§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the number of people in(a) Wales, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland who receive incapacity benefit and have an occupational or personal pension income which does not affect their incapacity benefit;[12937]
(2) how many people in (a) Wales, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in receipt of incapacity benefit since 1 April have had their benefit entitlement reduced; how many of these have had their benefit reduced to nothing; and what percentage of them receiving incapacity benefit since 1 April have had it reduced. [12933]
§ Malcolm Wicks[holding answer 7 November 2001]: The available information is in the tables.
People entitled to Incapacity Benefit (IB) whose benefit is affected by their occupational or personal pensions as at 31 May 2001 IB reduced to nothing IB Reduced Percentage reduced1 Wales 2— 3200 4.7 England 3200 3500 2.0 Scotland 2— 3100 1.8 1 Figures refer to the percentage of new and repeat claims to Incapacity Benefit made since 6 April 2001 where Incapacity Benefit was reduced or reduced to nothing. 2 Numbers are taken from a small number of sample cases and are subject to a high degree of sampling error, they should therefore only be used as an indication of the current situation. 3 Nil or Negligible. Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Figures for Northern Ireland are not included. Social Security matters in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Source:
Figures are taken from a 5 per cent. sample of the benefit computer system and exclude a small number of cases held clerically.
Estimated number of people with an occupational or personal pension, which does not affect the rate of Incapacity Benefit they receive as at 31 May 2001 Recipients Wales 38,000 England 340,000 Scotland 41,000 Notes:
1. Figures include recipients with an occupational pension in excess of £85.00 per week, whose Incapacity Benefit is not affected because their claim was made for a period which began before 6 April 2001.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand, although estimates of recipients with occupational and personal pensions cannot be regarded as accurate to this degree.
3. Figures for Northern Ireland are not included. Social Security matters in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Source:
Estimates derived from a 5 per cent. sample of the benefit computer system, excluding a small number of cases held clerically, and the 1999–2000 Family Resources Survey.