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Social Fund

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for alignment payments from the Social Fund have been received each month since January 2001; and what proportion were (a) refused, (b) fully awarded and (c) partially awarded. [48643]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 15 April 2002]: The available information is in the table.

Social Fund crisis loan awards—alignment payments

Month	Number of awards
January 2001	44,831
February 2001	38,164
March 2001	40,940
April 2001	37,331
May 2001	39,785
June 2001	38,588
July 2001	40,876
August 2001	41,618
September 2001	37,566
October 2001	43,585
November 2001	41,318
December 2001	32,677
January 2002	46,522
February 2002	42,732

Note:

1. The Social Fund computer system does not capture separately the number of applications for alignment payments nor the number of such applications that are refused or result in a partial award.

Source:

Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Pension Service

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will make a statement on his plans to create Pension Service and Job Centre Plus; and what access pensioners will have in person to these offices; [50487]

(2) what access pensioners will have in person to Benefits Agency offices under the new Pension Service arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [50488]

Mr. McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) and the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) on 25 March 2002, Official Report, columns 651–52W.

Personal Pension Funds

Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have personal pension funds. [46918]

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Mr. McCartney: The information is in the table.

People who have a personal pension

	Million
Numbers contributing to a personal pension	4.08
Numbers receiving income from a personal pension	0.02
Total number of people with a personal pension.	4.10

Notes:

1. Information is drawn from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) for the year 2000–01 and covers Great Britain only.

2. Due to the size of the FRS sample and the fact that the Survey relies on self-reporting of pension income the information may be subject to a margin of error.

War Pensions

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason MOD War Pensions will be subject to compulsory automated credit transfer in advance of state pensions and benefits. [47424]

Dr. Moonie: I have been asked to reply.

War pensions will be treated no differently from other state pensions and benefits. At this time there is no compulsion for customers to change from their current method of payment. From October 2002 the Veterans Agency will be inviting existing customers paid by order book or payable order to change to payment through a bank or building society with effect from April 2003. The Department for Work and Pensions will be issuing similar invitations to recipients of child benefit.

Basic Pensions

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receiving one or more means-tested benefit have a weekly income of (a) up to £100, (b) £101 to £120, (c) £121 to £140, (d) £140 to £160, (e) £160 to £180, (f) £180 to £200, (g) £200 to £220, (h) £220 to £240 per week, (i) £240 to £260, (j) £260 to £280, (k) £280 to £300 and (l) over £300 per week. [35845]

Mr. McCartney [pursuant to the reply, 12 February 2002, c. 257W]: The information requested is as follows.

Number of pensioners in receipt of means tested benefits by weekly income band—Great Britain 1999–2000

Weekly income before housing costs	Number of pensioner units
Up to and including £100	440,000
£101 to £120	510,000
£121 to £140	460,000
£141 to £160	310,000
£161 to £180	250,000
£181 to £200	190,000
£201 to £220 weekly income	160,000
£221 to £260	160,000
£261 and over	100,000
Total	2,590,000

Source:

Family Resources Survey 1999–2000

Public Service Agreements

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what recent assessment he has made of

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whether the PSA target that 25 per cent. of all business transactions should be capable of being carried out electronically by 2002 will be met on time; [46097]

(2) what recent assessment he has made of whether the child support scheme targets for accuracy of payment arrangements and the level of compliance will be achieved by April 2003; [46101]

(3) what recent assessment he has made of whether the PSA target that a new assessment of liability to pay child support maintenance shall be completed within seven weeks will be met by the end of 2002; [46099]

(4) what recent assessment he has made of whether the PSA target to reduce benefit losses from fraud and error in income support and jobseeker's allowance by 10 per cent. by March 2002 will be met; [46098]

(5) which public service agreement targets scheduled to be met in 2002 will not be achieved by the due date. [44822]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: Progress against PSA targets is set out each year in the departmental report. The 2001 report, Cm 5115, sets out our progress against the PSA targets for the period April 2000–01. The 2002 report will set out our progress for the period April 2001–02.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many members of staff of his Department are members of the Territorial forces; and if he has a strategy for his Department to encourage members of staff to become members of the Territorial forces; [44066]

