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Winter Heating Allowance
26. Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many households containing elderly persons in (a) Inverclyde and (b) Scotland received the winter heating allowance in the last year. [115890]
Angela Eagle: Last winter in Scotland [99/00] around 900,000 Winter Fuel Payments were made at a cost of around £70 million. We estimate that approaching 12,000 payments were made to around 9,000 households at a cost of more than £900,000 in the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency area.
Next winter [00/01] payments will be increased from £100 to £150 per eligible household.
Pensions
27. Mr. Blizzard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to ensure that pensions are increased at least in line with the rise in the cost of living. [115891]
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Mr. Rooker:
We have said that the basic pension will remain as the foundation of income in retirement, that it will not be means-tested and that we will increase it at least in line with prices. We have increased Retirement Pension in line with the Retail Prices Index for third year running at a cost of £375 million.
29. Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how the Government propose to ensure that pensioners share in rising national prosperity. [115893]
32. Fiona Mactaggart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken to increase the disposable income of pensioners since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [115897]
Mr. Rooker:
The measures flowing from the Green Paper "Partnership in Pensions", together with those announced in the last two Budgets, demonstrate the priority we have given to improving pensioners' incomes.
We have introduced a Minimum Income Guarantee for today's pensioners which is being increased in line with earnings each year during this Parliament. From April 2001, it will be increased to £82 a week for a single pensioner and £90 for a pensioner over 80. The lower capital limit for the Minimum Income Guarantee will be doubled from £3,000 to £6,000 while the upper limit will be raised from £8,000 to £12,000, benefiting around 500,000 pensioners who have modest savings.
In addition, we have recognised that pensioners have special needs. That is why the £100 Winter Fuel Payment has been introduced and will be increased next winter from £100 to £150 per eligible household.
Other measures which impact favourably on pensioners' incomes include the reduction of VAT on fuel from 8 per cent. to 5 per cent., the introduction of free TV licences for people over 75 next Autumn, the restoration of free eye tests, and the minimum tax guarantee which will help take 200,000 pensioners out of tax completely.
28. Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the progress made by his Department in combating fraud in the social security system. [115892]
Mr. Rooker:
We set out our strategy for combating fraud and reducing error in "Safeguarding Social Security", published on 23 March 1999. We are putting this strategy into practice with strong and sensible safeguards to ensure the right money goes to the right people.
33. Mr. Brooke:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the Government's interaction with local authorities in the detection and prevention of benefit fraud. [115898]
Angela Eagle:
Local authorities are responsible for the administration of Housing Benefit and we are working in partnership with them in developing and implementing anti-fraud initiatives such as the Verification Framework and the use of direct computer links between local authorities and the Department's benefit systems. We have recently reformed the anti-fraud financial incentive
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scheme for local authorities to ensure they can be rewarded for detecting and prosecuting cases of fraud and for the longer term we are working with local authority representatives to develop revised incentives for rewarding local authorities for their efforts to prevent, detect and deter fraud.
We have also made available extra funding for local joint anti-fraud activities between local authorities and the Benefits Agency in addition to funding for national initiatives.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his oral statement of 27 March 2000, Official Report, column 42, concerning 400 new fraud investigators (1) what the net increase in fraud investigation staff will be for each of the organisations relevant to his announcement when the recruitment is completed; [117277]
Mr. Rooker:
This Department and the Revenue Departments are in discussion about the best deployment of additional staff to meet the business need identified by the noble Lord Grabiner. No decision has yet been made as to how many new investigators will be recruited to each relevant organisation.
30. Mr. Brady:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the new deal for lone parents. [115894]
Angela Eagle:
Independent evaluation has shown that the New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP) is helping lone parents move into work. Since the launch of the national programme, over 103,000 lone parents have volunteered to participate in the programme and over one in three of these have obtained jobs.
As announced in the budget, from April 2001 we will be asking lone parents with a youngest child of five or over to come forward for a work-focused interview with a personal adviser. We want to ensure that all lone parents have the opportunity to find out about the choices, and the support, available to help them move into work.
Mr. Healey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on progress with the new deal for lone parents (a) in the UK and (b) in Yorkshire. [115882]
Angela Eagle:
Independent evaluation shows that the New Deal for Lone Parents is working. Since the launch of the national programme, in October 1998, over 116,000 lone parents have attended an interview with 89 per cent. agreeing to participate and over one in three of these obtaining jobs. In Yorkshire and Humberside 9,137 have agreed to participate and 3,440 have obtained jobs.
31. Helen Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures he is taking to ensure that the self-employed comply with Child Support Agency instructions. [115895]
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Angela Eagle:
We expect all parents to meet their responsibilities to their children by providing information to the Child Support Agency. If a self-employed person refuses to provide details of their income, the CSA has a range of measures available to obtain the information, including powers to examine accounts and, as a last resort, to ask the Inland Revenue for information about earnings provided for tax purposes.
34. Mr. Blunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on his proposals for reform of the Child Support Agency. [115899]
Angela Eagle:
Our reforms will introduce a customer focused child support system that parents will be able to understand. It will ensure regular and reliable maintenance for over one million more children.
Barbara Follett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to introduce a statutory obligation on the Child Support Agency to pay compensation to its clients for delays and mistakes they have experienced. [115873]
Angela Eagle:
In common with other Government Departments, the DSS and its Agencies have a discretionary compensation scheme to cover financial loss, suffering or distress caused by poor administration. The CSA also has the power to write off child support arrears and compensate the parent with care where substantial delays have occurred. Provisions in the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill, currently before the House will put these arrangements on to a statutory basis.
36. Dr. George Turner:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people he estimates will take out stakeholder pensions. [115901]
Mr. Rooker:
There are around 5 million people in the target group for stakeholder pensions, but some of those initially in that group will have personal pensions and may be unlikely to take up stakeholder pensions when they are introduced. Take up will depend on how stakeholder and other pensions are marketed by providers, and on individual choices by savers.
37. Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the percentage of successful appeals in tribunals was against a refusal of disability living allowance in (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999; and if he will make a statement. [115902]
Mr. Bayley:
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
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(2) how many of the new investigators will be recruited to each relevant organisation. [117278]
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All decisions which were successful(22) | 54 | 48 | 48 |
| Successful decisions which were against refusal (as opposed to awarded level) of benefit(23) | 67 | 66 | 67 |
(22) Based on 100 per cent. data. Includes cases where increased level of benefit awarded.
(23) Based on 5 per cent. data.
Source:
Analytical Services Division
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