HC Deb 21 May 1992 vol 208 cc237-40W
Ms. Short

To 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 and 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. Burt

No 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

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. Short

To 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. Burt

The 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 Taylor

To 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 Widdecombe

We 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. This removes a technical obstacle which might have prevented pensioners, payment of whose pension was interrupted, from claiming income support under the normal rules.

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