WIREDGOV

Coverage: Great Britain (unless otherwise stated)

Theme: Social and Welfare

Families with children:
At May, 2003:

- 2.5 million children for whom an additional allowance of benefit was payable (19.2 per cent of children under 16 and young adults aged 16-18 in full time education) were living in families claiming a key benefit. This number was 118 thousand fewer than 2 years earlier.

- 65 per cent of them had been on benefit for at least two years.

Population of Working Age: At May, 2003:

- Just under 5.0 million people of working age (14.1 per cent) were claiming a key benefit.

- 48 per cent of claimants are women.

Population over State Pension Age:
At May, 2003:

- Just over 10.5 million (99 per cent) people over state pension age were claiming a key b enefit.

- 37 per cent of claimants are men.

Individual Benefit Analysis:

Income Support:
At 30th May, 2003:

- All claimants: 4.0 million (£73 per week), rose by 52 thousand over the year to May 2003.

- Lone parents (excluding the disabled) represent 21 per cent of the IS caseload - 847 thousand (£116 per week).

- Disabled recipients represent 28 per cent of the caseload - 1,100 thousand (£81 per week) and has been increasing since 1993.

- Almost two thirds of recipients are women.

- The 60 and over (Minimum Income Guarantee - MIG) caseload: 1.8 million (£51 per week), rose by 32 thousand over the year to May 2003.

- The non-MIG caseload (those aged under 60): 2.2 million (£92 per week), rose by 20 thousand over the year to May 2003.

Jobseeker's Allowance (not seasonally adjusted):
At 8th May, 2003:

- Total claimants: 924 thousand.

- Total recipients: 832 thousand, 167 thousand with only contribution-based JSA, 665 thousand with income-based JSA (including 19 thousand with underlying entitlement to contribution-based benefit).

- Average weekly entitlement: £63 income-based, £52 contribution- based.

- A quarter of claimants are women.

Incapacity Benefit:
At 31st May, 2003:

- Total claimants: 2.4 million.
- Total recipients: 1.5 million.
- Average amount: £83 per week.
- Almost two-thirds of recipients are men

Attendance Allowance:
At 31st May, 2003:

- Total recipients: 1.3 million of which 666 thousand receive the higher rate and 674 thousand the lower.

- Average amount: £48 per week.

- 70 per cent of recipients are women.

Carer's Allowance:
At 31st May, 2003:

- Total entitled: 528 thousand of which 408 thousand are in payment.

- Average amount: £46 per week.

- 75 per cent of recipients are women.

Disability Living Allowance:
At 31st May, 2003:

- Total recipients: 2.5 million.

- Average amount: £56 per week.

- 574 thousand received only the mobility component, 331 thousand received only the care component and 1.6 million received both mobility and care components

- 49 per cent of recipients are women.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit:
At 31st March, 2003:

- New Claims in the quarter (Accidents and Prescribed Diseases): 14.9 thousand

- 14 per cent of these new claims were from women.

- New claims in the quarter (Reduced Earnings Allowance): 1.0 thousand

- Total people in payment (Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and Reduced Earnings Allowance): 343.4 thousand (£41 per week).

Housing Benefit:
At 8th May, 2003:

- Total recipients: 3.8 million.

- Average weekly amount: £56

- Total recipients (aged over 60): 1.6 million (at May 2002).

- Total recipients (with dependants): 1.2 million (at May 2002).

- 71 per cent of HB recipients are also in receipt of IS or JSA (income based).

Council Tax Benefit:
At 8h May, 2003:

- Total recipients: 4.6 million (excludes second adult rebates).

- Average weekly amount: £12

- Total recipients (aged over 60): 2.4 million (at May 2002).

- Total recipients (with dependants): 1.2 million (at May 2002).

- 69 per cent of CTB recipients are also in receipt of IS or JSA (income based).

Child Benefit:
From April 2003, Child Benefit became the responsibility of Inland Revenue. The Inland Revenue will therefore publish future Child Benefit statistics.

Child Support Agency:
At 31st May, 2003:

- From the 3rd March 2003 all new Child Support applications have been assessed under a new scheme. These cases are stored a new computer system with a small number of old scheme cases that are linked to new cases. There have been 50.8 thousand applications and 2.6 thousand calculations made.

- Total 'live' and fully assessed cases on the "old" system: 924 thousand.

State Pension:
At 31st March, 2003:

- Total recipients: 11.3 million, of which 0.9 million reside overseas.

- Average amount of entitlement to State Pension:
All pensioners: £76 per week.
Men: £92 per week.
Women: £67 per week.

- 63 per cent of recipients are women.

Widow's Benefits:
At 31st March, 2003:

- Total recipients: 196.1 thousand

- Average amount of entitlement: £72 per week.

- All of recipients are women.

Bereavement Benefits:
At 31st March, 2003:

- Total recipients: 44.4 thousand

- Average amount of entitlement: £73 per week.

- 64% of recipients are women.

New Deal for Young People:
By end of June 2003:

- Just under 1 million (999,600) starts on New Deal by the end of June 2003; 908 thousand have left, leaving 91 thousand participants at the end of June 2003.

