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Pension Credit

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to simplify the procedure for applying for Pension Credit, with particular reference to pensioners with savings. [159726]

Malcolm Wicks: The application process for Pension Credit has been designed to be straightforward for pensioners and their family and friends, who may apply on their behalf. The Pension Credit application line (freephone 0800 99 1234), which is the main method of applying, is working well and has taken over 2.3 million calls (to the end of January) since it became operational on 7 April 2003. The Pension Service is able to offer alternative ways of applying to suit individual circumstances. Recent independent research, a summary of which is available in the Library, found high levels of customer satisfaction with the application line and with the application process overall. We continue to review and improve the application process in the light of experience, including improvements to make it easier for people with savings to provide the required information and documentary evidence.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the percentage increase is in the number of pension credit households from the introduction of pension credit to the most recent available date in each parliamentary constituency. [160217]

Malcolm Wicks: A table showing the percentage increase in the number of pension credit households between 17 October 2003 and 31 January 2004, for each parliamentary constituency in Great Britain, has been placed in the Library.

Winter Fuel Payments

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people he estimates have to make a claim for the 2003–04 Winter Fuel Payment before 30 March cut-off date; and how many of them have yet to do so. [159701]

Malcolm Wicks: It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the number of individuals eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment who have yet to submit a claim. We estimate that approximately 600,000 eligible individuals in the United Kingdom reached age 60 in the qualifying period for the 2003–04 Winter Fuel Payment. About half of these have been paid automatically. Those not paid automatically have to claim.
 
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So far 261,007 Winter Fuel Payment claim forms have been submitted in Great Britain.

Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received winter fuel payments in Bolton, North East in each year since the introduction of the payment. [159849]

Malcolm Wicks: Details of the number of people in Bolton North East who received winter fuel payments from 1999–2000 are set out below. Figures for the previous years are not available.

	Number of people receiving winter fuel payments
1999–2000	15,520
2000–01	17,150
2001–02	17,260
2002–03	17,410

Notes:
Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
Figures taken from the Matching Intelligence Data Analysis Service Winter Fuel Payments 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03 exercises.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample.

We would expect the figures for 2003–04 to be similar to 2002–03.

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claim forms for winter fuel payment have been submitted to date, broken down by region. [159853]

Malcolm Wicks: To date 261,007 winter fuel payment claim forms have been submitted. Numbers broken down by region are not available.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Correspondence

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of the hon. Member for Wrexham dated 1 December 2003 on the subject of Mr. Ertan Souyaz, Home Office Reference S900223; Port Reference WIT18155. [159867]

Beverley Hughes: I am informed that the Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to my hon. Friend on 2 March.
 
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Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 5 February with regard to certain allegations. [160488]

Mr. Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 11 March.

Driving Offences

Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) minimum and (b) maximum penalties are for the offences of (i) driving with no insurance, (ii) driving with no licence and (iii) driving without a valid MOT vehicle test certificate; and what plans he has to change the penalties for each of these offences. [156316]

Paul Goggins: The offences of driving while disqualified, driving without valid insurance and driving without a valid MOT are subject to statutory maximum sentences:

Driving while disqualified carries a maximum sentence of £5,000 and/or six months imprisonment and a maximum of six penalty points.

Driving without insurance carries a maximum sentence of £5,000 fine, unlimited disqualification or six to eight penalty points. However this offence may also be dealt with by means of a £200 fixed penalty notice and six penalty points.

Driving without a valid MOT (excise licence) carries a maximum sentence of £1,000 fine or five times the value of the licence (whichever is greater).

There are no minimum penalties for these offences except that the two endorsable offences carry a minimum of six penalty points other than in exceptional circumstances.

There are currently no plans to change the penalties for these offences, however the Sentencing Guidelines Council will consider them in due course.

Internet Hackers

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he plans to increase the number of arrests of hackers who send viruses via spam advertising. [159750]

Caroline Flint: The investigation and arrest of individuals who disseminate viruses is a matter for law enforcement. Where individuals are discovered to have disseminated viruses which cause the unauthorised modification of data they can be prosecuted under Section 3 of the Computer Misuse Act.

We have set up the National Hi Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) as part of the National Crime Squad to combat national and transnational hi-tech crime within or which impacts upon the UK. This includes the investigation of hacking and virus writing. The Unit, together with the specialist units within local forces which also deal with such investigations, have established good international links with overseas industry and law enforcement, necessary to follow the evidence trail to discover and prosecute the perpetrators of such offences.

There have been a number of successful prosecutions against virus writers and disseminators.
 
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In December 2003, the UK introduced new controls on unsolicited direct marketing e-mails, under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. Direct marketing e-mails may not now be sent to individual subscribers without their prior consent. The new opt-in rules do not apply to direct marketing e-mails sent to corporate subscribers (e.g. limited companies and other organisations). However, all direct marketing e-mails, regardless of who they are sent to, are required by the regulations to contain proper sender and contact details for opt out purposes.

Mr. Steve Moxon (Inquiry)

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he expects to publish the results of the inquiry being held into the allegations made by Mr. Steve Moxon; [160943]

(2) whether the inquiry into the allegations made by Mr. Steve Moxon will cover (a) the operation of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, (b) the operation of the Minister of State for Immigration's private office and (c) the operation of his Department's press office. [160944]

Beverley Hughes: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement which I made today.

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