§ Mr.WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many eligible people have not received backdated winter fuel payments for the first three years of the scheme, and what the value was of such payments. [87598]
§ Mr. McCartney[holding answer 16 December 2002]: According to our estimate around 1.9 million people could have been eligible for backdated payments for the first three years of the scheme and about 1.2 million people have now been paid. There is no cut off dates for these retrospective payments.
It is not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the numbers who have not claimed because the estimate of those newly eligible was based on sample data. It is up to the individual, where a claim is necessary, to decide whether or not to make that claim.
§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of the winter fuel payments has been in each year since they were established, including(a) payments made on time, (b) backdated payments and (c) administration costs; and what the full value is of potential future payments to eligible recipients who have not yet applied for the benefit, but who are still free to do so. [86738]
§ Mr. McCartneyThe information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is given in the table.
The Department now accounts for its administration and benefit expenditure by Strategic Objective, as set out in its Public Service Agreements (PSA), and by individual Requests for Resources (RfRs) as set out in the Departmental Estimates and Accounts.
It is not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the value of unclaimed Winter Fuel Payments. It is up to an individual, where a claim is necessary, to decide whether or not to make that claim.
777WNotes:
All figures are for Great Britain.
Costs are in cash terms.
Expenditure figures prior to 2001–02 are from the published Social Fund Account and from 2001–02 are DWP's latest published forecast. Caseload figures prior to 2001–02 are based on estimates from administrative data and from 2001–02 are DWP's latest published forecast.
§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many people became newly entitled for the(a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02 winter fuel payment; who needed to make a claim, but failed to do so before the cut-off dates; and what the value was of such payments. [87599]
§ Mr. McCartney[holding answer 16 December 2002]: We estimate that around 1.5 million people became entitled to winter fuel payments in 2000–01 for the first time, as a result of a change in the rules in 2000. So far, about one million have been paid. Additionally, for the winter of 2000–01, we estimated that a further 500,000 people could have been newly entitled as a result attaining age 60 and satisfying the other entitlement conditions.
Similarly for the winter of 2001–02, we estimated that some 500,000 people could have been newly entitled as a result of attaining age 60 and satisfying the other entitlement conditions. Around half of these were paid automatically. Some 245,000 claim forms were received by end of March 2002, although some of these would have been from people entitled to automatic payments. It is up to the individual to decide whether or not to claim.
In 2000–01, expenditure on winter fuel payments was £1,749 million and in 2001–02, it was £1,692 million.