§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of pensioners who are not receiving pension credit but are receiving housing benefit and council tax benefit. [144701]
§ Mr. PondOur latest estimate for the number of pensioner households who are not receiving Pension Credit but are receiving Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit is around £900,000.
Households claiming Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit may be a single person, a couple or a family. More than one benefit household can live in one property, for example two or more adults in a flat or house share arrangement.
§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for West Derbyshire (Mr. McLoughlin) of 9 December 2003,Official Report, columns 416–17W, on Pension Credit, how many pensioner households in each Government Office region he estimates are eligible for Pension Credit. [144702]
§ Malcolm WicksThe number of pensioner households eligible for Pension Credit at the end of November 2003 by region is set out in the following table.984W
Government office region Estimated number of households eligible for Pension Credit
North East 250,000 North West and Merseyside 500,000 Yorkshire and Humber 350,000 East Midlands 300,000 West Midlands 350,000 Eastern 300,000 London 450,000 South East 350,000 South West 300,000 Wales 250,000 Scotland 400,000 Total (GB) 3,800,000 Notes: 1. Estimates are done on a benefit unit basis (single pensioner or pensioner couple). 2. Figures do not include care home cases. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 50,000. Source: Policy simulation model 2003–04, based on data from the Family Resources Survey 2000–01.