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Table 5.4 Success rates of different claimant groups
Number of Number of Base
exceptional hardship unsuccessful success (number of
payments made applicatmons rate authorities)
Lone parents 585 1625 49 221
Disabled people 807 377 68 220
Pensioners 295 306 49 218
The table mmidicates that disabled people are immore likely to succeed s’snth
aim application for an exceptionial hardship paynseiit than either Ionic parents
or perismoniers Nevertheless lone paremits were awarded nearly rs’sice as
nmammv payments as dnsabled people amid five tnisies as niauiy as penisioners
It us not possible frommi the sumrve’y data to explore the reasons for these
diliTeremices Clearly the imurmiber of awards will be related to the nuiiiber
of applications froni each of the claimant groups which in turin will be
related to Imosv imiamiv of each type of clamniant is in the Housing Benefit
popLulatmoum Also, fronm what is kniosvn about take—up rates for miieans—
tested benefits generally it is likely that numnibers of applications fronmi
pensnonmers, will he considerably lower thaii for ionic parenits, for exaunpie
The table does indicate, though, is that the principal beneficiaries fronsi
the e”sceptuonah hardshmp payuimeumt schemmie are lone parents
it was also possmble froimi the sur’sev data to explore the relative success
rates for clauuiiants ‘s’smth particular characteristics (rather than as niiermibers
ofspecific clamns.snt groumps) Table 5 5 presents the results oftimis analysis
Table 5.5 Success rates of claimants with specific
characteristics
Number of Number of Base
exceptional hardship unsuccessful success (number of
payments made applications rate authoritmes)
Single claimant 821 I0~0 45 223
under 25
Claimant with mental 339 101 77 213
health problenis
Pregnant women 173 68 72 215
Absentparents 55 48 53 2L4
It is iiiterestmnsg to cousipare thus table with Table 5 4 It appears that mum
i997/98 sinmgle people umimder 25, svhose HoLising l3euiefmt will have been
subject to the restnctmolss mnmposed by the ‘smuigle room rate’, applied for
exceptional hardship paymsieumts iii comiiparable nminibers to disabled people
and far nmore thami pensmoumers Their success rate (45 per cent) svac slightly
lower than for ionic parents arid penmsioniers (both 49 percent) Applicanomis
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