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Winter Fuel Payments
30. Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the impact of winter fuel payments on pensioners. [129351]
Angela Eagle: Winter fuel payments were introduced in the winter of 1997-98, to alleviate worries older people might have about finding the money to meet the higher fuel bills which winter brings.
In each of the three winters of the scheme so far, around 10 million people have benefited from the payments, which will increase from £100 to £150 for each eligible household from this winter. As a result of extending the scheme to men and women aged 60, the number of people eligible will increase by up to 1.5 million this winter, with as many as 1.9 million people eligible for backdated payments.
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With nearly £4 billion committed to provide winter fuel payments over the lifetime of this Parliament, we have ensured that today's elderly do not have to worry about turning up their heating when it is cold.
Working Families Tax Credit
33. Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what impact the working families tax credit has had on reducing child poverty. [129354]
Mr. Bayley: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury gave my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Judy Mallaber) on 22 June 2000, Official Report, column 448.
Discrimination at Work
35. Dr. George Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what discussions he has had with employers' representatives about ending discrimination against older people in the workplace. [129356]
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Mr. Rooker: We have discussed tackling age discrimination in the workplace with individual employers and a wide range of expert representative organisations. We hope to meet employers' representatives later in the year.
Early Retirement
36. Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures he is taking to increase the financial security of people who have had to retire early; and if he will make a statement. [129357]
Mr. Rooker: Income related benefits such as the minimum income guarantee are available to people, from age 60, who have had to retire early and have insufficient resources to provide for their own financial security.
Minimum Income Guarantee
37. Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have responded to the minimum income guarantee take-up campaign; and how many new payments have been made. [129358]
Mr. Bayley: Since the end of May, there have been 123,000 responses to the minimum income guarantee take-up campaign.
Preliminary details on the number of successful claims will be available later in the summer.
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners qualifying for the minimum income guarantee; and what the most recent uptake figures are for (a) Swansea West, (b) the City of Swansea and (c) Wales. [130563]
Mr. Bayley: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Area | Number of claimants |
|---|---|
| Swansea West PC | 3.3 |
| Swansea UA | 8.8 |
| Wales GOR | 93.3 |
Notes:
1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and therefore subject to sampling error.
2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.
3. Pensioners are defined as benefit units where the claimant and/or their partner is aged 60 or over.
Source:
Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry, February 2000.
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 7 July 2000, Official Report, column 343W, on the minimum income guarantee,
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if he will estimate the total cost of the minimum income guarantee take-up campaign; and if he will make a statement. [130702]
Mr. Bayley: We estimate that around £15 million will be spent over the course of the campaign.
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress has been made on encouraging pensioners to take up the minimum income guarantee since the launch of his Department's publicity campaign. [129323]
Mr. Bayley: Since the end of May, there have been 123,000 responses to the minimum income guarantee take-up campaign.
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security pursuant to his answer of 7 July 2000, Official Report, column 343, on the minimum income guarantee, if he will estimate how many of the 35,000 claim packs issued have so far produced successful claims. [130703]
Mr. Bayley: Pensioners receiving the minimum income guarantee claim packs have one month in which to complete and return them. Information on the results of the first wave of claims will be available later in the summer.
133,000 responses have been received so far and 87,000 claim packs have been issued.
Benefits (Backdating)
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received recently concerning the backdating of benefits; and if he will make a statement. [129335]
Mr. Bayley: The most recent representation concerning the backdating of benefits I have received, has been a letter from my hon. Friend in relation to linked benefit claims.
Carers (Pensions)
Mr. Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the impact of pensions reform on long-term carers. [129342]
Mr. Rooker: Our proposed State Second Pension will help some 2 million carers a year build up entitlement to a second tier pension for the first time.
Each qualifying year of caring will mean about £1 a week extra pension in today's terms. So the greatest gains will go to long-term carers.
Departmental Vehicles
Mr. Pearson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for his Department and its agencies the approved list of manufacturers of (a) cars and (b) commercial vehicles; and if he will make a statement on his Department's leasing and purchasing policy. [128980]
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Mr. Bayley: The information is as follows:
- The respective car and commercial vehicle manufacturers whose products comprise the Department's motor fleet
- Car manufacturer
- Carbodies
- Citroen
- Daewoo
- Fiat
- Ford
- Hyundai
- Lancia
- Nissan
- Peugeot
- Renault
- Rover
- Seat
- Toyota
- Vauxhall
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
- Commercial vehicle manufacturer
- Toyota
- Vauxhall
- Mitsubishi
- Renault
- Bedford
- Citroen
- Fiat
- Ford
- Leyland
- Volkswagen
- Mercedes.
From April 2000, following an extensive tendering process with all the major manufacturers which began in August 1999, a new three year purchase contract for the Department and Inland Revenue, but available to other government Departments, has been negotiated and awarded to six manufacturers (Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot, Fiat, Nissan and Citroen). It is expected that all future purchases, both for cars and light commercial vehicles, will be made from this framework contract and will be based on available discount at the time of purchase.
At the present time, the Department does not have any long-term lease arrangements for these vehicles.
Benefit Fraud Inspectorate
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many reports of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate have been published in respect of (a) local councils and (b) other organisations, in Scotland. [130297]
Mr. Rooker: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (BFI) reports on the administration of Social Security benefits by local authorities and seeks to drive up standards of administration.
To date, we have published eight reports following BFI inspections of Housing and Council Tax Benefit administration in local authorities in Scotland.
BFI has not published reports on any other organisations in Scotland.
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Informal Economy
Mrs. McKenna: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken to implement the recommendations made in the report by Lord Grabiner QC on The Informal Economy. [131151]
Mr. Darling: Lord Grabiner's report made a number of useful recommendations that the Government are committed to implement. A confidential telephone helpline has been launched to provide advice on tax and benefits to people who want to put their affairs in order. We are extending the tightened procedures for allocating National Insurance numbers to the rest of the country. We are also taking steps to deny benefit to people who have been convicted twice of benefit fraud--"two strikes and you're out".
An important recommendation was that the Government should make greater use of information from private sector sources. Today I am publishing a consultation document on how we can better check claims in the fight against fraud. The public and all interested parties will have three months to respond. Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Library and the Vote Office.
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