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Ministerial Trips

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list each of the overseas trips made by himself and other members of his ministerial team in each of the last four years specifying the purpose and cost of each trip. [30185]

Mr. Darling: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister gave him on 4 February 2002, Official Report, column 707W.

Pensions Service

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff will be employed by the new Pensions Service; how he plans to advertise the service; and if he will make a statement. [32621]

Mr. McCartney: Departmental allocations for 2002–03 are being finalised but the current assumption is that there will be the order of 13,500 front line staff in the Pension Service next year. We will promote the Pension Service using a variety of different media targeted to the specific needs of individual audiences. Our plans include leaflets, individual letters, internet, interactive digital television, radio, as well as continuing our involvement with partner organisations who are crucial to the successful delivery of the Pension Service.

Pensioners

Mr. Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioner households there are in England and Wales. [32721]

Mr. McCartney: There are 6.7 million pensioner households in England and Wales.






Bereavements Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many widowers are estimated to have failed to claim bereavement benefit as a result of the confusion over form BD8. [32742]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 5 February 2002]: The information requested is not available.

Winter Fuel Payments

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Lancashire, (b) the north-west of England, (c) Wales and (d) the UK have (i) received winter fuel allowance for the 2001–02 season and (ii) are deemed eligible for the winter fuel allowance and are yet to receive the payment for the season 2001–02. [32924]

Mr. McCartney: Figures for the number of payments made this winter are not yet available and information will not be available in the format requested. Last year's figures are shown in the table and we expect that the number this year will be similar.

25 Feb 2002 : Column 774W

Number of people receiving a winter fuel payment in Lancashire, the north-west of England, Wales and GB in 2000–01
Thousand

Number
Lancashire223.6
North-west England1,336.0
Wales614.0
GB11,123.5

Notes:

1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

2. Figures exclude Northern Ireland cases.

Source:

Matching Intelligence Data Analysis Service Winter Fuels Payment 2000–01 exercise.


Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many instances in the last five years his Department has recorded of overpayment of winter fuel payments. [36919]

Mr. McCartney: The amount paid to individuals depends on their household circumstances. Provisions in regulations allow for the automatic payment of a Winter Fuel Payment based on records held by the Department. If departmental records need updating, or the customer has failed to report a change in circumstances affecting the payment, the Department can accept the return of the payment. However, we do not collect centrally the reasons for the return.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the impact of overpayment of winter fuel payments to some households on other eligible households awaiting payment. [36921]

Mr. McCartney: In order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment, certain conditions have to be met. Payment is, therefore, based on the individual's entitlement rather than the circumstances of other, non-related, households.

Entertainment Costs

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list for 1997–98 and for each subsequent financial year, including the current year to date, the amount spent by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies on (i) food and (ii) alcohol, indicating how much was spent on guests, and how much in respect of (A) Ministers and (B) staff, broken down to show how much was provided directly by his Department and how much reclaimed. [34447]

Mr. McCartney: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Public Bodies (Contracts)

Mr. Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the appointments made by his Department since 1 May 1997 of chairmen of (a) non- departmental public bodies, (b) commissions, (c) inquiries,

25 Feb 2002 : Column 775W

(d) agencies and (e) task forces; and if he will list their (i) term of office, (ii) salary and (iii) known political affiliation (A) past and (B) present. [33886]

25 Feb 2002 : Column 776W

Mr. McCartney: The information requested is as follows. It excludes past and present political affiliation which is not collected.

£

Chairmen
BodiesNameTerm of officeSalary
(a) Non-departmental public bodies
ACDET—Advisory Committee for Disabled People in Employment and TrainingSue Maynard-CampbellJuly 1999 to March 2000Nil
DLAAB—Disability Living Allowance Advisory BoardRodney GrahameApril 1993 to April 2003. Re-appointed: April 1995, April 2000(38)280
IIAC—Industrial Injuries Advisory CouncilAnthony Newman TaylorJuly 1996 to July 2002. Re-appointed: July 1999(38)227
OPRA—Occupational Pensions Regulatory AuthorityJohn Hayes CBEApril 1996 to March 2001(39)95,672
Harriet Maunsell OBEApril 2001 to March 2006(39)53,000
PCB—Pensions Compensation BoardDr. Julian FarrandAugust 1996 to August 2001(39)8,824
Sir Bryan CarsbergSeptember 2001 to August 2004(38)343
PO—Pensions OmbudsmanDr. Julian FarrandAugust 1996 to August 2001(39)89,216
David LaverickSeptember 2001 to August 2004(39)100,000
Remploy Ltd.David Heywood CBESeptember 1993 to September 199914,250
Alan PedderJanuary 2001 to January 2003(39)72,500
SSAC—Social Security Advisory CommitteeThomas Boyd-CarpenterAugust 1995 to August 2001. Re-appointed: August 1998(38)277
(b) Commissions
DRC—Disability Rights CommissionBert Massie, CBEJanuary 2000 to March 2004(39)69,528
(c) Inquiries
Hosker InquirySir Gerald HoskerFebruary 2001 to May 200139,307
(d) Agencies
The Appeals Service TAS (previously the Independent Tribunal Service—ITS)Judge Michael HarrisOctober 1999 to September 2002(39)107,346

(38) Per day

(39) Annually


(e) Information on the number, remit, and membership of task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews has been published by the Cabinet Office on a regular basis. The first report was published on 11 January 2000 and gives information for the period between 1 May 1997 to 31 October 1999. A second report was published on 27 July 2000 and covered the period 1 November 1999 to 30 April 2000. A third report was published on 13 December 2000 covering the period 1 May 2000 to 31 October 2000. The most recent report, "Task Forces, Ad Hoc Advisory Groups and Reviews", was issued in October 2001 and covers the period of the financial year 2000–01. Copies of these reports have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Mobile Telephones

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list, for 1997–98 and for each subsequent financial year, the amount spent (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) abroad by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) its non-departmental public bodies on (1) providing mobile telephone equipment, including handsets and other associated equipment, (2) for telephone calls made using such equipment and (3) telephone calls made using privately owned mobile telephones but subsequently reclaimed by (x) Ministers and (y) staff. [34318]

Mr. McCartney: Information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.

Mobile telephone running costs for DWP (formerly DSS)
£000

YearDepartmental total
1997–981,330
1998–991,213
1999–20001,447
2000–011,344
2001–02(40)1,423

(40) To date



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