| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 May 2003 : Column 93W—continued
Financial Support
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 20 March 2002, Official Report, column 921W, on financial support, what the average length of time to grant indefinite leave to remain on the basis of the domestic violence concession was in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what financial support is available during that time to (a) women who are pregnant or with one or more children and (b) single women
12 May 2003 : Column 94W
for (i) subsistence and (ii) housing costs, including funding for places at refuges for victims of domestic violence. [110983]
Malcolm Wicks: The Home Office is responsible for considering applications for indefinite leave to remain from victims of domestic violence, using the special provisions under the Immigration Rules. Information on the average length of time taken to decide on these applications is not available.
DWP benefits are not available to people in these circumstances until the Home Office is satisfied that a marriage has broken down due to domestic violence, and the victim is given indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. To allow access earlier would undermine the general principle that those who are subject to immigration control have no access to the benefits system.
However, local authorities may be able to provide financial support to people with children under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989. Or where someone can prove that they are destitute and have no other means of support, help may be available through Section 21 of the National Assistance Act.
Housing Benefit
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his letter to the hon. Member for North Norfolk of 23 April 2003, which local authorities in Norfolk have been successful in applying for additional resources from the Performance Standards Fund in respect of handling housing benefit applications; which authorities have worked with the Housing Benefit Help Team; and which authorities are being closely monitored. [112802]
Malcolm Wicks: We have taken a number of steps to improve Housing Benefit administration. We have made an additional £200 million available through a Performance Standards Fund to help local authorities get over some of the barriers to improved performance. We have also set up a Housing Benefit Help Team, which works with local authorities to secure improvements, and we have introduced a system of monitoring and publishing local authority performance on a quarterly basis. Where the performance of an authority causes concern, the chief executive is being asked to provide details of how they intend to improve their benefits service and their performance is being monitored closely.
There are seven local authorities in Norfolk. Of these, Broadland, Great Yarmouth, Kings Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk and Norwich have so far been successful in applying for additional resources from the Performance Standards Fund; Breckland and Norwich have worked with the Housing Benefit Help Team; and we are also closely monitoring the performance of Breckland, Great Yarmouth and North Norfolk.
12 May 2003 : Column 95W
Information Technology
Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's (a) total managed expenditure, (b) total spending on information technology and (c) spending on information technology as a proportion of its total managed expenditure was in each financial year since 1997–98. [107180]
Maria Eagle: The contribution by the Department for Work and Pensions to total managed expenditure can be measured by the total of spending under resource and capital budgets, less non-cash items in AME. Data for 1997–98 to 2001–02 were published in the 2002 Departmental Report (Cm 5424).New estimates will be published in the same table in the 2003 Departmental Report.
Total spending by the Department for Work and Pensions on information technology was £449 million in 2001–02. Of this expenditure, £38 million has been recovered from other Government Departments for work undertaken on their behalf. The Department for Work and Pensions was created in June 2001 by merging elements of the former Department of Social Security and the former Department for Education and Employment. Therefore comparable information on total spending on information technology for the years 1997–98 to 2000–01 is not available.
Invalid Care Allowance
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 6 May 2003, Official Report, column 552W, on invalid care allowance, if he will estimate in how many of the successful claims in each quarter by people over state pension age payment was not made because of the operation of the overlapping benefits regulations. [112367]
Maria Eagle: The available information is in the table.
| Quarter to end of | Successful claims not in payment |
|---|---|
| September 2001 | 885 |
| December 2001 | 770 |
| March 2002 | 870 |
| June 2002 | 860 |
| September 2002 | 4,295 |
| December 2002 | 12,440 |
Source:
100 per cent. data from the CA Computer System (CACS) supplied by Information and Analysis Directorate. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
Market Testing
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated level of saving to the Department is from the use of market testing in 2002–03. [107757]
Maria Eagle: We have not undertaken any market testing programmes during 2002–03. Departments are no longer required to undertake a programme of market
12 May 2003 : Column 96W
testing. They are, however, required to ensure that high quality public services are delivered on the basis of value for money in line with the Better Quality Services ethos.
