HC Deb 17 July 2000 vol 354 cc35-6W
37. Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have responded to the minimum income guarantee take-up campaign; and how many new payments have been made. [129358]

Mr. Bayley

Since the end of May, there have been 123,000 responses to the minimum income guarantee take-up campaign.

Preliminary details on the number of successful claims will be available later in the summer.

Mr. Alan Williams

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners qualifying for the minimum income guarantee; and what the most recent uptake figures are for(a) Swansea West, (b) the City of Swansea and (c) Wales. [130563]

Mr. Bayley

The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

Minimum Income Guarantee pensioners by Parliamentary constituency, Government office region, and unitary authority—Swansea, February 2000
Thousand
Area Number of claimants
Swansea West PC 3.3
Swansea UA 8.8
Wales GOR 93.3

Notes:

1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and therefore subject to sampling error.

2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.

3. Pensioners are defined as benefit units where the claimant and/or their partner is aged 60 or over.

Source:

Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry, February 2000.

Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 7 July 2000,Official Report, column 343W, on the minimum income guarantee, if he will estimate the total cost of the minimum income guarantee take-up campaign; and if he will make a statement. [130702]

Mr. Bayley

We estimate that around £15 million will be spent over the course of the campaign.

Ann Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress has been made on encouraging pensioners to take up the minimum income guarantee since the launch of his Department's publicity campaign. [129323]

Mr. Bayley

Since the end of May, there have been 123,000 responses to the minimum income guarantee take-up campaign.

Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security pursuant to his answer of 7 July 2000,Official Report, column 343, on the minimum income guarantee, if he will estimate how many of the 35,000 claim packs issued have so far produced successful claims. [130703]

Mr. Bayley

Pensioners receiving the minimum income guarantee claim packs have one month in which to complete and return them. Information on the results of the first wave of claims will be available later in the summer.

133,000 responses have been received so far and 87,000 claim packs have been issued.