HC Deb 25 February 1999 vol 326 c433W
Mr. Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by income decile the numbers of(a) gainers and (b) losers, and the average amount gained or lost, from the proposed changes to bereavement benefits. [73262]

Angela Eagle

The information is not available.Notes:

  1. 1. Information on current Widows' Benefits recipients is not available by income decile because the sample sizes involved are too small to allow a robust analysis. Moreover, estimating the position of Bereavement Benefits recipients would require estimates of the future distribution of income.
  2. 2. In modelling income-related benefit effects, it is necessary to make broad assumptions about take up levels (which differ for each of Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit). Consequently, these assumptions do not directly relate back to individuals in different parts of the income distribution.