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Pensions (EU)
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will state the current percentages of income of retired persons in the United Kingdom and each member state of the Community, derived from public national pension payments, and those from private or occupational pension schemes; and what communications he has (a) received and (b) sent to or from other members states and institutions of the Community concerning future harmonisation of pension arrangements for citizens of the Community and Union. [139087]
Mr. Rooker: The information is not available in the format requested.
Benefits and Tax Credits
Mr. Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are claiming (a) Working Families Tax Credit, (b) pensioner's Minimum Income Guarantee, (c) winter fuel allowance and (d) free television licences for the over 75s in High Peak; and how many are eligible in each case. [138812]
Mr. Rooker: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.
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I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer given by my hon. Friend the Paymaster General to my hon. Friend the Member for Hull, North (Mr. McNamara) on 8 November 2000, Official Report, column 274W, for the information on the Working Families Tax Credit.
| Thousand | |
|---|---|
| High Peak parliamentary constituency | Number |
| MIG Pensioners May 2000(18) | 2.5 |
| Pensioners over 75(19),(20) | 7.5 |
(18) Source--Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry, May 2000.
(19) Source--Statistical samples held by ASD Information Centre--May 2000.
(20) Source--Number of pensioner households who will receive free TV licences is not directly known, but from the Statistical Samples it is possible to produce data on the number of pensioners receiving one or a combination of RP, IS, AA, DLA, IB or SDA by parliamentary constituency and are aged 75 or over.
Notes:
1. All except Winter Fuel Payment Data are based on 5 per cent. samples, therefore subject to sampling error.
2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and expressed in thousands.
3. Cases are allocated to each parliamentary constituency by matching the postcode against the 2000 Version 1 of the Postcode Directory supplied by ONS. Constituency boundaries are represented as at May 1997.
4. MIG Pensioners are defined as Income Support Benefit units where either the claimant and/or the partner is aged 60 or over.
Regarding Winter Fuel Payments 1 currently being made for this winter, provisional information shows that around 17,500 payments will be made to people eligible. These payments will be made before Christmas.
- 1 Source--Matching Intelligence Data Analysis Service Winter Fuel Payment 2000-01 initial exercise.
Pension Credit
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will estimate, using the same assumptions as used to calculate how many people are eligible for one or both elements of the pension credit, how many people will receive both the guaranteed income top-up element and the savings credit element to a value of (a) up to £4, (b) £5 to 9, (c) £10 to 14, (d) £15 to 19 and (e) £20 to £25 per week; [138504]
- (2) using the same assumptions as used to calculate how many people are eligible for one or both elements of the pension credit, if he will calculate how many people will receive the savings credit element but not the guaranteed income top-up element to a value of (a) up to £4, (b) £5 to 9 and (c) £10 to £13.80 per week. [138506]
Mr. Rooker [holding answer 16 November 2000]: I refer my right hon. Friend to paragraph 16 of chapter 4 of the Pension Credit consultation document (Cm 4900).
IT Systems
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what preparations he has made to ensure that the IT systems within his Department will be able to cope with the new weekly benefit saving rules that are due to be implemented next year; and what representations he has received on this issue. [139122]
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Angela Eagle: The Department administers the payments of subsidy to local authorities by means of a combination of micro (PC) and mainframe computer systems. The first payments for the "new weekly benefit saving rules" will be made in August 2001 (payments under the new scheme will be made quarterly, in arrears). The Department is currently considering the programming changes needed to meet the requirements of the new scheme and these will be implemented well in advance of the first payment date.
Vaccine Damage Payment Act 1979
Mr. John M. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he proposes to reduce the disability threshold under the Vaccine Damage Payment Act 1979 as anticipated in his statement of 27 June; and if he will make a further statement. [139123]
Mr. Bayley: In his statement of 27 June 2000, Official Report, columns 719-20, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made clear that two of the changes he announced--that is, an increase in the time limits for claiming a Vaccine Damage Payment (VDP) to age 21 for children and a reduction in the disability threshold from 80 per cent. to 60 per cent., would require amendments to the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979. We intend to legislate to bring about these changes as soon as the legislative timetable permits.
State Second Pension
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the implications are for the level and structure of the state second pension of his recent announcement on (a) the level of the Minimum Income Guarantee and (b) the proposed pensioner credit. [139398]
Mr. Rooker: The recent announcements about the Minimum Income Guarantee and the Pension Credit will not affect the level or the structure of the State Second Pension. However, taken as a whole, the changes we are introducing will result in a boost to the incomes of all pensioners.
