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SOCIAL SECURITY
Departmental Expenditure (Scotland)
Mr. Swinney: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) personal computers, (b) laptops, (c) servers, (d) printers and (e) fax machines his Department in Scotland owned in (i) 1999-2000 and (ii) 2000-01. [155087]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 23 March 2001]: The information is in the tables. The office machinery concerned is used to support work done on behalf of claimants not only in Scotland but also in the rest of the UK. Similarly, office machinery located outside Scotland is used to support work done on behalf of Scottish claimants.
The number of laptops in place is included in the figure provided for PCs.
| 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | |
|---|---|---|
| PCs | 5,209 | 6,016 |
| Printers | 1,144 | 1,427 |
| Servers | 140 | 140 |
| Faxes | 359 | 377 |
The number of laptops in place is included in the figure provided for Pcs.
| 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pcs | 480 | 490 |
| Printers | 52 | 52 |
| Servers | 21 | 21 |
| Faxes | 40 | 40 |
The Child Support Agency (CSA) in Falkirk services the whole of Scotland and a substantial part of the north of England. The figures provided by the CSA are inclusive and cannot be separated.
Disabled People
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the extent to which the benefits system discourages people with disabilities from taking up work. [158087]
Mr. Bayley: We know that many disabled people would like to return to work if they are given the right assistance. They may, however, be discouraged from taking up work by lack of awareness of the benefits system, by difficulty in finding suitable employment, and by the fear that they will not be able to return to benefit if their attempt at work is unsuccessful.
We are determined to help people with an illness or disability who want to work to do so. We have put a number of measures in place to remove barriers to work for disabled people. These include higher earnings disregards in the Independent Living Funds and improvements to the linking rules in incapacity benefits. We have extended the linking period from eight to 52 weeks for people who leave Incapacity Benefit to go into paid work or training. From April 2002 we are
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replacing the therapeutic work rules with new permitted work provisions which will allow all people in receipt of incapacity benefits to try a small amount of work without the fear of losing their benefit entitlement. We have abolished the limit on the number of hours of unpaid voluntary work that can be undertaken. We are also piloting Capability Reports as part of the Personal Capability Assessment, which we introduced in April 2000.
We are extending the New Deal for Disabled People across Great Britain. From July 2001 a national network of Job Brokers will be rolled out jointly by the Department of Social Security and the Department for Education and Employment to offer people receiving incapacity benefits the support, guidance and preparation they need to find paid work and move off benefit dependence, continuing to test and assess what works best.
Alongside the national extension, in early 2002 we will be starting New Deal for Disabled People Job Retention and Rehabilitation Pilots jointly with the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Health. These pilots will test the relative effectiveness of different employment and health interventions in reducing the number of people forced to give up work through prolonged illness or disability.
The national extension and Job Retention and Rehabilitation pilots draw on lessons learned from the pilot phase of the New Deal for Disabled People which, by the end of February 2001, had helped over 6,800 people into work.
We have also introduced the Disabled Person's Tax Credit (DPTC) to help make work pay. In the Budget the Chancellor announced an increase in DPTC from June and this, combined with increases in the National Minimum Wage in October, will raise the guaranteed minimum income for a disabled person moving into work of 35 hours per week or more to £170 a week for a single person, and £257 a week for a couple with one child.
Departmental Policies (Cannock Chase)
Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Cannock Chase constituency, the effects on Cannock Chase of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [158065]
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.
These goals are being pursued nationwide and our achievements are set out in our annual "Opportunity for all" reports. Our second report, "Opportunity for all--One year on: making a difference" (Cm 4865, September 2000) sets out what progress has been made in the past year, as well as highlighting what more needs to be done. Nationwide statistical information is necessarily more complete than data at a local authority level, but the
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following provides a comparative guide to the effect of the Department's policies and actions in Cannock Chase since May 1997.
Measures in our five Budgets so far will lift over 1.2 million children nationally out of poverty. These include record increases to child benefit, the introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit, increases in the income-related benefits, the minimum wage and tax changes.
Child Benefit is worth £15.50 a week for the eldest child and £10.35 a week for other children from this April: nationally about 7 million families receive Child Benefit, and in Cannock Chase 12,714 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 960,600; in Cannock Chase the number has reduced from 2,100 to 1,300. Since May 1997 the number of lone parents who claim Income Support has decreased from 1,013,500 to 894,100 nationally; in Cannock Chase the number has decreased from 1,400 to 1,200.
