HC Deb 13 April 1999 vol 329 cc154-5W
Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants he expects to be entitled to the premium in income-related benefits for widowed people over the age of 55 years in (i) the first full year of implementation and (ii) 2020. [80653]

Angela Eagle

It is estimated that around 5,000 widowed people will be entitled to the Bereavement Premium in Income Support in the first full year of implementation.

The Bereavement Premium will be available only to those men and women aged 55 or over at the start of the proposed new scheme of bereavement benefits who are widowed during the subsequent five years. It will not be available in 2020.

Notes:

  1. 1. The estimates presented above are broad orders of magnitude. They are rounded to the nearest 5,000 and are subject to a wide range of uncertainty.
  2. 2. Estimates use information from the 1995/96 Family Resources Survey, the Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry and forecasts from the Government Actuary's Department concerning the number of men and women affected by the proposed changes.