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Nigeria
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the inter-religious conflict that has erupted in the Jos area of Nigeria. [10687]
Mr. Bradshaw: From 7 to 12 September there was serious fighting in the Jos area where ethnic (Hausa/Berom) and religious (Muslim/Christian) divisions coincide. Religious leaders on both sides have told us they consider the fundamental cause of the clashes to be traditional tribal rivalries about land and local politics.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Nigerian Government on the imposition of Sharia law in parts of the country. [10686]
Mr. Bradshaw: Our High Commission in Abuja has regular discussions with a cross-section of authorities and civil society about developments in northern Nigeria, including the imposition and implementation of Sharia law.
The constitutionality of the introduction of the Sharia penal code by individual states is currently the subject of a Nigerian court case.
Selim Ferhan Onal
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will make a decision on the appeal for admittance made by Selim Ferhan Onal. [10538]
Mr. Bradshaw: This is not a matter for the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. All appeals against the refusal of entry clearance are heard by independent adjudicators from the Lord Chancellor's Department.
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WORK AND PENSIONS
Stakeholder Pensions
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if the target group for stakeholder pensions is as set out in the 1998 Green Paper, "Partnership for Pensions". [10592]
Mr. McCartney: As stated in the 1998 Pensions Green Paper stakeholder pension schemes are open to everyone, but are particularly targeted at moderate and higher earners who do not have access to an occupational pension or to a cost-effective personal pension.
New Deal
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the targets he has set in respect of the New Deal. [9336]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Department's Public Service Agreement sets the following targets: (1) to reduce child poverty by a quarter by 2004; (2) to increase employment over the economic cycle; (3) to increase the employment rates of disadvantaged groups, reducing the difference between their employment rates and the overall rate.
Benefit Fraud
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will estimate the total advertising costs for anti-benefit fraud campaigns in financial years (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01; [7577]
- (2) if he will estimate the total advertising cost for the Targeting Fraud campaign. [7578]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: "The Informal Economy—A Report by Lord Grabiner QC" (published March 2000), proposed that we test the use of advertising as a tool for changing public attitudes towards benefit fraud. We responded by piloting the Targeting Fraud advertising campaign in the north-west. Expenditure on this was £2.2 million spanning the financial years 1999–2000 and 2000–01. The success of the pilot campaign led to the launch of the national Targeting Fraud campaign. The initial spell of advertising in March 2001 cost £4.6 million and a forecast £9 million will be spent on the campaign running from September 2001 to March 2002.
Around £400,000 is currently spent each year to promote the National Benefit Fraud Hotline, including the Shared Fraud Hotline pilot.
These campaigns are part of a long-term strategy to reinforce our message that benefit fraud is wrong, unfair and will not be tolerated.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what checks are undertaken on benefit claimants who arrive in the UK from abroad to establish if they have been found guilty of benefit fraud in the country they have left. [10479]
Malcolm Wicks: A conviction for benefit fraud in another country does not affect entitlement to benefits in this country. Therefore this would not be checked when a claim to benefits is made.
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Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if private fraud investigators contracted by local authorities have the same access to Department for Works and Pensions staff as in-house local authority fraud investigators. [10480]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department's staff work with contracted out local authority fraud investigators in the normal way as long as we are satisfied that proper protocols are observed and that all legislative constraints are adhered to.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures he intends to take to combat fraudulent benefit claims from people who spend the majority of the year abroad, once compulsory automated credit transfer is introduced. [10414]
Malcolm Wicks: Automated Credit Transfer (ACT) is already chosen by nearly 40 per cent. of benefit recipients to access their benefit payments via bank accounts.
The introduction of ACT as the Department's normal method of payment should result in the virtual eradication of Order Book and Giro fraud losses.
The Department has undertaken research to assess the level of fraudulent benefit claims from people who are abroad; contrary to the regulations for certain benefits. Research shows that where there are instances of fraud, it is low both in number and value.
Deciding on counter-measures will depend on whether research reveals there are significant extra risks associated with ACT and their exact nature and extent. Research is on-going, and the situation will continue to be under review.
Cheney Pension Scheme
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the progress of investigations into the Cheney Pension Scheme and the actions of Kevin Gordon Sykes. [9653]
Mr. McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State asked Sir Gerald Hosker KCB QC to conduct an independent inquiry into the handling within Opra of the Cheney case and to report his findings to Ministers. We have received the report which contains a number of recommendations involving changes to Opra's procedures and legislation. Because of on-going police investigations it cannot be published until those investigations and any subsequent judicial processes are at an end. I will report further to Parliament at that time. In addition my right hon. Friend will shortly be announcing the Quinquennial Review of Opra, which will take a fundamental look at the delivery of Opra's functions and services.
To address weaknesses in the system highlighted by the Cheney Case, Opra has also conducted its own internal review and, as a result of this and the Hosker recommendations, has introduced the following changes to its casework handling procedures:
- introduced specialist teams
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developed improvements to the computer database, including computer based recording of all casework activity
- introduced regular routine searches of the database on key individuals involved in a case
- commissioned a major IT project to automate data matching.
Invalid Care Allowance
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to introduce legislation to continue invalid care allowance for up to eight weeks after the death of the person being cared for; and if he will make a statement. [10536]
Maria Eagle: We propose to make this change by Regulatory Reform Order. The necessary consultation ended on 15 October 2001. We will lay the order as soon as practicable and it will be considered by the Deregulation Committee thereafter. Following a period of 60 days, it will be laid before the House using the Superaffirmative Procedure. A similar procedure will be followed in the other place.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to review the level of Housing Benefit payable to under-18 year olds; and if he will make a statement. [10534]
Malcolm Wicks: Most 16 and 17-year-olds are eligible for Housing Benefit in the same way as all people aged under 25. The amounts allowed under the scheme to meet day-to-day living expenses before housing costs are reviewed each year and approved by Parliament through the uprating order.
The level of Housing Benefit payable to people aged under 25 is subject to the Single Room Rent rules which restrict the amount of rent which can be met. As part of our reform of Housing Benefit, the definition of the Single Room Rent was broadened from 2 July this year to reflect better the type of accommodation available in the market to young single people.
16 and 17-year-olds leaving local authority care are not entitled to Housing Benefit. Social services departments have a statutory responsibility to fund the housing costs of these young people, where appropriate.
We have no plans to review the current rules.
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