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1 Apr 2003 : Column 673W—continued
Departmental Creche Facilities
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what creche facilities are provided by his Department; and at what cost. [104304]
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Mr. McCartney: The current provisions available are:
| Total number | Places | |
|---|---|---|
| Nurseries | 26 | 443 |
| Playschemes | 100 | 1,364 |
Financial accountability is mainly at local business unit level and so details of the overall costs incurred in providing assistance with childcare are not available centrally. Investment in each childcare facility is based on a business case which must demonstrate business viability and value for money.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants have been employed by (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental bodies in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [92400]
Mr. McCartney : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 22 January 2003.
Health and Safety Executive
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many prosecutions have been made by the Health and Safety Executive in each year since it was established. [104151]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The number of prosecutions following HSE investigation in each year since HSE was established is as follows:
| Year | Separate offences prosecuted (Great Britain) |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 2,956 |
| 1976 | 2,169 |
| 1977 | 2,768 |
| 1978 | 2,582 |
| 1979 | 2,127 |
| 1980 | 2,438 |
| 1981 | 1,892 |
| 1982 | 2,351 |
| 1983 | 2,238 |
| 1984 | 2,209 |
| 1985 | 2,321 |
| 1986–87 | 2,199 |
| 1987–88 | 2,337 |
| 1988–89 | 2,328 |
| 1989–90 | 2,653 |
| 1990–91 | 2,312 |
| 1991–92 | 2,424 |
| 1992–93 | 2,157 |
| 1993–94 | 1,793 |
| 1994–95 | 1,803 |
| 1995–96 | 1,767 |
| 1996–97 | 1,490 |
| 1997–98 | 1,627 |
| 1998–99 | 1,759 |
| 1999–2000 | 2,115 |
| 2000–01 | 1,973 |
| 2001–02(12) | 2,035 |
(12) Provisional
1. The figures given are for calendar years between 1975 and 1985 and for planning years (1 April to 31 March) from 1986–87 onwards. The figures before 1985 rely on published data. A figure for the planning year 1985–86 is not available.
2. In England and Wales, HSE inspectors initiate prosecutions. In Scotland, the Procurator Fiscal decides whether to bring a prosecution; HSE recommends prosecution when this is justified following an investigation.
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Hepatitis C
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 25 March 2003, Official Report, column 171W, on Hepatitis C, what broader issues have been raised; and which Government Departments are involved in the discussions. [106485]
Malcolm Wicks: The Scottish Executive's proposal to compensate Hepatitis C sufferers who contracted the virus through contaminated blood has raised the issue of the legal competence of the Scottish Executive, which has wider implications for the UK Government as a whole.
It would be inappropriate for me to comment further until discussions about the proposal have reached a conclusion.
Income Statistics
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average net income of (a) female workers, (b) male workers and (c) all workers is in (i) Great Britain and (ii) Scotland. [105008]
Ms Hewitt: The average weekly net income figures for 2000–01 are in the table:
| Great Britain | Scotland | |
|---|---|---|
| Female workers | 226 | 217 |
| Male workers | 358 | 335 |
| All workers | 299 | 282 |
IT Facilities
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library copies of guidelines issued to staff in his Department and its agencies on appropriate use of IT facilities; if he will list the dates on which they were (a) published and (b) distributed; and if he will make a statement on the means by which the information was disseminated to staff members. [105576]
Mr. McCartney: Since the Department for Work and Pensions was created in June 2001 the following guidance on the use of IT has been issued:
- Internal Security fact sheets—issued to all staff in July 2002
Managers Guide to Security—published on the Departmental intranet in August 2002
Electronic Media Policy—published on the Departmental intranet in August 2002.
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Hospital Discharges/Readmissions
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) discharge and (b) re-admission (i) rates and (ii) causes are closely monitored by NHS trusts. [105395]
Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply.
Data on delayed discharges and re-admissions are collected centrally every three months. The National Health Service and social services departments have an interest in monitoring these as part of planning to achieve national priorities and targets. In preparing for implementation of the Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc) Bill, health and social care agencies will also have an incentive in tracking individual patients through the system to understand the causes of delays and re-admissions.
Child Dependency Increases/Benefits
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in which month new claims to child dependency increases in each of the non-means tested benefits will be abolished for new claimants; and how many families in each subsequent year are expected to be affected by the change. [100797]
Malcolm Wicks: Child dependency increases (CDIs) in Incapacity Benefit, Invalid Care Allowance, Retirement Pension, Severe Disablement Allowance, Widowed Mother's Allowance and Widowed Parent's Allowance will be abolished for new claimants in April 2003. It is estimated that around 211,000 families currently claim a CDI in these benefits.
There were around 20,000 new claims to CDIs in Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance and Invalid Care Allowance in both 2000–01 and 2001–02. Figures for Retirement Pension, Widowed Mother's Allowance and Widowed Parent's Allowance are not available.
From April, families on these benefits will be eligible to-receive the Child Tax Credit—regardless of whether or not they are in receipt of a CDI. Many will become eligible for income-related support for the first time, meaning that 85 per cent. CDI recipients would gain from the introduction of CTC even if existing entitlements were not preserved.
Pensioners
Mr. Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Hamilton, South receive the minimum income guarantee. [106578]
Mr. McCartney: As at November 2002 there were 2,800 people receiving the minimum income guarantee in the Hamilton, South constituency.
- Source:
- Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, November 2002.
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to encourage those pensioners who resent means-testing to obtain the benefit of the new pension credit. [105816]
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Mr. McCartney: Under Pension Credit pensioners will not be subjected to the old weekly means test, which will be replaced by a new form of assessment that is much less intrusive. Claiming Pension Credit will involve a simple phone call on a free telephone line making it easy to apply for. From age 65 most pensioners will have their entitlement fixed for five years. Only significant changes in their circumstances such as marriage, change of address or death of a partner will have to be reported.
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her estimate is of the number of pensioners entitled to the pension credit. [106447]
Mr. McCartney: The number of individuals estimated to be eligible for Pension Credit is 4.9 million (3.8 million pensioner households).
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the first pensioners not currently receiving their pensions by ACT will receive a letter from his Department setting out the future options for their pension payment; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter that has been sent to such pensioners in pilot areas. [105615]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 28 March 2003]: The Department is issuing individual mailings to customers to inform them of the move to Direct Payment. For pension customers this began in January 2003 and will continue until around October 2004. In addition to this we are planning to run national and regional press advertising this month and plan further advertising from May onwards. The aim is to educate our customers about the changes, the options they have and the action they should take. It will be up to the individual to decide the option that best meets their needs and circumstances.
A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to increase the basic state pension; and if he will re-introduce the link to earnings. [106092]
Mr. McCartney: We have already announced that from April 2003, the basic state pension will increase to £77.45 for single pensioners and to £123. 80 for married couples. Additionally, the minimum income guarantee will increase to £102.10 for single pensioners and £155.80 for couples. Restoring the earnings link does nothing to help poorer pensioners. We will be spending around £7.5 billion extra on pensioners in 2003–04 as a result of measures introduced since 1997. This includes around £3.5 billion that is being spent on the poorest third of pensioners—almost six times as much as an earnings link in the basic state pension since 1998 would have given them. Increases in the basic state pension over the last three years have given single pensioners £1.10 a week more than an earnings link would have given them and £1.75 a week more for couples.
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