Ministerial Duties
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements he has made for Ministers in his Department to carry out the duties of the right hon. Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney), with special reference to taking forward the proposals contained in his Green Paper on pensions. [112286]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Comprehensive arrangements were immediately put in place on 4 April 2003 for Ministers in my Department to carry out all of the duties formerly the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield including taking forward the proposals contained in the Green Paper "Simplicity, security and choice: Working and saving for retirement" (Cm 5677).
Pensioners
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has commissioned regarding support for pensioners in (a) Ireland and (b) other EU member states. [112636]
Malcolm Wicks: The United Kingdom has contributed to the voluntary exchange of information and good practice by EU member states within a framework of common objectives on pensions covering adequacy, financial sustainability and modernisation. As part of this process, the EU spring council on 21 March adopted the joint commission and council report on Adequate and Sustainable Pensions which sets out the approach of each member state, including Ireland. A copy of the Joint Report is in the Library.
In 2001, the Department published 'Cross-country comparisons of pensioners' incomes' by Richard Disney and Edward Whitehouse (DSS Research Report No.142). The research looked at 12 comparative studies of incomes and poverty among older people in OECD countries including Ireland.
Pensions
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he will review the introduction of a compulsory employer contribution to stakeholder pensions as part of the pensions green paper consultation. [110860]
Maria Eagle: There is no proposal in the Green Paper "Simplicity, security and choice: Working and saving for retirement", (Cm 5677), to introduce compulsory employer contributions to stakeholder pensions. However, the Government is keen to encourage employers to make pension contributions. As we pointed out in the Green Paper, employer contributions are a major factor in encouraging take up of stakeholder pensions by employees. The generous tax relief available on employers pension contributions supports this.
The Government believe that the long-standing voluntarist pension system in this country, based on a partnership with employees, employers, pension providers and government all working together, is the
12 May 2003 : Column 97W
way forward. The Green Paper put forward radical proposals to simplify the tax rules, provide better information about pension choices, help people to work for longer and provide more protection for employees whilst simplifying administration for those who run pension schemes. These proposals will renew the pensions partnership and make the voluntarist system work better.
The Green Paper also announced the setting up of a pensions commission, chaired by Adair Turner, to provide an independent check on the progress of the voluntarist pension system and to make recommendations to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on whether there is a case for moving beyond the current voluntarist approach.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions where his Department has conducted research to assess the benefits of targeting pensions advice at workers that have recently entered new permanent positions. [111436]
Maria Eagle: The Green Paper 'Simplicity, security and choice: working and saving for retirement', recognised the vital part that the workplace plays in pension provision and set out the Government's proposals for working with employers to encourage and facilitate the provision of better pensions information to employees and prospective employees.
To date no research has been conducted by my Department to assess the benefits of targeting pensions advice at employees that have recently entered new permanent posts. However, we are now concluding a wide-ranging consultation exercise in which we have sought views on the Green Paper proposals. We have received more than 800 written responses and we will be setting out our plans, including any plans for research in this area, in more detail in due course.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many submissions received during the online consultation on the pensions Green Paper were edited or amended before being made public. [110902]
Maria Eagle: 20 messages were edited before publication.
11 appeared as 'edited' because the title of the message was changed so that it did not mislead people into thinking that replies to the 'message from the Minister' were from the Minister.
5 edits were made to remove web links where the content of the website that was linked to was potentially libellous, and to remove names of individuals or companies that could also have been potentially unfair.
4 were edited as they asked specific questions on their own pensions situation and there was concern about other participants giving them misleading advice. Those participants were given details of how to contact the relevant department for their concern.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many submissions were received during the online consultation on the pensions Green Paper; and how many submissions are not to be made
12 May 2003 : Column 98W
public (a) because the author specifically asked for their comments to be kept private and (b) for other reasons. [110903]
Maria Eagle: A total of 186 messages were posted to the four forums.
The online consultation was independently pre-moderated by the Hansard Society to ensure that comments posted through the discussion were appropriate and lawful.
No comments were withheld from publication due to the request of the author.
16 contributions were not made public, as they breached the rules published on the website. Of those, four were repeat postings—where people had posted the same message in all of the forums; and 12 were not published as they were off-topic.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |