WIREDGOV

Coverage: Great Britain (unless otherwise stated) Theme: Social and Welfare

Families with Children: At August, 2003:

- 2.8 million children (22 per cent of the total population of children aged under 16 and young adults aged 16 to 18 in full-time education), were living in families claiming a key benefit and receiving additional amounts of benefit and/or CTC for them.

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

Population of Working Age: At August, 2003:

- 4.95 million people of working age (13.9 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 benefit.

- 37 per cent of claimants are men.

Individual Benefit Analysis:

Income Support: At 31st August, 2003:

- All claimants: 4 million (£72 per week), rose by 56 thousand over the year to August 2003.

- Lone parents (excluding the disabled) represent 21 per cent of the IS caseload -844 thousand (£113 per week).

- Disabled recipients represent 28 per cent of the caseload - 1,110 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 (£50 per week), rose by 44 thousand over the year to August 2003.

- The non-MIG caseload (those aged under 60): 2.2 million (£90 per week), rose by 12 thousand over the year to August 2003.

Jobseeker's Allowance (not seasonally adjusted):

At 14th August, 2003:

- Total claimants: 911 thousand.

- Total recipients: 823 thousand, 165 thousand with only contribution-based JSA, 658 thousand with income-based JSA (including 18 thousand with underlying entitlement to
contribution-based benefit).

- Average weekly entitlement: £61 income-based, £52 contribution- based.

- Just over a quarter of claimants are women.

Incapacity Benefit: At 31st August, 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 August, 2003:

- Total recipients: 1.4 million of which 680 thousand receive the higher rate and 679 thousand the lower.

- Average amount: £48 per week.

- 70 per cent of recipients are women.

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

- Total entitled: 564 thousand of which 414 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 30th June, 2003:

- New Claims in the quarter (Accidents and Prescribed Diseases): 15.4 thousand

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

- New claims in the quarter (Reduced Earnings Allowance): 1.1 thousand

- Total people in payment (Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and Reduced Earnings Allowance): 343.0 thousand (£41 per week).

Housing Benefit: At 14thAugust, 2003:

- Total recipients: 3.8 million.

- Average weekly amount: £56

- Total recipients (aged over 60): 1.5 million

- 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 14hAugust, 2003:

- Total recipients: 4.7 million (excludes second adult rebates).

- Average weekly amount: £12

- Total recipients (aged over 60): 2.3 million

- 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 Support Agency: At 31st August, 2003:

- From the 3 March 2003 all new applications have been assessed under a new scheme. These cases are stored on a new computer system with some old scheme cases linked to new cases. There have been 126.2 thousand applications and 20.8 thousand calculations made.

- There are up to 200 thousand cases assessed under old rules that are currently administered on the new IT system. These cases are not included in this section.

- Total 'live' and fully assessed cases on the "old" system: 867 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 percent of recipients are women.

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

- Over 1 million (1,045,970) starts on New Deal by the end of September 2003; 956.5 thousand have left, leaving 89.4 thousand participants at the end of September 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 September 2003:

- 462.9 thousand young people in jobs to the end of September 2003. Of which, 367.3 thousand were sustained jobs, and 95.6 thousand were jobs lasting less than 13 weeks.

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

- Starts on the NDLP caseload reached 540.6 thousand at the end of September 2003, an increase of 36.4 thousand on June 2003.

- A total of 441.9 thousand lone parents had left NDLP by end of September 2003.

- 98.8 thousand lone parents were participating on NDLP at end of September 2003.

Lone Parents into Employment: By end of September 2003:

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

New Deal for Long Term Unemployed People aged 25+:

By end of September 2003:

- 651 thousand starts on New Deal by the end of September 2003 - 588.7 thousand have left. A total of 58.3 thousand were participating on the enhanced programme at the end of September 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 September 2003:

- 164.9 thousand people on New Deal into jobs to the end of September 2003. Of which, 130.1 thousand were sustained jobs, and 34.8 thousand were jobs lasting less than 13 weeks.

Employment Zone Participants: By the end of June 2003:

- 82,900 people started on an Employment Zone for the first time, with another 23,640 returning to an Employment Zone for a subsequent spell. 84 per cent of all entrants were male, 68 per cent were white, and 21 per cent were recorded as having a disability.

- On 30th June 2003, there were 28,030 people participating on an Employment Zone, of whom 11,500 were returning for a repeat spell

Employment Zone Participants into Employment: By end of June 2003:

- 38,170 Employment Zone participants entered employment by June 2003, of which 5,760 were returning participants

- 28,530 Employment Zone participants had been employed for 13 weeks or more by the end of June 2003

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

- 181 thousand starts to Work Based Learning for Adults of which 154 thousand have left, leaving 27 thousand participants.

- Of the leavers, 40 percent have gained a job within 13 weeks of leaving

Work Based Learning for Adults into Employment: By the end of June 2003:

- 41 thousand people into jobs from Work Based Learning for Adults. Of these, 6 thousand people gained jobs from Basic Employability Training, 13 thousand from Short Job Focused Training, 15 thousand from Longer Occupational Training, and 6 thousand from Self Employment.

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 (Working Age and Children & Families), statistics on the following benefits are also released today:

- Appeal Tribunal Statistics - June 2003 ? Attendance Allowance - August 2003

- Child Support Agency - August 2003 ? Disability Living Allowance- August 2003

- Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit - August 2003

- Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance - August 2003

- Income Support - August 2003

- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit - June 2003

- Carer's Allowance - August 2003 ? Jobseeker's Allowance - August 2003

- Maternity Allowance - August 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.

- ates 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

Statistician:
Stuart Grant
Information Centre
Information and Analysis Directorate
Department for Work and Pensions
Room BP 5 2 01
Benton Park View
Benton Park Road
Longbenton
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
NE98 1YX

Next Publication:
17 March 2004