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Pensioners
Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much of his Department's expenditure was on people of retirement age and above; and what proportion of GDP this represented, in each year from 1992 to 2000. [118920]
Mr. Rooker [holding answer 14 April 2000]: The information is in the table.
Notes:
1. Expenditure figures are consistent with Table 3 of the 2000 Departmental Report (Cm4614) and earlier equivalents.
2. Social Security benefit expenditure includes non-DSS funded expenditure on Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
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Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the cost of the recent research and pilot projects carried out to ascertain the reasons for pensioners not claiming Income Support and the most effective ways of promoting take-up. [118884]
Mr. Bayley: The Department carried out an extensive programme of research including surveys and qualitative work.
The cost of the research to ascertain the reasons for pensioners not claiming Income Support, and to identify possible ways to increase take-up was £325,000.
The costs of running the pilots both at District Office level and centrally were absorbed within existing work loads and no separate costs for this activity have been identified. The evaluation of the pilots, which included analysis of administrative data and a follow-up survey cost £278,063.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much his Department spent (i) directly and (ii) indirectly on asylum seekers in (a) 1995, (b) 1996, (c) 1997, (d) 1998 and (e) 1999; and what estimate has been made of expenditure in the year 2000. [119489]
Mr. Bayley: The Home Office will be responding to this question on behalf of Government as a whole.
Disability Living Allowance
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost of extending the entitlement for new claims to Disability Living Allowance to all those aged below 70 years. [119246]
Mr. Bayley: The estimated programme cost would be £300 million in 2001-02, rising to £350 million in 2002-03 and £400 million in 2003-04.
Invalid Care Allowance
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to conclude his review of Invalid Care Allowance. [119480]
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Mr. Bayley: We are committed to keeping financial support for carers under review and we are continuing to do this. This issue is being considered in the context of the follow-up work to the National Carers' Strategy, and our response to The Royal Commission on Long Term Care, and the nature and timing of any conclusions will depend on progress on these wider activities.
Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the members of the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People; when it was established; how often it has met and when; what its terms of reference are; what subjects have been considered by it; what reports it has produced; what third parties it has consulted; and what the outcome was of those discussions. [119533]
Mr. Rooker: The Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People, established in June 1998, has met eight times on the following dates:
2 July 1998
24 March 1999
14 July 1999
27 October 1999
7 December 1999
26 January 2000
8 March 2000
11 April 2000.
The Group's terms of reference are:
- to ensure that Government strategy and policy affecting older people is effectively co-ordinated, avoids duplication, and takes account of the needs of older people;
- to develop a better understanding of the lives and aspirations of older people and how they are affected by Government policy; and
- to co-ordinate the presentation and promotion of Government policy affecting older people.
The Group has consulted widely with organisations representing older people and has undertaken a significant programme of consultation with older people themselves. Members of the Group attended a series of listening to older people events across the UK during 1999, which provided older people with a further opportunity to discuss issues that are important to them. The programme will conclude with a National Listening Event on 17 May in London. This will build on and respond to the consultation that has taken place over the past year.
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This extensive programme of consultation has proved valuable in helping the Inter Ministerial Group plan its work programme.
The current membership of the Group is as follows:
- The Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People
- Right hon. Jeff Rooker MP (Chair): Minister of State, Department of Social Security
- Right hon. Paul Boateng MP: Minister of State, Home Office
- David Hanson MP: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office
- Keith Hill MP: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
- Margaret Hodge MP: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Employment
- Alan Howarth MP: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
- George Howarth MP: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office
- Dr. Kim Howells MP: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry
- John Hutton MP: Minister of State, Department of Health
- Right hon. Baroness Jay of Paddington: Minister for Women
- Melanie Johnson MP: Economic Secretary, Her Majesty's Treasury
- Jane Kennedy MP: Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department
- Lewis Moonie MP: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence
- Right hon. Ian McCartney MP: Minister of State, Cabinet Office
- Nick Raynsford MP: Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
- Brian Wilson MP: Minister of State, Scotland Office
Note:
1. Attitudes and Aspirations of Older People--a review of the literature by Annette Boaz, Carol Hayden and Miriam Bernard, was published on 18 October 1999 in the Department of Social Security's Research Report Series (Report No. 101, ISBN 1 84123 144 4).
Attitudes and Aspirations of Older People--a qualitative study by Carol Hayden, Annette Boaz and Francesca Taylor was published on 18 October 1999 in the Department of Social Security's Research Report Series (Report No. 102, ISBN 1 84123 158 4).
ONE Pilot Areas
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what period of time has been devoted to training start-up officers and personal advisers in the ONE pilot areas to enable them to identify entitlement to income support, housing benefit, disability living allowance and incapacity benefit; and what period of time has been devoted to training to enable them to identify entitlement to working families tax credit and disabled persons' tax credit; [119338]
- (2) what training advisers in the ONE pilot areas have received in understanding and applying the principle of good cause. [119343]
Angela Eagle: ONE training for all advisers is individually tailored through the use of the learning assessment framework which matches training provision to training need. A copy of this framework can be found in the Library.
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There is extensive benefits training available to advisers on the entitlement to ONE benefits. Advisers receive a three-week benefit entitlement training course, which includes Income Support, Housing Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Working Families Tax Credit and Disabled Persons Tax Credit.
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Advisers also receive training in relation to good cause. However, it should be noted that most already understand and know how to apply the principles of good cause. Good cause provisions exist elsewhere in the benefit system and were, for example, included in the training for the New Decision Making and Appeals procedures which were implemented in the Autumn of 1999.
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