25-6-02
“Thousands in Edinburgh failing to claim benefits they deserve” says Barrett
John Barrett MP, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, today called on the Government to urgently tackle the problem of low benefit take-up after new information showed thousands of people in Edinburgh fail to claim money they deserve.
The information, which came through answers to parliamentary questions tabled by Mr Barrett, showed as many as 14,500 people in Edinburgh are estimated by the Government to be eligible for Council Tax Benefit but don't claim. Furthermore, as many as 4,000 people in the city fail to claim Housing Benefit, despite being eligible for the payments.
John Barrett MP said:
"Clearly, these figures make alarming reading for everyone working to tackle poverty in Edinburgh and throughout the country. Indeed, the figures for Scotland are even more worrying, showing an estimated 200,000 people across the country failing to claim Council Tax Benefit, despite their entitlement to do so.
"Benefits are there to help people in need and should be seen as an entitlement, not a privilege. Yet through a mixture of pride and a lack of awareness, people are simply not getting the financial help they deserve. "The Government must now take urgent action by cooperating with local authorities and organisations such as the Citizen's Advice Bureau to raise the awareness of benefit entitlement."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
* The information was received through the following parliamentary question and answer.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of (a) council tax benefit, (b) housing benefit, in (i) the Edinburgh West constituency, (ii) Scotland and (iii) the UK; and what percentage these figures represent of the estimated numbers of the people who are eligible for the benefit in these respective areas. [60266]
Malcolm Wicks: The available information
on the numbers of benefit recipients is in the table. Numbers
of Benefit Recipients-Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit
Benefit Great Britain Scotland Edinburgh City Council local
authority Council Tax Benefit 4,608,000 531,000 39,420 Housing
Benefit 3,818,000 452,000 32,930
Sources: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management
Information System Quarterly 100 percent caseload count -
November 2001.
Notes: The figures for Great Britain and Scotland are rounded to the nearest thousand. Edinburgh West constituency but are available for Edinburgh city council local authority. The Edinburgh West constituency only forms part of the Edinburgh city council local authority area, and the figures are not therefore representative of the constituency area. The figures have been rounded to the nearest ten.
The figures refer to households, which may
be a single person, a couple or a family. More than one benefit
households can live in one property, for example two or more
adults in a flat or house share management. Social Security
matters in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the
Northern Ireland Assembly.
Estimates of income related benefit take-up are available
for Great Britain only. The latest estimates can be found
in "Income Related Benefits - Estimates of Take-Up 1999/2000"
a copy of which is available in the Library.
* The document "Income Related Benefits - Estimates of Take-Up 1999/2000" showed that the take-up rate of Housing Benefit was 89-95% and Council Tax Benefit was 73-80%
* Thus the following calculation was used
to estimate the potential number of people in Edinburgh eligible
for a particular benefit but not claiming -
Housing Benefit: (32,930 / 89) * 11 = 4,070
Council Tax Benefit: (39,420 / 73) * 27 = 14,580
ENDS