§ Mr. PicklesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the number of people receiving Incapacity Benefit, or its equivalent, on the grounds of dependency on(a) drugs and (b) alcohol for each year since 1990. [139322]
§ Mr. BayleyIncapacity Benefit replaced Sickness Benefit and Invalidity Benefit in April 1995. As separate figures for Sickness Benefit are not available, the table shows the number of people with a diagnosis of alcoholism or drug abuse as the main medical condition 841W who, at a date in each year since 1990, were entitled to Invalidity Benefit or the Incapacity Benefit equivalent (either short-term higher or long-term rates).
Thousand Alcoholism Drug abuse 31 March 1990 4.3 *0.8 30 March 1991 5.0 *1.0 4 April 1992 5.6 *1.6 3 April 1993 7.3 *1.6 2 April 1994 8.6 2.6 12 April 1995 8.7 2.8 29 February 1996 9.0 2.8 28 February 1997 10.3 2.9 28 February 1998 11.3 3.8 28 February 1999 11.8 4.1 29 February 2000 12.7 4.4 Notes:
1. Diagnosis codes are coded from the International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition up to 1995, and the 10th edition from the introduction of IB. If there is more than one diagnosis, only the first shown is coded. It should also be noted that some doctors may be reluctant to show these diagnoses on medical certificates.
2. Figures for Sickness Benefit recipients are excluded as they cannot be separated from claims to National Insurance credits only.
3. Numbers marked * are taken from very few sample cases and are therefore subject to a high degree of error, they should therefore only be used as an indication of the situation. Numbers are expressed as thousands and are rounded to the nearest hundred.
Sources:
Figures from 1990 to 1995 are taken from a 1 per cent. sample of IVB claimants.
1996 figures are taken from a 5 per cent. sample of the benefit computer system and exclude a small number of cases held clerically.