| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
31 Mar 2003 : Column 605W—continued
Pensions
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements are in place to credit pension payments paid into a bank account (a) weekly and (b) in advance rather than arrears; whether changes in method of payment are made only on request; and how such a request can be made. [105378]
Malcolm Wicks: Pensioners who are currently paid weekly in advance will continue to be paid this way after the move to Direct Payment.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the (a) funded and (b) unfunded public sector pension schemes for which his Department, its agencies and its non-departmental public bodies are responsible; when the last actuarial valuation was of each scheme; what the value was of the assets at the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; what deficit is disclosed by the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; and if he will make a statement. [104923]
Mr. McCartney: The Department is not responsible for any funded or unfunded pension schemes in respect of its staff.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review the advice given to pensioners by the Pension Service on form BR2199(RP) in respect of hospital downrating. [105254]
Mr. McCartney: There are no current plans to amend the advice on form BR2199(RP).
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people of working age were not making second tier pension arrangements (a) in 1997 and (b) in the last year for which figures are available. [105825]
Mr. McCartney: In 1997, we estimate that 11.9 million working age people were not members of SERPS or making private pension arrangements. In 2001–02, this figure was 11.4 million. We estimate that state second pension, introduced from April 2002 will reduce the number to about 7 million. These figures have been estimated using the Family Resources Survey, 1997–98 and 2001–02.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in approved personal pensions in each year since 1988; and what proportion of members were accruing no additional pension rights in each year. [105826]
Mr. McCartney: Information is not available in the format requested. However, available estimates of the number of personal pension arrangements for employees are contained in the table. The estimates are
31 Mar 2003 : Column 606W
based on administrative returns made to the Inland Revenue by personal pension providers and show the number of arrangements for employees which have received a contribution in the year.
It is not possible to estimate how many individuals these relate to. Neither is it possible to say how many of those with only minimum contributions have made no further contributions to a private pension as, for example, an appropriate personal pension may have been used by an individual to contract out while a member of an employer's occupational scheme. Alternatively, the individual could have arrangements with other personal pension providers to which they are making contributions.
| Total number of arrangements | Number where a minimum contribution only has been received | |
|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | 5,000 | 2,450 |
| 1990–91 | 6,250 | 2,750 |
| 1991–92 | 7,300 | 3,050 |
| 1992–93 | 8,100 | 3,050 |
| 1993–94 | 8,050 | 2,900 |
| 1994–95 | 8,700 | 3,070 |
| 1995–96 | 8,570 | 3,020 |
| 1996–97 | 8,530 | 2,960 |
| 1997–98 | 9,150 | 2,930 |
| 1998–99 | 9,630 | 2,950 |
| 1999–2000 | 10,010 | 2,980 |
| 2000–01 | 9,950 | 2,890 |
Due to the simplified regime introduced from April 2001 for personal and stakeholder pensions, estimates on a comparable basis are not available from 2001–02 onwards.
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under what circumstances pensioners who receive their pensions weekly in cash will be able to receive weekly payments if they opt to receive their pensions by automated credit transfer into a bank account. [105545]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson) on 11 March 2003, Official Report,
Post Office Card Accounts
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements have been made to ensure that a Post Office card account holder who has nominated a named carer or home care worker is able to have their pension collected when the carer or home care worker changes unexpectedly. [105257]
Malcolm Wicks: Customers in these circumstances may find that the Post Office card account is not the most suitable account for them. However, if a customer finds themselves in this situation the customer can apply for a second card in the name of their new carer.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the exception scheme for the post office card account will be in place; and what it will cover. [105261]
31 Mar 2003 : Column 607W
Malcolm Wicks: The Department have always recognised that there will be a small number of people who cannot manage to access their benefit or pension via an account, including the post office card account. An alternative method of payment will be used for this group and will be in place when it is required.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) retirement pensioners and (b) recipients of child benefit will be able to arrange weekly payments to a bank or Post Office card account from next month. [105272]
Malcolm Wicks: There will be no change to payment frequency following the move to Direct Payment for retirement pension and child benefit recipients. This means that those customers paid weekly now will continue to be paid weekly after the move to Direct Payment.
Strikes
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many days have been lost in strikes in his Department, including local job centres and social security offices, in London in each year since 1996. [105568]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
Theft/Fraud
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in 2002. [89891]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department treats very seriously any instances of theft or fraud. In instances where a member of staff is proven to have committed fraud against the Department, disciplinary penalties, including dismissal, will be considered in addition to any criminal proceedings. The Department has put a number of measures in place to deter theft and fraud including working with property managers to make buildings more secure, internal fraud investigators actively operating in each government region, security specialists assessing internal security risk within a number of business units, awareness training for staff on internal security, a Whistleblowers hotline for staff to report instances of internal fraud, a portfolio of fact sheets on fraud and securty for staff and regular bulletins to middle managers on internal fraud matters.
31 Mar 2003 : Column 608W
The following tables show the estimated cost of theft and fraud in Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies in the period April 2001 to March 2002. Information on non—departmental public bodies is not available:
| The approximate cost to the DWP of theft in 2001–02 | Items | Valued at (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Department (Corporate Directorates and Services) | (83)— | (83)— |
| Jobcentre Plus(84) | 58 | 55,475 |
| Child Support Agency | 14 | 13,037 |
| Appeals Service | 8 | 6,675 |
| Health and Safety Executive | 22 | 21,420 |
| Non-Departmental Public Bodies | (85)— | (85)— |
| Total | 96,607 |
(83) None reported
(84) Including ex-BA and ex-ES
(85) Not recorded by DWP
| The approximate cost to the DWP of InternalFraud in 2001–02 | £ |
|---|---|
| Department (Corporate Directorates and Services) | 620.20 |
| Ex-Benefits Agency | 208,823.90 |
| Ex-Employment Service | 1,045,977.40 |
| Child Support Agency | 4,111.49 |
| Appeals Service | 203.51 |
| Non-Departmental Public Bodies | (86)— |
| Total | 1,259,736.50 |
(86) Not recorded by DWP
The Department estimates that approximately £2 billion is lost through benefit fraud.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |