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11 Apr 2003 : Column 467W—continued
WORK AND PENSIONS
Ageism
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to improve the information that is publicly available on progress towards implementing the recommendations in the Winning the Generation Game report. [107412]
Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Answer given by my right hon. Friend the former Minister for Pensions, Ian McCartney, on 22 October 2002, Official Report, column 201W. Information on progress on the Winning the Generation Game report's recommendations is in the Library and is publicly available on the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/innovation/about/impacts.shtm_WINNING
The recommendations relating to extending working life in Winning the Generation Game (numbers 31 and 32) have been incorporated as proposals in the Green Paper "Simplicity, Security and Choice", Cm 5677. The Government have received a large number of responses to this consultation and is currently analysing them.
Benefit Payments
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which non-governmental bodies are being consulted about the details of the exceptions service for people who are unable or unwilling to have their benefits paid direct into a bank account. [107410]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department regularly consults with a range of non-governmental bodies, representing the interests of some of our most vulnerable customers. These discussions will help inform the development of a method of payment for those customers whose benefits cannot be paid directly into an account.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements are in place to ensure that benefit payments are paid without interruption to people who change bank accounts. [107411]
Malcolm Wicks: If a customer wishes to change bank accounts for receipt of benefit, they need to notify the Department in writing. Staff are instructed to take immediate action on receipt of the customer's new account details to ensure there is no interruption to benefit. If the customer needs time to change account details, payment by an alternative method can be arranged to ensure continuity of benefit.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 20 March 2003 to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb), Official Report, column 917W, on benefit recipients, how many of the people contacted in the follow-up calls to those who had not responded to the letter about direct payment of benefits have since indicated an intention to move away from paper-based payment methods; and how many of them have opted for a Post Office card account. [107516]
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Malcolm Wicks: As at 27 March 2003, approximately 150,000 customers have been contacted as part of the follow-up procedures for those customers who have not responded to the initial Direct Payment mailing. So far around 52,000 positive contacts have been made, and of this number, around 6,000 customers have requested a Post Office card account.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 20 March 2003 to the hon. Member for Jarrow (Mr. Hepburn), Official Report, column 911W, on benefits payments, how many benefit recipients there are in each constituency in Great Britain; and how many of them collect their benefits from post offices, excluding those who use network banking arrangements. [107561]
Malcolm Wicks: The information has been placed in the Library. The information is from figures based on information available at 22 February 2003.
Information is held on the method of payment on individual benefit records. Some benefits are payable directly into bank or building society accounts and some are only able to be cashed at a post office. Giro cheques. however, may either be cashed at a post office, or paid into a bank or building society. For the purposes of this question, Giro cheques have been included as payments collected from post offices.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effects on post offices of direct bank payment of benefits. [108227]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department has made no such assessment.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures he has taken to promote post offices as a continuing option for receiving benefits payments. [108228]
Malcolm Wicks: We will write to customers when it is their turn to change their method of payment. Customers will be supplied directly with information which clearly sets out their account options and enables them to decide which account is right for them. All our material mentions Post Office access.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his written answer of 31 March 2003, Official Report, column 607W, whether he plans to offer weekly benefit payments by direct payment to new recipients of retirement pension and child benefit. [108817]
Malcolm Wicks: From this year, customers will be able to receive payments by Direct Payment on a weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly, 13-weekly or yearly basis. The precise frequency will depend on the payment rules which apply to the particular benefit they are receiving. New recipients of Retirement Pension will be able to receive their pension weekly by Direct Payment should they choose. New Child Benefit customers will need to meet the criteria that currently exists to qualify for weekly payments.
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Benefits
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason the Child Benefit Agency in its letter to beneficiaries about the ending of Post Office payment by benefit book (a) urges recipients to open bank or post office accounts and (b) makes no reference to the Post Office card. [108323]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department is running a national and comprehensive information campaign to give customers the facts they need to choose the account option which best meets their needs and circumstances. This started with mailings to customers from October last year and we expanded the campaign from early this year to include the media and press.
People are provided with the information they need on all of their "banking options", including which accounts can be used at Post Office branches. All customer information mentions the Post Office card account and sets out clearly what they need to do to open one. It will be up to the customers themselves to decide which type of account they wish to have their money paid into, and those people who want to open a Post Officecard account will be able to do so.
Benefits (Internet)
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to publicise the take-up of means-tested benefits on the internet; and if he will make a statement. [108806]
Maria Eagle: Information is provided on all benefits on the Department's internet site. The information explains people's rights and reponsibilities.
British Sign Language
Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his written statement of 1 March 2003, Official Report, column 41WS, on British Sign Language, what decisions have been reached regarding the allocation of funding for initiatives to raise awareness of British Sign Language; and how organisations may apply for funding. [108802]
Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 7 April 2003, Official Report, columns 84–5W.
Commercial Confidentiality
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department issues to civil servants on how to deal with claims from organisations that the information they provide to the Department is commercially confidential. [105562]
Maria Eagle: Staff are advised that any information, not already in the public domain, provided by organisations engaged in tendering for departmental contracts, is commercially confidential and restricted to those involved in the contracting process.
Outside the confines of the tendering process, there is a presumption in favour of openness. The onus is on the organisations to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Department that publication and dissemination of the information would cause them commercial harm.
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Where appropriate, staff are advised to seek guidance from departmental procurement officers in specific cases.
Departmental Staffing
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people in his Department were employed to calculate entitlement to the minimum income guarantee, prior to the creation of the Pensions Service; [102601]
- (2) how many people in his Department were employed to calculate entitlement to contributory retirement pensions, including state earnings-related pensions, prior to the creation of the Pensions Service; and of these, how many were based in (a) Newcastle, (b) local offices and (c) at other sites. [102602]
Maria Eagle: Prior to the establishment of The Pension Service, the Department did not routinely capture information relating to staff numbers by benefit category.
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