Pension Clawback
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to abolish the pension clawback; and if he will make a statement. [139494]
Mr. Rooker: We have no plans to abolish pension clawback.
Winter Heating Allowance
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many households will benefit from the winter heating allowance in Coventry, South this year. [139044]
Mr. Rooker [holding answer 21 November 2000]: For winter 1999-2000 16,403 customers in the Coventry, South constituency qualified for a Winter Fuel Payment.
Pensioner Incomes
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate how many pensioners were receiving Income Support in Newcastle upon Tyne in
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1996 with their average total benefit; and how many pensioners are receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee with their average total benefit. [139645]
Mr. Rooker: The information is in the table.
| Thousand | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quarter | Number of pensioners | Average weekly award (£ per week) |
| 1996--May | 12.3 | 33.10 |
| 2000--May | 11.5 | 41.91 |
Notes:
1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
2. Pensioners are defined as where the claimant, and/or partner are aged 60 or over.
3. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.
4. Cases are allocated to each local authority by matching the postcode against the 1997 version 1 and the 2000 version 1 of the Postcode Directory.
Source:
Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries, May 1996 and May 2000.
The downward trend of pensioners claiming Income Support/Minimum Income Guarantee is due to the fact that pensioners are retiring on larger incomes due to SERPS and occupational pensions. This trend has been halted following the introduction of the earnings linked MIG in April 1999.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Departmental Policies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Manchester, Gorton constituency, of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [136171]
Mr. Wills: Outlined below are details of the effect on the Gorton constituency and Manchester LEA of a range of the Department's policies.
- Early Excellence Centres
- The Government are funding a pilot programme of Early Excellence Centres (EECs) delivering high quality integrated early education and child care on a one-stop basis to children and their families.
- In Manchester, the Martenscroft and Moss Side Zone will build on their integrated all-day, all-year care and education by encouraging local private and voluntary providers to expand their services. The centre will have at its core the impressive Martenscroft and Moss Side Children's Centres. Both centres currently provide care and education for children from six months to five years. Staff will work across the zone to develop outreach work, co-ordinate community services and provide professional support and advice to all settings, including the private and voluntary sector and local primary schools, to improve quality of provision and children's attainment.
- Early years places
- In 1997 around 9,821 three and four-year-olds were receiving free, part time early education in Manchester. This has increased to 10,036 in 2000. Already all four-year-olds in Manchester are entitled to a free place. By September 2004, all three-year-olds will be also be entitled to such a place.
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- Sure Start
- LA Programme supporting a small community in the Clayton area, which has a well-developed resource (the Family Support Initiative at Clayton children's centre). Among the interesting services designed to address the main Sure Start principles are plans to recruit a dietician and to disseminate nutritional advice. This programme is one of the first trailblazer projects to receive full Sure Start approval. Total funding up to £2,522,521
- Sure Start Benchill has brought together statutory and voluntary agencies to listen to the views of local people. They aim to build the capacity of the local community, to establish Benchill as an independent project, ultimately directed by a management committee of local people. Local people have identified a need for play space and facilities, and for more nursery and creche provision. Lead Partner--Barnardos.
- The authority has been invited to submit applications for the second wave of Sure Start programmes.
- Beacon schools
- The Beacon schools initiative is designed to raise standards through the dissemination of good practice. Beacon schools are schools which have been identified as among the best performing in the country and represent examples of successful practice which are to be brought to the attention of the rest of the education service with a view to sharing and spreading that effective practice to others. Beacon schools offer advice on a wide range of areas including specific curriculum subjects, pupil monitoring, school management, provision for gifted and talented children, improving parent involvement, special educational needs and anti-bullying strategies.
- There are a total of 550 beacon schools (from September 2000). Six of these beacon schools are in Manchester LEA: Trinity CE High School, CE School of the Resurrection, St. Catherine's RC Primary School, St. Cuthbert's RC Primary School, Piper Hill Special School and North Manchester High School.
- Specialist schools
- Specialist schools seek school improvement through a special focus on one area of the curriculum. They achieve their status in competition with other applicant schools. They are existing secondary schools which provide rich experience in their chosen specialisms, in addition to the National Curriculum. As well as achieving high standards in their chosen specialisms, the Government expect them to be a resource for other schools and their local communities, equipping young people with the skills they need to progress into employment, further training or higher education according to their individual abilities, aptitudes and ambitions.
- Within Manchester LEA, the following schools have specialist school status: Brookway High School (Sports), Parrs Wood High School (Technology), Newall Green High School (Arts), Levenshulme High School (Language), Wright Robinson School (Sports), St. Matthews RC High School (Technology) and Trinity CE High School (Technology).
