§ Mr. DewarTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the number of current recipients of invalidity benefit in Scotland, Strathclyde and the Benefits Agency district contained within Benefits Agency area directorates 4 and 5.
§ Mr. HagueThis 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.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 8 December 1994:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about Invalidity Benefit (IVB) recipients in Scotland.The following figures were obtained from a 100% clerical count of cases in the Benefits Agency's (BA) District offices on 31 October 1994 and are the latest available.The total number of IVB customers in Scotland at that date was 232,890.The numbers of IVB customers dealt with by each Benefits Agency (BA) District in Area Directorates (ADs) 4 and 5 of the Scotland and Northern Territory are provided at Appendix 1 and total 171,287.IVB customers in Strathclyde are those dealt with by the BA Districts of ADs 4 and 5, with the exception of the Forth Valley and Highlands and Islands Districts. Consequently, there were 150,730 IVB customers within Strathclyde at 31 October 1994.The figures provided include some customers who have claimed but are not actually receiving IVB. This is because there are circumstances in which, although there is underlying entitlement to IVB, because a higher overlapping benefit is in payment no IVB is actually paid.I hope you find this reply helpful.