HC Deb 13 December 2001 vol 376 cc991-2W
Mr. Mudie

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants have been refused benefit under the habitual residence test, indicating what proportion of them were British citizens in each year of its operation. [8654]

Malcolm Wicks

The available information is in the tables:

Claims for income support/jobseeker's allowance (income based) subject to the habitual residence test
Year Total claims Total claims disallowed Claims from UK citizens disallowed Claims from UK citizens disallowed as a percentage of all claims disallowed
1994–95 59,677 19,961 3,764 19
1995–96 103,828 19,614 6,006 31
1996–97 99,534 17,565 8,596 49
1997–98 117,653 18,131 9,857 54
1998–99 112,976 18,461 10,603 57
1999–2000 98,227 11,698 5,546 47
2000–01 84,147 9,601 4,246 44

Note:

The habitual residence test was introduced in August 1994

Source:

Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance (Income Based) Management Information System Programme.

Claims for housing benefit and council tax benefit subject to the habitual residence test
Year Housing benefit claims disallowed Council tax benefit claims disallowed
1996 1,100 300
1997 1,300 540
1998 620 360
1999 930 470
2000 600 290

Notes:

1. The data refer to households, which may be a family, a single person or a couple.

2. The totals for Great Britain have been rated up to account for local authorities that have not responded. This is standard practice in reporting totals where there have been non-respondents.

3. The figures in the table will show some double counting as some households that have claimed one benefit will also have claimed the other.

4 The figures exclude cases where the household has claimed income support or jobseeker's allowance (income based).

5. Data are not collected separately on claims from UK citizens, so no proportionate figures can be given.

6. Data were not collected prior to 1996.

Source:

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Policy Monitoring Returns 1996 to 2000

Forward to