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3 Jun 2003 : Column 380W—continued
Waiting Times
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency departments performed better than average for waiting times during the monitoring week at the end of March 2003 compared to the previous 51 weeks; and which they were. [116454]
Mr. Lammy: The NHS Plan set the target to reduce by the end of 2004, the maximum time any patient spends in accident and emergency (A&E) from arrival to transfer, discharge or admission to four hours. A national interim milestone was set for 90 per cent. of patients to spend less than four hours in A&E by week ending 30 March 2003.
Provisional management information suggests that over two thirds of trusts were performing better by week ending 30 March than their average for the whole year. This would be expected due to the gradual improvement needed nationally to achieve the 90 per cent, milestone from the figure of 77 per cent., achieved in March 2002.
Final information detailing performance of individual trusts at the end of March will be made available as part of the performance ratings later in the summer.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people waited over 12 months for an operation in Hull and the East Riding in the last quarter for which figures are available; and what the figures were for the preceding four quarters. [116734]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Quarter ending | Organisation | Over 12 month waiters |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2002 | Hull and East Riding HA | 303 |
| 30 June 2002 | East Yorkshire PCT | 24 |
| 30 June 2002 | Yorkshire Wolds and Coast PCT | 27 |
| 30 June 2002 | Eastern Hull PCT | 38 |
| 30 June 2002 | West Hull PCT | 48 |
| 30 September 2002 | East Yorkshire PCT | 0 |
| 30 September 2002 | Yorkshire Wolds and Coast PCT | 2 |
| 30 September 2002 | Eastern Hull PCT | 7 |
| 30 September 2002 | West Hull PCT | 7 |
| 31 December 2002 | East Yorkshire PCT | 6 |
| 31 December 2002 | Yorkshire Wolds and Coast PCT | 18 |
| 31 December 2002 | Eastern Hull PCT | 9 |
| 31 December 2002 | West Hull PCT | 16 |
| 31 March 2003 | East Yorkshire PCT | 0 |
| 31 March 2003 | Yorkshire Wolds & Coast PCT | 0 |
| 31 March 2003 | Eastern Hull PCT | 0 |
| 31 March 2003 | West Hull PCT | 0 |
Source:
Department of Health form QF01
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients admitted to accident and emergency departments in Hull and East Yorkshire waited longer than 12 hours prior to admission, transfer or discharge, in the last quarter for which figures are available; and how many there were in the preceding four quarters. [116764]
3 Jun 2003 : Column 381W
Jacqui Smith: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25 March 2003, Official Report, column 187W.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Biocides Directive
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Biocides Directive. [115800]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC was implemented in Great Britain by the Biocidal Products Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/880) (as amended), which came into force on 6 April 2001, and in Northern Ireland by the Biocidal Products Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 (SR2001/422) (as amended), which came into operation on 16 January 2002. Copies of the Regulations are available in the Library.
Antisocial Behaviour
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the basis was for his statement on page 1 of Annex B of his Consultation Paper on Housing Benefit Sanctions and Anti-Social Behaviour regarding the relative effects of anti-social behaviour on (a) tenants in social housing and (b) people in deprived areas. [116726]
Malcolm Wicks: There have been a number of recent analyses of anti-social behaviour. For example:
The Report of Policy Action Team 8: Anti-social behaviour, published in March 2000; and
Anti-social Behaviour and Disorder: Findings from the 2000 British Crime Survey. Findings 145 (Budd T and Sims L; Home Office 2001), quoted in "Tackling Anti-social Behaviour in Mixed Tenure Areas" (research report; ODPM 2003).
Both reports covered the areas referred to in the consultation paper.
Benefits
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the numbers of claimants who experienced a delay in claiming benefits in the last 12 months because the nature of their incapacity prevented them from claiming; and how long the average delay was. [115520]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available.
A person has. up to three months following the date they become eligible for incapacity benefit in which to make a claim. In addition, claims for Income Support can be backdated for up to three months if the person making the claim is ill or disabled and it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain help in making the claim earlier.
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many JSA claimants were subject to a benefit sanction for breach of the labour market condition or New Deal rule in each quarter since the start of 1997, broken down by the categories by which they are recorded. [113932]
3 Jun 2003 : Column 382W
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 19 May 2003]: Information is only recorded on the number of sanctions imposed. It is not possible to say how many individuals have been sanctioned as an individual could be subject to more than one sanction. Information on the number of sanctions imposed for the periods requested is published in the quarterly publications Labour Market Statistics Analysis of Adjudication Officers Decisions and, from the quarter ending 30 June 2002, the Labour Market Statistics Analysis of Sector Decision Making. Copies of these publications are available in the Library.
Carers Premium
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 19 May 2003, Official Report, columns 636–37W, ref 112670, what the (a) cost is and (b) how many beneficiaries there are of extending the carers premium to those with an established entitlement to carers allowance who are in receipt of a basic state pension but no other benefit that would disqualify the beneficiary by virtue of the overlapping benefit rules. [115917]
Maria Eagle: People in receipt of basic state pension who are entitled to, but not receiving the carer's allowance because of the overlapping benefit rules are able to receive a carer premium in the minimum income guarantee.
Child Support Agency
John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how long it will take to process new applications to the Child Support Agency under the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2002. [116577]
Malcolm Wicks: We have set a target to be achieved by the end of 2003–04 for the Agency to establish maintenance payment arrangements on average within six weeks of first receiving an application that will be calculated under the new scheme.
Compensation
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the time threshold is for the payment of compensation in recognition of undue delay in processing (a) attendance allowance, (b) attendance allowance (special rules), (c) attendance allowance (renewals), (d) bereavement benefit, (e) child benefit, (f) disability living allowance, (g) disability living allowance (special rules), (h) incapacity benefit, (i) income support, (j) invalidity benefit, (k) jobseeker's allowance (contributory), (l) jobseeker's allowance (income based), (m) maternity allowance, (n) sickness benefit, (o) social fund community care grants and budgeting loans, (p) social fund (funeral) payments, (q) social fund (maternity) payments, (r) unemployment benefit, (s) widows benefit and (t) widows payment; [115506]
- (2) in how many cases where there has been a delay in processing benefits that does not breach the indicator of delay compensation has compensation been paid in each year since 1997, broken down by benefit category. [115508]
3 Jun 2003 : Column 383W
Malcolm Wicks: Financial redress for maladministration can be considered when the payment of benefit is unreasonably and exceptionally delayed due to official error and the indicator of delay has been breached for that benefit. The information requested on indicators of delay is in the table.
Financial redress for delays in the payment of benefit cannot be considered unless the relevant indicator is breached. Information is not, therefore, available in cases where the relevant indicator has not been breached.
| Benefit | Length of delay (Months) |
|---|---|
| Attendance Allowance (including renewals) | 7 |
| Attendance Allowance (Special Rules) | 2 |
| Bereavement Allowance | 4 |
| Bereavement Payment | 2 |
| Child Benefit | 4 |
| Disability Living Allowance | 7 |
| Disability Living Allowance (Special Rules) | 2 |
| Incapacity Benefit | 4 |
| Income Support | 2 |
| Invalidity Benefit | 4 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance (Income-based and contributory) | 3 |
| Maternity Allowance | 5 |
| Sickness Benefit | 4 |
| Social Fund Community Care Grants and Budgeting Loans | 3 |
| Social Fund Funeral Payments | 5 |
| Social Fund Sure Start Maternity Grants | 3 |
| Unemployment Benefit | 2 |
| Widowed Parents Allowance | 4 |
| Widows Benefit | 4 |
| Widows Payment | 2 |
Notes:
1. Incapacity benefit replaced invalidity benefit and sickness benefit from April 1995.
2. Jobseeker's allowance replaced unemployment benefit from October 1996.
3. Bereavement benefits replaced widows payments and widows benefit (for new claims) from April 2001.
4. The Inland Revenue took over the administration of child benefit from April 2003.
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