Reduced Earnings Allowance

HC Deb 15 December 1997 vol 303 cc74-6W

Mr. Denis Murphy

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are in receipt of reduced earnings allowance in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the benefit office area serving the Wansbeck constituency and (c) average benefit office areas of equivalent size. [19246]

Mr. Denham

The administration of Reduced Earnings Allowance 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. Denis Murphy, dated 12 December 1997: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people are in receipt of Reduced Earnings Allowance (REA) in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the benefit office area serving the Wansbeck constituency and (c) average benefit office areas of equivalent size. The information is not available in the format requested. REA statistics are available for the Benefits Agency Northumbria District, which includes the offices at Ashington, Berwick, Blyth, Hexham, North Shields and Wallsend, and for Great Britain.

	Men	Women
	Full time	.75 rate	.50 rate	Full rate	.75 rate	.50 rate	Total recipients
Unemployment benefit1 recipients at 31 May 1986	548,000	21,000	11,000	320,000	16,000	11,000	927,000
Percentage of recipients	59	2	1	35	2	1	—
Sickness benefit recipients at 31 March 1986	122,000	3,000	2,000	43,000	2,000	1,000	173,000
Percentage of recipients	70	2	1	25	2	1	—
Maternity allowance2	—	—	—	319,000	17,000	14,000	349,000
Percentage of awards	—	—	—	91	5	4	—

Notes: 1. Full rate unemployment benefit recipient figures included 5,000 cases where the rate of benefit is not known. 2. Relates to the number of awards of maternity allowance in the 12 months ending 31 March 1986.

Source: DSS sample of recipients in Great Britain; Unemployment Benefit 5 per cent sample, Sickness Benefit 1 per cent sample, Maternity Allowance 2 per cent. sample. As at 31 March 1996, the number of customers in receipt of REA in the Northumbria District is estimated at 1,078. In Great Britain it is estimated at 150,590. The figures are based on a ten per cent sample of all REA assessments.

Figures on average benefit office areas of equivalent size to the Wansbeck constituency are not available.

I hope you find this reply helpful.