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Rural Transport

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action the Government is taking to assist older people in rural communities who do not have access to a car. [138164]

Mr. McNulty: We are providing specific funding to improve public transport services for rural communities generally, including many of direct benefit to older people without access to a car. This funding is supporting new and improved scheduled bus services and the development of more flexible transport solutions such as demand responsive buses, dial-a-ride schemes and shared taxis. These developments will be further assisted by the forthcoming introduction of regulation changes to make possible the registration of flexibly routed local bus services which will also be entitled to receive Bus Service Operators Grant.

We are also making legislative changes to improve older people's ability to access public transport. We have introduced the national statutory minimum concessionary fare scheme for older and disabled people. This guarantees half fare travel on local bus services with a free pass and covers rural areas which previously had no concessionary fare scheme. Also from 1 April 2003 we have ensured that concessionary travel schemes are available to men aged 60–64, bringing them into line with women of the same age. We have also introduced regulations to ensure that public transport is designed to meet the needs of older people with mobility problems.

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WORK AND PENSIONS

Disability

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what powers exist to allow action to be taken against someone verbally abusing a person because of their disability; and if he will make a statement. [137856]

Maria Eagle: Under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, the term 'harassment' extends to any form of persistent conduct which causes another alarm or distress, including harassment motivated by disability.

The Government recently amended the Criminal Justice Bill to extend the current law to cover sentences for offences aggravated by the victim's race and religion, so that it also includes offences aggravated by hostility towards the victim because of his or her sexual orientation or disability.

In October 2004 a number of changes will be introduced to the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as a consequence of implementing the EU employment directive, including a provision explicitly outlawing harassment for a reason relating to a person's disability.

Absenteeism

Sir Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on progress in reducing staff absences within the Department for Work and Pensions. [137356]

Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions has targets set by the Cabinet Office to help contribute to a reduction in public sector sickness absence. These involve an average working days lost figure of eight days by March 2006, and an interim target of 10 days by March 2004. The cumulative average working days lost figure for the period April to September 2003 was 12 days.

Ministers and senior managers in the Department fully recognise the importance of good attendance. They are committed to ensuring that managers have effective tools to enable them to manage sickness absence, including support for individuals to facilitate a return to work after illness. People who work for the Department and who have to bear the consequences of colleagues' absence, together with the customers the Department serves, have a right to expect that level of commitment.

A new Departmental Attendance Management policy was implemented in February 2003. This aims to encourage good attendance and provide support to enable people to return to work as quickly as possible following an absence. Formal unsatisfactory attendance action can be considered when an absence reaches eight days in a rolling 12-month period. To measure the effectiveness of the policy, an evaluation exercise will start shortly.

Each of the businesses that comprise the Department has initiatives in place aimed at getting sickness absence levels down. Jobcentre Plus, which is the biggest of the businesses, has an 'Improving Attendance' task force in place. Its emphasis is on reducing long-term absences (ie those over 28 days duration), by either facilitating

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a return to work, or effecting a termination of an individual's contract. The Department is also participating in the 'Well-being at work' pilots that are being run by the Health and Safety Executive. These are intended to combat workplace stress. In addition, the Department is committed to discharging its responsibilities to people with disabilities by making reasonable adjustments to the workplace to facilitate an individual's return to work. A pilot will also commence shortly that will involve the early intervention of occupational health nurses in addressing, quickly, those absences which have the potential to become long term.

Casual Appointments

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employees have been employed on 13-week casual appointments in his Department in each year since 1997 (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) broken down by region; and if he will make a statement. [136772]

Maria Eagle: The Department generally only employs people on casual appointments in order to fulfil a short term need. The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Maternity Allowance

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will amend the Maternity Allowance Claim Pack to inform applicants that there is a statutory time limit of three months in which to claim. [132800]

Maria Eagle: The Maternity Allowance claim form was amended from April 2003 to show the three month time limit for claims. The explanatory notes, which are included in the claim pack, will be amended from the next reprint, due in the new year.

Pensions

Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Government have made of (a) the long-term cost of linking the basic state pension to earnings and (b) the effect on the incomes of the poorest pensioners if such a link replaced Pension Credit. [137448]

Malcolm Wicks: We estimate that introducing an earnings link in the basic State Pension from 2004–05 would cost around £600 million net in 2003–04 prices, rising to an extra £4.1 billion by 2010, £11.9 billion by 2020 and £25.0 billion by 2030 in today's prices.

If we were to scrap Pension Credit in favour of an earnings link, but retain the income guarantee level, the poorest pensioners would lose an average of around £400 a year in Pension Credit and the very poorest would gain nothing.

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 November 2003, Official Report, column 806W, on pensions, if he will estimate (a) the gross cost and (b) the cost net of savings on means tested benefits and increased income tax revenues of a combined policy of age additions to the basic state pension of (i) £10 per week at 75 and (ii) a further £5 a week at 80 from April 2004. [138464]

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Malcolm Wicks: The estimated gross cost and the cost net of savings on means tested benefits and increased income tax revenues of a combined policy of age additions to the basic state pension of £10 per week at 75 and a further £5 a week at 80 from April 2004 are set out in the following table:

	£ billion
Gross cost	3.0
Net cost	1.8

Notes:

1. Options (i) and (ii) have been costed jointly.

2. Figures are in 2003–04 price terms and are rounded to the nearest £100 million.

3. Gross costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department.

4. Income-related benefit offsets are calculated using the DWP policy simulation model.

5. Income tax revenue increases calculated by the Inland Revenue using the 2000–01 Survey of Personal Incomes and April 2003 Budget forecasts.

6. The age addition increases are assumed to be flat-rate increases and are paid in full to all pensioners of applicable age.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Adam Smith Institute

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what grounds the Department agreed a contract with the Adam Smith Institute to offer support to the office of the Prime Minister; and what the purpose of the contract is. [137733]

Hilary Benn: The purpose of this short-term project was to provide consultancy support to develop the necessary skills and systems to enable the newly established Prime Minister's Office, of the Palestinian Authority, to carry out its functions effectively. The Adam Smith Institute had undertaken related work in Palestine. This enabled them to respond quickly and appropriately to this urgent short-term need.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what conditions relative to activity in the Democratic Republic of Congo his Department attaches to the provision of aid to (a) Uganda and (b) Rwanda; what reports the Government has received on compliance with those conditions; and if he will make a statement. [136404]

Hilary Benn: UK development assistance to Uganda and Rwanda is provided to enable those Governments to implement their poverty reduction strategies, which are developed in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including the partner governments. Our assistance continues to be subject to these Governments' commitment to the promotion of peace and stability within the Great Lakes region, including the promotion of transparency and legality regarding the exploitation of the region's natural resources.

Our judgment is that the Governments of Rwanda and Uganda are committed to regional stability, based on regular discussions with them and reports from Posts and other sources. Both countries have withdrawn their

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forces from the DRC. Both have also established commissions to investigate allegations made in the UN Panel Report about the exploitation of natural resources in the DRC. In Uganda, the Porter Commission reported to Government in May 2003. We are urging the Government of Rwanda to publish the findings of their National Judicial Commission and to take action where allegations are proven. Our assistance to Uganda is also conditional upon the Government conducting a comprehensive and strategic Defence Review, including a thorough analysis of external threats. The UK is providing support for this process, which is about to produce its recommendations.

The UK seeks to help resolve conflict and establish conditions for genuine development in the whole of the Great Lakes region. We are beginning a significant development programme in DRC, following the establishment of the Transitional National Government in July. We hope that over the medium term, this will become a substantial Development Partnership, similar in nature to those we have with Uganda and Rwanda,

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