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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 6 July 2000
SOCIAL SECURITY
Winter Fuel Allowance
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when men aged between 60 and 64 years in the Bury St. Edmunds constituency will receive their Winter Fuel Allowance; and if he will make a statement on the reason for the delays. [129021]
Angela Eagle: Retrospective payments for previous years Winter Fuel Payments started to be paid in the week commencing 26 June 2000 in line with Government's targets. The payments will be issued as claims are processed and are not defined in postcode areas. Some customers in Bury St. Edmunds may have already received their payment and the remainder will receive them over the coming months as claims are received and processed.
Claimants (Criminal Convictions)
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to modify the benefit arrangements for claimants who have criminal convictions which will appear on criminal conviction certificates and other certificates issued under the Police Act 1997; what assessment he has made of the extent to which details displayed on certificates may result in claimants being unable to find suitable work easily; what plans he has to increase payments to claimants who are obliged to certificate on a regular basis; and if he will make a statement. [129138]
Angela Eagle: We have no plans to modify the benefit arrangements for claimants who have criminal convictions which will appear on criminal conviction certificates and other certificates issued under the Police Act 1997.
The Home Office will be working closely with relevant organisations to ensure that guidance is provided to encourage employers not to reject applicants with a criminal record without careful consideration of all the relevant factors.
PFI Contracts
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the PFI contracts entered into by his Department, indicating (a) their dates of commencement, (b) their value, (c) if they have been subject to refinancing and (d) if his Department has a claw-back entitlement to share in savings arising from refinancing. [129057]
Mr. Rooker: The PRIME (Private Sector Resource Initiative for Management of the Estate) contract, commenced on 1 April 1998. It has an estimated private
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sector capital spend value of £350 million. It has not been subject to refinancing and has no specific refinancing share mechanism, but does provide for possible sharing of windfall gains and profits, including benefits from refinancing, made in the first five years.
The ACCORD (Access to Corporate Data) project has so far progressed to signature of four Services Agreements, which are contractual vehicles to enable the Department to award specific PFI/PPP contracts in future. None of the Service Agreements contains a monetary value, but the projects estimated private sector capital spend value is £100 million. No contracts yet exist, and contract negotiations will include possibilities for sharing in future savings.
Multiple Sclerosis
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of the claims for disability living allowance from sufferers of MS were rejected by the tribunal because the sufferer was in temporary remission in the last three years. [129001]
Mr. Bayley: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Hunting with Hounds
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, in respect of implementation of the Burns report on banning hunting with hounds, what estimate he has made of the total additional social security payments which will fall to be paid, broken down by type of benefit. [129038]
Angela Eagle: The Burns Report (The Final Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales) investigated the effects of banning hunting on employment. Its finding was that, in view of all the uncertainties, it is not possible to give a precise figure for the number of jobs that would be lost if hunting were banned. Consequently, it is not possible to estimate accurately the effects on Social Security expenditure.
Pensions
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) of 26 June 2000, Official Report, columns 348-49W, on pensions, if he will re-present the figures assuming (a) the state second pension remains earnings related and (b) the minimum earnings guarantee is available to those who made no second pension provision and the Minimum Income Guarantee is uprated in line with earnings; if he will set out the assumptions about investment returns which underly his estimates of returns on stakeholder pensions; what assumption he has made about the level of contributions to stakeholder pensions; and if he will estimate the effects of these projections based on 75 per cent. of average earnings. [128623]
Mr. Rooker: The information is in the tables.
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| All | Man | Woman | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Pension | 31.00 | 31.00 | 31.00 |
| Additional Pension from State scheme or stakeholder pension | 71.00 | 73.00 | 67.00 |
| Total Pension | 102.00 | 103.00 | 98.00 |
| All | Man | Woman | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Pension | 31.00 | 31.00 | 31.00 |
| Additional Pension from State scheme or stakeholder pension | 65.00 | 67.00 | 67.00 |
| Total Pension | 96.00 | 98.00 | 91.00 |
Notes:
1. Figures, which are in 1999 earnings terms, are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum as a result.
2. The estimates are based on 100 per cent. and 75 per cent. of average earnings of (i) all full-time employees; (ii) all male full-time employees; and (iii) all female full-time employees.
3. The estimates are based on a person beginning work at 16 and working for 49 years until age 65.
4. The estimates are based on the Department's Lifepen model and the following assumptions:
Stakeholder pensions start April 2001
State Second Pension starts April 2002
Earnings grow 1.5 per cent. a year faster than prices
Basic State pension is uprated in line with prices
Projections for stakeholder pensions are based on National Insurance rebates only. They are estimated weekly amounts a person would receive if the investment return and other relevant factors affecting the amount of the stakeholder pension were the same as the assumptions underlying the calculation of the National Insurance rebates paid into a stakeholder pension. No allowance is made for voluntary contributions made by individuals or their employers.
The level of the rebates will be determined by the Secretary of State based on the advice of the Government Actuary. The assumptions which underlie the rebate, including investment return, will be the subject of a consultation exercise by the Government Actuary this summer, culminating in an Order to be laid before Parliament no later than April 2001. The Order will set the rebate rates for the period April 2002 to March 2007.
In 1999 earnings terms, the value of the Minimum Income Guarantee would remain constant at £75 a week if it were consistently increased in line with earnings.
Child Benefit
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people receive Child Benefit by area in Great Britain. [129912]
Mr. Darling: Figures for the numbers of families receiving Child Benefit as at 14 August 1999 broken down by parliamentary constituency, government office region and local authority have been placed in the Library.
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Pensioners
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in Hendon are aged over (a) 65, (b) 75 and (c) 85 years; how many in each of (a) to (c) receive minimum income guarantee; and how many (i) pensioners and (ii) pensioner couples will (1) receive winter fuel payments this year and (2) qualify for a free television licence. [129276]
Mr. Rooker: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Age of claimant | Number of claimants |
|---|---|
| 65-74 | 800 |
| 75-84 | 900 |
| 85 and over | 700 |
Notes:
1. Figures for pensioners receiving the minimum income guarantee are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error. For this analysis pensioners are defined as where the claimant is aged 65 or over. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. The numbers eligible for winter fuel payments include some people aged between 60 to 64 who are not yet eligible for a pension.
3. The numbers of pensioner households qualifying for free television licenses refer to any household which is the primary place of residence for any pensioner aged 75 or over.
4. Information about the numbers of pensioners in Hendon is not held.
Source:
Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, February 2000
We estimate that around 19,000 people will be eligible for winter fuel payments in the Hendon constituency this winter. It is not possible to give a further breakdown of these figures at this stage.
Three million pensioner households will qualify nationally for a free television licence this year. We do not hold this information at local level.
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