HC Deb 06 May 1993 vol 224 cc248-9W
Ms Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the £5 earnings disregard for unemployed people who are receiving income support applies to the earnings of each individual member of a two-person household; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Burt

The £5 disregard applies individually to each member of a couple; where both partners undertake part-time employment, the total disregard available on their earnings is therefore £10.

Ms Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many income support claimants who were(a) unemployed people claiming income support and/or unemployment benefit, (b) lone parents, (c) people receiving a disability premium, (d) people receiving severe disablement allowance and (e) people receiving invalidity benefit declared part-time earnings; what are the average weekly earnings declared; and what proportion such claimants represent of claimants in the group at the latest available date and in comparable periods since 1988.

Mr. Burt

The information requested is in the tables. Information is provided for 1989—the earliest year for which income support information is readily available—1990 and 1991, the latest years available.

Income Support recipients with declared earnings
Number of cases with declared earnings Percentage Average declared earnings £ per week
May 1991
(a) Unemployed1 25,000 2.0 21.78
(a) Unemployed2 1,000 1.1 24.04
(b) Lone parents 78,000 9.0 27.53
(c) Disabled 4,000 0.9 14.14
(d) Severe Disablement Allowance 1,000 0.6 3.23
(e) Invalidity Benefit 1,000 0.6 14.84
Total Income Support recipients 117,000 2.6 25.29
May 1990
(a) Unemployed1 26,000 2.5 22.16
(a) Unemployed2 1,000 2.0 28.18
(b) Lone parents 80,000 10.1 25.82
(c) Disabled 6,000 1.7 12.31
(d) Severe Disablement Allowance 1,000 1.3 33.19
(e) Invalidity Benefit — — —
Total Income Support recipients 124,000 3.0 23.65
May 1989
(a) Unemployed1 31,000 2.8 19.22
(a) Unemployed2 1,000 1.4 19.60
(b) Lone parents 82,000 10.9 24.71
(c) Disabled 6,000 2.0 5.77
(d) Severe Disablement Allowance 1,000 1.0 5.83
(e) Invalidity Benefit — — —
Total Income Support recipients 130,000 3.1 21.73
1 No Unemployment Benefit.
2 With Unemployment Benefit.

Source: Income Support Statistics Annual Enquiry, May 1991, May 1990 and May 1989.

Notes: All figures rounded to nearest thousand; percentages correct to one decimal place; average earnings correct to nearest penny. "Lone parents" in the tables means people aged under 60 who are entitled to a lone parent premium and who do not receive a disability premium.

"Disabled" in the tables means people aged under 60 who are entitled to the disability premium.

There will be some overlap between groups (c), (d) and (e) in the tables.

Ms Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the £15 earnings disregard for people who are receiving income support, either because they have a disability premium or are part of a long-term unemployed couple, applies to the earnings of each individual member of a two-person household; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Burt

Where a couple qualify for this disregard, the total amount of earnings that can be disregarded is £.15 for the couple.