- Of the leavers, 39 per cent have entered sustained unsubsidised jobs, 12 per cent have transferred to other benefits, 20 per cent have left for other known reasons, and 29 per cent for unknown reasons.

Young People into Employment:
By end of June 2003:

- 445 thousand young people in jobs to the end of June 2003. Of which, 352 thousand were sustained jobs, and 93 thousand were jobs lasting less than 13 weeks.

New Deal for Lone Parents:
By end of June 2003.

- Starts on the NDLP caseload reached 502 thousand at the end of June 2003, an increase of 30 thousand on March 2003.

- A total of 411 thousand lone parents had left NDLP by end of June 2003.

- 91 thousand lone parents were participating on NDLP at end of June 2003.

Lone Parents into Employment:
By end of June 2003:

- 236 thousand jobs gained by participants on New Deal for Lone Parents.

New Deal for Long Term Unemployed People aged 25+:
By end of June 2003:

- 625 thousand starts on New Deal by the end of June 2003 - 560 thousand have left. A total of 62 thousand were participating on the enhanced programme at the end of June 2003 (some 4 thousand are still recorded as participating on the pre-April 2001 programme).

Long Term Unemployed People aged 25+ into Employment:
By end of June 2003:

- 155 thousand people on New Deal into jobs to the end of June 2003. Of which, 122 thousand were sustained jobs, and 33 thousand were jobs lasting less than 13 weeks.

Employment Zone Participants:
By the end of December 2002:

- 74,600 people started on an Employment Zone between April 2000 when the Zones started and December 2002. 84 per cent of entrants were male, 67 per cent were white, and 20 per cent were recorded as having a disability.

- On 31st December 2002, there were 25,700 people participating on an employment zone, of whom 9,100 were returning for a repeat spell

Employment Zone Participants into Employment:
By end of December 2002:

- 32,100 Employment Zone participants entered employment by December 2002, of which 3,600 were returning participants

- 23,900 Employment Zone participants had been employed for 13 weeks or more by the end of December 2002

Work Based Learning for Adults:
By end of March 2003:

- 136 thousand starts to Work Based Learning for Adults of which 113 thousand have left, leaving 23 thousand participants.

Work Based Learning for Adults into Employment:
By the end of December 2002:

- 26 thousand people into jobs from Work based
Learning for Adults.

Notes to Editors

The DWP Statistical Summary is a National Statistics publication and is produced to the high professional standards outlined in the National Statistics Code of Practice. National Statistics publications undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.

The purpose of the DWP Statistical Summary is to provide an up-to-date overview of the most important benefits, schemes, agencies and associated bodies administered by the DWP in a concise format. Users seeking more detailed information are directed to the web pages listed or to the contact point on the front page. The Department's web pages provide easy and convenient access to the latest information about a wide range of DWP responsibility.

From June 2003, the Department releases most of its statistics on the same day. All tables previously published within individual benefit publications are now available on the Department's Internet site at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/statistics.asp. As well as Client Group statistics (Population over State Pension Age, Working Age, and Children & Families), statistics on the following benefits are also released today:

- Appeal Tribunal Statistics - March 2003
- Attendance Allowance - May 2003
- Bereavement Benefit - May 2003
- Child Support - May 2003
- Disability Living Allowance - May 2003
- Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit - May 2003
- Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance - May 2003 - Income Support - May 2003
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit - March 2003 - Invalid Care Allowance - May 2003
- Jobseeker's Allowance - May 2003
- Maternity Allowance - May 2003
- State Pension - March 2003
- Widow's Benefit - May 2003

Figures in this, and future DWP publications are affected by the introduction of Child Tax Credit (CTC) in April 2003. The main changes are:

- Child dependency increases paid with non-income related benefits are abolished for new claims to State Pension, Bereavement Benefit, Incapacity Benefit and Carer's Allowance from April 2003.

- CTC will replace the child elements of Income Support (IS) and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA(IB)). This will happen from April 2004 onwards.

Dates when there may be particular changes in the figures are:

- April 2003, when Child dependency increases paid with non-income related benefits are abolished for new claims.

- October 2003, when it is planned that families on Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) with children will have child elements migrated to CTC.

- Financial year 2004/05, when families on Income Support and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance will have child elements migrated to CTC.

A small number of IS/ JSA(IB) recipients will no longer be eligible once CTC is in payment. This is because CTC payments will raise total income above the IS/JSA(IB) threshold, or other income exceeds the threshold once child allowances are removed. We therefore advise that customers exercise caution when performing year on year comparisons, or when comparing with the previous quarter.

Additional financial year benefit expenditure information is available in the Department for Work and Pensions Departmental Report 2003
(http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2003/dwpreport/index.asp).

The average weekly amounts and caseloads in this summary are derived from administrative data which have been validated, cleaned and published by DWP. Many of these statistics are calculated from samples drawn at particular points in time and are therefore subject to some sampling variability. The figures have not been seasonally adjusted. Average amounts are rounded to the nearest pound.

Issued by:
Information Centre
Information and Analysis Directorate
Department for Work and Pensions

Telephone :
Public Enquiries : 020 7712 2171

Website :
www.dwp.gov.uk

Next Publication:
18th December 2003