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Benefits (Payment Methods)
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on his policy on drawing benefits weekly in cash at a post office. [60845]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. and learned Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) on 11 June 2002, Official Report, column 878W.
Jobcentre Plus
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether every aspect of ONE is being transferred to Jobcentre Plus and will continue to function; and if he will make a statement. [48885]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The ONE pilots are significantly closer to the Jobcentre Plus model than other Jobcentres and social security offices. However, some changes will be necessary to enable them to deliver the full Jobcentre Plus service.
The main changes to ONE will be the introduction of new management structures and the movement from operating the ONE Work Focused Interview regulations to the Jobcentre Plus regulations that exclude housing benefit and council tax benefit from the range of benefits covered.
We are encouraging Jobcentre Plus and local authority managers to build on the framework of liaison and service level agreements that already exist. This will help to ensure that the efficient administration of housing benefit and council tax benefit, which is so important for many of the people using our services, not least in helping the transition to work.
Benefits Data (Electoral Roll)
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to ensure that computers processing benefit data contain a complete copy of the Electoral Roll; and if he will make a statement. [59211]
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Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Electoral Roll is a source of information considered by the Department when developing its Information Systems in appropriate circumstances.
Departmental Policies (Wycombe)
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the activities pursued by his Department that have had a particular impact on the Wycombe constituency since 7 June 2001. [58621]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security and parts of the Department for Education and Employment. We are currently 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. This is making a significant contribution to the Government's overall objectives of eradicating child poverty in 20 years, and halving it within 10; promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age while protecting the position of those in greatest need and combating poverty and promoting security and independence in retirement for today's and future pensioners.
Child benefit is now worth £15.74 a week for the eldest child and £10.55 a week for other children; nationally about 7 million families receive child benefit, and in Wycombe 12,220 families benefit.
The number of people in work is at record levels of 28.4 million. Nearly three quarters of working age people are in employment and in Wycombe the proportion in employment currently stands at 80.5 per cent. Unemployment is around its lowest level since the mid 1970s. Our New Deals have helped lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, disabled people, the over 50s and partners of the unemployed to move from benefit into work. Nationally well over 600,000 people have been helped into work by the New Deals and in Wycombe over 550 have been helped into work.
Through Jobcentre Plus we are delivering a single, integrated service to people of working age claiming benefits, with a clear focus on work. In addition to the 56 integrated Jobcentre Plus offices which are already open, we intend to introduce around 225 more integrated offices by April next year including offices in the Wycombe constituency.
Older people are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty. This winter (2001–02) we have made available a winter fuel payment of £200 for each eligible household to help with their heaviest fuel bill. We estimate that around 17,000 older people in Wycombe have received a payment this winter.
We want all pensioners to have a decent and secure income in retirement and to share fairly in the rising prosperity of the country. Our first priority has been to help the poorest pensioners.
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From April 2002 we will be spending an extra £6 billion a year in real terms on pensioners as a result of our policies. This includes £2.5 billion more on the poorest third of pensioners.
2,000 pensioner families in Wycombe are receiving the minimum income guarantee which helps our poorest pensioners. Some 14,700 pensioners in Wycombe will benefit from this year's increases in the basic state pension of £3 a week for single pensioners and £4.80 for couples. Those over 75, of whom we estimate there are about 6,000 in Wycombe, may qualify for free TV licences.
Other reforms include the new pension credit in 2003 designed to ensure that pensioners benefit from their savings and the introduction of the state second pension from this April. Both of these initiatives will help provide greater security for tomorrow's pensioners. We have also announced that from October 2003 benefits currently reduced after a hospital stay of six weeks will not be reduced until 13 weeks. This will benefit both pensioners and people of working age.
Advertising
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on advertising in 2001–02; which advertising campaigns (a) are running and (b) will begin before the end of the financial year; and what is the estimated final cost of his Department's advertising during 2001–02. [42517]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. Since that time a total of some £25 million has been spent on major campaigns either educating people or alerting them to their rights and responsibilities. The following campaigns began before the end of the 2001–02 financial year and have run into 2002–03:
- Pensions Education
State Second Pension
Inherited SERPS.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the publicity and advertising campaigns run by his Department in each of the last four years, specifying the (a) purpose, (b) cost to public funds, (c) number of staff involved and (d) method of evaluation in each case. [39105]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. Since that time the following major campaigns costing over £250,000 have been run:
- New Deal for Disabled People—£850,000
- A national campaign to launch NDDP, covering press advertising in national and regional titles, supported by a helpline, website and publicity material.
- New Deal 50 Plus—£500,000
- A regional campaign to encourage more of the over-50s into work and to increase their awareness of the local help available.
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- New Deal 25 Plus—£500,000
- A national campaign to inform the public about changes to the programme through radio advertising, a video and printed materials, supported by research.
- Age Positive—£500,000
- PR (including direct mail and partnerships with regional newspapers, sponsoring an award, exhibitions, research and promotional material) to raise employers' awareness of the business benefits of employing an age-diverse work force.
- Work Incentives—£450,000
- Advertising campaign on local radio to raise awareness of the range of financial initiatives available to those moving from benefits into employment if they meet the qualifying criteria.
- Pension Education—£7,188,000
- A publicity campaign to encourage people to save for their retirement and understand the pension options available to them.
- Second State Pension—£463,000
- Development and implementation of publicity to inform carers about how new state pension rules could help them—linked to the overall pensions education campaign.
- Pensioners' Guide—£729,000
- Production and distribution of a guide on cross-Government help and services for pensioners.
- Winter Fuel Payments—£718,000
- Information for people aged 60 plus and advisers about winter fuel payments and activity reminding them to claim and telling them how to claim for winter 2001 and relevant previous winters.
- Changes to rules on inherited SERPS—£459,000
- Publicity about change to the rules on inheriting the State Earnings-Related Scheme.
- Targeting Fraud—£9,000,000
- A national advertising campaign on television, radio, press and posters to deter dishonest behaviour, reinforced by regional press advertising showing that benefit fraudsters are regularly caught and punished.
- Disability Discrimination Act Awareness—£3,000,000
- A national, regional and trade press advertising campaign to raise the public's awareness of the DDA and specifically to encourage service providers to ensure that disabled people have access to their services.
Staff number information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Evaluation of all campaigns is routine procedure. Methods of evaluation vary and reflect the objectives of each individual campaign. Programme or product take up and contact data, e.g. telephone calls, e- and white-mail, coupons, website visits are sued to measure shifts in interest and demand. General shifts in awareness, attitude and behaviour are measured through pre- and post- campaign data, as well as tracking research.
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