To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to prevent delays when the Pension Service start supplying local authorities with the assessed income figure for claimants. [100747]
From 6 October 2003, the existing electronic interface between The Pension Service and almost all local authorities will be enhanced to include the Pension Credit assessed income figure. For those local authorities without electronic interface, information will be passed from The Pension Service to the local authority by paper. This information will normally be supplied to the local authorities within 24 hours of the award or change of award decision for Pension Credit being made.
| Basic State Pension and average amount of additional State Pension for Great Britain: Males | ||||
| Men aged 65 receiving both basic State Pension and additional State Pension (Thousand) | Men aged 65 in receipt of a State Pension (Thousand) | Percentage of men aged 65 receiving both basic and additional State Pension | Average weekly amount of additional State pension paid to men aged 65 (£) | |
| 30 September 1995 | 206.5 | 220.2 | 94 | 16.25 |
| 30 September 1996 | 231.3 | 252.7 | 92 | 17.81 |
| 30 September 1997 | 219.6 | 247.6 | 89 | 19.58 |
| 30 March 1998 | 208.2 | 242.1 | 86 | 20.20 |
| 30 September 1999 | 203.1 | 240.9 | 84 | 24.01 |
| 30 September 2000 | 207.2 | 243.7 | 85 | 24.35 |
| 30 September 2001 | 207.1 | 246.9 | 84 | 24.69 |
| 30 September 2002 | 206.2 | 253.9 | 81 | 26.62 |
| Basic State Pension and average amount of additional State Pension for Great Britain: Females | ||||
| Women aged 60 receiving both basic State Pension and additional State Pension (Thousand) | Women aged 60 in receipt of a State Pension (Thousand) | Percentage of men aged 60 receiving both basic and additional State Pension | Average weekly amount of additional State pension paid to men aged 60 (£) | |
| 30 September 1995 | 113.6 | 199.8 | 57 | 9.85 |
| 30 September 1996 | 133.8 | 222.1 | 60 | 10.69 |
| 30 September 1997 | 138.0 | 226.9 | 61 | 11.38 |
| 30 March 1998 | 144.0 | 230.0 | 63 | 11.33 |
| 30 September 1999 | 142.2 | 230.0 | 62 | 13.54 |
| 30 September 2000 | 151.0 | 230.7 | 65 | 13.00 |
| 30 September 2001 | 147.5 | 220.5 | 67 | 13.35 |
| 30 September 2002 | 171.6 | 248.9 | 69 | 13.87 |
Notes:
1. Figures are in thousands, are rounded to the nearest hundred and are in cash terms.
2. Average amounts exclude people paid zero additional State Pension.
3. State Pension refers to those people who are in receipt of any component of the State pension.
Sources:
1. 5 per cent. sample from the Pension Strategy Computer System as at the date of extraction.
2. The source data used to extract the figures are subject to change if further relevant earnings are posted to the NI account.