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Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown by number and percentage of the total number of claims for disability working allowance received by his Department that were refused on the grounds that (a) the claimant was not in remunerative work, (b) the claimant's income was above the limit, (c) the claimant was not in receipt of a qualifying benefit, (d) the claimant was receiving family credit, (e) the joint income of the claimant and his or her partner exceeded the limit, (f) the claimant was working less than 16 hours a week or (g) for other reasons.
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Mr. Scott : By 16 October the total number and percentage of claims refused in each category was as follows :
|Percentage
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not in work or working less than 16 hours
a week |10,208 |59
Income of claimant and partner exceeds
DWA level |1,929 |11
No qualifying benefit |4,455 |26
Receiving family credit |409 |2
Other reasons |425 |2
Mr Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures were taken by his Department, and when, to identify people recieving severe disablement allowance or with underlying entitlement to severe disablement allowance following their transfer to retirement pension who became eligible for the age-related addition introduced in Decembre 1990; and if he will make it his policy that no one will lose out due to ignorance of their entitlement.
Mr. Scott : In August 1990 DSS local offices identified and arranged to pay, from 3 December 1990, all severe disablement allowance (SDA) recipients entitled to an age-related addition. A check of national insurance records was made in May 1992 to identify those retirement pension recipients, with an underlying entitlement to SDA, who had not received an age addition.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to publish the findings of research commissioned by his Department on invalidity benefit ; what is the total cost of this research ; and how he plans to use it.
Mr. Scott : The Department has commissioned a number of related research studies about invalidity benefit. The findings of an international comparative study of the growth in incapacity benefit caseloads were presented to the Beveridge anniversary conference in September. Fieldwork for some of the remaining studies is still in progress, and it is not yet known when the findings will be published. The research will cost £320,000. It is designed to explain the growth in invalidity benefit caseloads and to improve forecasts of the numbers receiving the benefit.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total number of appeals heard by disability appeal tribunals to date ; and if he will provide a breakdown of these by (a) outstanding mobility allowance, (b) outstanding attendance allowance and (c) disability living allowance and attendance allowance, post-February 1992 appeals.
Mr. Scott : I refer the hon. Member to the reply to him given to him by my hon. Friend on 13 July at column 455 .
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown of the numbers awarded the disability living allowance to date by (a) those awarded the higher rate of the care component, (b) those awarded the middle rate of the care component, (c) those awarded the lower rate of the care component, (d) those awarded the higher rate of the mobility component and (e) those awarded the lower rate of the mobility component.
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Mr. Scott : Following is the information requested.
Number of awards of each component of disability living allowance
made at 30 September
|Number
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) |Higher rate care |25,000
(b) |Middle rate care |34,000
(c) |Lower rate care |73,000
(d) |Higher rate mobility|75,000
(e) |Lower rate mobility |75,000
These figures include new claims and "top up" claims from existing attendance allowance or mobility allowance beneficiaries. All figures are provisional and may be subject to amendment.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average award of invalidity benefit (a) for all claimants, (b) for single people, (c) for childless couples and (d) for couples and/or single parents with dependants.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average weekly payment of invalidity benefit for a single person and a married couple at the latest date for which figures are available.
Mr. Scott : The information is not available in the form requested. The average weekly payment of invalidity benefit as at 30 March 1991( ) was £67.40.
Notes :
The latest date for which figures are available ; information from a 1 per cent. sample of claimants.
Separate information is not available for single people and couples.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the number and percentage of recipients of invalidity benefit who are also in receipt of income support.
Mr. Scott : Available information is in the table :
|Number
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of invalidity benefit recipients on
30 March 1991<1> |1,306,000
Number of income support claimants, in receipt of
invalidity benefit, in May 1991<2> |104,000
Number of income support claimant's partners in
receipt of invalidity benefit, in May 1991<2> |7,000
Notes:
<1>Information from 1 per cent. sample of claimants.
<2>Information from the annual statistical enquiry.
Mr. Flinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the savings of his Department of freezing invalidity benefit and the numbers of people who would become eligible for income support as a result.
Mr. Scott : The answer would depend on the assumptions made by the hon. Member.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average income of people in receipt of invalidity benefit as a percentage of average full-time earnings among men and women employees.
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Mr. Scott : Information is not available in the form requested. The average gross weekly income of benefits units in which there is at least one IVB recipient is £155 . This represents 65 per cent. of the average weekly earnings of adults in full time work.
A benefit unit is a single adult or a couple, together with any children dependent on the adult(s) who are entitled to claim benefit in their own right.
Source : Family Expenditure Survey 1989.
Source : New Earnings Survey 1989.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown of successful disability working allowance applicants by (a) average hourly earnings, (b) average hours worked, (c) average age, (d) sex, (e) marital status, (f) householder status and (g) qualifying benefit.
Mr. Scott : Information on the householder status of applicants is not available. The table provides estimated figures derived from an analysis of successful claims up to 31 August.
|Estimated figures
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average hourly earnings |£2.92
Average hours worked a week |30
Average age |37
Number of awards to men |1,089
Number of awards to women |765
Number of awards to single people |1,120
Number of awards to couples |734
Qualifying benefits:<1>
Invalidity benefit |240
Severe disablement allowance |66
Income support with disability premium |128
Housing benefit with disability premium |20
Community charge benefit with disability premium |56
Lower rate disability living allowance |161
Higher rate disability living allowance and attendance allowance |1,183
<1> Applicants may have more than one qualifying benefit.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims for attendance allowance and mobility allowance were made (a) in the six months prior to February 1992 and (b) in the six months prior to February 1991.
Mr. Scott : The information is as follows :
|Attendance allowance|Mobility allowance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 1991-January 1992 |283,000 |118,000
August 1990-January 1991 |209,000 |85,000
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many invalidity benefit recipients there are by age, sex, household, and marital status.
Mr. Scott : Available information is in the table. This shows the number of invalidity recipients on 30 March 1991, the latest date for which information is available.
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