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Northern Ireland Office;Social Security Agency

Answer

Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the cost to public funds in the last year for which figures are available of payments of (a) disability living allowance and (b) incapacity benefit, and if he will list the amount paid relative to the total number of electors in each constituency. [12447] Mr. Moss: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Social Security Agency under its chief executive, Mr. Alec Wylie. I have asked him to arrange for a response to be given. Letter from Alec Wylie to Mr. Robert McCartney, dated 27 January 1997: I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on the cost to public funds for payments of Disability Living Allowance and Incapacity Benefit relative to the total number of electors in each constituency. To provide the information in the form you requested would require a major clerical exercise generating a disproportionate cost. The two benefits concerned are paid through a GB computer system and the routine information provided on a quarterly basis is limited to the payment details of "live" cases for a selected week. For this reason I am unable to give you year ending figures broken down by constituency for 1995/96. However, the attached tables show the number of "live" cases for both benefit types per constituency and their associated costs for the week ending 29 February 1996. I have also shown the total amount paid for each benefit in that year. Disability living allowance--expenditure and recipients in the week ending 28 February 1996 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Constituency Recipients Expenditure{1} Population aged 18+{2} Expenditure per electorate £ £ Belfast West 9,724 476,987.50 52,899 9.02 Foyle 9,514 480,915.75 73,779 6.52 Belfast North 7,000 336,909.95 53,311 6.32 Upper Bann 6,850 344,618.55 64,783 5.32 Mid Ulster 6,640 341,070.40 68,124 5.01 Newry and Armagh 6,100 315,223.35 65,959 4.78 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 4,823 251,093.45 67,568 3.72 South Down 5,584 280,231.50 75,590 3.71 Lagan Valley 5,590 267,500.95 73,593 3.63 Belfast East 3,951 193,062.50 53,266 3.62 South Antrim 4,747 231,083.80 68,705 3.36 East Antrim 4,399 207,837.75 62,583 3.32 Belfast South 3,511 170,201.70 54,065 3.15 East Londonderry 4,614 226,156.95 75,757 2.99 Strangford 3,792 185,207.05 70,684 2.62 North Antrim 3,728 178,533.85 68,517 2.61 North Down 3,456 170,629.85 68,038 2.51 Unknown{3} 3,699 182,479.05 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Total amount of disability living allowance paid in Northern Ireland for 1995-96 was £244,175,000. {1} Expenditure excludes administrative costs. {2} Population aged 18+ taken from the 1991 Census. {3} Missing codes--can not be distributed evenly across constituencies. Incapacity benefit--expenditure and recipients in the week ending 28 February 1996 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Constituency Recipients Expenditure{1} Population aged 18+{2} Expenditure per electorate £ £ Belfast West 6,429 363,445.92 52,899 6.87 Upper Bann 6,940 435,904.07 64,783 6.73 Foyle 8,152 480,802.78 73,779 6.52 Belfast North 5,861 343,367.63 53,311 6.44 Mid Ulster 7,068 434,729.93 68,124 6.38 Newry and Armagh 6,486 385,177.88 65,959 5.84 South Down 6,375 397,402.09 75,590 5.26 East Antrim 4,887 326,041.89 62,583 5.21 East Londonderry 5,539 355,595.12 75,757 4.69 Belfast East 3,813 248,959.20 53,266 4.67 North Antrim 4,794 312,404.04 68,517 4.56 Strangford 4,489 311,008.21 70,684 4.40 South Antrim 4,668 299,946.35 68,705 4.37 Lagan Valley 4,887 309,826.10 73,593 4.21 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 4,706 282,813.98 67,568 4.19 North Down 3,803 266,819.75 68,038 3.92 Belfast South 3,423 199,317.16 54,065 3.69 Unknown{3} 3,143 208,274.40 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Total amount of incapacity benefit paid in Northern Ireland for 1995-96 was £318,200,000. {1} Expenditure excludes administration costs. {2} Population aged 18+ taken from the 1991 Census. {3} Missing codes--can not be distributed evenly.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

12447; 289 c305-8W

Session

1996-97

Subjects

Disability living allowance Expenditure Incapacity benefit Northern Ireland Recipients Social security benefits

Contains statistics

Yes