HC Deb 05 February 2004 vol 417 cc1060-1W
Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of pensioners in each London borough are(a) entitled to the pension credit and (b) claiming the pension credit. [153089]

Malcolm Wicks

Information on the number of people who are eligible for Pension Credit is not available in respect of individual local authority areas. However, we estimate that approximately 500,000 pensioners in the London region (rounded to the nearest 50,000) are eligible for Pension Credit, which represents approximately 41 per cent. of the number of people in London aged 60 or over. Information on numbers of Pension Credit recipients in the London boroughs is given in the table.

Recipients of Pension Credit (individuals) by London borough, 31 December 2003
Number of Pension Credit recipients (individual) Percentage of population aged 60 and over
London Government Office Region 278,820 24
City of London 150 11
Barking and Dagenham 7,605 26
Barnet 10,605 18
Bexley 6,400 14
Brent 11,710 28
Bromley 8,135 13
Camden 8,685 31
Croydon 10,630 19
Ealing 11,280 24
Enfield 11,700 24
Greenwich 8,880 25
Hackney 11,230 44
Hammersmith and Fulham 5,915 25
Haringey 10,095 35
Harrow 7,815 20
Havering 7,900 16
Hillingdon 7,160 16
Hounslow 7,690 24
Islington 9,105 39
Kensington and Chelsea 5,235 19
Kingston upon Thames 3,620 14
Lambeth 10,340 32
Lewisham 9,700 27
Merton 5,505 17
Newham 12,795 44
Recipients of Pension Credit (individuals) by London borough, 31 December 2003
Number of Pension Credit recipients (individual) Percentage of population aged 60 and over
Redbridge 9,000 21
Richmond upon Thames 3,925 13
Southwark 10,570 32
Sutton 5,235 16
Tower Hamlets 13,310 55
Waltham Forest 9,705 29
Wandsworth 9,385 27
Westminster 7,805 27

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.

2. Percentages have been calculated using the ONS population estimates for mid-2002.

3. Figures for recipients include a small number of partners underage 60.