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EU Directives
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the EU directives and regulations that have been implemented through his Department in 2002; and what was the cost of each to public funds. [64973]
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the EU directives relating to her Department which have been (a) amended and (b) repealed in 2002. [64942]
Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
8 Jul 2002 : Column 763W
Winter Fuel Payments
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of claim forms issued to men aged over 60 years who were potentially eligible for winter fuel payments were returned by 30 March; how many of those claims proved well founded; and what extra steps he is taking to advise men aged over 60 years of potential eligibility in winter 2002. [64720]
Mr. McCartney: The information is not held in the format requested, However in the 2001–02 winter, the total number of claim forms issued was 285,431. The number of claim forms returned, by 30 March, was 223,927. Of these, 172,281 were successful. A significant number of people who requested claim forms could have become entitled to the winter fuel payment without the need for them to submit a claim and would have been paid automatically.
This year, as in previous years, we will run an information campaign to inform everyone aged 60 and over about winter fuel payments. The campaign for winter 2002 will run until the end of March 2003.
Pensions
Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to consult the National Pensioners Convention before submitting the national strategic report on pensions to the European Council. [65525]
Mr. McCartney: The National Pensioners Convention is one of a number of organisations invited to a meeting with the Department in July concerning the National Strategy Report, which will be the UK's contribution to the exchange of information between member states agreed by the European Council.
Mental Health
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 18 January 2002, Official Report, column 507W, whether he has commissioned research on the impact on the health of mental health service users of the implementation of his Department's benefits policies; and if he will make a statement. [66043]
Maria Eagle: No research on this topic has been commissioned since 18 January 2002. DWP has an annual cycle for commissioning research, as set out in "The Forward Look 2001" Cm 5338, London: TSO, 2001. The DWP research programme for 2002–03 is currently being finalised and will be published in due course.
Basic State Pension
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will calculate the total cost of the basic state pension if it were increased to minimum income guarantee levels for (a) over 75s and (b) over 80s, and increased in line with earnings until (i) 2010, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2030, (iv) 2040 and (v) 2050 (A) in real terms and (B) expressed as a proportion of gross domestic product. [66219]
Mr. McCartney: The information requested is in the table.
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| Real terms (£ billion) | As percentage of GDP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of BSP assuming it is increased to MIG levels for over 75s and earnings uprated | |||
| 2010 | 51 | 4.3 | |
| 2020 | 62 | 4.4 | |
| 2030 | 85 | 5.0 | |
| 2040 | 109 | 5.4 | |
| 2050 | 127 | 5.3 | |
| Cost of BSP assuming it is increased to MIG levels for over 80s and earnings uprated | |||
| 2010 | 48 | 4.0 | |
| 2020 | 56 | 3.9 | |
| 2030 | 74 | 4.4 | |
| 2040 | 89 | 4.4 | |
| 2050 | 105 | 4.4 | |
Notes:
1. Real term figures are in 2002–03 price terms.
2. It is assumed that the basic state pension will rise by 2.5 per cent. or inflation, whichever is the greater.
3. Long term earnings growth is assumed to be 1.75 per cent. and long term GDP growth is assumed to be 1.75 per cent. to be consistent with the earnings assumption.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many oral questions he has transferred to other Departments in each of the last 18 months. [65507]
Maria Eagle: The available information is in the table.
| Month questions tabled | Number transferred |
|---|---|
| June 2001 | 3 |
| July 2001 | 1 |
| October 2001 | 2 |
| November 2001 | 1 |
| January 2002 | 3 |
| February 2002 | 0 |
| March 2002 | 2 |
| May 2002 | 1 |
| June 2002 | 3 |
Child Poverty
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the child poverty levels in the Portsmouth, South constituency were in (a) 1997 and (b) 2001; and if he will make a statement. [66470]
Malcolm Wicks: Poverty is a complex multi- dimensional issue, affecting many aspects of children's lives—including income, health, housing, the quality of their environment and opportunities to learn. There is therefore no single measure of 'child poverty levels' in the Portsmouth, South constituency.
