To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated number of claimants who lost entitlement to increases of (a) unemployment benefit, (b) sickness benefit, (c) invalidity pension and (d) retirement pension, respectively, when section 10 of the Social Security Act 1988 came into force; and how many of them were women.

It is estimated that the total number of claimants who lost entitlement when section 10 of the Social Security Act 1988 came into force was 2,500, of whom 50 were women. The great majority of those losing entitlement are retirement pensioners and invalidity pensioners. Losses for other claimants are negligible.