(2) how many members of staff at his Department are locally elected democratic representatives; and if he has a strategy for his Department to encourage members of staff to become locally elected democratic representatives. [44540]

Mr. McCartney: The information is not held centrally and could be assimilated only at disproportionate cost. Section 50 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA) requires employers to allow their staff reasonable time off for public duties. The Civil Service Code (Para 9.2.5) requires Departments and agencies to allow time off for attending these duties. Responsibility for the decision making, in relation to attendance, for such activities has been delegated to business units within the Department.

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However, I am pleased to confirm that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State's Diary Manager holds a commission with the Territorial Army.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Vocational Engineering

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the vocational engineering GCSE is to become an option for those not undertaking any physics courses at the same level. [49854]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department will not prescribe how the new GCSEs in vocational subjects may be combined with other subjects. Those decisions will be taken at local level within the context of the requirements of the statutory curriculum.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the vocational engineering GCSE is to be presented as an option for students considered less academically capable. [49855]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The new GCSEs in vocational subjects, which will include engineering, will be promoted by the Department as being available and suitable to young people of all abilities.

Nursery Education (London)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what nursery provision has been provided by her Department to each London education authority in inner London boroughs over the last five years. [48682]

Margaret Hodge: Since September 1998 all four-year-olds in the inner London area have been able to access a free, part-time, early education place prior to statutory education.

In 2002–03, 11 of the fifteen local education authorities will be able to provide a free early education place to all three-year-olds in their area. The remaining authorities are able to offer a free place to over 65 per cent. of their three-year-olds. All three-year-olds will have access to a free early education place by September 2004.

The following table shows the amount of specific funding received by inner London education authorities to fund free early education places for four-year-olds. From April 2001, all free four-year-old places have been funded by local authorities from their own resources.

£

	Total NEG funding
LEA name	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
Camden	1,661,012	707,078	743,998	829,868
City of London	25,893	18,407	8,739	9,589
Hackney	2,574,606	649,922	823,863	761,122
Hammersmith and Fulham	1,442,670	328,243	277,154	336,321
Haringey	3,111,948	178,857	228,405	584,764
Islington	2,075,786	337,116	348,345	363,544
Kensington and Chelsea	805,775	251,970	208,222	262,080
Lambeth	2,170,135	720,105	937,331	1,093,867
Lewisham	2,977,996	431,562	618,404	432,917
Newham	4,202,907	123,746	161,050	337,115
Southwark	3,032,361	494,272	515,208	725,614
Tower Hamlets	2,852,105	94,748	132,919	109,428
Wandsworth	2,169,446	973,936	1,372,461	1,067,739
Westminster	1,208,802	506,879	521,302	543,259

Note:

The funding figures for four-year-olds in 1997–98 are significantly higher as all free places in this year were funded centrally. From 1998–99 only new places created in the maintained sector and all free places in the private, voluntary and independent sector were funded through specific grant. Existing places in the maintained sector were funded by the authority from their own resources.

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The following table shows the amount of specific funding received by inner London education authorities to fund free early education places for three-year-olds. This funding commenced September 1999.

£

	Total NEG funding
LEA name	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Camden	514,872	825,919	987,228
City of London	0.00	1,160	14,256
Hackney	597,915	1,155,980	1,768,932
Hammersmith and Fulham	275,401	618,429	706,860
Haringey	511,711	690,364	958,716
Islington	606,558	994,046	1,163,052
Kensington and Chelsea	0.00	341,506	825,660
Lambeth	957,549	1,524,750	1,955,448
Lewisham	592,391	1,110,739	1,860,408
Newham	547,647	1,004,639	1,325,808
Southwark	510,820	1,231,909	1,182,060
Tower Hamlets	227,797	317,143	702,108
Wandsworth	1,153,768	1,699,174	2,050,488
Westminster	218,579	815,164	1,090,584

The information contained in the tables have been extracted from LEA Nursery Education Grant returns and is subject to change as a result of external audit.

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