§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners were in receipt of income support in Wales at the latest available date; what estimate he has made of the numbers of pensioners eligible for income support but not claiming it; and if he will make a statement. [17581]
§ Mr. Roger 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.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Rhodri Morgan, dated 28 February 1996:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many pensioners were in receipt of Income Support (IS) in Wales at the latest available date; what estimate he has made of the numbers of pensioners eligible for IS but not claiming it; and if he will make a statement.The number of pensioners receiving IS in Wales in November 1995 was 92,339. This is the latest available figure. It is provisional and may be subject to change.The figures for the numbers of pensioners eligible for IS but not claiming in Great Britain are contained in the publication Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 1993/94, copies of which have been placed in the library. A separate figure for Wales is unavailable because the sample size would be too small to give statistically reliable results.I hope you find this reply helpful.