| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Free Television Licences (Jarrow)
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in the Jarrow constituency have a free television licence under the scheme for pensioners aged over 75 years. [148613]
5 Feb 2001 : Column: 364W
Janet Anderson: TV Licensing, which administers this concession for the BBC as Licensing Authority, is not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, estimates based on the 1991 Census indicate that there were approximately 4,700 people aged 75 or over in the Jarrow constituency.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Cheney Pension Scheme
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will conduct an inquiry into the handling of the case of the Cheney pension scheme by the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority. [149272]
Mr. Darling: With the agreement of the board of the occupational pensions regulatory authority, I have asked Sir Gerald Hosker QC to conduct an independent inquiry into the handling within Opra of the Cheney case and also to consider and report on whether changes in procedures are necessary to assist in the detection of misuse of pension funds.
Minimum Income Guarantee
Miss Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in Morecambe and Lunesdale benefit from the minimum income guarantee; and what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency who fail to claim the minimum income guarantee. [149132]
Mr. Rooker: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows:
There are around 2,800 recipients of the minimum income guarantee in the parliamentary constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale.
- 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 hundred.
- 4. Cases are allocated to each parliamentary constituency by matching the postcode against the 2000 version 1 ONS Postcode Directory.
- 5. It is not possible to produce reliable estimates of numbers not claiming their entitlement at constituency level.
- Source:
- Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, August 2000.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people living in Crosby have benefited from the minimum income guarantee. [148333]
Mr. Rooker: There are around 2,600 recipients of the minimum income guarantee in the parliamentary constituency of Crosby.
- 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 hundred.
5 Feb 2001 : Column: 365W
- 4. Cases are allocated to each parliamentary constituency by matching the postcode against the 2000 version 1 ONS Postcode Directory.
- Source:
- Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, August 2000.
Annuities
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the study of annuities carried out by the Retirement Income Working Party; and if he will make a statement. [148337]
Mr. Rooker: The Retirement Income Working Party report is one of a number of proposals that have been put forward as alternatives to the annuity purchase requirement for pension schemes. An announcement will be made in due course if it is decided that any changes to the current rules are needed.
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make an assessment of the extent to which those who have deferred purchasing an annuity and have opted for income drawdown have found themselves subsequently dependent on means-tested benefits. [148742]
Mr. Rooker: No. The information is not available to make such an assessment.
Pensions
Mr. Martin Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the proposed increase to be paid to existing state pensioners were to be applied to men aged 60 to 65 years, how much that pension would be for (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03. [147845]
Mr. Rooker: Men currently do not receive a basic State Retirement Pension before the age of 65 years and entitlement is dependent upon the individual's National Insurance record. It would not be dependent upon the numbers of pensioners.
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the basic State Pension in 2040 as a percentage of (a) full-time average earnings in 2040, (b) male full-time average earnings in 2040 and (c) female full-time average earnings in 2040, (i) before the changes announced in the pre-Budget statement and (ii) following the changes in the pre-Budget statement assumptions on price and wage inflation. [148375]
Mr. Rooker [holding answer 2 February 2001]: The information is in the table.
| Before PBR | After PBR | |
|---|---|---|
| Average earnings | 9 | 10 |
| Average male earnings | 8 | 9 |
| Average female earnings | 11 | 12 |
Notes:
1. Projected average earnings figures are based on the New Earnings Survey 2000.
2. The future value of the basic State Pension is based on pre-Budget report assumptions.
3. Long-term real earnings growth is assumed to be 1.5 per cent.
5 Feb 2001 : Column: 366W
Income Limit (Benefits)
Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what assessment he has made of the cost of increasing the savings limit for (a) Severe Disability Allowance and (b) Income Support to (i) £5,000, (ii) £6,000, (iii) £10,000 and (iv) £15,000; [146734]
- (2) what recent assessment he has made of the savings limit on Severe Disability Allowance and Income Support claimants in relation to (a) the Government's social inclusion priorities and (b) the efficient deployment of public resources. [146735]
Mr. Bayley: Severe Disablement Allowance does not have capital limits. The capital limits in the income- related benefits are kept under review.
The current rules have an upper and a lower limit. We have not made estimates of the cost of moving to single capital limits of the kind envisaged by the hon. Member.
Benefit Fraud
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Mr. Grieve) of 18 January 2001, Official Report, column 384W, on benefit fraud, if he will calculate on the same basis the data for (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) the United Kingdom. [148332]
Mr. Bayley: The information is in the table.
| Year | England | Wales | Northern Ireland | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 19.4 | 20.4 | 22.7 | 19.4 |
| 1997 | 17.8 | 21.1 | 19.5 | 17.9 |
| 1998 | 17.9 | 19.9 | 19.0 | 17.9 |
| 1999 | 17.4 | 20.4 | 18.6 | 17.3 |
| 2000 | 15.6 | 19.5 | 20.1 | 15.8 |
Notes:
1. Children refers to all children aged under 16.
2. A workless household is a household that includes at least one person of working age where no one is in employment.
3. The percentages given in the reply for England, Wales and Northern Ireland have not been adjusted for the small proportion of households where the household economic activity is not known. An adjustment has been made to the UK figures, so the methodology for calculating these figures is slightly different.
