§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to her answer of 26 March 1998,Official Report, columns 276–77, on the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board, what is the remit of the research the board has been commissioned to undertake on deafness in children and young adults; and on what date it is expected (a) to start and (b) to be completed. [38951]
§ Mr. DenhamThe remit of the research is to undertake a study of Disability Living Allowance cases where the main disabling condition is deafness in children and young adults up to age 30. Final details, including the timing, are still to be agreed but work is expected to start following the completion of studies the Board is currently undertaking.
§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the percentage(a) in numbers and (b) in value of disability benefits paid to those persons over retirement age. [38998]
§ Mr. DenhamThe information is set out in the table.
Percentage of recipients over State retirement age By numbers in receipt By value of benefit received 6 Attendance Allowance1 100 100 Disability Living1 Allowance 28 28 Invalid Care Allowance2 5 5 Severe Disablement3 Allowance 14 11 Incapacity Benefit4 8 8 Disability Working5 Allowance 0.4 0.4 Notes: 15 per cent. data, current allowances at 30 November 1997. 2 100 per cent. data, current allowances at 31 December 1997. 31 per cent. data, current beneficiaries at 31 March 1996. 4 5 per cent. data, current beneficiaries at 30 November 1997, excluding a small number of clerical cases not held on the Benefits Agency's computer system. 5100 per cent. data, current recipients at 31 October 199. 6Based on 1998 Departmental report figures for 1997–98 expected expenditure outtum. Percentages are given to the nearest whole number except in the case of Disability Working Allowance as this would give a zero figure which was considered misleading.
In the case of Invalid Care Allowance it is the carer receiving benefit who is over State pension age rather than the disabled person receiving care.
Some claimants can receive more than one of the above disability benefits. The overlaps for all of these benefits cannot be estimated and therefore an overall caseload total for claimants in receipt of one or more of them cannot be given.
Source:
DSS Analytical Services Division data.
§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the purpose of the survey of the income levels of recipients of disability living allowance; and what is the cost of conducting the survey. [38866]
§ Mr. DenhamThere are no plans to carry out a new survey into the income levels of recipients of Disability Living Allowance. Information on the income levels of benefit recipients, along with other data, is already available from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). Information from the 1996-97 FRS and the follow up disability survey has been merged to provide a 543W comprehensive source of data about the incomes and resources of disabled adults in private households. Results will be published towards the end of 1998.