HC Deb 06 November 2001 vol 374 c188W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to increase take-up of minimum income guarantee among attendance allowance and disability living allowance(a) claimants and (b) entitled non-recipients.[12436]

Mr. McCartney

We are investigating how best to identify pensioners aged 60 or over who are awarded attendance allowance or disability living allowance and inviting them to claim the minimum income guarantee.

We are working in partnership with organisations for older people to improve access to benefits and take up of the minimum income guarantee (MIG). This includes projects on a national good practice guide and a survey of local take-up initiatives.

Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the(a) number and (b) percentage of minimum income guarantee (i) claimants, (ii) eligible non-recipients and (iii) claimants and eligible non-recipients who are entitled to the minimum income guarantee as a consequence of their eligibility for the severe disability premium;[12613]

(2) what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) percentage of minimum income guarantee (i) claimants, (ii) eligible non-recipients and (iii) claimants and eligible non-recipients who are entitled to the severe disability premium.[12607]

Mr. McCartney

As at May 2001, there were 1.7 million pensioners receiving the minimum income guarantee (MIG). This is nearly 16 per cent. of the pensioner population. Of these MIG recipients, 405,000 (24 per cent. of the total) receive the severe disability premium.

The latest available figures on the number of people entitled to the MIG who are not claiming it are set out in the publication "Take-Up of Income Related Benefits—Statistics for 1999/2000", copies of which are available in the Library.

Neither figures for the number of eligible non recipients who are entitled to the severe disability premium, nor figures for the number of eligible non recipients who are entitled to the MIG as a consequence of their eligibility for the severe disability premium, are available.