§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the costs to the Benefits Agency of the administration of the habitual residence test in relation to income support between 1 August 1994 and 31 July. [37734]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Keith Bradley, dated 20 October 1995:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what were the costs to the Benefits Agency of the administration of the habitual residence test in relation to Income Support between 1 August 1994 and 31 July 1995.The current assessment of the cost to the Agency for the period in question is: £3,428,940.
§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants have been refused income support under the habitual residence test in each Benefits Agency district office in England, Wales and Scotland; and if he will update the information in his answer of 28 February,Official Report, column 547–48. [37694]
§ Mr. EvansThe administration of income support is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Keith Bradley, dated 20 October 1995:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question which asked how many claimants have been refused Income Support under the habitual residence test in each Benefits Agency district office in England, Wales and Scotland, and for an update on information supplied in his answer of 28 February, Official Report, column 547–48.Information about the number of people refused Income Support after failing the HRT has been collated for the period 1 August 1994—31 August 1995 and is shown in the attached table. A copy of this table has been placed in the library, it shows the 20 Area Directorates that make up Great Britain and lists the Districts that make up each are.This information is now placed in the House of Commons Library on a monthly basis.I hope you find this reply helpful.485W
Annex A: failed habitual residence test figures 1 August 1994 to 31 August 1995 Total Anglia Cambridgeshire 131 Leaside 1,087 Northamptonshire 111 North and East Hertfordshire 60 Norwich 56 Suffolk 82 West Hertfordshire 134 486W
Annex A: failed habitual residence test figures 1 August 1994 to 31 August 1995 Total Chilterns Barnet 515 Bedfordshire 265 Buckinghamshire 162 Ealing 1,280 Euston 4,472 Harrow and Hillingdon 647 Oxfordshire 243 South London and West Sussex South Downs 370 West Sussex 99 Palace 1,665 London Central 1,397 South West Thames 1,329 Bankside 422 North Surrey 606 West Country Bristol Brunei 111 Bristol Severnside 106 Cornwall 65 Dorset 219 Devon 67 Gloucestershire 81 Somerset 39 South Devon 94 East London and Essex Barking and Havering 197 City East 278 Essex South East 68 Essex South West 23 Hackney and Islington 187 Lea Roding 531 Newham 464 North Essex 41 South East Canterbury and Thanet 73 Channel 48 North Kent 155 East Sussex 62 Thameside 92 Neasden 699 South Circular 1,234 West Kent 99 Wessex Wiltshire 44 Berkshire 180 Surrey Downs 126 Hampshire North 35 Solent and Forest 87 Hounslow and Kingston 1,431 South East Hampshire and Isle of Wight 85 East Midlands Chesterfield and Worksop 15 East Nottinghamshire 52 Leicestershire North 141 North Nottinghamshire 11 South Leicestershire 73 Wash Coast 29 West Lincolnshire 39 West Nottinghamshire 71 Midlands and South West Birmingham Chamberlain 134 Birmingham Heartlands 73 Birmingham North West 66 Birmingham South East 85 487W
Annex A: failed habitual residence test figures 1 August 1994 to 31 August 1995 Total Birmingham South West 115 Coventry 35 Hereford and Worcester 85 Warwickshire 40 West Mercia Central Derbyshire 39 Central Staffordshire 45 North Staffordshire 26 North Worcestershire 41 Sandwell 51 Shropshire 19 South Derbyshire 12 Walsall 40 Wolverhampton 74 Wales Cynon, Merthyr and Rhymney Valley 14 Gwyneddigion 23 Mid Wales and Maelor 19 North Gwent and Brecon 10 North Wales Coast 30 Ogwr Afan Nedd 21 South Glamorgan 118 South Gwent and Islwyn 66 Swansea 49 Taff Rhondda 5 West Wales 16 Merseyside Knowsley 10 Liverpool Central 10 Liverpool North 17 Liverpool South 56 Sefton 27 South Cheshire 21 South West Lancashire 11 Wirral 34 Greater Manchester Manchester Central 126 Manchester Salford 27 Manchester South 125 Manchester Trinity 107 North Cheshire 22 Oldham 109 Sale and East Cheshire 45 Stockport 51 Tameside 25 Lancashire and Cumbria Blackburn and Accrington 33 Blackpool 40 Bolton 36 Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale 27 Lancaster and South Cumbria 55 North Cumbria 13 Preston 44 West Pennine 109 Wigan and Leigh 25 Tyne Tees Newcastle 118 North Durham 17 North Tees 22 North Tyneside 1 Northumberland 13 South Durham 22 South Tees 44 South Tyneside 29 Wearside 18
