HC Deb 11 June 2002 vol 386 c1149W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister what plans his Department has to include in the Indices of Deprivation statistics on access to local services and public transport for those over 65 and 75 years in the most deprived wards; and whether indicators on age-related issues will be included in the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit's review of how the Indices of Deprivation may be developed. [60623]

Mr. McNulty

The Indices of Deprivation (ID 2000) has been developed to provide a measure of how deprived a particular area (ward or local authority district) is relative to the rest of the country.

The current 'Access to Services' domain measures the extent to which people have poor geographical access to certain key services. Three of the indicators included in the domain (access to post offices, large food shops and doctors surgeries) measure geographical access to services for people on low incomes (ie claimants of means-tested benefits). As such, this will include pensioners who are eligible for income support payments.

The ID 2000 has been designed to reflect deprivation as experienced by all age groups, including the elderly. The forthcoming review on the further development of the indices will continue to maintain this objective.