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Press Releases

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how

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many press releases his Department's press office has released in support of its self-funding safety camera project, since it was launched in April 2000. [46244]

Dr. Whitehead: There have been two press notices concerning the netting off scheme for safety cameras since that date. On 13 August 2001, my Department announced new rules on visibility and the results from the first year of the pilot scheme. On 3 December 2001 new rules on the colour of cameras was announced. The notes to editors contained the previously published figures.

A press notice on 26 July 2001 made mention of speed cameras as a means of cutting speeding.

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many press releases were issued by his Department's press office in 2001 (a) on road safety topics and (b) on other topics. [46243]

Dr. Whitehead: (a) DETR (central)/DTLR (central)


(b) DETR (central)/DTLR (central)


WORK AND PENSIONS

Retirement Ages

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the retirement ages that apply to the employees of his Department and its agencies, including how many and which categories of employees are affected by each; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on flexible retirement. [32824]

Malcolm Wicks: All staff in the Department other than the Senior Civil Service, a total of 129,342 (99 per cent.) can elect to remain in employment until age 65. At present the retirement age for staff in the Senior Civil Service is set by the Cabinet Office at 60, although there is the option to retain members beyond the age of 60 if it is judged to be in the public interest and the Department is satisfied about the fitness and efficiency of the individual to carry out his or her duties.

We are committed to ending age discriminatory practices and Government ministers, through the Cabinet Office, are actively working towards removing the current barriers for members of the Senior Civil Service.

Pensioners

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many retirement pensioners are receiving (a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit in (i) Great Britain and (ii) each region of Great Britain. [39547]

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Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the table.

Retirement pensioners receiving housing benefit and council tax benefit in Great Britain and by region: May 2000

RegionRetirement pensioners receiving housing benefitRetirement pensioners receiving council tax benefit
Great Britain1,490,0002,153,000
North East93,000130,000
North West189,000289,000
Yorkshire and the Humber147,000209,000
East Midlands99,000150,000
West Midlands150,000232,000
East125,000183,000
London176,000223,000
South East155,000216,000
South West103,000161,000
Wales71,000112,000
Scotland182,000248,000

Notes:

1. The figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are subject to sampling error.

2. The data refer to people claiming housing benefit, who may be single people, or one of a couple or a family. More than one person claiming can live in one property, for example two or more adults in a flat or house share arrangement.

3. The figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

4. The totals may not sum due to rounding.

5. Retirement pensioners are defined as people where either they and/or their partner are receiving state retirement pension.

Source:

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2000.


Child Poverty

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide the basis for ministers' calculations concerning the number of children who have been lifted out of poverty by the measures introduced by his Government; and what assessment he has made of how many children would be lifted out of poverty by such measures if the take-up rate of social security benefits was 100 per cent. [45288]

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.

As a result of personal tax and benefit measures announced in the last Parliament there are an estimated 1.2 million fewer children living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the median (after housing costs) than there otherwise would have been. Families with children have very high take-up rates for social security benefits. It would make very little difference whether estimated or 100 per cent. take-up rates were used to calculate the impact of tax and benefit measures on child poverty.

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Bereavement Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (1) pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, ref. 32742, Official Report, column 771W, how many complaints he has received on this subject; [39178]

Malcolm Wicks: Bereavement Benefits were introduced on 9 April 2001 and are available to both men and women for the first time. They concentrate the help available where and when it is needed most, on immediate needs and on families with children.

Form BD8, registration of notification of death, which is issued by registrars to bereaved people for social security purposes, was amended to incorporate the new bereavement benefits introduced from April 2001.

We have received no complaints about form BD8.

Performance Targets

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what performance targets he has set for the (a) Appeals Service, (b) Disability and Carers Service and (c) Child Benefit Centre for 2002–03. [46930]

Mr. Darling: The targets I have set the Appeals Service, the Disability and Carers Service and Child Benefit Centre are given below.

Further information on the Appeals Service plans for 2002–03 is contained in their individual business plan, which has been published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.

Business plans for the Disability and Carers Service and Child Benefit Centre will be published shortly.








Disability and carers service targets 2002–03

Normal rules claimsSpecial rules claimsRenewal claimsReconsiderationsSupersessionsAppealsAccuracy (%)
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)43 days8 days32 days39 days49 days40 days96
Attendance Allowance (AA)27 days8 days23 days38 days38 days40 days96
Invalid Care Allowance (ICA)32 daysn/an/a95% in 70 daysn/a40 days95

Note:

Normal rules claims: Claims on which a qualifying period must be served before benefit can be awarded.

Special rules claims: Claims on which no qualifying period has to be served before benefit can be awarded because the claimant is terminally ill and has a life expectancy of less than six months.

Renewal claims: Claims to renew an existing award of benefit that was made for a finite period. This can be made up to six months before the expiry of the existing award.

Reconsiderations: Applications for review of an initial decision where the application is made on Xany grounds" (i.e. dissatisfaction) within one month of the dates of the original decision.

Supersessions: Applications for review of an initial decision where the application is made more than one month after the initial decision.

Appeals: Any case where an independent Tribunal looks afresh at a decision.


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Ms Y. Allen

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons Ms Y. Allen of Salcombe, Devon was not informed when undertaking a two-year therapeutic counselling course under the new deal scheme that funding would be awarded for the first year only and that only outline sources of alternative funding would be available for the second year; and if he will make a statement as to the impact on (a) employers and (b) new deal participants of funding courses for less than 12 months. [31181]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: The administration of the New Deal is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Employment Service, Leigh Lewis. I have asked him to reply to the hon. Member.

Letter from Clare Dodgson to Anthony Steen dated 11 February 2002:


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