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Departmental Policies (North-East Derbyshire)
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the north-east Derbyshire constituency, the effect on north-east Derbyshire of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [150880]
Mr. Rooker: The Department's policies and initiatives have made a significant contribution to the Government's overall objectives of:
- Eradicating child poverty in 20 years, and halving it within 10;
- Promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age while protecting the position of those in greatest need; and,
- Combating poverty and promoting security and independence in retirement for today's and tomorrow's pensioners.
Measures in our first four Budgets will lift over one million children out of poverty. These include record increases to Child Benefit, Working Families Tax Credit, increases in the income-related benefits, the minimum wage and tax changes.
Child Benefit will be worth £15.50 a week for the eldest child and £10.35 a week for other children from April 2001: nationally about 7 million families receive Child Benefit, and in north-east Derbyshire 11,124 families benefit.
We now have the lowest unemployment rate in 25 years. The New Deals have helped lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, the over-50s and partners of the unemployed to move from benefit into work. In the period since May 1997, the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance nationally has reduced from 1,562,400 to 1,044,900; in north-east Derbyshire the number has reduced from 2,400 to 1,600. Since May 1997, the number of lone parents who claim Income Support has decreased from 1,013,500 to 894,100 nationally and in north-east Derbyshire from 1,000 to 600.
Older people are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty, so we have introduced Winter Fuel Payments to help with their heaviest fuel bill. This winter, the payment
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is £200 for households who qualify. Over 19,500 older people in north-east Derbyshire have received a Winter Fuel Payment for this winter.
To demonstrate our commitment to combating pensioner poverty, this year we will spend £4.5 billion extra in real terms on pensioners. Some 18,100 pensioners in north-east Derbyshire will benefit from the substantial increases in the basic state pension this April and next; this year's increase is £5 a week for single pensioners and £8 for couples. In addition we have introduced free TV licences for the over-75s of whom we estimate there are about 6,900 in north-east Derbyshire. 2,700 pensioner families in north-east Derbyshire are receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee, which we introduced in April 1999 to help our poorest pensioners. From April they will be at least £15 a week, or £800 a year, better off in real terms as a result of Government measures since 1997.
Other reforms in the pipeline include: the new Pension Credit in 2003 designed to ensure that pensioners benefit from their savings; the launch of Stakeholder Pensions in April this year; and the introduction of the State Second Pension in April 2002, both of which will help provide greater security for tomorrow's pensioners.
Departmental Advertising Campaigns
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library results of the pilot stage of the Targeting Fraud television advertising campaign. [151455]
Mr. Rooker: A report on the pilot stage of the Targeting Fraud advertising campaign has been placed in the Library.
Departmental Policies (Bristol, East)
Jean Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Bristol, East constituency, the effects on Bristol of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [150553]
Mr. Rooker: The Department's policies and initiatives have made a significant contribution to the Government's overall objectives of:
- Eradicating child poverty in 20 years, and halving it within 10;
- Promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age while protecting the position of those in greatest need; and,
- Combating poverty and promoting security and independence in retirement for today's and tomorrow's pensioners.
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Measures in our first four Budgets will lift over one million children out of poverty. These include record increases to Child Benefit, Working Families Tax Credit, increases in the income-related benefits, the minimum wage and tax changes.
Child benefit will be worth £15.50 a week for the eldest child and £10.35 a week for other children from April 2001: nationally about 7 million families receive child benefit, and in Bristol, East 11,463 families benefit.
We now have the lowest unemployment rate in 25 years. The New Deals have helped lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, the over-50s and partners of the unemployed to move from benefit into work. In the period since May 1997, the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance nationally has reduced from 1,562,400 to 1,044,900; in Bristol, East the number has reduced from 3,700 to 2,400. Since May 1997, the number of lone parents who claim Income Support has decreased from 1,013,500 to 894,100 nationally and in Bristol, East from 2,300 to 2,200.
Older people are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty, so we have introduced Winter Fuel Payments to help with their heaviest fuel bill. This winter, the payment is £200 for households who qualify. Around 17,000 older people in Bristol, East have received a Winter Fuel Payment for this winter.
To demonstrate our commitment to combating pensioner poverty, this year we will spend £4.5 billion extra in real terms on pensioners. Some 15,500 pensioners in Bristol, East will benefit from the substantial increases in the basic state pension this April and next; this year's increase is £5 a week for single pensioners and £8 for couples. In addition we have introduced free TV licences for the over-75s of whom we estimate there are about 7,300 in Bristol, East. 2,700 pensioner families in Bristol, East are receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee, which we introduced in April 1999 to help our poorest pensioners. From April they will be at least £15 a week, or £800 a year, better off in real terms as a result of Government measures since 1997.
Other reforms in the pipeline include: the new Pension Credit in 2003 designed to ensure that pensioners benefit from their savings; the launch of Stakeholder Pensions in April this year; and the introduction of the State Second Pension in April 2002, both of which will help provide greater security for tomorrow's pensioners.
Fraud
Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many calls have been received by the Benefit Fraud Hotline in each month since September 1999. [150587]
Mr. Rooker: The information is in the table.
Notes:
1. Figures vary as some months are made up of four and some of five week periods.
2. Figures will also vary due to the hotline being closed over public holidays.
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Minimum Income Guarantee (Leeds, Central)
Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in the Leeds, Central parliamentary constituency are receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee. [150674]
Mr. Rooker: There are around 3,800 recipients of the Minimum Income Guarantee in Leeds, Central parliamentary constituency.
- 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 100.
- 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, November 2000:
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