HC Deb 13 March 1995 vol 256 cc460-2W
Mr. Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people he estimates in 1995–96 who are(a) current claimants of invalidity benefit and (b) new claimants of incapacity benefit will fall in each of the categories to be treated as incapable of work by virtue of (i) receipt of the highest rate of disability living allowance care component, (ii) suffering from a progressive disease, (iii) registration as a blind person, (iv) tetraplegia, (v) persistent vegetative state, (vi) dementia, (vii) paraplegia, (viii) a severe learning disability, (ix) a severe and progressive neurological and muscle-wasting disease, (x) an active and progressive form of inflammatory polyarthritis, (xi) a progressive impairment of cardio-respiratory function, (xii) dense paralysis of upper limb, trunk and lower limb on one side of the body, (xiii) multiple effects of impairment of function of brain or nervous system, (xiv) a severe and progressive immune deficiency state or (xv) a severe mental illness.

Mr. Hague

[holding answer 7 March 1995]: We do not have information on the number of existing invalidity benefit claimants who are in receipt of the highest rate of care component of disability living allowance. We estimate that there will be no more than 130,000 such claimants. We estimate that around 405,000 existing invalidity benefit claimants will fall into the exemptions for severe medical conditions; 110,000 of these claimants are expected to be exempt because of severe mental illness. Estimates have not been made for the other individual types of condition. Some of those who fall into the exemptions for severe medical conditions will be among those receiving the highest rate of care component of disability living allowance.

We estimate that no more than 10,000 new claimants of incapacity benefit a year will be in receipt of the highest rate of care component of disability living allowance. We estimate that around 40,000 new claimants of incapacity benefit a year will fall into the exemptions for severe medical conditions; 20,000 of these claimants are expected to be exempt because of severe mental illness. Some of those who fall into the exemptions for severe medical conditions will be among those receiving the highest rate of care component of disability living allowance.

The estimated figures have been rounded up to the nearest 5,000.