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Departmental Advertising

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the final cost of each of his Department's advertising campaigns was in 2000–01, broken down into (a) advertising media and production and (b) other costs. [7899]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: The information is in the table:

£

	Advertising and media	Other costs
Targeting benefit fraud	5,747,000	402,252
National Benefit Fraud Hotline advertising	425,178	—
Minimum Income Guarantee	3,365,000	(14)176,000
Inherited SERPS	340,000	345,000
Winter Fuel Payments	616,000	294,000
Pensions Education(15)	(16)5,232,000	1,297,000
Bereavement Benefits	155,000	90,000
New Deal for Young People	558,201	951,728
New Deal 50+	2,175,367	63,793
New Deal Partners	99,445	67,310
Action Teams for Jobs	58,504	440
New Deal for Disabled People	31,372	240,387

⁽¹⁴⁾ This includes £30,985 customer research into a new MIG claim form which straddled two financial years.

⁽¹⁵⁾ In addition to the total of £6,529,062 (which was rounded to £6,530,000) £103,370 was spent on completing our previous pensions education activity (with a Monopoly theme) that preceded the new Working Dogs campaign, as well as some developmental work that was undertaken before the new Working Dogs Campaign was launched.

⁽¹⁶⁾ The overall Pensions Education marketing budget figure remains unchanged at £6,529,062 (which was rounded to £6,530,000). Within this total, the advertising media and production cost given previously has changed from £5,212,000 to £5,232,000. This takes account of some photography costs that were previously included as part of "other costs", but can be directly attributed to advertising.

29 Oct 2001 : Column: 526W

Means-tested Benefits

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent in respect of each means-tested benefit, on (a) benefit up take advertising and (b) anti-fraud advertising; in respect of these benefits, how many members of staff are involved in (i) benefit up-take initiatives and (ii) anti-fraud initiatives; and if he will make a statement. [6733]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: During the financial year 2000–01, £3.54 million was spent on the Minimum Income Guarantee take up advertising campaign as well as £8.12 million on other benefit awareness advertising campaigns and £4.25 million on employment programmes.

£6.15 million was spent during 2000–01 on the Targeting Fraud advertising campaign and £425,000 was spent on advertising the National Benefit Fraud Hotline, which includes the Shared Fraud Hotline pilot.

We aim to ensure that all people receive the benefits that they are entitled to and that these benefits are administered in a secure manner. This means that encouraging benefit take-up and tackling fraud in the benefit system are integral to the work of all staff within the Department.

Benefits Agency

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employees formerly employed by the Benefits Agency have left to join the Pensions Service since its creation. [8972]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 4 July 2001, Official Report, column 196W that the Pension Service and Jobcentre Plus organisations would come into existence in April 2002.

A co-ordinated approach is being taken to staffing the new organisations in order to ensure business continuity across all parts of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date he received the BFI report on the Benefits Agency which was published on 28 September; and what arrangements he made for the publication of the report on receiving it. [10798]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: We received the BFI's report on the Benefits Agency on 26 September 2001.

We published the report on 28 September 2001 by placing a copy of the report in the House of Commons Library. In addition, an electronic copy of the report was made available on the BFI website which also advised that hard copies are available from the Department's Library.

To publicise the publication, we issued a press release. As with other BFI reports, copies of this report were distributed to a number of public bodies, local authorities and interested parties who had previously requested copies of BFI reports.

29 Oct 2001 : Column: 527W

Benefit Fraud

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of (a) monetary error and (b) fraud in (i) Income Support, (ii) Jobseeker's Allowance and (iii) Housing Benefit for each year since 1997. [7472]

Malcolm Wicks: Ongoing estimates of the monetary value of fraud and error in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance are published in the series of reports "Fraud and Error in Claims for Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance" which are placed in the Library.

The latest estimate for the monetary value of fraud and error in Housing Benefit was published in the report "National Housing Benefit Accuracy Review 1997/98" which is also in the Library. In April this year we set up the Housing Benefit Review which will deliver an on-going measurement of fraud and error in Housing Benefit.

PRIME MINISTER

White Papers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions in the last 12 months confidential final revise proof copies of white papers have been made available under embargo to (a) the Lobby and Upper Gallery and (b) members of other organised groups of correspondents, before publication; and if he will make a statement. [10252]

The Prime Minister: Paragraphs 94–96 of the ministerial code set out the arrangements whereby confidential final revise proof copies of White Papers can be made available under embargo to the Lobby and Upper Gallery, and with discretion to members of other organised groups of correspondents, a short time before publication. Detailed information in the form requested is not held centrally.

Muslim Community

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister how many times he has met representatives of the Muslim community since 11 September; and if he will make a statement. [11393]

The Prime Minister: I have met representatives of the Muslim community on several occasions since 11 September. I have been struck by the way that Muslim leaders and clerics have responded to these terrible events. The vast majority of Muslims totally condemn the acts which are wholly contrary to the Islamic faith.

India

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to make an official visit to India. [11394]

The Prime Minister: I visited India on 5–6 October as part of the efforts to deepen the international coalition against terrorism. I have no plans for a further visit at present but wish to do so as soon as I can.

29 Oct 2001 : Column: 528W

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Islamic Marriages

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will require Islamic marriages entered into by persons who are UK citizens to be registered in the UK. [9990]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Marriage ceremonies which take place in England and Wales should be in accordance with the Marriage Act 1949. The Act allows for civil marriages to take place in a register office or approved premises.

The trustees of a mosque can apply for the building to be registered for marriages under s.41 of the Act. Once registered, marriages can take place there without the need for a separate civil ceremony.

Registration of Islamic marriages is already required in order to meet the criteria of the Marriage Act 1949.

Judges (Transport Arrangements)

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what recent changes he has made to judges' transport arrangements applying to those using judges lodgings to make them more effective; what the savings from the changes are; and if he will make a statement. [9970]

Mr. Wills: As my hon. Friend will be aware, judges are provided with a car and driver for all travel between lodgings and courts and for other official journeys while at the lodgings. Judges are not provided with official transport for private travel.

A pilot exercise was carried out during 2000 to assess the feasibility of using multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) to transport judges to and from lodgings. At smaller lodgings, the use of high-quality saloon cars has also been encouraged.

The Lord Chancellor has recently approved the introduction of more cost-effective transport across the lodgings network, focusing on the use of MPVs and saloon cars in place of limousines. The changes are likely to save over £200,000 per year once implemented.

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