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EU Citizens (Benefits)

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the total additional cost of all benefits payable in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06 financial years to citizens of EU accession states residing in the UK. [150083]

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to the United Kingdom public funds of those people from Poland who elect to travel to the UK from 1 May who will be eligible for social security benefits and state pensions. [147704]

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the additional cost of pension and social security payments to citizens of the 10 EU applicant states after they join in May. [151307]

Mr. Pond: We are considering what measures we should take to prevent people from the acceding states from coming to the UK to take advantage of our benefit system.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact on the UK labour market after 1 May of the absence of transitional restrictions in the UK for the nationals of the EU accession states. [151068]

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) to which (a) financial and (b) material benefits citizens of the EU accession states will be entitled in the UK after 1 May; [154039]

(2) to which benefits dependent children of citizens of the EU accession states resident in the UK will be entitled after 1 May. [154031]

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether he is proposing any changes to the regulations governing social security entitlements for the citizens of (a) present and (b) future EU countries; [154331]

(2) what changes to the social security and benefit system will be made to take account of the free movement of workers and dependants from the EU accession states from 1 May. [154095]

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Mr. Pond [holding answer 10 February 2004]: We are considering what measures we should take to prevent people from the acceding states from coming to the UK to take advantage of our benefit system.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to what benefits citizens of other EU countries are entitled after they have been resident in the UK for three months. [151158]

Mr. Pond: We are considering what measures we should take to prevent people from the acceding states from coming to the UK to take advantage of our benefit system.

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) under which provisions of the European Union Accession Treaty people from Poland will be permitted from 1 May to reside and work freely in the United Kingdom and be in receipt of social security benefits and state pensions when required; and if he will make a statement; [147702]

(2) what steps he is taking to prevent Polish citizens arriving in Britain after 1 May from being eligible for social security benefits and state pensions; and what discussions he has had on the matter with his European Union counterparts. [147705]

Mr. Pond: We are considering what measures we should take to prevent people from the acceding states from coming to the UK to take advantage of our benefit system.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what UK social security entitlements citizens of other EU countries have if they reside in the UK; and if he will make a statement; [146612]

(2) what UK pension rights citizens of other EU countries have if they reside in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [146613]

Mr. Pond: We are considering what measures we should take to prevent people from the acceding states from coming to the UK to take advantage of our benefit system.

Family Support

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children in families receiving (a) Income Support and (b) Jobseeker's Allowance are receiving support through (i) the Tax Credits system and (ii) Income Support personal allowances; and if he will make a statement on the transition between the two systems. [151014]

Mr. Pond [holding answer 26 January 2004]: The latest broadly comparable Child Tax Credit, and Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance figures available are for August 2003.

In August 2003 there were 2,224,900 dependants in families receiving Income Support, and 177,000 dependants in families receiving Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance ¹ . These figures include dependents in families receiving child allowances for dependants and those in families receiving Tax Credits.

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There were 186,400 dependants in families receiving Tax Credits and Income Support, and 90,000 dependants in families receiving Tax Credits and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance ² .

My right hon. Friend the Paymaster General will make a statement shortly on our plans for bringing Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance claimants with children into the Child Tax Credit.

Notes:

1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

2. 'Dependants' are children and young persons aged up to 19.

Sources:

¹ Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance; five per cent. sample of the benefit computer system, Income Support at 31 August 2003, Jobseeker's Allowance at 14 August 2003.

² Tax Credits: Inland Revenue; mixed sample of 10 per cent. of single adults and 20 per cent. of couples claiming Tax Credits at 29 August 2003.

Income Support

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will enable recipients of income support to put aside some of their benefit to save for the purchase of a Motability vehicle without their savings affecting their entitlement to income support. [151783]

Mr. Pond: Income-related benefits are intended to target help on those with the least resources. It is a long established principle that substantial amounts of capital should not be ignored when deciding entitlement to a benefit based on need, and it is for this reason that all savings are counted as capital. Claimants are free to spend their capital as they wish, so it would be inappropriate to have different rules for the treatment of capital based simply on a declaration of its intended use.

However, there will not usually be a need for a person to have significant savings in order to lease or purchase a suitable vehicle through the Motability scheme. Generally, the cost of a suitable vehicle is met through the higher rate mobility component of their disability living allowance or war pensioners' mobility supplement. In some cases, where the cost of the chosen vehicle cannot be met from the weekly benefit payments, an advance payment must be made at the start of the relevant agreement. Motability has funds available to make discretionary payments to help meet the cost of an advance payment where Motability considers the extra cost is necessary to provide a vehicle to meet a person's basic mobility needs.

Information Technology

Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what audit mechanisms are in place to determine whether all Information Technology hardware and software products are being properly utilised in his Department. [151058]

Mr. Browne: The Department's IT contracts require suppliers to co-operate fully with any audit requirements necessary for the Department to satisfy itself that supplier obligations are being discharged responsibly.

Internally there are safeguards built into the Department's systems. The approach to Digital Office Infrastructure (DOI) has been designed to prevent the unauthorised installation of software on the

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Department's systems. For the benefit systems there are automated tools that allow the Department to scrutinise audit trail data to prevent or detect improper use of systems. In addition there are a series of management checks that are carried out regularly on key business systems.

The Department aims to follow OGC guidance and best practice. Regarding the recommendations made in the NAO report "Purchasing and Managing Software Licences" the Department has already addressed the issues identified or has taken steps to address them.

IT Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department's main IT service provider paid Microsoft on the Department's behalf in licensing fees in each of the last three years; how much has been budgeted for (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; and if he will make a statement. [147547]

Mr. Browne: The Department's main IT service provider purchases Microsoft licences through Computacenter on the Department's behalf. The figures for the last three years are as follows:

2001–02—£17,342,701.15

2002–03—£2,500,668.03.

The budgeted figures for 2003–04 and 2004–05 are as follows:

2003–04—£14,543,452.52

2004–05—£500,000.00.

The fluctuations in spend and budgeting are due to the way in which the rollout of hardware under the Digital Office Infrastructure (DOI) project is scheduled. This project is replacing all office desktop PCs and the software to operate them. It is the software that accounts for the bulk of the expenditure with Microsoft and by 2004–05 the refresh will be complete which explains the low forecast of £500,000.

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