of claimants who would cease to receive income support at point of change if no protection available
Childless nil 15,000
Couples with children 10,000 15,000
Lone parents 25,000 30,000

Source: Modelled using data drawn from the 1985–86–87 Family Expenditure Surveys.

Note: The figures do not allow for the effects of the introduction of Disability Working Allowance.