HC Deb 31 March 1999 vol 328 cc830-1W
Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the size of(a) the occupational pension payments referred to in paragraph 5 of his consultation paper on bereavement support and (b) such payments currently. [76105]

Mr. Bayley

The information is not available in the form requested.

The average size of the occupational pension payments referred to in the consultation paper was around £80 for both of the financial years 1995–96 and 1996–97.

Notes:

1. These figures are estimates and are taken from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data set which is based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS does not include Northern Ireland.

2. The financial year 1995–96 was the basis for the figures quoted in paragraph 5 of the consultation paper on bereavement support. The financial year 1996–97 is the latest for which data are available. Sample sizes for the requested cross-section of the population are small and therefore liable to a large degree of year on year variation due to sampling error. The estimate for both years is subject to this error.

3. The figures quoted refer to the gross amount of occupational pension payments where they are received by widows who are both under the age of 60 and in receipt of widow's benefit. All monetary values are given in April 1998 prices.

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