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Foster Carers
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the extension of home responsibilities protection to whole-time foster carers. [37304]
Mr. McCartney [holding answer 26 February 2002]: We regularly receive representations on all aspects of state retirement pension entitlement from a variety of organisations and interested individuals.
Dr. Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if home responsibilities protection will be given to foster carers. [37186]
Mr. McCartney [holding answer 27 February 2002]: Foster carers whose allowance contains a reward element may be liable for national insurance contributions on a self-employed basis. Where there is no liability, they may choose to pay voluntary contributions to assist in qualifying for state retirement pension. Foster carers who receive child benefit for their own children under aged 16 will be eligible for home responsibilities protection. We will keep these arrangements under review as we do with all rules relating to benefits.
Dr. Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what pension arrangement foster carers are entitled to; and if he will make a statement on support for those who give up work to care for foster children. [37187]
Mr. McCartney [holding answer 27 February 2002]: Foster carers whose allowance contains a reward element may be liable to pay national insurance contributions as a self-employed person. Those who have no liability may choose to pay voluntary contributions to assist them to qualify for basic state retirement pension. Where a foster carer receives child benefit for a child of their own aged under 16, they will be eligible for home responsibilities protection. We will keep these arrangements under review as we do with all rules relating to benefits. Married women of pensionable age will be entitled to a retirement pension of 60 per cent. of their husband's entitlement when he reaches state pension age and makes a claim.
Housing and Council Tax Benefit
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to reform non- dependent deductions for housing benefit and council tax benefits. [42257]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 November 2001, Official Report, column 787W.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the specific measures were of the
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direction issued to Hackney Council for the improvement of its administration of housing benefit and council tax benefit. [44304]
Malcolm Wicks: The housing benefit direction issued on 12 October 2001 to the London borough of Hackney, under section 15 of the Local Government Act 1999, required the authority to achieve the following:
- (a) clear its backlog of benefits work by 31 December 2001;
- (b) in completing this action, satisfy itself on an on-going basis that it was acting lawfully and properly by carrying out appropriate checks;
- (c) clear the backlog of work without adversely affecting the speed and accuracy of non-backlog housing benefit and council tax benefit work.
A copy of the direction is available in the Library.
Home Responsibilities Protection
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are entitled to home responsibilities protection; and at what annual cost. [37305]
Mr. McCartney [holding answer 26 February 2002]: Such information as is available is in the table. We cannot calculate an annual cost as this is dependent upon the individual's circumstances at pension age.
| Tax year | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | 116 | 5,142 | 5,257 |
| 1991–92 | 127 | 5,253 | 5,380 |
| 1992–93 | 139 | 5,368 | 5,507 |
| 1993–94 | 155 | 5,446 | 5,600 |
| 1994–95 | 166 | 5,478 | 5,644 |
| 1995–96 | 181 | 5,484 | 5,665 |
| 1996–97 | 196 | 5,467 | 5,662 |
Notes:
1. Figures are subject to sampling error.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and are shown in thousands.
3. These figures are the number of individuals entitled to HRP. They include those who have not used it to reduce the number of years needed for a full basic state retirement pension.
4. 1996–97 figures are the latest available.
Source:
Figures are taken from the Lifetime Labour Market Database (LLMDB), which is a 1 per cent. sample from the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS).
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people were (a) unemployed and (b) claiming incapacity benefit in April in each of the last five years; [44259]
- (2) what proportion of incapacity benefit claimants have returned to full-time employment in each of the last five years. [44260]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 20 March 2002]: We are undertaking a fundamental overhaul of the welfare system, transforming it from a passive organisation paying out benefits to an active system that fights poverty, creates opportunity and helps people become self-sufficient and independent.
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Our new Jobcentre Plus service ensures that people making new or repeat claims to incapacity benefit have the opportunity of work-focused advice and support from a personal adviser so they can be helped to move into work when they are ready to do so.
The available information is in the table.
| Number of people unemployed | Number of people claiming incapacity benefit | |
|---|---|---|
| May 1997 | 1,556,000 | 2,370,500 |
| May 1998 | 1,293,000 | 2,316,900 |
| May 1999 | 1,221,100 | 2,277,500 |
| May 2000 | 1,063,700 | 2,263,200 |
| May 2001 | 935,700 | 2,327,000 |
Notes:
1. All figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Incapacity benefit data are collected quarterly in May, August, November and February of each year.
2. Incapacity benefit figures include national insurance credits only cases.
3. From 13 April 1995 people of pension age were no longer able to claim incapacity benefit. Incapacity benefit recipients already over pension age could continue to receive incapacity benefit for up to five years after state pension age.
4. Unemployment figures have been seasonally adjusted.
5. Figures are for Great Britain.
Sources:
1. Office for National Statistics: count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits from Benefits Agency computer systems.
2. Incapacity benefit figures are taken from 5 per cent. samples of the incapacity benefit computer system and exclude a small number of cases held clerically.
Information on the number of people who have returned to full-time employment following a claim to incapacity benefit is not available.
Social Fund
Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what gross budget will be set for the discretionary Social Fund in 2002–03. [46332]
Malcolm Wicks: The discretionary Social Fund budget for 2002–03 will be £627 million. This represents an increase of £6.4 million over the total gross budget allocated in April 2001.
As part of this allocation, the Community Care Grant budget will be increased by £5 million to £108 million. The loans budget will be £518 million, an increase of £1.4 million over that allocated in April 2001.
£1 million will be retained centrally as a contingency reserve. For example, to provide additional help to Districts facing unexpected and unplanned expenditure.
Further details of individual District budget allocations, and the basis on which these were made, have been placed in the Library.
Minimum Income Guarantee
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Stoke-on-Trent, North, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England he expects to have a guaranteed income of £98 per week from next April; and if he will make a statement. [25526]
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Mr. Nicholas Brown: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.
The forecast number of claimants of the minimum income guarantee from April 2002 in England is 1,485,000.
Nationally there are over 1.7 million pensioners claiming the MIG. By April 2002 a single pensioner will be at least £15 a week better off in real terms than in 1997 from the MIG rises. A pensioner couple will be well over £23 a week better off.
New Deal
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets he sets for (a) enrolment, (b) programme completion and (c) permanent employment for the New Deal for Disabled People; and if he will make a statement on the extent to which such targets have been achieved. [44261]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 20 March 2002]: The New Deal for Disabled People is testing new and innovative ways of helping people on incapacity benefits into work. Although Job Brokers have provided indications of planned take-up, these are commercial in confidence. No targets have been set for enrolment, programme completion or permanent employment.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost per permanent job achieved by the New Deal for Disabled People has been since its full initiation. [44262]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 20 March 2002]: Under the New Deal for Disabled People, sustained employment is defined as employment lasting six months or more. As the programme only became available nationally from July 2001, it is not yet possible to provide a meaningful figure for job placements resulting in sustained employment nor therefore a figure for the cost per sustained job achieved.
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