§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will arrange for application forms for winter fuel payments to be available at post offices. [145620]
§ Mr. RookerWinter fuel payment claim forms are available either by contacting the winter fuel payment helpline or from the departmental website or the internet. The administrative arrangements for the scheme in the 2001–02 winter have not yet been established, but I will bear my hon. Friend's suggestion in mind.
§ Mr. HurstTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much the Government spent on the winter fuel allowance in each of the years(a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000. [145611]
§ Mr. RookerThe information is in the table.
Expenditure on winter fuel payments Year Expenditure 1997–98 £191 million 1998–99 £194 million 1999–2000 £902 million 2000–01 £1.701 billion Source:
Administrative statistics
§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assumptions his Department makes about the proportion of the winter-fuel payment that will be used by(a) low-income and (b) other households to defray the cost of their winter fuel bills. [145765]
§ Mr. RookerThe winter fuel payment is intended to help elderly people defray their winter heating costs. This winter's £200 payment represents more than one third of the annual average fuel bill for a pensioner household.
§ Mr. HurstTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioner households will receive the winter fuel allowance this financial year. [145612]
§ Mr. RookerOver eight million households containing at least one person aged 60 or over will have benefited from winter fuel payments in the current financial year.