HC Deb 04 November 1992 vol 213 cc277-9W
Mr. Pickthall

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many households in the Lancashire, West constituency qualify for payments under the cold weather payments scheme.

Mr. Scott

The administration of social fund 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 a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Colin Pickthall, dated 3 November 1992:

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many households in the West Lancashire constituency qualify for payments under the cold weather payments scheme.

Lancashire West constituency is covered by the Agency's South West Lancashire District. It is not possible to give an exact figure of how many customers would qualify for a Cold Weather Payment except at disproportionate cost. However, based on figures for those claiming Income Support in November 1991, it is estimated that approximately 15,000 customers in the South West Lancashire District may qualify for a Cold Weather Payment should the area be triggered. The constituency and District boundaries do not, however, correspond and a proportion of these will live outside the constituency.

I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.

Mr. Pickthall

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what dates cold weather payments were made in Lancashire, West in response to a forecast of a qualifying period; and what was the period taken for payments to be made once the system had been triggered.

Mr. Scott

The administration of social fund 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 a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Colin Pickthall, dated 3 November 1992:

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking on what dates cold weather payments were made in West Lancashire in response to a forecast of a qualifying period; and what was the period taken for payments to be made once the system had been triggered.

Neither of the weather stations which give information for the area covered by the constituency declared a forecast period of cold weather from 1 November 1991 to date. Details of dates where payments were made in response to a recorded period of cold weather are available in the Library.

It is not possible to give the exact time taken for payments to be made. However, the average time taken to identify all eligible customers is 6.5 days. The preparation of payments starts immediately after identification, but it may take a few days further before they are posted depending on the volumes.

A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report.

Copies are also being placed in the Library.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many households in the Meirionnydd Nant Conwy constituency qualify for payments under the cold weather payments scheme.

Mr. Scott

The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Elfyn Llwyd, dated 3 November 1992:

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many households in the Meirionnydd Nant Conwy constituency qualify for payments under the cold weather payments scheme.

The Meirionnydd Nant Conwy constituency is covered by Gwyneddigion, Mid Wales and Maelor, and North Wales Coast Districts. It is not possible to give an exact figure of how many customers would qualify for a Cold Weather Payment except at disproportionate cost. However, based on figures for those claiming Income Support in November 1991, it is estimated that approximately 36,200 customers claiming from those Districts may qualify for a Cold Weather Payment, should the area be triggered. Parliamentary constituencies and District boundaries do not correspond however and therefore a proportion of these will live outside the constituency boundaries.

I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are being placed in the Library.

Mr. Connarty

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many households in the Falkirk, East constituency qualify for payments under the cold weather payments scheme.

Mr. Scott

The administration of the social fund 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 a copy will be placed in the Library.

Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Michael Connarty, dated 3 November 1992:

As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many households in the Falkirk East constituency qualify for payments under the cold weather payments scheme.

Falkirk East constituency is covered by the Forth Valley District. It is not possible to give an exact figure of how many customers would qualify for a Cold Weather Payment except at disproportionate cost. However, based on figures for those claiming Income Support in November 1991 it is estimated that approximately 11,900 customers in the Forth Valley District may qualify for a Cold Weather Payment should the area be triggered. The constituency and District boundaries do not correspond, however, and a proportion of these will live outside the constituency boundaries.

I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.