- Performance indicators
- Results at both Key Stage 2 and GCSE/GNVQ have increased since 1997.
| Percentage | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| LEA averages | 1997 | 1999 | 2000 |
| English | 54.3 | 61.1 | 65.0 |
| Maths | 53.9 | 61.3 | 64.0 |
| Science | 59.1 | 70.8 | 78.0 |
| Percentage | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| LEA averages | 1997 | 1999 | 2000 |
| 5 + A*-C | 26.3 | 30.2 | 30.3 |
| 5 + A*-G | 75.2 | 79.1 | 83.3 |
| No passes | 14.4 | 10.1 | 7.3 |
Class Sizes
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Statistics for September 2000 show that Manchester LEA had 362 (2.8 per cent.) pupils in classes of 31 or more, compared with 3,971 (24 per cent.) in January 1998. The national figure for September 2000 shows the number of pupils in infant classes of 31 or more taught by one teacher was 30,000 (2 per cent.), compared to 485,000 (29 per cent.) in January 1998.
Education Action Zones
Education Action Zones were proposed in the White Paper "Excellence in schools" and have their legislative basis in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. EAZs create an urgent focus on raising standards through local partnerships between parents, schools, businesses, LEAs, TECs and others. Zones are based around small clusters of schools in areas of relative deprivation. Each zone runs for an initial three years with the possibility of extension to five years. In return for setting challenging targets for improvement across the zone, an EAZ receives up to £1 million per year in additional support from the Department and the private sector. There are now 73 EAZs. Of the 25 first round zones, 20 have recently been extended from three to five years. The other five zones have been given until 1 December to prove that they are ready for extension.
Manchester has two Education Action Zones: East Manchester and Wythenshawe Partnerships.
Excellence in Cities
Excellence in Cities (EiC) is designed to remedy successive failures to address the educational problems of the major cities where standards have been too low for too long.
It was launched in March 1999 by the Prime Minister and David Blunkett. The programme went live in schools in September 1999. Its progress, initially focused on secondary schools, has been rapid.
The Government expanded the programme in March 2000 and Phase 2 began in schools in September 2000. This phase brought a further 23 LEA areas into EiC and introduced a pilot of the three core strands of EiC in primary schools in Phase 1 areas.
Manchester LEA was designated an Excellence in Cities (EiC) area in Phase 1 of the Programme. The partnership, which covers all 23 secondary schools, is taking full advantage of EiC to maximise the impact. 'Excellence in Manchester' now has:
21 Learning Support Units (LSUs);
two Beacon and two Specialist Secondary Schools approved under EiC;
six Gifted and Talented Pupil clusters and;
some 65 Learning mentors.
In addition, three City Learning Centres (CLCs) and a mini Education Action Zone (EAZ) are due to open in September 2000, with a further two CLCs pre-committed for September 2001.
EiC is now being piloted in primary schools within all Phase 1 areas. The Manchester partnership has an approved plan. Although there were some conditions to be met for funding to be released, it was noted that the plan was "good and everything
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required had been done". From September, 56 primary schools in Manchester will introduce the "learning mentor", "gifted and talented" and "LSU" strands of EiC.
PPP/PFI Projects
The Government have a manifesto commitment to use Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to improve the standard of school buildings. The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) is a concept which can be applied to most aspects of public sector operation. It transforms Departments, agencies, local authorities and similar bodies from being owners and operators of assets into purchasers of services from the private sector. Private firms become long-term providers of services rather than simply up-front asset builders. This works to the mutual advantage of users of public services, taxpayers and companies seeking new business opportunities.
Temple Primary School serves a multi-faith, ethnically diverse community. The existing school has separate primary, nursery and dining buildings which are of an outdated Victorian design. Key Stage 2 provision is particularly unsuitable for current curriculum and operational requirements.
The PFI project is to provide a replacement Primary School which will provide a more appropriate learning environment capable of supporting modern teaching methods and curricula for pupils, and adults and the community.
The replacement school and play areas have been designed to be fully accessible for people with disabilities, thus allowing the full range of mainstream opportunities to be available to all. In addition the new school site will incorporate playing fields and a wildlife area, facilities which are not currently available.
The contract was signed in March 2000 between Manchester City Council and Turner Constructions and has a value of £3.7 million.
Capital for Manchester, Gorton under New Deal for Schools
£1.3 billion has been provided from the New Deal for Schools (NDS) from 1997-98 until 2001-02 to address the backlog of urgent repairs in school buildings that had built up after 18 years of under-funding under the previous Administration.
Within Manchester, the following allocations have been made:
Old Hall Drive Primary School--£141,828--roof repair
Crowcroft Park Primary School--£40,000--replacement windows
Stanley Grove Primary--£275,000--replacement of Horsa Unit
Wilbraham Primary--£350,000--replacement of Horsa Unit
Whalley Range--£1,268,206--provision of sports hall and two classrooms
St. Agnes CE Primary--part of a nine school roofing package worth £724,400
Wright Robinson--£459,200--replacement windows
Wright Robinson--part of a three school package for upgrading of technical rooms--£270,000
Gorton Mount Infant, Heald Place Primary and All Saints Primary--part of a nine school package to upgrade toilets--£195,000.
LEA Funding
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| £ million | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | |
| SSA | 181.603 | 198.890 | 207.651 | 216.249 |
| Standards Fund | 2.275 | 2.799 | 10.286 | 20.292 |
| EAZ | -- | -- | 0.272 | 1.739 |
| NEG | 6.038 | 0.263 | 0.404 | -- |
| £290 million Special Grant to Schools | -- | -- | -- | 2.703 |
| £50 million Special Grant to LEAs | -- | -- | -- | 0.552 |
Notes:
1. £527 million was taken from the total SSA to fund the Nursery Voucher Scheme in 1997-98
2. Funding for the reduction of (infant) class sizes was part of the Standards Fund in 1998-99
3. Education Action Zone funding is paid to the Zone not to the LEA
4. Standards Fund/Gest figures are DfEE contribution only and exclude capital funding
5. Some elements of the Standards Fund are targeted at adult education, these have been included
6. Nursery education grant data are not available for 2000-01
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Failing schools
Manchester LEA has had 24 schools in special measures. 10 of those have been restored to health.
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The average turn round time for schools that came into special measures after 1 May 1997 is 20 months.
Further Education
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| FEFC funded | Non-FEFC funded | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-18 | Adult | 16-18 | Adult | |||||
| FT | PT | FT | PT | FT | PT | FT | PT | |
| 1996-97 | 1,143 | 339 | 1,143 | 4,279 | 40 | 86 | 64 | 68 |
| 1997-98 | 1,216 | 278 | 1,125 | 4,342 | 34 | 89 | 101 | 144 |
| 1998-99 | 1,282 | 271 | 1,291 | 4,233 | 42 | 104 | 182 | 180 |
Notes:
1. Under-16s included in 16-18 figures
2. Where age unknown, included in adult figures
Sources:
1996-97: Individualised Student Record 10 (December 1997)
1996-98: Individualised Student Record 13 (December 1998)
1998-99: Individualised Student Record 16 (December 1999)
for all FEFC funded institutions
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Education Maintenance Allowances
EMAs are part of the Government's commitment to make sure that all young people have the opportunity to fulfil their potential, no matter what their financial circumstances may be.
Eligible young people can receive an allowance of up to £30 a week (£40 in two areas) if they stay on at school or college, with additional bonuses payable for retention and achievement
Manchester has 2,180 applications for EMAs at the end of October. We expect more applications when they send in their statistical return for November. People are eligible for an EMA in Manchester if they were in Year 11 in July 2000, and have continued in Further Education this September. Manchester are piloting the EMA variant where the maximum EMA is £30 per week and termly bonuses of £50 are paid for 95 per cent. attendance. The maximum amount of EMA is payable if the young person's natural parents earn less than £13,000. A tapered amount is payable if parental income is between £13,000 and £30,000. No EMA is payable if parental income is above £30,000.
Pioneer Centres
Greater Manchester Bangladesh Association (GMBA)
GMBA is a community organisation based within the Longsight area of Manchester. The community centre has been delivering IT training to the local residents and members of the community for around 12 years.
The centre has always operated an open door policy on recruitment to the various full-time and part-time courses run. The ICT project has enabled the centre to increase the availability of its facilities to small businesses within the area and local residents who do not necessarily require formal training programmes, but wish to access a computer.
Seminars have been held at various local libraries, as well as teaming up with people from Manchester Technology Management Centre, who are delivering a series of seminars on e-commerce and telematics to the local business community.
Unemployment
There has been a notable improvement in the Gorton constituency unemployment claimant position. At May 1997 there were 4,740 unemployed claimants, with an unemployment rate of 23 per cent. (compared with a UK rate of 5.6 per cent.). By October 2000 the Gorton figures had fallen to 2,988 or 12.5 per cent. (UK 3.5 per cent.).
New Deal for Young People in the constituency has been successful. 1,817 young people have joined the New Deal, with 755 entering into employment.
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