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Dangerous Incidents

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many dangerous incidents were investigated by the HSE in the last year. [82052]

Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 21 November 2002]: It is not possible to separately identify dangerous incidents. However, in 2001–02, the Health and Safety Executive investigated 13,421 incidents reported under the Reporting of injuries, Diseases and dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)1995.

Housing Benefit

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the extension of housing benefit to cover water charges; and if he will make a statement. [81046]

Malcolm Wicks: Housing benefit is an income-related benefit designed to help tenants on low incomes meet their reasonable housing costs. These include rent and any compulsory charges that are clearly related to the provision of adequate accommodation. Charges relating to personal needs, such as those for water and other utilities, are ineligible for housing benefit.

We have received no recent representations on extending housing benefit to cover water charges.

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IT Security

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to review the security of the Department's IT system; and how many digital attacks there were on the Department's system in (a) October and (b) 2002. [80768]

Mr. McCartney: Security of IT systems is under constant review and a procedure is in place to log, investigate and analyse all recorded incidents.

The number of cases of digital attack recorded was (a) 8 in October and (b) 122 in 2002.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the evidential basis was for his decision not to increase the earnings disregards for jobseeker's allowance; when this disregard was last increased; and what it would be worth if it had been uprated. [83242]

Malcolm Wicks: Our policies are giving everybody who can work the opportunity to do so, and providing security for those who are unable to work. We have introduced the national minimum wage, working families tax credit and, from April 2003, the new tax credits to ensure that people are better off in work than on benefits.

Any decision on increasing the earnings disregard for jobseeker's allowance is a question of fine judgment. We need to balance the benefits of encouraging people into part-time work and maintaining contact with the labour market, against any possible disincentives to full-time work. If the earnings disregard is set too high, then the gap between in-work income and out-of-work benefits becomes so narrow as to discourage people from taking up full-time work.

We keep the earnings disregard under review, but there is no set mechanism or formula for increasing it. There is, therefore, no basis on which to calculate an uprated value. We have, however, targeted extra help where it is most needed. For example, for lone parents and certain disabled people the earnings disregard was increased from £15 to £20 from April 2001.

New Deal

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents have found and retained work for more than four weeks on the New Deal for Lone Parents. [83513]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: By the end of June 2002, 152,230 lone parents had found work through the New Deal for Lone Parents.

We do not record the status of lone parents four weeks after they have started work. Sustainability of employment is one of the issues that is being examined as part of the evaluation of the New Deal for Lone Parents, which is due to be published in spring 2003.

Pensions

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of

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employees who are (a) contracted out and (b) not contracted out of the state pension; and what the corresponding figures were (i) one year earlier, (ii) two years earlier and (iii) five years earlier. [81049]

Mr. McCartney: The available information is in the table:

Thousands

	1990–91	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96
Number of people belonging to contracted-out pension schemes	14,758	14,659	14,566	14,817
Number of people belonging to the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme	7,161	6,555	7,115	7,496

Source:

Department for Work and Pensions' analytical services division.

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Owing to the implementation problems with the NIRS2 computer system, the 1995–96 tax year is the latest year for which precise information is available.

When more up-to-date information is available I shall write to the hon. Member and place my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many companies are registered to sell stakeholder pensions to individuals and which companies have (a) entered the market, and (b) left the market, since the product first became available. [81948]

Mr. McCartney: There are 47 companies registered as stakeholder pension providers offering a total of 51 registered stakeholder pension schemes. The majority of companies registered to sell SHPs before the product first became available on 6 April 2001. Details of companies that have entered the market and left the market since stakeholder pensions first became available on 6 April 2001 are in the table.

	Address
Companies entering the stakeholder pension market after 6 April 2001
AIG Life (UK)	Alico House, 22 Addiscombe Road, Croydon
Direct Line Life Insurance Company Ltd.	3 Edridge Road, Croydon
James Hay Trustees Ltd.	Rowanmoor House, 46–50 Castle Street, Salisbury
Personal Retirement Account Ltd.	Oxford House, Oxford Road, Aylesbury
Capital Cranfield Trustees Ltd.	Harcourt House, 19a Cavendish Square, London
Companies leaving the stakeholder pension market after 6 April 2001
St. Andrew's Life Assurance plc	PO Box 10, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Bucks
James Hay Trustees Ltd.	Rowanmoor House, 46–50 Castle Street Salisbury

Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will publish his Green Paper on pension policy. [82439]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The Government plan to publish their proposals in a Green Paper on 17 December.

Reported Deaths

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many reported deaths were investigated by the HSE in the last five years. [82053]

Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 21 November 2002]: The following table shows the number of deaths investigated by the HSE in the last five years.

Year	Members of the public	Worker
1 April 1997 to 31 March 1998	124	258
1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999	126	236
1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000	146	205
1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001	148	267
1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002		243

Note:

The data for members of the public for 2001–02 are not available for release as the information is due for publication on 10 December 2002 and is therefore subject to exemption 10 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government information.

Winter Fuel Payments

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason the number of winter fuel payment recipients is lower than the total population aged 60 years and over. [81949]

Mr. McCartney: The number of winter fuel payments issued is less than the total population aged 60 and over because, although most people aged 60 and over who normally live in Great Britain in the qualifying week are entitled to a winter fuel payment, there are some exceptions. These are people who, in the qualifying week, have been in hospital for more than 52 weeks; or have been in residential care for more than 13 weeks and receive income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance; or are in custody under sentence. Also, people subject to immigration control who are not eligible for help from the Department for Work and Pensions are not entitled to a payment.

In addition, where a couple is receiving the minimum income guarantee or income-based jobseeker's allowance, the claiming partner receives a £200 winter fuel payment for them both.

Where a person needs to make a claim for their winter fuel payment, it is up to that person whether they choose to claim.

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