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Stakeholder Pensions

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the Government will have access to information on stakeholder pensions to enable it to ascertain whether sales are to people outside or within its target group. [130762]

Mr. Rooker: We are planning to collect a range of statistical data. It is intended that this data will, in due course, include information about the level of members' earnings which will enable us to determine how many sales are to people in the target group, as part of the total market for Stakeholder Pensions.

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the basis is for his calculation that it would be advantageous for a person earning £9,500 to contract out of the state second pension into a stakeholder pension. [131326]

Mr. Rooker: Stakeholder pensions will be open to people at all income levels but are primarily intended for moderate earners--those earning between around £10,000 and £20,000 a year--as well as higher earners. It will be for individuals to decide whether or not to use a stakeholder pension to contract out of the state scheme, but National Insurance rebates for people who do contract out are set at a level which reflects the cost of providing the state benefits forgone. The state second pension is structured to provide extra help in the state scheme above that available from SERPS for people on earnings up to around £20,000. The new contracting-out arrangements have been designed so that members of contracted-out

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pension schemes will benefit from the extra help that the state second pension brings to low and moderate earners, either through higher rebates or a state scheme top-up.

Maternity Pay

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of women's average earnings flat rate Statutory Maternity Pay represents; and what was the highest percentage it has ever represented. [131112]

Mr. Bayley: The flat rate of Statutory Maternity Pay was 27 per cent. of average women's earnings in 1999-2000, the latest year for which there are figures. This percentage was at its highest in 1987-88 when it reached 28 per cent.

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the total annual cost is of Statutory Maternity Pay flat rate; and what it would be if it was increased to £100. [131113]

Mr. Bayley: Statutory Maternity Pay is paid at 90 per cent. of a woman's average weekly earnings for the first six weeks of her maternity leave and a flat rate of £60.20 for the following 12 weeks.

The cost of the SMP flat rate is £210 million.

The total full year cost of paying flat rate at £100 a week would be £350 million.

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the total extra cost of flat rate Statutory Maternity Pay would be if it were extended from 12 weeks to up to the child's first birthday. [131114]

Mr. Bayley: The extra full year cost in 2000-01 of extending the flat rate of Statutory Maternity Pay from 12 weeks up to the child's first birthday would be up to £495 million.

Pensions

Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate for 2000-01, the (a) gross and (b) net difference between the cost of the actual pension increase and (i) an increase of 2.5 per cent., (ii) an increase in line with earnings and (iii) the provision made in the Department's estimates. [131254]

Mr. Rooker: The estimated extra cost for 2000-01 of a 2.5 per cent. increase in basic pension rates would be £530 million gross, £400 million net of means-tested benefits.

The extra cost of an increase in line with earnings would be £1,310 million gross, £1,000 million net. The estimates made in the Departments Report assume a 1.1 per cent. increase and as this was the level of increase there is no difference.

Notes:

1. Assumed average earnings growth is 4.6 per cent. The measure of earnings used is the annual change in the seasonally adjusted, three months to July average earnings index, which was used to uprate the Minimum Income Guarantee.

2. Estimates are rounded to the nearest £10 million.

3. Costs include benefits whose rates are linked by statute to the rate of basic Retirement Pension (principally Widow's Benefits and long-term Incapacity Benefit).

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4. Gross costs have been estimated by the Government Actuary's Department. Offsetting means-tested benefit savings have been estimated using the Department's Policy Simulation Model.

Housing Benefit

Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the Government's plans for the extension of the Housing Benefit Verification Framework; and how the Government intends to achieve this extension, with particular reference to incentives or penalties for local authorities failing to (a) comply fully with the scheme or (b) commit themselves to a date. [130763]

Angela Eagle: We are working in partnership with local authorities in developing and implementing anti- fraud initiatives such as the Verification Framework. Local authorities are in a position to consider their specific needs and local circumstances before deciding when to take forward these initiatives.

That said, we continue to encourage all local authorities to implement the Verification Framework. We have made £100 million available to enable all authorities to implement the Framework by 2001. In addition we have introduced changes that mean that authorities which are compliant with the Framework can claim additional subsidy under the Weekly Benefit Savings Scheme.

Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each local authority in Great Britain, for each of the last two financial years, weekly benefit savings for (a) thresholds, (b) claimed savings, (c) amount of additional subsidy claimed and (d) amount of subsidy penalty applied. [130963]

Angela Eagle: The information has been placed in the Library.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April did not receive substantive answers, citing as the reasons commercial or other confidentiality. [131202]

Mr. Rooker: Of the 1,815 questions we received during this period, we were unable to give substantive answers to three questions where we cited the information was commercial in confidence and one answer where the information was confidential.

Correspondence

Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his reply of 10 July 2000, Official Report, column 389W, for what reason the Director of the Disability and Carer Benefits Directorate did not sign the reply of 4 July to the hon. Member for Walsall, North concerning a constituent; and why the letter gave no explanation of why the Director was unable to sign. [130658]

Mr. Bayley [holding answer 17 July 2000]: The Director personally signs letters to right hon. and hon. Members unless he is unavailable, when a nominated deputy signs on his behalf.

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The Director was out of the office on 4 July. I regret that, in his absence, the normal procedures were not followed in this particular case.

In future additional guidance will be given to staff about who may sign letters received by Benefits Agency Directors from Members.

Minimum Income Guarantee

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) of 25 May 2000, Official Report, column 619W, how many pensioners are in receipt of the Minimum Income Guarantee (a) in total and (b) in each parliamentary constituency, for each year for which figures are available. [131196]

Mr. Rooker: The total number of pensioners claiming Income Support has been reducing since 1988 as the following table shows.

Minimum Income Guarantee claimants in Great Britain⁽¹⁾

Year	Total
2000	1,604,200
1999	1,627,900
1998	1,650,500
1997	1,713,900
1996	1,763,640
1995	1,781,000
1994	1,764,600
1993	1,736,200
1992	1,643,100
1991	1,574,900
1990	1,674,700
1989	1,606,500
1988	1,719,300

⁽¹⁾ Before April 1999 this would have been expressed as Income Support

Figures for parliamentary constituencies for the Minimum Income Guarantee which was introduced in April 1999 have been placed in the Library.

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