HC Deb 30 November 1998 vol 321 cc103-4W
Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate what the lower and upper capital limits for income support would be in April 1999 if they had been uprated by(a) prices and (b) the higher of earnings or prices since introduction. [61460]

Angela Eagle

The value of the lower capital limit was set at £3,000 in April 1988. In April 1999 it would be £4,825 if it had been uprated by the RPI and £4,610 if it had been uprated by the ROSSI.

The value of the upper capital limit was set at £8,000 in April 1990. In April 1999 it would be £11,291 if it had been uprated by the RPI and f11,160 if it had been uprated by the ROSSI1.

If the limits had been uprated by the higher of prices and earnings, in April 19982 the lower capital limit would be £5,426 and the upper capital limit would be £12,124. 1 This uprating has been carried out from the respective start dates of the capital limit rates up to September 1998 (which corresponds with April 1999 benefit rates). 2 The publication of the Average Earnings Index for September 1998 has been delayed by ONS while they conduct a review of the Index. Uprating has therefore been calculated up to April 1998.

Notes:

1. The figures have been rounded to the nearest pound.

2.The figures exclude residential care and nursing home cases, for which the capital limits are £10,000 and £16,000.

Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the average payment is per week for a lone parent on income support with(a) one child. (b) two children and (c) three children. [61730]

Angela Eagle

The information is in the table.

Average weekly amount of Income Support to lone parents on Income Support by number of dependants—May 1998
Family size Number Average amount £ per week
All families 961,000 79.67
1 dependant 434,000 69.63
Average weekly amount of Income Support to lone parents on Income Support by number of dependants—May 1998
Family size Number Average amount £ per week
2 dependants 318,000 81.85
3 dependants 143,000 92.48

Notes:

  1. 1. Lone parents are defined as those single people with dependants who are not in receipt of a disability or pensioner premium
  2. 2. Includes dependants aged 16–18
  3. 3. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and as such are subject to a degree of sampling error
  4. 4. Numbers of lone parents are rounded to the nearest thousand
  5. 5. Families with 1 to 3 dependants do not sum to the total for all families as there are also families with 4 or more dependants in receipt of Family Credit