§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of people in Walthamstow in receipt of income support.[8981]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe administration of income support is a matter for Peter Mathieson, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Neil Gerrard, dated 17 January 1996:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about what is his estimate of the number of people in Walthamstow in receipt of Income Support (IS)The information is not available in the format requested. This is because statistics are not kept which are specific to Parliamentary Constituencies, the borders of which are not the same as those of benefit offices. Statistics are kept on the IS computer system on the number of people claiming IS in each Benefit Agency District.The Lea Roding District comprises of the Ilford, Leytonstone and Walthamstow benefit offices. The number of people claiming income support from this District for the quarter ended 30 November 1995 was 62,777, this is a provisional figure which may be subject to amendment.I hope you find this reply helpful.