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28 Apr 2003 : Column 76W—continued
WORK AND PENSIONS
Back to Work Bonuses
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals have received back to work bonuses in each of the last three years; and at what cost to public funds. [108918]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 11 April 2003]: Information on the cost of administering Back To Work Bonus is not available separately. Therefore, it is not possible to give the total cost to public funds of Back To Work Bonus. The available information is in the table.
| Total number of payments(19) | Total amountpaid(20) | |
|---|---|---|
| Period | (£thousand) | (£million) |
| April 2000—March 2001 | 39,000 | 15 |
| April 2001—March 2002 | 35,000 | 13 |
| April 2002—March 2003 | 29,000 | 1135,000 |
(19) Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand
(20) Figures are rounded to the nearest million.
Source:DWP benefit computer systems
Employment Relations Act
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department have taken time off from work in order to attend to domestic incidents as provided for by the Employment Relations Act 1999 [108354]
Maria Eagle: Responsibility for authorising and recording such leave is devolved to individual management units, and could be collected only at a disproportionate cost.
Domestic Violence
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to answer of 28 March, Official Report, column 437W, on domestic violence, how many claims were made which (a) were successful and (b) were not successful for community care grants by victims of domestic violence in each year since 1998 for which figures are available. [108179]
Malcolm Wicks: The available information is in the table.
| Year | Awards | Refusals |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 8,400 | N/A(21) |
| 1999–2000 | 8,200 | 2,300 |
| 2000–01 | 7,500 | 2,400 |
| 2001–02 | 8,100 | 2,500 |
| 2002–03 | 8,000 | 2,400 |
Notes:
1. A comparable figure for the number of refusals in 1998–99 is not available because prior to 1999–00 the data were based on a different method of counting.
2. The information relates only to those applications for community care grants made specifically as a result of domestic violence. Community care grant applications may also have been made for other reasons by other people who have been the victims of domestic violence.
3. Figures are for initial awards and refusals only and do not include awards following review.
4. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
Source:DWP Social Fund Policy Budget Management Information System.
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Unemployability Supplement
Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will increase the earnings threshold for dependent spouses in receipt of the unemployability supplement. [108880]
Dr. Moonie: I have been asked to reply.
Additional allowances for dependent spouses are payable under the War Pensions Scheme, which is administered by the Ministry of Defence's Veterans Agency. The allowances were increased with effect from 7 April 2003 as part of the annual uprating exercise and, at the same time, the weekly income limit for dependent spouses of recipients of unemployability supplement was raised to £54.65.
Winter Fuel Payments
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision he has made for the winter fuel payment to be claimed by United Kingdom citizens moving from the United Kingdom to a European economic area country shortly before reaching their sixtieth birthday. [109150]
Maria Eagle: If a person moves from Great Britain before qualifying for a winter fuel payment, he or she will not be able to receive payments while living in other EEA countries. Whether a person qualifies for a winter fuel payment initially will depend on their personal circumstances, including whether they normally live in Great Britain, during the relevant qualifying week.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Iraq
Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on whether the international debt accumulated by the Ba'ath Party regime in Iraq will continue to apply to a post-war administration. [108901]
Mr. Boateng: I have been asked to reply.
A change of government does not in itself affect a country's international debt obligations. However, the UK Government have made it clear they will seek a fair and sustainable solution to Iraq's debt problems.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Enforced Subject Access
Harry Cohen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will bring forward legislation to activate the offence associated with Enforced Subject Access in the Data Protection Act 1998; and if she will make a statement. [104408]
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Yvette Cooper: Once it is commenced, section 56 of the Data Protection Act 1998 will outlaw enforced subject access. Section 75(4) of the 1998 Act makes commencement of that provision conditional upon sections 112 (which relates to Basic Disclosures), 113 (Standard Disclosures) and 115 (Enhanced Disclosures) of the Police Act 1997 all being in force. As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has made clear, the priority for the Criminal Records Bureau is to ensure that the demand for Standard and Enhanced Disclosures is fully met. But it remains the aim to introduce Basic Disclosures, and to bring section 56 of the 1998 Act into force, as soon as practicable.
Advertising Campaigns
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what his Department's total spending was on advertising and promotional campaigns between April 2002 and March 2003; and what the cost of each campaign was, broken down by costs relating to (a) television, (b) radio and (c) print media. [106444]
Ms Rosie Winterton: My Department did not incur any such costs.
Care Reports
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many care reports have been (a) delayed and (b) not delivered to magistrates courts in Sedgemoor and West Somerset in the last 12 months. [107257]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Telephone Directory
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the most recent internal phone directory for the Department was published; how often it is updated; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [101789]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Lord Chancellor's Department maintains a hard copy, internal phone directory, the most recent edition of which was published in October 2002. It is revised at six monthly intervals and the next update is due in April 2003.
An electronic version is also maintained on the Department's Infonet. This is updated daily and a hard copy can be produced as required.
As key contact details are already published in the Civil Service Yearbook it is not intended to place copies of the full internal telephone directory in the Libraries of both Houses.
Employment Relations Act
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many staff in the Lord Chancellor's Department have taken time off from work in order to attend to domestic incidents as provided for by the Employment Relations Act 1999. [108349]
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Ms Rosie Winterton: My Department has in place a wide range of paid special leave arrangements to assist staff who are faced with a family crisis or a domestic emergency, which exceed the provision of a reasonable period of unpaid leave as specified in the Employment Relations Act 1999.
Authorisation and monitoring of paid special leave and unpaid emergency family leave has been devolved to line managers and could be collated only at a disproportionate cost.
Land Registration
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations she has received about the Land Registration Fees Order. [107785]
Ms Rosie Winterton: No formal representations were received on Land Registry's current Fees Order which came into effect on 1 March 2003. This order, which replaced the Land Registration Fees Order 2001, is expected to reduce Land Registry's fee income in a full year by around 10.5 per cent. in line with efficiency savings and Government targets.
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