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Pension Forecasts

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if his proposals to provide all national insurance contributors with annual pension forecasts is on target; and if he will make a statement. [123289]

Mr. Rooker: The first combined pension forecasts, which include details of both state and private pension rights, were issued to Prudential customers in April as part of a series of pilots. Other pilot employers and pension providers will issue combined forecasts later this year. We are on course to meet or exceed our target to start the full-scale service from 2002.

We are committed to providing better pensions information. Combined pension forecasts will, for the first time, provide individuals with a clear indication of what sort of retirement income to expect. This will enable them to make better-informed decisions on what savings they need to make.

Older People

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) which organisations representing older people the members of the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People consulted during 1999; and in which regions the programme of public consultation took place; [123033]

(2) what issues and concerns were raised during the public consultation undertaken by the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People; [123034]

(3) how he plans to respond to the results of the consultation undertaken during the past year by the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People. [123035]

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Mr. Rooker: During 1999 the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People led a programme of listening events across the UK. The events were put on by a partnership between the Inter-Ministerial Group, the UK Secretariat for the International Year of Older Persons and mainly voluntary sector organisations working with older people. The locations where these events took place and representative organisations involved are set out in the newsletter report "Life begins at 50--the 1999 Listening Events" and summarised in the table.

A number of issues and concerns were raised during the listening events programme. These are covered in the research report "Building a Better Society for Older People--Report on the Listening Events to the Inter- Ministerial Group for Older People" by Annette Boaz and Carol Hayden, Warwick Business School, the University of Warwick.

We published on 17 May a report "Life begins at 50--A Better Society for Older People" setting out the key points raised by older people at 1999 listening events, the action the Government have already taken to address them, and the action they will take in the future. On the same day the Secretary of State hosted a National Event in London aimed at promoting positive perceptions of older people; feeding back to those people who had been involved in listening events; and setting out plans to help build a better society for older people.

Copies of all the above publications are in the Library.

Listening to older people events in 1999

Date	Host and location
25 May	Age Resource, London/world wide web
15 June	Age Concern, Northern Ireland Stormont, Belfast
5 July	Third Age Trust, Newcastle
20 July	Age Concern, Leamington
29 July	Age Concern Cymru and the Welsh Office, Cardiff
8 September	Age Concern, England Harrow
11 October	NIACE, Liverpool
18 October	Southampton City Council and Meridian TV, Southampton
25 October	Help the Aged, Truro
19 November	Scottish International Year Committee, Aberdeen
26 November	Age Concern and local partners, Wolverhampton

Minimum Income Guarantee

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire will benefit from the minimum income guarantee increases in April 2001; and if he will make a statement. [123096]

Mr. Bayley: We estimate that some 8,000 pensioner households in Shropshire will benefit from increases to the minimum income guarantee in April 2001. This includes 3,000 in the constituency of Shrewsbury and Atcham.

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security of those pensioners who are excluded from gaining the minimum income guarantee because of (a) ownership of excess capital, (b) receipt of an occupational pension and (c) both ownership of excess capital and an occupational pension, however many and

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what proportion have a total income or calculated income (i) £0-£5 above, (ii) £5 to £10, (iii) £10 to £15 and (iv) £15 to £20 above the minimum income guarantee. [121621]

Mr. Bayley [holding answer 11 May 2000]: The information is in the tables.

Income in relation to the minimum income guarantee	Caseload (000s)	Percentage
	The total number of pensioners who would no longer be excluded if all capital rules were removed, and the percentage in different income bands
Below MIG levels	40	7
£0 to £5	40	8
£5 to £10	40	7
£10 to £15	20	4
£15 to £20	20	3
£20+	330	70
Total	480	100
	The total number of pensioners who would no longer be excluded if all income from occupational pensions was disregarded, and the percentage in different income bands
Below MIG levels	0	0
£0 to £5	100	9
£5 to £10	80	7
£10 to £15	70	6
£15 to £20	80	7
£20+	790	70
Total	1,120	100
	The total number of pensioners no longer excluded if both policies are removed, and the percentage in different income bands
Below MIG levels	40	2
£0 to £5	130	8
£5 to £10	120	7
£10 to £15	90	6
£15 to £20	90	6
£20+	1,120	71
Total	1,580	100

Notes:

1. This question has been answered using the Policy Simulation Model (PSM) for Income-Related benefits, based on 1997-98 Family Resources Survey data. This is uprated to 2000-01 prices and benefit levels.

2. The State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme has been excluded from the calculation of occupational pensions.

3. Pensioners with incomes below the minimum income guarantee are excluded on other grounds such as full-time employment if appropriate.

4. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10,000 and shown in thousands.

5. Sums may not total because of rounding.

6. Tariff income is calculated using all capital held by a case above the lower limit.

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Winter Fuel Payments

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will backdate winter fuel payments for 1999 for those who were in temporary respite care over the period 20 to 26 September 1999; [123071]

(2) what plans the Government have to make eligible those people who will be in temporary respite care for 12 weeks or less from the week commencing 18 September 2000 for winter fuel payments. [123054]

Angela Eagle: To ensure that no-one who enters residential care for a temporary period misses out on receiving a winter fuel payment the eligibility rules have been amended from next winter.

Under the revised regulations, someone who has been in residential care for less than 13 weeks at the end of the qualifying week (week ending 24 September 2000) will be treated as being temporarily in residential care and will be eligible for a winter fuel payment on the basis of their usual home circumstances.

These revisions can apply only to next winter's payments and future payments. They cannot apply to any of the three previous winters.

Christmas Bonus

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much has been spent in each of the past five years on the pensioners' Christmas bonus. [122571]

Mr. Bayley: The information is in the table.

The Christmas Bonus is not paid exclusively to pensioners. It is also paid to other groups, such as widows and disabled people, who meet the qualifying conditions.

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	£ million
Expenditure(5)	1995-96	1996-99	1997-99	1998-99	1999-2000
Christmas Bonus--contributory(6)	124	129	123	124	120
Christmas Bonus--non-contributory	15	15	16	16	16
Total	139	144	139	140	137

(5) Figures are consistent with Table 1 of the Social Security Departmental Report 2000 (Cm 4614)

(6) Expenditure paid from the National Insurance Fund

Note:

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding

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