STATISTICAL SUMMARY - DECEMBER 2002

16 Jan 2003 10:15 AM

Coverage: Great Britain Theme: Social and Welfare

Families with Children: At May, 2002:

- 2.5 million children for whom an additional allowance of benefit was payable (19.4 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 169,000 fewer than 2 years earlier.

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

Population of Working Age: At May, 2002:

- Just over 4.9 million people of working age (14.0 per cent) were claiming a key benefit.

- 47 per cent of claimants are women.

Population over State Pension Age: At May, 2002:

- Just over 10.4 million (99 per cent) people over state pension age were claiming a key benefit.

- 37per cent of claimants are men.

Individual Benefit Analysis:

Income Support: At 1st September, 2002:

- All claimants: 4.0 million (£69 per week), fell by 4,000 over the year to August 2002.

- Lone parents (excluding the disabled) represent 22 per cent of the Income Support (IS) caseload - 861,000 (£105 per week).

- Disabled recipients represent 27per cent of the caseload - 1,077,000 (£77 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 (£49 per week), rose by 22,000 over the year to August 2002.

- The non-MIG caseload (those aged under 60): 2.2 million (£86 per week), fell by 26,000 over the year to August 2002.

Jobseeker's Allowance (not seasonally adjusted): At 8th August, 2002:

- Total claimants: 924,000.

- Total recipients: 833,000, 166,000 with only contribution-based JSA, 668,000 with income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) (including 17,000 with underlying entitlement to contribution-based benefit).

- Average weekly entitlement: £61 income-based, £51
contribution-based.

- Just over a quarter of claimants are women.

Incapacity Benefit: At 31st August, 2002:

- 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, 2002:

- Total recipients: 1.3 million of which 615,000 receive the higher rate and 673,000 the lower.

- Average amount: £47 per week.

- 71per cent of recipients are women.

Housing Benefit: At 8th August, 2002:

- Total recipients: 3.8 million.

- Average weekly amount: £56

- Total recipients (aged over 60): 1.7 million (at May 2001).

- Total recipients (with children): 1.2 million (at May 2001).

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

Council Tax Benefit: At 8th August, 2002:

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

- Average weekly amount: £11

- Total recipients (aged over 60): 2.4 million (at May 2001).

- Total recipients (with children): 1.2 million (at May 2001).

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

Disability Living Allowance: At 31st May, 2002:

- Total recipients: 2.4 million.

- Average amount: £55 per week.

- 578,000 received only the mobility component, 309,000 received only the care component and 1.5 million received both mobility and care components.

- 49 per cent of recipients are women.

Child Benefit: At 30th August, 2002:

- Total children: 12.8 million in 7.1 million families.

- It is estimated that 95 per cent of Child Benefit recipients are female.

State Pension: At 31st March, 2002:

- Total recipients: 11.1 million, of which 0.9 million reside overseas.

- Average amount of entitlement to State Pension:
All pensioners: £73 per week.
Men: £88 per week.
Women: £64 per week.

- 63 per cent of recipients are women.

Child Support Agency: At 31st August, 2002:

- Total 'live' and fully assessed cases: 1.0 million. For fully assessed cases:

- Average assessed maintenance for employees is £39 per week; for the self employed it is £23 per week.

- For those using the CSA collection service, 53.0 per cent are fully compliant, 22.8 per cent are partially compliant and 24.2 per cent are nil compliant.

- 94 per cent of parents with care are female.

The Appeals Service: Quarter ending June, 2002:

- Number of new lodgements: 56,900.

- Total number of appeals cleared at hearings: 45,300. Of these, 20,400 (45 per cent) were found in favour of the appellant.

- 52.1 per cent of appeals heard at oral hearings were found in the appellant's favour.

- 23.5 per cent of appeals heard at paper hearings were found in the appellant's favour.

New Deal for Young People: By end September, 2002:

- 874,000 starts on New Deal by the end of September 2002; 787,000 have left, leaving 86,000 participants at the end of September 2002.

- Of the leavers, 40 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 September, 2002:

- 398,000 young people in jobs to the end of September 2002. Of which, 314,000 are sustained jobs, and 85,000 were jobs lasting less than 13 weeks.

New Deal for Lone Parents:

By end of September, 2002. Leavers and participants on NDLP have been revised significantly - see NDLP Statistical First Release (5 Dec 02) for more details:

- Starts on the New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP) caseload reached 406,000 at the end of September 2002, an increase of 34,000 on June 2002.

- A total of 323,000 lone parents had left NDLP by end of September 2002.

- Just under 84,000 lone parents were participating on NDLP at end of September 2002.

Lone Parents into Employment: By end of September, 2002:

- 186,000 jobs gained by participants on New Deal for Lone Parents.

New Deal for Long Term Unemployed People aged 25+: By end of September, 2002:

- 534,000 starts on New Deal by the end of September 2002 - 473,000 have left, leaving 56,000 participating at the end of September 2002.

Long Term Unemployed People aged 25+ into Employment: By end of September, 2002:

- 126,000 people on New Deal into jobs to the end of September 2002. Of which, 101,000 are sustained jobs, and 26,000 were jobs lasting less than 13 weeks.

Employment Zones: By the end of June, 2002:

- 65,900 people started on an Employment Zone between April 2000 when the Zones started and June 2002. 84 per cent of entrants were male, 71 per cent were white, and 19 per cent were recorded as having a disability.

- On 30 June 2002, there were 24,900 people participating on an Employment Zone, of whom 6,500 were returning for a second time.

Employment Zone Participants into Employment: By end of June, 2002:

- 25,700 Employment Zone participants entered employment by June 2002, of which 1,600 were participants returning to a Zone for a second time.

- 18,700 Employment Zone participants had been employed for 13 weeks or more by the end of June 2002.

Note to Editors:

1. 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.

2. Users seeking more detailed information are directed to the contact point on the front page or to the following website where the full document can be downloaded:
www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/statistical_summaries.html.

3. Financial year benefit expenditure information is available in the Department for Work and Pensions Departmental Report - The Government's Expenditure Plans 2002/03 - 2003/04.

4. 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.

5. The figures have not been seasonally adjusted.

6. 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:
10th April 2003