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Private Pensions (Regulation)
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what regulatory reform the Government propose in respect of private pension provision. [11823]
Mr. Denham: On 17 July, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced a wide-ranging review of pensions. One of the pension challenges to which my right hon. Friend referred was the need to get the regulation of pensions right. The personal pensions mis-selling scandal illustrates too clearly what can go wrong when pensions are not properly regulated. Appropriate regulation provides security for members, minimises the scope for abuse and does not impose an undue burden on providers.
As part of the review, we are taking stock of the way the recent pension reforms are being implemented, and we have already begun consultation with interested parties, including employers, employees, the pensions industry, the regulatory authorities and others.
We will also consult fully on our plans to develop new stakeholder pensions to offer secure, flexible, value-for-money second pensions, particularly to those who cannot join an employer's occupational scheme and whose pay is low or who have intermittent wages; and a framework of citizenship pensions for those who assume responsibility as carers and who cannot build up a second pension scheme in their own right.
The review will enable the Government to publish an initial framework for change in the first part of 1998. There will then be a period of further consultation before firm proposals for legislation are developed.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate she has made of the cost of increasing the earnings disregard for income support to (a) £30 and (b) £50 per week. [11580]
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Mr. Keith Bradley:
Our objective is to reduce poverty and welfare dependency and to promote work incentives. We will develop a system that supports work, savings and honesty. Our first steps are to focus on helping people off welfare and into work and to review the central areas of insecurity for older people.
| Increase in earnings disregard on income support | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| Increase to £30 | Between £45 million and £55 million |
| Increase to £50 | Between £65 million and £110 million |
1. Estimates are based on the 1994-95 "Family Resource Survey", and the May 1996 "Quarterly Statistical Enquiry", uprated to 1997-98 levels of prices and benefit levels. Numbers of income support cases with earnings have been uprated to be in line with caseload forecasts underlying the 1997 departmental report.
2. The range reflects uncertainty as to whether new claimants will be in receipt of income support or income-related jobseeker's allowance. The cost excludes the cost of families, in receipt of family credit, with a partner working between 16 and 24 hours who would become better off on income support, as it has been assumed that they would claim income-related jobseeker's allowance.
Disabled Claimants
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the cost to date of implementing the benefits integrity programme for disabled claimants; and what savings are estimated to be achieved in the first year of operation. [11977]
Mr. Denham: One of our key aims is rebuilding integrity in, and public support for the social security system. The administration of this programme is a matter for Peter Mathison, chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Bob Blizzard, dated 31 July 1997:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the cost and savings of the Benefit Integrity Programme.
The cost of implementing the Benefit Integrity Project is £1,099,440 for the period 28 April 1997 to 30 June 1997. These are the latest available.
The estimated programme expenditure savings attributed to the Benefit Integrity Project for the current year is £27m.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
War Pensions
Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the list of regional consultants and their specialties held by the War Pensions Agency is available to the public; and whether claimants have the right to see reports written by regional consultants relating to their case. [12186]
Mr. Denham: Queries on operational matters concerning the War Pensions Agency are for its chief executive Mr. Kevin Caldwell. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from K. C. Caldwell to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 31 July 1997:
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 586
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the availability of the list of regional consultants used by the War Pensions Agency.
The list of regional consultants and their specialities held by this Agency is available to members of the public on request. A copy of a regional consultant report is sent to a War Pension claimant on request provided that we are sure its disclosure would not harm the health or welfare of the claimant.
I hope you find my reply helpful.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Pond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will estimate the gross and net cost of changing the assessment of housing benefit to a fixed six-monthly assessment in the manner of family credit.[12196]
Mr. Keith Bradley: The information requested is not available.
Housing benefit is being reviewed as part of a joint housing review with my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister. In addition Mr. Martin Taylor has been asked by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to examine the interaction of the tax and benefits systems so that they can be streamlined and modernised, so as to fulfil our objectives of promoting work incentives, reducing poverty and welfare dependency and strengthening family and community life.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to support new housing benefit claimants whose rent includes an element for social care costs, following the recent court judgment indicating that such costs are not covered by the housing benefit system. [11613]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
Following the recent court judgment on the scope of housing benefit my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced, on the same day, a package of interim measures designed to:
We are consulting the Social Security Advisory Committee and local authority associations on draft legislation to enable housing benefit, which is designed to meet housing costs rather than to make general social provision for the protection of vulnerable people in their homes, to meet the majority of charges for general support services in supported accommodation. We hope to legislate as soon as possible.
These measures will apply to current and future tenants of existing supported housing. They will last until we develop and implement a coherent and rational long-term funding arrangement for supported housing.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what estimate she has made of the savings from presenting officers no longer attending tribunals;[12100]
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Mr. Keith Bradley:
It is our policy that presenting officers should attend oral hearings of tribunals. The non-attendance of presenting officers in the Huddersfield area is being investigated and I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what estimate she has made of the cost effect of removing the discretion of adjudication officers with regard to the backdating of claims; [12078]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
The changes to the backdating rules in April removed the administratively onerous good cause provision and replaced it with special reasons set out in regulations. These special reasons apply to income related benefits which are meant to meet immediate needs. It is, therefore, reasonable to limit the range of situations which count as a special reason for a late claim and it underlines the importance of claimants making their claims promptly.
Continue the vast majority of Housing benefit expenditure on support services in existing housing provision; and
introduce a compensation scheme to protect the position of claimants in existing supported housing by compensating landlords whose tenants lose income as a result of the changes.
(2) what steps she is taking to ensure the continued independence of the tribunal system following the alterations regarding the attendance of presenting officers.[12101]
(2) what steps her Department is taking to ensure that genuine claimants are not penalised by the removal of discretion for adjudication officers with regard to backdated claims. [12077]
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