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Written question asked by David Laws (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 13 June 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 15 June 2006. It was answered by James Plaskitt (Labour) on Wednesday, 21 June 2006 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Family Credit

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the take-up rates were for family credit for each year of its existence; and if he will make a statement.
Answer

The available information is in the following table.

Estimates of take-up for family credit
Percentage
Caseload take-up rate Expenditure take-up rate
1988 and 1989 57 67
1990 and 1991 62 66
1991 and 1992 66 73
1993-94 71 81
1994-95 69 82
1995-96 70 83
1996-97 71 to 75 82 to 88
1997-98 67 to 70 75 to 81
1998-99 66 to 70 73 to 79
Notes:
1. Caseload take-up compares the number of benefit recipients, averaged over the year, with the number who would be receiving if everyone took up their entitlement.
2. Expenditure take-up compares the total amount of benefit received, in the course of the year, with the total amount that would be received if everyone took up their entitlement for the full period of their entitlement.
3. The estimates exclude the full-time self-employed, and cover private households only.
4. Estimates for 1988 to 1992 are sourced from the Family Expenditure Survey, and cover calendar years. These years have been combined due to small sample sizes in each of the years.
5. Estimates for 1998 and 1999 are based on the calendar year 1989 and April to December 1988.
6. Family credit was replaced with working families tax credit in October 1999; take-up statistics for the period April 1999 to October 1999 were not published.
7. Due to small samples sizes on the FES for family credit, estimates are open to a significant margin of error.
8. The source for estimates for 1993-94 to 1998-99 is the Family Resources Survey, and covers financial years.
9. Estimates up until 1995-96 were presented as point estimates. Thereafter, estimates were presented as ranges as the point estimate was adjusted to take account of sampling variation. Estimates were not adjusted to take account of possible bias, so the Department is less confident that the true level of take-up lies within the ranges given, than it is for other benefits.
10. Estimates were published in "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-up" series. Copies are available in the Library.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
78410; 447 c1922W
Session
2005-06
Subjects
Family credit
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk