§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department have made of the number of people who opted for payment of benefits and pensions into a(a) bank or building society account and (b) post office card account by 28 February; and how many of those are (i) child benefit, (ii) veterans agency and (iii) pensions claimants. [105256]
§ Malcolm WicksAs at 28 February 2003 1,218,916 customer invitation letters had been issued. This is made up of 1,086,301 child benefit customers, 107,651 Veterans Agency customers and 24,964 pensions customers.
From the invitation letters issued, over 447,226 customers have responded to our letters and opted for payment into a bank or building society account: this is made up of 393,847 child benefit, 51,806 Veterans Agency and 1,573 pensions.
587WOver 90,711 customers have responded with a request for a post office card account. This is made up of 49,178 child benefit customers, 35,622 Veterans Agency customers and 5,911 pensions customers. As planned we have now started to issue personal invitation documents to customers who have requested a post office card account.
§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons aged 65–70 receive disability living allowance or attendance allowance; and of these how many(a) receive a mobility payment and (b) do not do so on account of their having become disabled after the age of 65. [105273]
§ Maria EagleThe numbers of people aged 65–70 receiving (i) disability living allowance, (ii) the mobility component of disability living allowance, and (iii) attendance allowance are shown in the table. Figures for the number of attendance allowance recipients in that age group who might satisfy the entitlement conditions for the disability living allowance mobility component are not available because the walking difficulties of attendance allowance claimants are not assessed.
Numbers of people in Great Britain aged 65–70 on 31 August 2002 receiving (i) disability living allowance; (ii) the disability living allowance mobility component; and (iii) attendance allowance Benefit Number of recipients aged 65–70 Disability living allowance1 340,600 Disability living allowance mobility component2 314,100 Attendance allowance3 60,000 1 Disability living allowance is available to people who claim help with their disability related extra costs before age 65. Once in payment, the care component or the mobility component of disability living allowance (or both) can continue to be paid after age 65 for as long as the entitlement conditions are satisfied. 2 People receiving a mobility component may also be receiving a care component. 3 Attendance allowance is available to people aged 65 and over when they claim help with their disability related extra costs. Attendance allowance does not have a mobility component. Note:
Figures are in thousands rounded to the nearest hundred.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, data taken from 5 per cent. sample at 31 August 2002.
§ David DavisTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will estimate the number of pensioners eligible for benefits in the East Riding of Yorkshire, broken down by benefit category; [105278]
(2) how many pensioners receive state benefits in the East Riding of Yorkshire, broken down by benefit category. [105277]
§ Mr. McCartneyEstimates of eligibility are available at national level only.
Information about the number of pensioners receiving state benefits in the East Riding of Yorkshire is in the following table.
588W
Number of recipients by benefit type in the East Riding of Yorkshire local authority area Benefit As at: Number of claimants (thousand) Minimum Income Guarantee1 November 2002 10.3 State Pension September 2002 69.0 Disability Living Allowance2 August 2002 3.8 Attendance Allowance August 2002 7.5 Winter Fuel Payment 2001–02 72.3 1 MIG claimants are defined as any live Income Support benefit unit where the claimant and/or partner are aged 60 and over. 2 DLA figure is for claimants over state pension age (age 60 + for women/age 65 + for men). Notes:
1. Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), State Pension (SP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and Attendance Allowance (AA) are based on a 5 per cent. sample therefore subject to sampling variation. Winter Fuel Payment is 100 per cent. data.
2. Local authorities are allocated using the relevant ONS postcode directory.
3. Figures are in thousands rounded to the nearest hundred.
4. Figures are for individual benefits and a person in receipt of more than one benefit will be included in each benefit count. Figures cannot therefore be summed to give a total number of claimants.
Sources:
1. Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, November 2002.
2. 5 per cent. sample from the Pension Strategy Computer System, September 2002.
3. IAD Information Centre, data taken from 5 per cent. sample at 31 August 2002.
4. Matching Intelligence Data Analysis Service Winter Fuels Payment 2001–02 exercise 100 per cent. data.
Information about Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit is only available at Government Office Region level and is in the following table:
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit case loads for recipients aged 60 and over—Yorkshire and the Humber—May 2001 Number HB recipients 162,000 CTB recipients 230,000 Notes:
1. The figure is based on a 1 per cent. sample and therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
2. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
3. The figures are rounded to the nearest thousand cases.
4. Council Tax Benefit data excludes any Second Adult Rebate cases.
5. Housing Benefit data excludes any Extended Payment cases.
6. The figures are for benefit units where the claimant and/or partner are aged 60 or over.
7. There will be an overlap in the figures as a claimant may be in receipt of both Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
Source:
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2001.