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16 Dec 2003 : Column 868W—continued
Security Industry Authority Pilot Scheme
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licensed door supervisors he expects to participate in the Security Industry Authority Pilot Scheme in Hampshire commencing in March 2004; and what target complement he has set. [143965]
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Ms Blears: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) anticipates that some 2,500 door supervisors will apply to be licensed during the course of the pilot in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, commencing in March 2004. This figure is necessarily a best estimate as not all local authorities in the pilot area have existing local registration schemes, and those that do, do not always include all door supervisors working in the local authority's area.
There are no overall complement levels set, as the demand for door supervisors is to a large extent market led. However, it is anticipated that some local authorities may set minimum complement levels for individual premises as a condition of their licence to operate under the Licensing Act 2003, and this will have an impact on the number of SIA licence applications.
Weapons
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) handguns, (b) rifles, (c) shotguns and (d) air weapons which have been used in crime have been recovered in each of the last five years; and how many of each had been previously or were at the time legally owned. [143921]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 15 December 2003]: This information is not currently available in the form requested. The National Firearms Forensic Intelligence
16 Dec 2003 : Column 870W
Database launched last month will provide a central database of seized weapons and help trace guns used in crimes and improve detection.
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many gas cartridge air weapons have been handed in under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003; and how many applications have been made for firearm certificates by owners of such weapons under the provisions of the Act. [143922]
Ms Blears [holding answer 15 December 2003]: None. The legislation is not yet in force. We are aiming to commence the relevant provisions on 20 January when it will become an offence to manufacture, sell, purchase, acquire or transfer any air weapon using a self-contained gas cartridge system. Existing owners will have a further period of three months in which to apply for a firearms certificate or to dispose of the weapon.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Benefit Payment Books
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of benefit payment order books in use in each category of benefit at (a) 1 April 2002, (b) 1 April 2003 and (c) the most recent available date. [142420]
Mr. Pond: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows:
| Benefit | Position as atJune 2002(29) | Position as at March 2003(30) | Position as at1 November 2003(31) |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Pension (SP), Widows Benefit (WB) and Bereavement Benefit | 4,811,063 | 4,616,964 | 4,280,487 |
| Incapacity Benefit (Incap) | 843,142 | 803,494 | 717,126 |
| Severe Disablement Allowance | 83,959 | 79,359 | 72,414 |
| Income Support (IS) | 1,740,655 | 1,698,052 | 1,516,248 |
| Disability Living Allowance | 1,143,393 | 1,144,202 | 1,065,636 |
| Carers Allowance | 310,684 | 309,750 | 298,089 |
| Attendance Allowance | 179,426 | 180,791 | 170,552 |
| Industrial Injury, Death and Disability Benefit | 302,798 | 315,046 | 284,360 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Minimum Income Guarantee (MiG)/Pension Credit (PC) | 1,344,723 | 1,360,994 | 1,420,036 |
(29) 2002: Figures for State Pension (SP), Incapacity Benefit (IB), Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA), Widow's Benefit (WB), and Bereavement Benefit (BB) are up to 3 June 2002; Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), Income Support (IS) and Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) figures up to 15 June 2002, Industrial Injuries (II) up to 8 June 2002, Carers Allowance (CA) (previously Invalid Care Allowance), Attendance Allowance (AA) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) figures up to 18
May 2002.
(30) 2003: Figures for State Pension (SP), Incapacity Benefit (IB), Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA), Widow's Benefit (WB), and Bereavement Benefit (BB) are up to 22 March 2003; Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), Income Support (IS) and Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) figures up to 21 March 2003, Industrial Injuries (II) up to 14 March 2003, Carers Allowance (CA) (previously Invalid Care Allowance), Attendance Allowance (AA) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) figures up to 8 March 2003.
(31) Latest available: Figures for State Pension (SP), Incapacity Benefit (IB), Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA), Widow's Benefit (WB), and Bereavement Benefit (BB) are up to 25 October 2003; Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), Income Support (IS) and Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) figures up to 31 October 2003, Industrial Injuries (II) up to 24 October 2003, Carers Allowance (CA) (previously Invalid Care Allowance) up to 30 June 2003, Attendance Allowance (AA) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) figures up to 18 October 2003.
Notes:
1. The above figures are payload not caseload figures therefore, a claimant may be counted more than once if they are on several benefits.
2. If a claimant is receiving one combined payment through the Income Support system for both PC and SP they will only be shown on MIG and not on SP.
3. Figures quoted are for GB only.
Source:
DWP Information Centre, Information and Analysis Directorate, 100 per cent. sample.
16 Dec 2003 : Column 871W
Child Support Payments (North-west)
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average sum paid (a) in child support payments and (b) in child benefit to families in (i) St. Helens, (ii) Merseyside and (c) the north west region was in each year since 1992. [141298]
Mr. Pond: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.
| Average amount per week | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter ending | St. Helens | Merseyside | North west |
| 29 Feb 2000 | 23.14 | 21.60 | 23.94 |
| 28 Feb 2001 | 26.11 | 24.19 | 24.68 |
| 28 Feb 2002 | 27.00 | 25.66 | 26.27 |
| 28 Feb2003 | 30.01 | 28.55 | 27.65 |
Notes:
1. Figures include full maintenance assessment cases only and exclude direct pay cases and zero assessments. Therefore, figures include only fully, partial and nil compliant cases.
2. Figures produced using 5 per cent. scan of Child Support Computer System (CSCS) and therefore may be subject to sampling variation.
| Average amount per week | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Helens | Merseyside | North West | |
| 1999 | 21.09 | 21.83 | 21.80 |
| 2000 | 21.97 | 22.62 | 22.63 |
| 2001 | 22.41 | 22.95 | 23.02 |
| 2002 | 22.55 | 23.09 | 23.18 |
Notes:
1. 100 per cent. sample
2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest five
Cold Weather Payments
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cold weather payments have been made in each of the last six years, (a) in total and (b) broken down by region; and what the real terms expenditure on those payments was in each case. [144654]
Mr. Pond: The information is in the table. A breakdown by region would be available only at disproportionate cost.
| Number awarded | Amount awarded | Amount awarded | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash terms(£ million) | Real terms(£ million) | ||
| 1997–98 | 55,000 | 0.47 | 0.53 |
| 1998–99 | 26,000 | 0.22 | 0.24 |
| 1999–2000 | 114,000 | 0.97 | 1.04 |
| 2000–01 | 3,535,000 | 30.05 | 31.69 |
| 2001–02 | 1,804,000 | 15.33 | 15.77 |
| 2002–03 | 1,675,000 | 14.24 | 14.24 |
Notes:
1. Real terms expenditure has been calculated using the GDP deflator released on 11 December 2003 and is based on 2002–03 prices
2. The numbers awarded have been rounded to the nearest 1,000 and the amounts awarded to the nearest £0.01 million.
16 Dec 2003 : Column 872W
Correspondence
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the hon. Member for Christchurch will receive a reply to his inquiries on behalf of Mrs. Pitson about the Child Support Agency. [144543]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Christopher Chope, dated 16 December 2003:
- In replying to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
- You asked when you will receive a reply to your inquiry on behalf of Mrs Pitson about the Child Support Agency.
- Our records show that the last time you wrote to the Agency in respect of Mrs Pitson was the 10 October 2003, I subsequently replied on the 19 November 2003.
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