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11 Mar 2003 : Column 187W—continued
Household Poverty
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the proportion of (a) children and (b) pensioners living in households in the bottom two deciles of income distribution. [97349]
Malcolm Wicks: Information on the proportion of children and pensioners in the bottom fifth of the income distribution can be found in the publication 'Households Below Average Income 1994–95 to 2000–01', a copy of which is available in the Library.
11 Mar 2003 : Column 188W
Independent Medical Examiners
Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what incentive system there is for the independent medical examiners contracted by SchlumbergerSema in respect of the personal capability assessment for incapacity benefit; and if he will make a statement. [102124]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Sessional doctors contracted by SchlumbergerSema to carry out medical assessments in respect of benefit claims are paid on a fee per assessment basis. Safeguards are in place to ensure that appropriate quality standards are maintained.
Decisions on entitlement to benefit are made by Departmental decision makers, and there is no link between doctors' remuneration and the outcome of a claim.
Industrial Action
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working days were lost owing to industrial action by staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in 2002. [101509]
Mr. McCartney: The information on the number of staff days lost owing to industrial action for the Department for Work and Pensions, is set out in the following table for the period 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002.
| Department | Agency/Body | Staff days lost |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Work and Pensions | Jobcentre Plus | (3)97,058 |
| — | The Pension Service | 38 |
| — | Corporate Centre | Nil |
| — | Child Support Agency | 14 |
| — | Debt Management | 2 |
| — | The Appeals Service | Nil |
| Non Departmental Public Bodies | Pensions Ombudsman, Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board, Independent Case Review Service for Social Fund, Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority, Pensions Provision Group, Office of the Social Security and Child Support Commissioners and Pensions Compensation Board | Nil |
| Total | 97,112 |
(3) All but 814 days relates to a single dispute. Two disputes in total.
Pensions
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether pensioners will be able to have their pension paid into a (a) bank current account, (b) basic bank account and (c) post office card account weekly after April. [100292]
Malcolm Wicks: The change will be phased in over a two-year period. Pensioners will be contacted when it is their turn to change. If they are currently paid weekly they will automatically continue to be paid at this frequency after April.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action his Department has taken to increase consumer awareness that many insurance companies deduct commission from their pension savings as a fee for financial advice. [101361]
Mr. McCartney: As part of the Government's Pension Education publicity campaign, we make it clear through the appropriate guides, for example, the guide 'Personal pensions—Your guide' that people might pay for financial advice through fees or commission which is deducted from their pension contributions. People are advised to ask for details of fees or commission. The Department publicises the guides, and they can also be accessed through The Pension Service website www.thepensionservice.gov.uk.
The Government are committed to providing people with the information they need to make informed choices about saving for retirement. The proposals set out in the recently published Green Paper 'Simplicity, security and choice: Working and saving for retirement' (Cm 5677) are intended to reinforce that.
11 Mar 2003 : Column 189W
Permanent Staff
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many permanent staff worked for his Department and its agencies in each year from 1996–97 to 2003–04 (planned); what the reasons are underlying changes in staff numbers; and if he will make a statement. [97348]
Mr. McCartney: Information on the number of permanent staff working for the Department for Work and Pensions is in the table.
Figures for the Department for Work and Pensions are shown for 30 June 2001 when the Department was formed and 31 March 2002. There was a planned and managed increase in staffing levels in certain parts of the Department in 2001–02. Staffing was increased because of the modernisation agenda, in particular relating to the introduction of Child Support Reforms and the establishment of The Pension Service.
The information for the years March 1996 to March 2001 show the figures for permanent staff in the Department of Social Security and the Employment Service.
Profiles for staffing levels for 2003–04 are still being developed.
| Department for Work and Pensions | |
|---|---|
| 30 June 2001 | 126,069 |
| 31 March 2002 | 133,553 |
| Department of Social Security | Employment Service | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 1996 | 94,932 | 41,156 | 136,088 |
| 31 March 1997 | 98,917 | 34,174 | 133,091 |
| 31 March 1998 | 94,886 | 33,528 | 128,414 |
| 31 March 1999 | 97,056 | 35,430 | 132,486 |
| 31 March 2000 | 91,173 | 35,299 | 126,472 |
| 31 March 2001 | 89,774 | 36,930 | 126,704 |
Notes:
Figures are consistent with Cabinet Office definitions other than the inclusion of staff on paid maternity leave.
The figures are based on headcount (staff in post) and are point in time at the dates shown
11 Mar 2003 : Column 190W
Departmental Telephone Helplines
Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many telephone helplines are sponsored by his Department; and which of these helplines are charged at (a) national rate, (b) premium rate and (c) local rate. [95713]
Mr. McCartney: DWP sponsors 60 telephone helplines. Of these: (a) seven are charged at national rate, (b) none charged at premium rate (c) 46 charged at local rate and (d) a further seven numbers are free phone numbers.
Winter Fuel Payments
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will estimate the number of 2002–03 winter fuel payments that have been delayed because of departmental computer problems; and of that number, how many have yet to be issued; [99731]
- (2) what corrective action he is taking to resolve the departmental computer problems that have delayed 2002–03 winter fuel payments; and if he will make a statement. [99732]
Mr. McCartney: Over 11.1 million winter fuel payments have been made so far for this winter, and the vast majority of these were paid automatically before Christmas. There will of course be circumstances where, because of a variety of reasons, payment cannot be made without further inquiries. We seek to resolve these as soon as we can.
However, some customers reported not receiving a payment for this winter. This was promptly investigated and it was found that, because of a system fault, some further 936 people should have been considered for an automatic payment. All of these people who were entitled to a payment for this year have now been paid. We are taking steps to ensure that this does not happen for the next winter.
11 Mar 2003 : Column 191W
NORTHERN IRELAND
Arts of Irish and Ulster-Scots Project
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any members of the Board of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland are on the Steering Group for the Council's research project on The Arts of Irish and Ulster-Scots. [101917]
Angela Smith: Dr. Maurna Crozier is the only member of the Board of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland who is also a member of the Steering Group.
Dr. Crozier was nominated to the Steering Group by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.
Blue Card Holders
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many blue card holders there are in each Northern Ireland constituency. [102035]
Mr. Browne: The information requested is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Compulsory Purchase Orders
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what appeals procedures (a) exist and (b) are planned for residents of Northern Ireland whose property is subject to a compulsory purchase order; and if he will make a statement. [101569]
Mr. Pearson: Compensation is claimed by affected parties and generally settled in negotiation with the Valuation and Lands Agency acting on behalf of the acquiring authority. If a party is not content with the level of compensation offered, there is a right to refer the matter to the Lands Tribunal for Northern Ireland for a determination.
There is no intention to alter this right of appeal to the Lands Tribunal.
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