§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) for how many hours on average the main earners in couples receiving family credit work per week in Portsmouth; [69682]
(2) how many families receive the maximum family credit benefits in Portsmouth. [70275]
§ Angela EagleThe administration of Family Credit is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 15 February 1999:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking, how many hours the main earners in couples receiving Family Credit work per week, and how many families receive the maximum family credit benefits, in Portsmouth.The information is not available in the format requested. Family Credit is a national benefit and is administered centrally by the Family Credit Unit and statistics are produced on a national basis.680WHowever, a periodic scan of the computer system is conducted which obtains details from a 5% sample of the claims in payment. As at August 1998, this indicated that the main earners, in couples receiving Family Credit, worked on average 31.3 hours per week, and that there were 1,100 families (rounded to the nearest 100) in receipt of the maximum amount of Family Credit, in the Portsmouth Local Authority District.I hope you find this reply useful.