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Crime (North Yorkshire)
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the increase in crime north of York in recent months; and if he will make a statement. [7154]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 15 October 2001]: The most recently published recorded crime statistics show that in the 12 months to March 2001 total crime in the North Yorkshire police force area fell by 3.7 per cent. compared with a 2.5 per cent. fall in England and Wales. Figures for individual Basic Command Units are also available in Home Office Statistical Bulletin 12/01 'Recorded Crime', published on 19 July 2001, copies of which are available in the Library.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Child Support Agency
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and
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Pensions what assessment he has made of the number of those persons gaining and losing from the introduction of new child support mechanisms from 2002. [7270]
Malcolm Wicks: Based on an assessment made in 1998, 1 had cases transferred to the reformed scheme at that time, around 65 per cent. of non-resident parents in work would have seen a reduction in their child support liability while 35 per cent. would have seen an increase. However, only around one half of non-resident parents paying through the CSA pay all that is currently due, so a simple comparison of potential liabilities is therefore misleading. Increased compliance will mean that more of the maintenance due will actually be paid. The child support reforms have been introduced to ensure that more children see the benefit of maintenance and over one million children will gain.
- 1 New scheme maintenance modelled on August 1998 5 per cent. scan of Child Support Computer System. Caseloads calibrated to forecast 'A' day levels.
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what target he has set for the accuracy of (a) maintenance assessment, (b) maintenance assessment debts and (c) full maintenance balances calculated by the Child Support Agency for 2001–02. [7263]
Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend has set the following target for the accuracy of maintenance assessments calculated by the Child Support Agency for 2001–02:
- "Accuracy on the last action for all assessments checked in the year to be correct to the nearest penny in at least 78 per cent. of cases".
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of non-resident parents who make child maintenance contributions to the Child Support Agency chose to terminate their employment within 12 months of their initial assessment in the last 12 months. [7587]
Malcolm Wicks: For the 12 months ending 30 September 2001, 9 per cent. of employed non-resident parents making child maintenance contributions to the Child Support Agency moved out of employment within 12 months of their initial assessment. No breakdown of the reasons for non-resident parents' change of employment status is available.
Means-tested Benefits
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide a breakdown of how many people were in receipt of means-tested benefits and tax credits for each year since May 1997. [7787]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the table.
| May 1997 | May 1998 | May 1999 | May 2000 | May (32)2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income Support | 3,958 | 3,853 | 3,814 | 3,811 | 3,928 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance—income-based | 1,225 | 1,027 | 948 | 824 | 701 |
| Housing Benefit | 4,640 | 4,475 | 4,313 | 4,033 | 3,863 |
| Council Tax Benefit | 5,500 | 5,326 | 5,166 | 4,830 | 4,657 |
| Family Credit/Working Families Tax Credit | 748 | 767 | 791 | 1,024 | 1,214 |
| Disability Working Allowance/Disabled Persons Tax Credit | 13 | 15 | 17 | 23 | 27 |
(32) The 2001 count for Disabled Persons Tax Credit was taken in April not May 2001.
1. For Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance and Family Credit/Working Families Tax Credit, figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error. Other data are taken from 100 per cent. counts.
2. Figures are for Great Britain and are rounded to the nearest thousand.
3. Some people may be entitled to more than one means-tested benefit. A large proportion of people receiving Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, may also be receiving one of the other means-tested benefits/tax credits. Figures cannot therefore be added together to produce a total.
4. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
5. The Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit totals for Great Britain include estimates for local authorities that have not responded. These estimates are based on historical and regional data. This type of estimate is standard practice in reporting totals where there have been non-respondents.
6. Council Tax Benefit totals exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.
7. Housing Benefit figures exclude any Extended Payment cases.
Source:
Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries, May 1997 to May 2001
Jobseeker's Allowance Quarterly Statistical Enquiries, May 1997 to May 2001
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in May of each year from 1997
Family Credit/Working Families Tax Credit, May 1997 to May 2001
Disability Working Allowance/Disabled Person Tax Credit May 1997 to May 2001
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Benefit Take-up
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of non-take-up of Income Support among the over-60s, for (a) those under 75 and (b) those over 75. [8049]
Mr. McCartney: The latest available figures on the number of people entitled to the Minimum Income Guarantee are included in the publication "Take-Up of Income Related Benefits: Statistics for 1999–2000", copies of which are available in the Library.
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the uptake was in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales in (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98, (iii) 1998–99, (iv) 1999–2000 and (v) 2001–01 of (A) Child Benefit, (B) Housing Benefit, (C) Council Tax Benefit, (D) Family Credit and (E) the Working Families Tax Credit expressed as a percentage of those eligible; and if he will make a statement. [6734]
Malcolm Wicks: The available information is published in the annual statistics on "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up", copies of which are in the Library. These estimates are for Great Britain.
It is not possible to produce reliable estimates for different parts of Great Britain. Information on benefit take-up is derived from the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
No statistics are published for Child Benefit; however it is believed that on average 98 per cent. of families take up their entitlement to Child Benefit.
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what representations he has received regarding the impact of the proposed incapacity benefits reforms on the Scottish Executive's anti-poverty initiative; [7068]
- (2) what representations he has received from the Scottish Executive about increasing levels of benefit take-up. [7069]
Malcolm Wicks: We are in regular contact with the Scottish Executive on a wide range of issues. Both the Government and the Scottish Executive are committed to reducing poverty and we work in close partnership in this area. Changes to social security legislation are, of course, a reserved matter for the UK Parliament.
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State Retirement Age
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the Government's plans for changing the state retirement age. [6507]
Mr. McCartney: The Pensions Act 1995 equalised state pension age for men and women from a future date. Women's state pension age will be increased gradually from 60 to 65 between the years 2010 and 2020. State pension age will be equalised at 65 for both men and women from 6 April 2020.
New Deal (Huntingdon)
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Huntingdon are in the New Deal programme; and how many were placed in employment up to June. [6165]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: At the end of June 2001, 238 people in Huntingdon were participating in the New Deal for Young People, New Deal 25+, New Deal 50+ and New Deal for Lone Parents and 466 had been placed in employment.
Incapacity Benefit
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what consultation process was followed in regard to the insurance industry of the Social Security (Incapacity Benefit) Miscellaneous Amendment Regulations issued on 22 November 2000; [6742]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the impact of the Social Security (Incapacity Benefit) Miscellaneous Amendment Regulations issued on 22 November 2000 on the disability pensions paid by employers and their insurers. [6745]
Malcolm Wicks: Copies of the regulations were sent in draft to a range of organisations including the Association of British Insurers and the National Association of Pension Funds for their comment.
A Regulatory Impact Assessment of the measures in the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 was published on 21 May 1999. The Social Security (Incapacity Benefit)
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Miscellaneous Amendment Regulations 2000 ensure that all the commitments made during the passage of the Act are met.
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