Benefit Statistics

HC Deb 02 July 1996 vol 280 cc407-8W

Mr. Alan Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the cost of introducing a taper of(a) 50 per cent. and (b) 70 per cent. on earnings above each of the earnings disregards for (i) income support, (ii) housing benefit and (iii) council tax benefit; and how many people would gain from these changes. [34231]

Mr. Roger Evans

The information requested is set out in the table.

	50 per cent, tapered earnings disregard	70 per cent, tapered earnings disregard
Income support taper
Cost	£130 million	£230 million
Income support gainers	180,000	200,000
Housing benefit taper
Cost	£1.4 billion	£2.4 billion
Housing benefit gainers	800,000	1 million
Council tax benefit taper
Cost	£500 million	£1.4 billion
Council tax benefit gainers	1.2 million	2.6 million

1. The cost of the income support taper includes the cost of increased numbers on income support, including any additional entitlement to housing benefit and council tax benefit.

2. Gainers include numbers additionally entitled to benefit.

3. Figures are based on the 1994 QSE and the 1991/1992/1993 Family Expenditure Survey, uprated to 1996/7 levels. Costs for income support are rounded to the nearest £5 million, gainers to the nearest 10,000. For housing benefit and council tax benefit costs are rounded to the nearest £0.1 billion, gainers are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million.

4. Figures for IS include the effect of jobseekers allowance from October 1996. The effect on the back to work bonus has not been estimated, as future behavioural effects are very uncertain.

Mr. Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) couples and (b) lone parents claimed the child care allowance in respect of claims for (i) family credit, (ii) disability working allowance, (iii) housing benefit and (iv) council tax benefit, (1) since its introduction, (2) during 1995–96 and (3) currently. [34235]

Mr. Evans

The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table:

	Cumulative to February 1996	Current as at February 1996
Family credit
Couples	2,000	1,000
Lone parents	34,000	22,000
Disability working allowance
Couples	17	9
Lone parents	90	72

Sources:

1. Family Credit 5 per cent. sample of all awards.

2. Disability Working Allowance 100 per cent. of all awards.

Notes:

1. Numbers for Family Credit have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

2. Figures for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are not yet available.

3. Data are provisional.