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Dept of Social Security

Answer

Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) men and (b) women currently receive the carer premium with (i) income support, (ii) housing benefit and (iii) council tax benefit. [15798] Mr. Roger Evans: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Benefit Male recipients Female recipients Total recipients Income support{1} 92,000 68,000 159,000 Housing benefit{2} -- -- 87,000 Council tax benefit{2} -- -- 116,000 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Notes: 1. Figures as at February 1996. 2. Figures as at May 1995. 3. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest thousand, and totals may not sum. 4. It is not possible to identify the sex of those people whose housing benefit and council tax benefit assessments include the carer premium. 5. The figures given for income support represent the sex of the claimant who is a member of a benefit unit for which there is entitlement to the carer premium. The benefit unit may be a single person or a couple, and the claimant may or may not be the carer. 6. People in receipt of housing benefit whose assessment includes a carer premium, can also be in receipt of council tax benefit. There is therefore some overlap in the figures for these benefits. Sources: {1} The income support figures are from the May 1995 and February 1996 "Quarterly Statistical Enquiry". {2} The latest housing benefit and council tax benefit figures are from the May 1995 housing benefit management information system annual 1 per cent. enquiry.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

15798; 291 c86W

Session

1996-97

Subjects

Carers Social security benefits

Contains statistics

Yes