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Stakeholder Pensions

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) by what means he will ensure that smaller companies provide stakeholder pensions to their employees; [10436]

(2) how many companies with 50 or fewer workers have registered to provide stakeholder pensions. [10382]

Mr. McCartney: Employers are required to provide employees with access to a stakeholder pension scheme. Employers are not themselves required to set up a pension scheme or to contribute to it.

Regulation of compliance with the requirement for employers to designate a stakeholder pension scheme for their employees will be undertaken by the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority (Opra).

The number of employees in companies that have designated stakeholder pensions schemes for their staff is not available. However, figures from the Association of British Insurers show that the end of September this year, 212,242 employers of all sizes had designated stakeholder pension schemes for their workforces.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is taking to improve access to free or low-cost advice to those intending to take out stakeholder pensions. [13901]

Mr. McCartney: Stakeholder pensions are designed to be simple. Many pension providers currently offer basic advice within the 1 per cent. annual management charge cap for stakeholder pensions. Additionally, the Financial Services Authority has produced decision trees to assist consumers.

Benefit Fraud

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures he has taken to ensure that local authorities have implemented their action plans drawn up in response to reports by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. [11816]

Malcolm Wicks: Shortly after the publication of a Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (BFI) report, the local authority concerned is invited to respond to the BFI's findings, giving its proposals for improvement. Where the response indicates that the actions the authority has already taken or plans to take to improve its performance are satisfactory, the Department monitors the performance of the authority through the management information they provide and their performance against Best Value performance indicators.

Where there are continuing concerns, authorities are asked to submit progress reports to ensure that their planned improvements are being implemented and achieved. If it is thought necessary to gain additional assurance that improvements have been implemented, the BFI may be asked to undertake a further inspection.

13 Nov 2001 : Column: 701W

Benefit Appeals

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) appeals and (b) successful appeals there were in respect of each centre processing

13 Nov 2001 : Column: 702W

(i) disability benefit claims and (ii) incapacity benefit claims (A) in 2000–01 and (B) since April. [11907]

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.

The number of appeals cleared for disability benefits and incapacity benefit in respect of each appeals service regional centre and the number found in favour of the appellant for 2000–01 and 2001 (year to date)

	1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001		1 April 2001 to 30 September 2001
Appeals service regional centre/disability benefit	Appeals cleared at hearing	Appeals found in favour of the appellant	Appeals cleared at hearing	Appeals found in favour of the appellant
Birmingham
Attendance Allowance	1,056	399	413	165
Disability Living Allowance	7,191	3,126	3,475	1,576
Incapacity Benefit	2,771	983	1,333	533
Industrial Injuries and Disability Benefit	1,273	526	541	262
Severe Disablement Allowance	172	62	75	33
Cardiff
Attendance Allowance	1,266	516	725	311
Disability Living Allowance	11,696	5,685	6,422	3,426
Incapacity Benefit	4,761	1,777	2,667	1,111
Industrial Injuries and Disability Benefit	2,546	956	1,416	569
Severe Disablement Allowance	295	118	163	78
Glasgow
Attendance Allowance	2,215	1,026	1,210	632
Disability Living Allowance	13,691	7,115	7,254	4,180
Incapacity Benefit	5,136	2,169	2,549	1,098
Industrial Injuries and Disability Benefit	3,241	1,261	1,767	795
Severe Disablement Allowance	238	83	123	50
Leeds
Attendance Allowance	1,035	407	468	194
Disability Living Allowance	7,668	3,681	3,508	1,775
Incapacity Benefit	4,846	1,913	1,886	743
Industrial Injuries and Disability Benefit	2,857	659	1,526	315
Severe Disablement Allowance	185	41	59	10
Liverpool
Attendance Allowance	869	345	304	129
Disability Living Allowance	9,755	4,697	3,940	1,935
Incapacity Benefit	4,785	2,115	1,980	961
Industrial Injuries and Disability Benefit	1,597	606	749	309
Severe Disablement Allowance	135	63	89	34
Newcastle
Attendance Allowance	790	347	315	148
Disability Living Allowance	7,162	3,337	3,540	1,727
Incapacity Benefit	2,801	1,002	1,404	545
Industrial Injuries and Disability Benefit	2,583	1,311	1,485	730
Severe Disablement Allowance	100	47	71	30
Nottingham
Attendance Allowance	1,462	668	680	289
Disability Living Allowance	10,356	4,957	5,614	2,800
Incapacity Benefit	5,000	1,761	2,016	694
Industrial Injuries and Disability Benefit	2,733	1,277	1,554	726
Severe Disablement Allowance	392	135	192	77
Salford
Attendance Allowance	455	183	208	84
Disability Living Allowance	5,220	2,498	2,699	1,279
Incapacity Benefit	2,866	1,036	1,325	460
Industrial Injuries and Disability Benefit	824	380	342	140
Severe Disablement Allowance	69	33	53	27
Sutton
Attendance Allowance	999	625	642	400
Disability Living Allowance	6,095	3,990	3,613	2,439
Incapacity Benefit	4,626	2,432	2,154	1,145
Industrial Injuries and Disability Benefit	944	498	330	177
Severe Disablement Allowance	255	124	96	38

Source:

Generic Appeals Processing System

13 Nov 2001 : Column: 703W

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what were the total running costs in respect of each centre of (a) processing disability benefit appeals and (b) processing incapacity benefit appeals in (i) 2000–01 and (b) 2001. [11908]

Maria Eagle: The information is in the tables:

Total running costs in respect of each appeals service regional centre for disability benefits (disability living allowance and attendance allowance) and incapacity benefit for 2000–01 and 2001

		£
	1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001
Appeals service regional centre	Disability benefits(14)	Incapacity benefit
Birmingham	1,298,036	582,388
Cardiff	2,095,244	1,332,337
Glasgow	2,517,265	1,183,681
Leeds	1,111,209	1,026,671
Liverpool	1,449,165	1,359,845
Newcastle	1,352,022	708,351
Nottingham	1,926,581	985,176
Salford	1,037,612	665,707
Sutton	1,484,387	1,298,467

£

	1 April 2001 to 30 September 2001
Appeals service regional centre	Disability benefits(14)	Incapacity benefit
Birmingham	669,145	300,225
Cardiff	1,272,719	809,305
Glasgow	1,396,331	656,590
Leeds	599,987	554,341
Liverpool	662,309	621,487
Newcastle	791,802	414,840
Nottingham	1,191,271	609,168
Salford	533,631	342,365
Sutton	830,748	726,697

⁽¹⁴⁾ Only Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance

Minimum Income Guarantee

Mr. Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Morley and Rothwell are receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee; and how many pensioners he estimates are entitled to it. [13450]

Mr. McCartney: Estimates of the numbers of people who may be eligible for, but who have not claimed Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) are not available below national level.

As at May 2001, there were an estimated 2,600 MIG recipients in the Morley and Rothwell constituency.

Agency Costs

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the cost of the launch of the new agency to bring together the work of the Employment Service and parts of the Benefits Agency. [14095]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) on 28 June 2001, Official Report, column 160W.

13 Nov 2001 : Column: 704W

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