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Departmental Twinning

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister how many requests there have been to his Department for placement of officials from Central, East European and CIS states as twins of his officials; how many such officials have been accepted as twins; and from which countries (a) those who were accepted and (b) those who were not accepted came. [93991]

The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him today by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz).

SOCIAL SECURITY

New Deal (Lone Parents)

15. Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many lone parents in Chelmsford local authority area have been contacted by the new deal for lone parents programme; and how many have received a job. [93762]

Angela Eagle: We do not have separate figures for Chelmsford. The figures that are available cover the whole of Essex; 9,000 invitations to participate in the voluntary programme have been issued and 440 lone parents have so far found jobs.

Pensioners

16. Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to help the poorest pensioners. [93764]

Mr. Rooker: The Minimum Income Guarantee introduced in April provides a significant increase in incomes to the poorest pensioners. They will also start to receive their £100 Winter Fuel Payments in week commencing 8 November; this will ensure that no pensioner will have to worry about turning up their heating this winter.

17. Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the percentage of the total population which is of pensionable

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age; what was the percentage 10 years ago; and what forecast he has made of the percentage in 10 years' time. [93765]

Mr. Rooker: The percentage of the UK population over State Pension age is estimated at 18 per cent., broadly the same as ten years ago. Over the next ten years it is projected to rise to 19 per cent.



Industrial Injury Benefits

18. Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proposals he has for reforming industrial injury benefits. [93766]

Mr. Bayley: We continue to see a case for reforming the industrial injuries scheme so that it reflects better the needs of today's labour market and improves incentives for prevention and rehabilitation. Initial discussions with key stakeholders confirmed our belief that there is scope for reform. However, much work remains to be done to decide the best way forward. Against the background of the current major programme of reform to other parts of the Social Security system the work cannot be completed quickly.

Child Support Agency

19. Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement about the timetable for the implementation of his proposed changes to the Child Support Agency. [93767]

Angela Eagle: The proposals for a new Child Support service set out in the White Paper represent a major change from the current arrangements. We will not repeat the mistakes of the previous Government by rushing the new scheme into effect before we are ready.

27. Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on his proposed changes to the Child Support Agency. [93776]

Angela Eagle: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security set out our plans to reform the Child Support system in a White Paper published on 1 July. These will address the failures of the current scheme and put children's rights at the heart of the Child Support system.

Benefits Agency

20. Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on delays in payments by Benefits Agency offices. [93768]

Mr. Rooker: The Benefits Agency is meeting most of its targets for the payment of benefits. In the recent past, some delays in paying benefits have been caused by complications arising from the introduction of the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS2). The majority of problems have now been resolved. Regrettably claims for Widows Benefit are still affected and the contingency arrangements in place take longer than normal to process.

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Fraud

21. Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to improve co-ordination between the Benefits Agency and local authorities in combating fraud. [93769]

Mr. Rooker: We are committed to reducing fraud and error in the benefits system. One key part of our strategy is to develop stronger links between the Benefits Agency (BA) and local authorities (LAs). Most recently, following testing of the electronic transfer of information between the BA and LA in Lewisham, we started to extend this facility to other LAs. Fourteen LAs are now piloting the system which we aim to roll out nationally from next April. In Lewisham, the evaluation indicated significant reductions in processing times and overpayments. We have also introduced a national liaison service level agreement (SLA) and a specific fraud SLA, both of which are mandatory on BA and strongly endorsed by the LA Associations.

£6 million has been allocated to BA Area Directors to fund joint working initiatives which identify an activity or programme that enhances the liaison between the BA and the LA and through that liaison will combat fraud and error in the benefit system.

25. Mr. Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he last reviewed his target for the reduction of benefit fraud for the year 1999-2000. [93774]

Mr. Rooker: As published in the Public Service Agreement, for the first time we have set a single outcome target to reduce fraud and error in the two major benefits by 30 per cent. by March 2007, with at least a 10 per cent. reduction by March 2002.

Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many calls have been received by the Benefit Fraud Hotline in each month since it was established. [93642]

Mr. Rooker: The information is as follows:

National Benefit Fraud Hotline calls answered from 5 August 1996

Calls answered
Calendar month 1996199719981999
January--17,98117,20613,925
February--27,07515,78013,798
March--27,07315,34516,901
April--18,56319,00711,996
May--19,27213,14911,303
June--16,27213,69213,415
July--18,80815,51210,491
August35,17914,75511,10410,336
September26,73616,23613,69412,971
October28,25713,20212,805--
November21,80511,77014,285--
December11,98910,82912,160--

Note:

Approximately 2 per cent. of all calls ring off before the call is answered


Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the places in which and dates on which Searchlight on Fraud investigations have taken place since they were started. [93641]

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Mr. Rooker: The Spotlight On Fraud campaign commenced on 1 April 1996. Certain areas of the country were subject to intensive counter fraud activity over a short period. The campaign consisted of three phases:















































Welfare to Work

22. Mr. Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures his Department is taking to help people move from welfare into work. [93770]

Angela Eagle: In the last two years we have launched an ambitious series of welfare-to-work reforms. We have invested almost £4 billion in New Deals, representing an unprecedented assault on worklessness. We are on target to meet our manifesto commitment to help 250,000 young people move from welfare into work, with 135,000 young people into jobs by the end of July. Our reforms are putting work at the heart of the benefit system.

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