§ Colin BurgonTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in the Elmet constituency receive £100 help towards the payment of council tax. [174875]
§ Malcolm WicksThe information requested is not available. The latest available data shows 8,270 households in the parliamentary constituency of Elmet with at least one resident aged 70 or over. We therefore expect a similar number to benefit from the one-off 70 plus payment announced by the Chancellor in his recent Budget.
The intention is for the payments to be made automatically with the 2004–05 Winter Fuel Payment, to those who are eligible and who do not need to claim it, before the end of the year. People who do not get a Winter Fuel Payment will need to claim the one-off payment from the Department for Work and Pensions before 31 March 2005.
Notes:
1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest five.
2. Any residence found to have four or more occupants is not included in these figures as it is assumed to be a Residential Care Nursing Home.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample of Winter Fuel Payments data for Winter 2003–04.
§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with his colleagues in the Northern Ireland Office in relation to the extension of the Age-Related Payments Bill to Northern Ireland. [175144]
§ Malcolm WicksOfficials in the Department for Work and Pensions are working closely with officials in the Department for Social Development. The intention is to provide for age-related payments in Northern Ireland by Order in Council.