Single Parents
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what (a) financial and (b) non-financial assistance is given to single parents; and what proposals the Government have to increase levels of support; [66356]
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Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 3 July 2002]: The Government believe that work is the best route out of poverty and research has shown that nine out of ten lone parents want to work, either now or in the future. Lone parents face problems on moving into work due to balancing their work life with their caring responsibilities. That is why we are providing extra help to reduce these inequalities and offer lone parents a range of choices to gain more independence by moving into work.
We have introduced measures to make work pay, including the working families' tax credit and the national minimum wage. From 2003 a lone parent working 16 hours a week will have a guaranteed minimum income of £179 a week. We have also provided help to make work possible for lone parents through the child care tax credit and the national child care strategy, which since 1997 has created new places for the benefit of more than 900,000 children.
The New Deal for Lone Parents is available to all lone parents and offers a personalised service of advice and guidance. Personal advisers help with identifying child care, give advice on work and training opportunities and continue to offer in-work support once the lone parent is in work. Nearly 300,000 lone parents so far have participated in the programme and over half have found work. The programme now offers greater training flexibility by funding work-focused courses in skills that will be of benefit in the labour market, such as basic IT skills. In addition, everyone who joins any of the New Deal programmes is now assessed for literacy and numeracy needs and offered high quality learning opportunities.
We are continuing to roll out compulsory personal adviser meetings for lone parents claiming income support to ensure that they are aware of the range of help and support we have introduced to enable them to move into work. Our new Jobcentre Plus offices are providing an integrated service to ensure that lone parents receive the benefits they are entitled to and the help they need to move into work.
The Government are encouraging everyone with the necessary qualifications, including lone parents, to enter further and higher education. For further education institutions in England 1 we have increased the ring-fenced budget for child care funds by 20 per cent. to £36 million in 2002–03. In higher education in England 1 , lone parents have access to a range of support including child care grants, a grant for school meals and a grant towards travel, books and equipment.
- 1 Further and higher education arrangements in Scotland and Wales may differ from those in England.
TREASURY
Government Communications
Mr. Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice he has given to Government Departments on the disclosure of OGC Gateway reviews to hon. Members. [56531]
Mr. Boateng: Guidance has been issued and is available on the OGC website (www.ogc.gov.uk)
8 Jul 2002 : Column 766W
EU Directives
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the EU directives and regulations that have been implemented through his Department in 2002; and what was the cost of each to public funds. [64995]
Ruth Kelly: The following directives and regulations have been implemented to this date in 2002:
- directive 2000/46/EC on the taking-up, pursuit of and prudential supervision of the business of electronic money institutions;
directive 2000/28/EC relating to the taking-up and pursuit of the business of credit institutions;
directive 44/2001 on mutual assistance recovery;
the Protection of the Euro against Counterfeiting Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/3948) specified criminal penalties for breach of Council Regulation (EC) No.1338/2001;
the provisions of the Customs Code Committee came into force on 1 January 2002, amending the preferential agreement with the Faroe Islands, by introducing legal provisions for proof of origin.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the EU directives relating to his Department which have been (a) amended and (b) repealed in 2002. [64945]
Ruth Kelly: The following directives have been amended to this date in 2002:
- directive 2000/12/EC relating to the taking-up and pursuit of the business of credit institutions was amended in 2002, by directive 2000/28/EC;
directive 77/388 regarding value added tax arrangements applicable to electronically supplied services and broadcasting was amended by directive 2002/38/EC and regulation 792/2002, with effect from 1 July 2003;
directives 92/79/EEC, 92/80/EEC and 95/59/EC concerning the structure and rates of excise duty applied on manufactured tobacco were amended by directive 2002/10/EC;
directive 79/267/EEC as regards the solvency margin requirements for life assurance undertakings was amended by directive 2002/12/EC;
directive 73/239/EEC as regards the solvency margin requirements for non-life insurance undertakings was amended by directive 2002/13/EC.
I am not aware of any further directives being amended or repealed in 2002, but this Department does not keep a single record of this information and it could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.
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