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19 Dec 2002 : Column 1032W—continued
Official Travel
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the total expenditure of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies was on official travelling in 2001–02; [84789]
- (2) what the total budget of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies is for official travel in 2002–03. [84941]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 3 December 2002]: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing #500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Details of travel undertaken during the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 were published on 24 July 2002, Official Report, column 75W. The cost of Ministers' visits overseas for 2002–03 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the current financial year. Copies of the lists are available in the Library.
All travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Library.
In respect of travel by officials of the Department, the figures for expenditure in 2001–02 and budget for 2002–03 are set out in the following table.
Notes:
1. Following the significant restructuring of DWP the Benefits Agency discontinued its operations. Its functions dispersed between the newly formed agencies Jobcentre Plus and Pension Service, and the corporate centre. It is not possible therefore to make direct, like for like comparisons between expenditure and budget figures.
2. The Child Benefit Centre and Disability and Carer Services formerly within BA are, with effect from 1 April 2002, accounted within the DWP Corporate Centre. Pensions and Overseas Directorate and all work in ex-DSS relating to pensions is now carried out by The Pension Service. The remainder of BA and the Employment Service integrated to form Jobcentre Plus.
3. The Health and Safety Executive and Health and Safety Laboratory has recently moved into DWP under a machinery of Government change. The budget figures for HSE/HSL are not included.
19 Dec 2002 : Column 1033W
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parliamentary questions have been tabled to his Department for written answer on a named day since 1 October 2002; and what percentage received a substantive reply on the requested date. [86993]
Maria Eagle [holding answer 12 December 2002]: From 1 October, out of 675 questions tabled to my right hon. Friend for written answer, 246 questions were for answer on a named day up to and including 12 December. Of these, 154—63 per cent.—received a substantive reply on the named day. During the same period, the hon. Member tabled 74 questions to the Department, all of them for answer on a named day. Up to 12 December substantive replies had been issued in respect of 45 of them in an average time of 4.75 working days.
We are committed to providing hon. Members with timely and accurate answers to parliamentary questions, although where questions prompt further analysis it is not always possible to provide information to the named day deadlines.
Unemployment (Copeland)
Dr. Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were unemployed in Copeland in (a) May 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available; what proposals he has to reduce that number; and if he will make a statement. [87142]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 16 December 2002]: Economic stability and active labour market programmes have helped people move from welfare to work in all parts of the country. As a result of our policies the number of people in work is at record levels and unemployment has fallen to levels not seen since the 1970s.
In my right hon. Friend's constituency, between May 1997 and October 2002 the number of people unemployed and claiming benefit fell from 2,784 to
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1,382 (a reduction of 50 per cent.) and long term unemployment has fallen by 75 per cent. Over the same period the New Deal has helped over 1,800 people in Copeland into jobs.
We know that even within areas of prosperity there are pockets of persistent unemployment. That is why we have introduced additional measures—such as Action Teams for Jobs and Employment Zones—targeted on the most employment-deprived wards in the country.
Public Service Agreements
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) discussions his Department has held with the Treasury and (b) sanctions have been imposed on his Department in respect of his Department's performance in meeting targets set for its predecessor departments in public service agreements dating from (i) 1998 and (ii) 2000; and if he will make a statement. [88054]
Mr. McCartney [holding answer 19 December 2002]: The Department has regular and ongoing discussions with the Treasury on its public service agreement targets and continues to make good progress towards meeting them, as reported in its Departmental Report for 2002 (Cm 5424), and in its Autumn Performance Report (Cm 5660). Therefore no sanctions have been imposed in respect of performance against any of my Department's or its predecessor's departmental targets.
State Pension
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have opted to defer receiving their state pension, and how many pensioners in total have received increments in each year since 1992. [88204]
Mr. McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested.
We estimate that around 3 per cent. of people who reached state pension age five years ago deferred claiming their basic state pension. On average, these individuals deferred their basic state pension for almost two years.
The table shows the number of pensioners receiving increments in each year.
| Thousands | |
|---|---|
| March 2002 | 1,163.1 |
| March 2001 | 1,193.6 |
| March 2000 | 1,221.2 |
Notes:
1. Figures are taken from a 5 per cent. sample.
2. Figures are in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred.
3. Figures include own and inherited increments and all components.
4. Comparative figures are not available prior to September 1999.
Source:
Pension Strategy and Computer System at 31 March of each year.
Notes:
1. Estimates are based on the latest March 2002 RP admin data and the Government Actuary's Department mid-year population estimates.
2. Figures are for Great Britain.
19 Dec 2002 : Column 1035W
Tax Credits
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if the figures for tax credit expenditure in the benefits expenditure table at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/Table1 are gross and include all tax credit expenditure. [81950]
Malcolm Wicks: The figures for tax credits include all personal tax credits (Working Families Tax Credit, Disabled Person's Tax Credit, Children's Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit) classified by the Office for National Statistics as public expenditure in the National Accounts. Further details on the classification of personal tax credits can be found in Box C2 of the 2002 Financial Statement and Budget Report (HC592).
Unemployment
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on progress on the target to halve unemployment among 18 to 24 year olds by 2010 throughout the European Union, set at the European Council's meeting in Lisbon. [88218]
Malcolm Wicks: There is no target for EU unemployment among 18 to 24 year olds. The Presidency Conclusions from the European Council held in Lisbon in March 2000 set a target that the number of 18 to 24 year olds with only lower secondary level education who are not in further education and training should be halved by 2010.
Three employment rate targets were agreed at Lisbon and Stockholm on total employment (70 per cent.), female employment (60 per cent.) and older worker employment (50 per cent.). The UK is one of the best performing member states in the EU, with one of the highest employment rates in the EU 15 (71.7 per cent. in the UK in 2001 compared with an EU average of 63.9 per cent.). The UK is one of only three member states to currently exceed all three of the 2010 employment targets.
The UK performs well in terms of young people as well, with the second highest youth employment rate at 56.9 per cent. in 2001, well above the EU 15 average of 40.7 per cent. This reflects the effectiveness of policies such as New Deal in helping young people in the UK to move from welfare to work. Current Eurostat figures show that between October 2000 and October 2001, unemployment in the EU for 15 to 24 year olds fell from 14.9 per cent. to a low of 14.7 per cent., before rising again to 15.1 per cent. in October 2002.
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