§ Ms. ShortTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by region and for Great Britain as a whole, separately for males and females, how many 16 and238W 17-year-olds for each month since September 1991 have made applications for income support on grounds of extreme hardship; how many have been granted or refused; if he will give the information he has about the grounds on which applications were turned down; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BurtNo information is held as to the sex of applicants for income support under the severe hardship provision. Applications for income support from young people who are not at risk of severe hardship are unsuccessful. Such information as is available is in the tables:
Scotland Total Successful Refused 1991 September 1,189 927 262 October 1,349 1,106 243 November 1,153 940 213 December 927 791 136 1992 January 1,656 1,386 270 February 1,593 1,337 256 March 1,676 1,363 313
North Eastern Total Successful Refused 1991 September 932 738 194 October 1,044 812 232 November 936 757 179 December 709 584 125 1992 January 1,434 1,204 230 February 1,283 985 298 March 1,231 1,008 223
North Western Total Successful Refused 1991 September 671 517 154 October 710 555 155 November 640 515 125 December 497 406 91 1992 January 1,100 918 182 February 956 790 166 March 1,125 934 191
Midlands Total Successful Refused 1991 September 695 547 148 October 697 550 147 November 700 558 142 December 512 446 66 1992 January 1,158 980 178 February 1,030 879 151 March 1,094 876 218 239W
Wales and South Western Total Successful Refused 1991 September 685 558 127 October 687 549 138 November 710 591 119 December 512 446 66 1992
Total Successful Refused January 1,007 883 124 February 927 780 147 March 967 814 153
London North Total Successful Refused 1991 September 579 475 104 October 617 509 108 November 542 451 91 December 420 365 55 1992 January 823 725 98 February 797 675 122 March 875 736 139
London South Total Successful Refused 1991 September 657 539 118 October 677 532 145 November 608 505 103 December 449 382 67 1992 January 958 812 146 February 882 741 141 March 964 818 146
Great Britain Total Successful Refused 1991 September 5,408 4,301 1,107 October 5,781 4,613 1,168 November 5,289 4,317 972 December 4,093 3,442 651 1992 January 8,136 6,908 1,228 February 7,468 6,187 1,281 March 7,935 6,551 1,380 Source: Severe Hardship Claims Unit Database.
§ Ms. ShortTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each region and for Great Britain as a whole for each quarter since September 1991 how many income support and unemployment benefit claimants have (i) successfully and (ii) unsuccessfully claimed income support under the hardship rules, showing those whose claim was in doubt due to(a) not actively seeking work, (b) refusing suitable employment, and (c) availability for work.
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.
§ Mr. Ian TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has any plans to review the rules on income support whereby money due, but not yet paid to a claimant, is taken into account in assessing that benefit.
§ Miss WiddecombeWe have today introduced regulations to ensure that where an occupational pension scheme has suspended or reduced payments because it has insufficient funds, the amount of the then unpaid entitlement will not be taken into account as a resource.240W This removes a technical obstacle which might have prevented pensioners, payment of whose pension was interrupted, from claiming income support under the normal rules.