House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 23 Jun 2003 (pt 27)

23 Jun 2003 : Column 629W—continued

Energy Efficiency

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets his Department has for improving energy efficiency; and how he intends to achieve these targets. [116648]

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 580W.

Health and Safety

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many prosecutions for breaches of Health and Safety legislation in Bedfordshire took place in (a) 2002 and (b) each of the preceding three years. [119691]

Mr. Browne: The information is in the table.

Number of health and safety at work prosecutions by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities in Bedfordshire

Year⁽⁴⁷⁾ Separate offences prosecuted

2001–02⁽⁴⁸⁾ 26.

2000–01 23

1999–2000 8

1998–99 23

Year⁽⁴⁷⁾	Separate offences prosecuted
2001–02⁽⁴⁸⁾	26.
2000–01	23
1999–2000	8
1998–99	23

⁽⁴⁷⁾ The annual basis is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March.

⁽⁴⁸⁾ HSE figure only. Figures for local authorities will be available in July 2003.

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the funding for the Health and Safety Executive in (a) 2003–04 and (b) each of the last three years. [119692]

Mr. Browne: The information is in the table.

⁽⁴⁹⁾Budget (£ million)

2000–01⁽⁵⁰⁾ 181.3

2001–02⁽⁵¹⁾ 199.4

2002–03 210.4

2003–04 225.5

	⁽⁴⁹⁾Budget (£ million)
2000–01⁽⁵⁰⁾	181.3
2001–02⁽⁵¹⁾	199.4
2002–03	210.4
2003–04	225.5

⁽⁴⁹⁾ The funding has been interpreted as the total amount voted by Parliament.

⁽⁵⁰⁾ The budget for 2000–01 was the last under the cash budget system.

⁽⁵¹⁾ The increase in the funding was due to the introduction/implementation of Resource Accounting and Budgeting in Government Departments. Under RAB, all departments produce budgets and accounts on an accruals basis, which include costs for depreciation, cost of capital and provisions for liabilities.

23 Jun 2003 : Column 630W

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work-related (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries occurred in North East Bedfordshire in (i) 2001–02, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) 1999–2000. [119693]

Mr. Browne: Information for North East Bedfordshire is not available.

Table 1: The number of fatal and major injuries reported to HSE in the local authority area of Mid Bedfordshire, 1999–2000 to 2001–02

Year Fatal injury Major injury

1999–2000 1 51

2000–01 — 51

2001–02 — 51

Table 2: The number of fatal and major injuries reported to local authorities in the local authority area of Mid Bedfordshire, 1999–2000 to 2001–02

Year Fatal injury Major injury

1999–2000 — 14

2000–01 — 14

2001–02 — 11

Year	Fatal injury	Major injury
1999–2000	1	51
2000–01	—	51
2001–02	—	51

Year	Fatal injury	Major injury
1999–2000	—	14
2000–01	—	14
2001–02	—	11

Notes:

1. Fatal and major injuries reported and defined under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995.

2. The information available under RIDDOR 95 includes three categories of severity, fatal, defined major injuries and other injuries leading to more than three days absence (over-three-day). Fatal and major injury statistics have been provided.

3. The annual basis is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March.

4. Statistics relate to workers (which include employees and self-employed people) and members of the public.

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) work-related deaths and (b) serious work-related injuries there were in Stoke-on-Trent, North in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [119695]

Mr. Browne: Information for Stoke-on-Trent, North is not available.

Table 1: The number of fatal and major injuries reported to HSE in the local authority area of Stoke-on-Trent, 1997–98 to 2001–02

Fatal injury Major injury

1997–98 1 243

1998–99 4 228

1999–2000 1 214

2000–01 4 189

2001–02 — 193

Table 2: The number of fatal and major injuries reported to local authorities in the local authority area of Stoke-on-Trent, 1997–98 to 2001–02

Fatal injury Major injury

1997–98 — 40

1998–99 — 50

1999–2000 — 91

2000–01 — 42

2001–02 — 64

	Fatal injury	Major injury
1997–98	1	243
1998–99	4	228
1999–2000	1	214
2000–01	4	189
2001–02	—	193

	Fatal injury	Major injury
1997–98	—	40
1998–99	—	50
1999–2000	—	91
2000–01	—	42
2001–02	—	64

Notes:

1. Fatal and major injuries reported and defined under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995.

2. The information available under RIDDOR 95 includes three categories of severity: fatal, defined major injuries and other injuries leading to more than three days absence (over-three-day). Fatal and major injury statistics have been provided.

3. The annual basis is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March.

4. Statistics relate to workers (which include employees and self-employed people) and members of the public.

23 Jun 2003 : Column 631W

Housing (Scotland)

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his Answer of 10 June 2003, Official Report, columns 786–87W, on housing benefit, if he will list the Scottish local authorities for which the figures were estimated. [119729]

Malcolm Wicks: The figures provided in the answer of 10 June 2003, Official Report, column 786W, included estimates for east Ayrshire and Glasgow local authorities.

National Insurance

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the rules on buying-back past years of full national insurance contributions for married women who have paid the reduced rate. [119923]

Malcolm Wicks: Where the National Insurance Contributions Office decides that a married woman seeking advice from departmental officials about her National Insurance contribution choice was given wrong information which led to her electing to pay reduced-rate contributions when it was not beneficial for her to do so, it is their policy to place the woman in the position she would have been if this advice had not been given. This means that she may pay full rate contributions for the affected years. In other circumstances, it is not possible for married women to buy back past years of full rate contributions for periods when they had a valid reduced rate election.

The married women who opted to pay reduced rate contributions made an informed choice. They were required to give written notice of their decision on a form attached to a leaflet. The leaflet went to great lengths to describe the consequences of that decision and required them to sign a declaration that they had read and understood the leaflet. Employers could not make this decision on behalf of their employees. Women who chose to pay reduced rate National Insurance contributions were given a certificate to give to their employer. An employer was not allowed to deduct reduced rate National Insurance contributions without this certificate. It would be unfair to those married women who chose to pay the full rate contribution to retrospectively put married women who paid the reduced rate contribution in the same position.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people have (a) applied for pension credit and (b) registered an interest in applying for the pension credit; [119918]

23 Jun 2003 : Column 632W

(3) if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter that is being sent to pensioners to encourage them to apply for the pension credit. [119922]

Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer given by my right. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Andrew Smith) to the hon. Member for Perth (Ms Annabelle Ewing) on 9 June, Official Report 406, Col 394, 395. Copies of the different versions of the mail packs being sent to pensioner households are in the Library.

Pensions

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were (a) contracted out and (b) not contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme or the state second pension in each year since 1994–95. [121245]

Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney) gave him on 26 November 2002, Official Report, columns 210–12W.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will propose amendments to section 50 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 to ensure that future pension up-ratings are at least in line with the Retail Prices Index. [121246]

Malcolm Wicks: We have already announced that we will increase the basic state pension by 2.5 per cent. or the Retail Prices Index (RPI), whichever is higher, for the remainder of this Parliament. Over the last three years, basic state pension has been increased by more than the RPI.

Section 150 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 already provides for the Secretary of State to review the amount payable in respect of pensions and to increase them in line with the general level of prices.

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