§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale are in receipt of lone parent premium. [18653]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe administration of Income Support is a matter for Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend.
670WLetter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 10 December 1997:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many persons in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale are in receipt of the lone parent premium.The information is not available in the format requested. The Benefits Agency (BA) collates statistics by BA District Offices which do not correspond to constituency boundaries or a specific geographical area. The BA's Greater Manchester Lancashire District includes the offices of Burnley, Rossendale, Blackburn and Accrington.From April this year, the lone parent premium was replaced by a higher rate of family premium for lone parents.The number of people in receipt of Income Support lone parent rate of family premium in the Greater Manchester Lancashire District was 9,758, at 31 August 1997. This figure is the latest available and may be subject to change. This figure does not include those lone parents who are over pensionable age or who are sick who would qualify for a higher rate premium, such as a pensioner or disability premium.I hope you find this reply helpful.