Annex A: failed habitual residence test figures I August 1994 to 31 August 1995 Total South Yorkshire and Humberside Barnsley 19 Doncaster 22 East Yorkshire 14 Hull 64 Rother and Dearne 27 Sheffield East 116 Sheffield West 148 South Humberside 35 North and West Yorkshire Bradford 244 Kirklees 55 Leeds Aire and Wharfe 141 Leeds Ridings 49 North Yorkshire 44 Wakefield 10 Yorkshire Pennine 93 Scotland and Northern Glasgow City 29 Glasgow East 7 Glasgow Laurieston 32 Glasgow South West 11 Glasgow West 17 Renfrew 19 Springburn and Cumbernauld 16 North, Central and West Scotland Clyde Coast and Cowal 5 Coatbridge 105 Forth Valley 28 Highlands and Islands 61 Irvine and Kilmarnock 11 Lomond and Argyll 6 Clyde Valley 18 South West Scotland 26 East Scotland East Lowlands 79 Fife 42 Grampian and Shetland 23 Lothian Central 199 Lothian West 34 Tayside 17 Total 27,291 These figures are provisional and are subject to amendment.
§ Mr. Bridget PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what guidance has been given to his Department's staff with reference to informing
488W
Numbers and percentages of pupils in classes of 36 or more taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England: 11994 and 1995 (provisional) Position in January each year 1994 1995 provisional change Number Percentage1 Number Percentage1 Number Percentage2 City 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Camden 0 0.0 3.6 0.4 36 3— Greenwich 0 0.0 122 0.7 122 3— Hackney 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Hammersmith 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Islington 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Kensington and Chelsea 36 0.7 0 0.0 -3.6 -100.0 Lambeth 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Lewisham 0 0.0 120 0.6 120 $ Southwark 0 0.0 37 0.2 37 $ Tower Hamlets 37 0.3 50 0.3 13 35.1 Wandsworth 195 1.4 221 1.6 26 13.3 claimants of their rights to interim [payments pending appeal while refused benefits under the habitual residence rules; [37141]
(2) what information has been given to (a) his Department's staff, (b) claimants and (c) the general public about the right to interim payments pending appeals of people refused benefit under the habitual residence rules. [37142]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mrs. Bridget Prentice, dated 20 October 1995:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about guidance provided to the Department's staff and information available to the public on the subject of interim payments.Interim payments can be made where there is a reasonable expectation that benefit will be awarded at a future date. Whilst it is possible to make an interim payment where a person has appealed against a decision not to award benefit, the fact that a person has lodged an appeal is not in itself a reason for making a payment. The Secretary of State will, therefore, need to be satisfied that the customer may become entitled to benefit following the appeal.Staff in Benefit Agency offices are aware of the need to consider interim payments and guidance is provided in the Income Support Payments Guide, paragraphs 6000–6499. A copy of the Guide is in the Library. Information on interim payments is included in the leaflet IS20 "A Guide to Income Support" which is available to the general public from many outlets such as Benefit Agency offices, Citizen Advice Bureaux, doctors surgeries, public libraries and Post Offices. I enclose a copy of this leaflet for your information.I hope you find this reply helpful.