§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value of the income related304W benefits disregard for war widow's pension is; when it was last updated; and what the rise in the retail price index has been since that date. [104023]
§ Malcolm WicksIncome-related benefits are intended to help people whose resources are insufficient to meet their day-to-day living expenses. Any income that is available to meet those expenses is normally taken fully into account. However, there is a special disregard in income-related benefits in respect of War Widow's Pension which was increased from £5 to £10 in April 1990. We believe that the current disregard strikes the right balance between acknowledging the special reasons for these pensions and prudent use of public funds.
In addition to the £10 disregard referred to in the reply, local authorities have the discretion to disregard the full amount of War Widow's Pension in their calculation of entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
Between April 1990 and January 2003 the percentage increase in the all items Retail Price Index has been 42.6 per cent.