§ Ms BuckTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the characteristics of households with incomes below the level of Income Support. [127005]
§ Mr. BayleyResearch has been, and continues to be, commissioned by the Department to examine the characteristics of the poorest groups and, where appropriate, to explore the reasons for non-take-up of benefits.
A substantial programme of research was undertaken to examine the characteristics of the poorest pensioners and to explore their barriers to claiming Income Support. Ongoing surveys of low-income families with children also provide detailed information about Britain's poorest families. In addition, research was completed in 1999 that examined the circumstances of the lowest income households identified from the Department's Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. This followed evidence that households reporting the lowest incomes in household surveys do not necessarily have the lowest living standards.
All findings from research undertaken by the Department are published and placed in the Library.