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28 Apr 2003 : Column 190W—continued
Lone Parents
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will make a statement on the reasons given by lone parents in Hendon for (a) declining to participate in New Deal and (b) failing to retain employment obtained (i) through New Deal and (ii) otherwise; [109026]
- (2) what barriers to work he has identified as facing lone parents in Hendon; what he plans to do to overcome those barriers; and if he will make a statement. [109027]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Research carried out to investigate the labour market participation of lone parents in London found that the three top barriers to employment were availability and cost of child care, concerns about financial uncertainty in moving from benefit into work and cost of housing and council tax to a lone a parent in work.
Informal feedback is that lone parents in Hendon are reporting similar concerns as those identified by the research.
The New Deal for Lone Parents offers advice and support tailored to the individual needs of each lone parent which takes account of any particular problems they face because of the area they live in.
There are currently two New Deal for Lone Parents advisers working full-time at Hendon Jobcentre. Both work in outreach in the community and have surgeries at Hendon and Edgware Social Security offices. The local Jobcentre Plus district has a marketing strategy focused on lone parents which has included job fairs with children's activities, school breakfast clubs and outreach surgeries.
The combination of the child care component of our new Tax Credits and the extra places created through our National Childcare Strategy are making child care affordable and accessible for parents moving into work. Lone Parents can also benefit from payments of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit at pre-work levels for four weeks following starting work to help them through what can be a difficult transition period. Combined with the national minimum wage and working tax credits, we are making work possible and making work pay.
In addition, the Budget announced a number of measures to help overcome barriers to work, including Discovery Week pilots to boost and increase the familiarity of lone parents with the help and support available to them. From 2004 we will also introduce a new mentoring service across the country tailored
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specifically for lone parents; and from April 2004 child care tester pilots to allow lone parents to test whether formal child care suits their needs.
New Deal 50 Plus
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proposals he has to make the New Deal 50 Plus Scheme available to over 50s on the first day they become unemployed. [109130]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: We have no plans for day one entry to New Deal 50 plus. New Deal programmes are aimed at those most in need of help to find sustainable employment and move from welfare to work. The majority of unemployed people, including those aged 50 and over, find work unassisted within the first six months of unemployment.
Our Green Paper "Simplicity Security and Choice: Working and Saving for Retirement", sets out our proposals to further increase the employment of older people and to widen choice and opportunity for older people to stay in work longer. The proposals include a package of more intensive back to work help for people aged 50 and over including extending the support available through New Deal 50 Plus so that individually tailored help for each customer can be drawn from a range of possible options.
Pension Credit
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the age addition on the state pension is worth per week; if he plans to increase the pension credit; and if he will allow pensioners to claim mobility benefit. [106095]
Maria Eagle: The age addition for state pensioners aged 80 and over is 25 pence per week.
Pension credit will be increased at least in line with earnings for the rest of this Parliament.
There are no plans to change the rules governing entitlement to the disability living allowance mobility component.
Pensioner Households
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average percentage difference between men's and women's pensions was in (a) 1973, (b) 1980, (c) 1990 and (d) 2000; what measures he is taking to reduce the gap; and if he will make a statement. [106128]
Maria Eagle: We have answered the question in relation to the average amounts of state pension paid to men and women. The available information is shown in the following table:
| All (£ per week) | Men (£ per week) | Women (£ per week) | Women's pension as a percentage of men's | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1972 | 6.34 | 7.00 | 5.99 | 85.6 |
| November 1980 | 25.27 | 28.21 | 23.64 | 83.8 |
| September 1990 | 46.04 | 54.76 | 41.36 | 75.5 |
| September 2000 | 67.40 | 81.71 | 59.05 | 72.3 |
1. Figures for all years for women include pension paid on their own and their husband's contributions.
2. 1990 and 1980 figures exclude increase for dependants.
3. 1972 figures exclude old person's pension.
4. Pension Strategy Computer System, 5 per cent. sample at 30 September 2000.
5. Social Security Statistics September 1990, November 1980 and November 1972.
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We recognise that the majority of pensioners are women, and are committed to ensuring that our pension reforms improve women's pension rights.
Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) was introduced in 1978 to assist people, especially women, who were precluded from work for periods by caring responsibilities, to maintain their entitlement to basic state pension. The state second pension introduced in April 2002 is of particular benefit to women, many of whom work part-time or as carers.
We have announced that HRP will be extended to foster carers for each full tax year for which they are registered as an approved foster carer. This means that they will be covered for periods when they are awaiting a placement and will benefit emergency foster carers who are ready to take in a child at any time. It is expected that around 7,000 to 8,000 foster carers will benefit from this each year.
In addition to changes to state pension, we have made other changes that will be of particular help to women. We introduced the winter fuel payment which is worth £200 per household and the minimum income guarantee which this year is £102.10 a week for a single pensioner and £155.80 for a couple. From October 2003, the new pension credit will benefit lower income pensioners further still. Two thirds of people receiving pension credit will be women, half of whom will be aged 80 or over. Also, in the 2003 Budget we announced that an extra £100 will be paid to households with someone aged 80 or over for the lifetime of this Parliament.
In April 2001, stakeholder pensions were introduced as part of the long-term reforms to ensure that everyone has the chance to save for a decent income in retirement.
So far, a series of leaflets have been produced to inform the public of the pension options open to them. One of these—"Pensions for Women"—outlines the pension options available specifically for women. Also in the recent Green Paper "Simplicity, security and choice: Working and saving for retirement" we have said that we propose to look at how best to ensure that women are aware of their pension position and the choices they make.
Press Office
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are employed in his Department's press office; and how many were employed on 2 May 1997. [108390]
Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 23 July 2002, Official Report, column 1038.
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The Department of Work and Pensions was formed on 8 June 2001 from parts of the former Department of Social Security, parts of the former Department for Education and Employment, and the Employment Service.
The Department currently employs 15 press officers. A further 15 press officers work in the regions (England, Scotland and Wales) providing specific advice on local services that are now being rolled out.
For the year 1997, I refer the hon. Member to appendix 11 of the Report on GIGS by the Select Committee on Public Spending (28 July 1998) where Appendix 11 lists the number and cost of press officers per Department in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Sure Start
Mr. Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what initiatives are being funded through the Sure Start scheme within the Harwich constituency. [107710]
Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 March 2003, Official Report, column 409W.
Weekly Pension Payments
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the 25p weekly payment to pensioners over 80 will be kept as a distinct payment. [110272]
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Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Bolton, South-East (Dr. Iddon) on 11 April 2003, Official Report, column 471W.
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