National Insurance Pension Benefits

HC Deb 23 March 2004 vol 419 cc743-4W

Mr. Denham

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of state payments to pensioners, including income related benefits, was represented by National Insurance pension benefits, in(a) 1983, (b) 1993 and (c) 2003. [162405]

Malcolm Wicks

The information is given in the table.

Percentage
	1983–84	1992–93	2002–03
National Insurance pension benefits as a proportion of all benefits paid to people over pension age	83	78	75

Note: Contributory Benefits include: Retirement Pension basis and additional pension; windows' and Bereavement Benefits; Christmas Bonus contribution based; Invalidity Benefit basis and additional pension(not included in 2002–03 as benefit ceased in 2000). Non-Contributory Benefits include: non-contributory Retirement Pension; Mobility Allowance (benefit subsumed into Disability Allowance from 1992–93); Attendance Allowance; Disability Living Allowance; Non-Contributory Invalidity Pension/Severe Disablement Allowance; Winter Fuel Payments (payable from 1997–98); Over 75 TV Licence (payable from 2000–01). Income Related Benefits include: Housing Benefit; Rate Rebate (1983–84)/Community Charge Benefit (1992–93)/ Council Tax Benefit (2002/03); and Supplementary Benefit (1983–84)/Income Support (1992–93)/Minimum Income Guarantee (2002–03). All income-related benefits relate to people aged 60 or over, rather than over pension age. Major Benefits not included in the calculations are: Industrial Injuries Benefits; Invalid Care Allowance.

1983. Mr. Denham

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of all pensioner income was represented by National Insurance pension benefits, in(a)(b) 1993 and (c) 2003. [162406]

Malcolm Wicks

Information for 1983 and 2003 is not available. In 1981 National Insurance pension benefits amounted to 52 per cent. of pensioner gross income. In 1993 this proportion was 43 per cent. National Insurance pension benefits amounted to 39 per cent. of pensioners gross income in 2001–02. National insurance pension benefits have fallen relative to pensioner gross income in the last 20 years mainly because occupational pensions have increased by more than average earnings during this period.

Note: The information is derived from the Family Expenditure Survey for the years 1981 and 1993 and the Family Resources Survey for the year 2001–02. Data from the FES and FRS should not be directly compared.