Older people are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty. So we have introduced Winter Fuel Payments to help with their heaviest fuel bill. Last winter (2000-01), the payment was £200 for households who qualified. Around 16,200 older people in Cannock Chase received a Winter Fuel Payment.
To demonstrate our commitment to combating pensioner poverty, this year we will spend £4.5 billion extra in real terms on pensioners. Some 15,800 pensioners in Cannock Chase 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 5,700 in Cannock Chase. 2,300 pensioner families in Cannock Chase are receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee, which we introduced in April 1999 to help our poorest pensioners. They are now at least £15 a week, or £800 a year, better off in real terms as a result of Government measures since 1997.
To help tomorrow's pensioners, we have introduced the new stakeholder pension which is designed to help those on moderate to higher earnings who do not have access to an occupational pension; lower to moderate earners will benefit when we introduce the State Second Pension in April 2002; and from 2003, the Pension Credit will mean that pensioners will for the first time be rewarded, not penalised, for saving.
Departmental Policies (Plymouth)
Mrs. Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to (a) Plymouth, Sutton constituency, (b) Plymouth, Devonport constituency and (c) South-West Devon constituency, the effects on the Plymouth unitary authority area of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [158024]
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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.
These goals are being pursued nationwide and our achievements are set out in our annual "Opportunity for all" reports. Our second report, "Opportunity for all--One year on: making a difference" (CM4865, September 2000) sets out what progress has been made in the past year, as well as highlighting what more needs to be done. Nationwide statistical information is necessarily more complete than data at a local authority level, but the following provides a comparative guide to the effect of the Department's policies and actions in Plymouth, Sutton, Plymouth, Devonport, South-West Devon and the Plymouth unitary authority area since May 1997.
Measures in our five Budgets so far will lift over 1.2 million children nationally out of poverty. These include record increases to Child Benefit, the introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit, increases in the income-related benefits, the minimum wage and tax changes.
Child Benefit is worth £15.50 a week for the eldest child and £10.35 a week for other children from this April: nationally about 7 million families receive Child Benefit, in Plymouth, Sutton 9,631 families benefit, in Plymouth, Devonport 13,143 families benefit, in South-West Devon 11,376 families benefit and in the Plymouth unitary authority area 29,365 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 960,600; in Plymouth, Sutton the number has reduced from 4,600 to 1,900, in Plymouth, Devonport from 3,700 to 1,400, in South-West Devon from 1,300 to 500 and in the Plymouth unitary authority area from 9,000 to 3,700. Since May 1997 the number of lone parents who claim Income Support has decreased from 1,013,500 to 894,100 nationally; in Plymouth, Sutton the number has reduced from 2,400 to 1,800, in Plymouth, Devonport from 2,800 to 2,600, in South-West Devon from 700 to 600 and in the Plymouth unitary authority area from 5,600 to 4,800.
Older people are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty. So we have introduced Winter Fuel Payments to help with their heaviest fuel bill. Last winter (2000-01), the payment was £200 for households who qualified. Around 16,100 older people in Plymouth, Sutton, 18,700 in Plymouth, Devonport and 18,600 in South-West Devon received a Winter Fuel Payment. Information on the number of Winter Fuel Payments received is not available by local authority area.
To demonstrate our commitment to combating pensioner poverty, this year we will spend £4.5 billion extra in real terms on pensioners. Some 16,000 pensioners in Plymouth, Sutton, 17,500 in Plymouth, Devonport,
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17,200 in South-West Devon and 44,000 in the Plymouth unitary authority area 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 7,600 in Plymouth, Sutton, 6,600 in Plymouth, Devonport, 7,100 in South-West Devon and 18,400 in the Plymouth unitary authority area. 3,200 pensioner families in Plymouth, Sutton, 2,800 in Plymouth, Devonport, 1,700 in South-West Devon and 7,000 in the Plymouth unitary authority area are receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee, which we introduced in April 1999 to help our poorest pensioners. They are now at least £15 a week, or £800 a year, better off in real terms as a result of Government measures since 1997.
To help tomorrow's pensioners, we have introduced the new stakeholder pension which is designed to help those on moderate to higher earnings who do not have access to an occupational pension; lower to moderate earners will benefit when we introduce the State Second Pension in April 2002; and from 2003, the Pension Credit will mean that pensioners will for the first time be rewarded, not penalised, for saving.
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