§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people claimed cold weather payments in the area covered by the benefits offices in Greenock and Port Glasgow in late December; on which dates they qualified; and what was the total amount paid to those whose claims were met. [13161]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe administration of the social fund is a matter for Peter Mathison, chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Dr. Norman Godman, dated 7 February 1996:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people claimed Cold Weather Payments (CWPs) in the area covered by the benefits offices in Greenock and Port Glasgow in late December; on which dates they qualified; and what was the total amount paid to those whose claims were met.Customers who qualify for CWPs are automatically identified by a scan of the Income Support Computer System. Those customers who are being paid clerically also have their claims examined to identify those who qualify. There is no need, therefore, for a claim to a Cold Weather Payment (CWP) to be made.Data is not held on the number of people who qualified for a CWP, only on the number of payments made and the amount paid out in the area covered by Greenock and Port Glasgow Benefit Offices. This is because a customer may receive more than one payment in a cold weather period depending on the length of the recorded and/or forecasted period. Two recorded periods of Cold Weather were identified from 19 December 1995 to 1 January 1996 inclusive, and two forecast periods were identified from 23 December 1995 to 5 January 1996 inclusive.On 30 December 1995, 9,070 payments were issued by the computer system amounting to £77,095. On 6 January 1996, a further 9,085 payments were made amounting to £77,222.50. Statistics are not yet available for any clerical payments which may have been made.I hope you find this reply helpful.