§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of income support there are(a) in total, (b) who are single parents, (c) who are signing on as unemployed, (d) who are disabled and (e) who are pensioners (i) at each of the Benefits Agency offices having customers in Derbyshire and (ii) who are resident in Derbyshire.
§ 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 a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mrs. Margaret Beckett, dated 7 May 1993:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many claimants of Income Support there are (a) in total, (b) who arc single parents, (c) who are signing on as unemployed, (d) who are disabled and (e) who are pensioners (i) at each of the Benefits Agency offices having customers in Derbyshire and (ii) who are resident in Derbyshire.
The complete range of information requested is not available except at a disproportionate cost. This is because 301W information regarding the number of Income Support recipients who are either lone parents or disabled are not routinely collected, nor do we collect information on the basis of county of residence.
I have appended the latest available statistics relating to each of the Benefits Agency offices in Derbyshire. The figures relating to those customers who receive either a lone parent or a disability premium will not equate exactly to the number of lone parents or disabled people. This is because a single parent may be in receipt of a more advantageous premium, and a person in receipt of a disability premium may not necessarily be registered as disabled. You should also note that, for Income Support purposes, a pensioner is a person of either sex aged 60 or more.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this let ter will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
302W
Income support statistics for benefits agency offices in Derbyshire as at 28 February 1993 Derby (London Road) office: Signing unemployed 5,850 Pensioners 4,104 Receiving lone parent premium 3,352 Receiving disability premium 1,071 Total recipients 16,000 Derby (Becket Street) office: Signing unemployed 6,644 Pensioners 6,798 Receiving lone parent premium 2,426 Receiving disability premium 1,224 Total recipients 19,078 Ilkeston office: Signing unemployed 4,899 Pensioners 3,275 Receiving lone parent premium 2,311 Receiving disability premium 1,090
Income support statistics for benefits agency offices in Derbyshire as at 28 February 1993 Total recipients 12,851 Buxton office: Signing unemployed 835 Pensioners 1,011 Receiving lone parent premium 357 Receiving disability premium 184 Total recipients 2,611 Chesterfield office: Signing unemployed 7,917 Pensioners 6,650 Receiving lone parent premium 2,782 Receiving disability premium 1,574 Total recipients 21,177