Source:
Labour Force Survey, Spring Quarters (covering March to May). The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a quarterly sample survey of over 60,000 households in the United Kingdom.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Police (Appointments)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Chief Constable of the RUC will appoint district commanders for each of the reorganised policing districts in Northern Ireland; what the job specification is for the posts; what criteria and selection procedures are to be used in making the appointments; if independent assessors will take part in the appointment process; and if the posts are to be advertised outside the RUC. [144380]
5 Feb 2001 : Column: 367W
Mr. Ingram: It is the Chief Constable's intention to appoint commanders for the new district command units with effect from 1 April 2001. The criteria for appointment, post criteria and person specification are detailed in the list and have been applied following consultation with the Superintendents' Association for Northern Ireland and the Police Authority for Northern Ireland. Both have been involved throughout the selection process. Because of the very tight time scales imposed, advertising for these positions outside the Royal Ulster Constabulary was not practicable on this occasion; however, it will be considered for future appointments.
- District Command Units
- Criteria for appointment
- Career profile
- Leadership/management skills
- Knowledge/experience/strategic vision of role sought
- Match against post criteria
- Match against person specification
- Eligibility for appointment to Chief Superintendent/ Superintendent where post holds that rank
- Individual needs (including expressed preference and domestic circumstances)
- Organisational needs (while considering individuals' needs)
- Post Criteria--District Commander
- Job description
- Job title:
- District Command Unit (DCU) Commander
- Responsible to:
- Regional Assistant Chief Constable
- Staff reporting to jobholder:
- Functional heads within DCU
- Main purpose:
- To be responsible for the delivery of a quality policing service to a District within the framework of force policy and in a way that reflects local needs.
- Duties:
- Develop strategies and policies for the policing of the District.
- Foster and maintain consultative relationships with the public and external agencies.
- Be responsible for the financial resources of the DCU.
- Be responsible for the welfare, development, performance and discipline of all District personnel.
- Plan and command significant operations where appropriate.
- Ensure the effective and efficient deployment of personnel.
- Serious incident cover.
- PACE and RIPA cover.
- Contact with outside agencies:
- Local councils and community representatives.
- Statutory agencies.
- Local non-government organisations.
- Military personnel.
- Other police forces.
- Hours of work:
- Normally Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00 with Saturday and Sunday rest days.
- 24 hour cover required on a rota basis in relation to serious incidents and PACE.
- Physical make-up:
- The postholder should present a professional image of the force.
5 Feb 2001 : Column: 368W
- Specialised aptitudes:
- Capable of taking a realistic and logical approach to problem solving.
- Understand human resource management issues.
- Understand financial management matters.
- Ability to balance competing demands and prioritise solutions.
- Disposition:
- Possess good interpersonal skills and be able to work as part of a team.
- Possess good oral and written communications skills.
- Demonstrate commitment along with the ability to motivate and influence others.
- Able to balance competing demands.
- Able to make impartial decisions in accordance with law, policies and available information.
- Capable of remaining focused in the face of opposition.
- Capable of assimilating new information, concepts and ideas and converting these to workable practice.
- Circumstances:
- The postholder will be based at district headquarters and may be required to use his/her private motor vehicle as part of his/her duties.
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure a wide range of candidates apply for the posts of district commander in the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [144381]
Mr. Ingram: Given the time scale imposed and in order to apply a fair and equitable selection process, all eligible superintendents and those on the select list for promotion to superintendent were assessed against specific criteria. The process necessitates taking into account officers at these ranks whose current posts are to be suppressed following restructuring of the organisation in accordance with the implementation plan.
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will instruct the present Police Authority not to make more than one appointment to the rank of Assistant Chief Constable; and if he will permit the incoming police board to advertise the post of Assistant Chief Constable and officers without obligation to consult the list of candidates prepared by the current Police Authority. [144382]
Mr. Ingram: The Police Authority for Northern Ireland is presently running a competition for a position of Assistant Chief Constable in the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The process was initiated because of the retirement of an ACC and following advice from the Chief Constable, who indicated that there was an urgent operational need for the post to be filled.
Since the competition was initiated, a second post has been identified as becoming vacant in the near future. It will be for the Police Authority, with the advice of the Chief Constable, to decide on the operational need if the second post should be filled at this time.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |