| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
30 Jun 2003 : Column 80W—continued
Early-day Motion 1389
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on early-day motion 1389. [120935]
Maria Eagle: All parts of Great Britain will benefit from the initiatives to be funded from the additional £1 million we have made available to support the statement on British Sign Language (BSL). In selecting organisations to be represented on the BSL working group, we have identified key organisations of and for Deaf people with remits across Great Britain. They will ensure that initiatives reflect needs across GB including Scottish interests.
30 Jun 2003 : Column 81W
Families with Children
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to ensure that families with children in receipt of income support continue to receive social security payments in respect of these children until child tax credit is in payment. [121968]
Maria Eagle [holding answer 26 June 2003]: Income support and income-based jobseeker's allowance customers will be migrated to child tax credit from April 2004.
The principal legislation governing the transfer in the Social Security (Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/455) states clearly that child allowances in income support will not be removed until a child tax credit award has been made. We are working closely with Inland Revenue to ensure that processes are in place to make this happen smoothly.
Where a family receiving income support chooses to claim child tax credit before April 2004, they will be entitled to the maximum rate of child tax credit which will be taken into account as income in their income support assessment. These families will continue to be awarded child premia and allowances with their benefit, which will offset their child tax credit income.
Hotel Accommodation
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the amount spent by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies on hotel accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) others; and if he will list the average cost per hotel room, in each year since 1997. [117563]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.
| Year | UK spend | Average cost per room |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 4,452,831 | 58.47 |
| 2000–01 | 3,768,374 | 60.48 |
| 2001–02(13) | 6,705,547 | 66.03 |
(13) The Department for Work and Pensions was formed on 7 June 2001
| Business area | UK spend | Average cost per room |
|---|---|---|
| CSA | 2,126,353 | 66.33 |
| Pensions Service | 1,122,709 | 68.56 |
| Jobcentre Plus | 4,484,066 | 62.57 |
| Others | 4,105,127 | 73.13 |
Information on foreign travel is only available for 2002–03. Costs for CSA, Pensions Service and others are not available separately.
30 Jun 2003 : Column 82W
£
| Business area | Total spend | Average cost per room |
|---|---|---|
| CSA, Pensions Service and others | 95,656 | 80.65 |
| Jobcentre Plus | 15,835 | 68.85 |
Non-departmental public body hotel costs (excluding HSE)
Information is only available for 2002–03.
| 2002–03 | |
|---|---|
| Total spend | 13,149,010 |
| Average cost per room | 78.53 |
| 2002–03 | |
|---|---|
| Total spend | 1,419,952 |
| Average cost per room | 75.47 |
Non-departmental public body hotel costs (HSE)
Information is only available for UK travel for 2002–03.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Total spend | 1,003,185 |
| Average cost per room (London) | 88.00 |
| Average cost per room (other UK) | 66.00 |
The Government publishes an annual report of ministerial travel overseas. The total cost of ministerial travel provided in the annual report includes the costs of accommodation. The information sought in respect of accommodation within the UK is not held centrally. All travel is conducted in line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.
Housing
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation took place with other Government Departments in devising housing advice services to older people within the Third Age Service. [121544]
Maria Eagle: The Department has consulted widely with other Government Departments over the development of a Third Age Service, specifically the Department of Health, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (including the Audit Commission), Inland Revenue, and the Lord Chancellor's Department.
Discussions have covered a wide range of issues relating to the joining up of the service provision for older people, which includes housing. This work is ongoing and is contributing to the development of plans for a 'third age programme'. This will build on the excellent work already under way at local level in many parts of the country to meet the needs of older people in a more joined up way.
30 Jun 2003 : Column 83W
Occupational and Private Pensions
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who regulates the statutory monetary purchase illustrations for (a) occupational pensions and (b) private pensions. [122270]
Malcolm Wicks: Regulations that came into force in April 2003 require the trustees or managers of money purchase pension arrangements to give members an annual illustration of what their pension in retirement might be.
The illustrations must be produced in accordance with the regulations and the approved actuarial guidance prepared by the actuarial profession.
Complaints or disputes in individual cases can be dealt with through the scheme's internal dispute resolution arrangements, and can be referred to the Pensions Ombudsman if the dispute remains unresolved.
More general complaints of non-compliance in occupational pension schemes, are dealt with by the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority.
Pay Audit
Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on completing a pay audit in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies to measure any disadvantage in terms of remuneration for (a) women, (b) ethnic minorities and (c) people with disabilities; and if he will publish the results of such an audit. [117426]
Malcolm Wicks: All departments and agencies were committed to completing an equal pay review and submitting an action plan to the Cabinet Office by April 2003.
The DWP is committed to fair pay across the Department and all of its component parts. Equal pay audits have been completed across all parts of the Department over the last two years and a further equal pay audit is planned in autumn. The report and an action plan have been issued to Cabinet Office and the findings shared with trade union colleagues. A copy of the DWP action plan will be placed in the Library of the House in due course once internal discussions with the Cabinet office are complete.
The Department has four non-departmental public bodies the Health and Safety Executive, Remploy, the Disability Rights Commission and the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority. Although the non-departmental bodies were not formally covered by the commitment as a matter of good practice the Health and Safety Executive and the Disability Rights Commission have undertaken an equal pay audit and the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority and Remploy are preparing an action plan .
Pension Credit
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many individuals are estimated to be eligible for pension credit in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05, (c) 2005–06 and (d) 2006–07; [121121]
30 Jun 2003 : Column 84W
- (2) what his Department's target is for the number of individuals who will be receiving pension credit by (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05, (c) 2005–06 and (d) 2006–07. [121122]
Malcolm Wicks: Estimates are provided in the following table:
| Million | |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 4.9 |
| 2004–05 | 5.0 |
| 2005–06 | 5.1 |
Note:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000 cases.
2. Estimates are based on the Department's Policy Simulation Model and income support administrative data on benefit recipients.
3. Figures include individuals in private households and residential care or nursing homes.
4. Forecasts for 2006/07 are dependent on the outcome of the 2004 Spending Review.
Estimates for the years after 2003–04 are based on one scenario of uprating, where the savings credit threshold is linked to prices, and the guarantee credit is linked to average earnings. However uprating of pension credit will be determined in the annual uprating order. The Government have committed to increase the guarantee credit by average earnings for this Parliament.
The Department's PSA target is for at least 3 million households to be in receipt of pension credit by 2006. It is estimated that this corresponds to around 3.7 million individuals.
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how long it takes on average to (a) complete and (b) process the pension credit application form; and whether his Department has a target for the number of applications to be processed. [121580]
Malcolm Wicks: Implementation of Pension Credit is still in the early stages of the advance application period. Reliable information on the time taken to complete applications through the telephone application line and the time taken to process applications is not yet available. However, the Department's published Service Delivery Agreement includes a three-year target to ensure that Pension Credit applications are processed on average within 10 days once the necessary information and evidence has been submitted. The Department also has a Public Service Agreement target to be payingPension Credit to at least three million pensioner households by 2006.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |