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University Title

Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to publish the criteria for the award of university title to colleges primarily engaged in teaching. [161001]

Alan Johnson: I expect to make an announcement in the week commencing 15 March on the results of the consultation on new criteria for degree awarding powers and university title.

Voluntary Sector Funding

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding has been provided to the voluntary and community sector from the (a) Neighbourhood Support Fund and (b) New Opportunities Fund in each year since 2001. [161089]

Margaret Hodge: The Neighbourhood Support Fund has provided the voluntary and community sector with a total of £54.9 million since 2001 to deliver a programme of informal learning and self development for hard to reach young people through neighbourhood projects.

The amounts paid for each of the financial years covered by this period are as follows:

	£ million
2001–02	19.2
2002–03	21.7
2003–04	14

The new opportunities fund is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). DCMS have explained that the new opportunities fund do not collect data on whether the organisations they fund are from the voluntary and community sector, but they estimate that around 40 per cent. of the £2.4 billion they have committed has gone to this sector.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Savings Ratio

19. Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on changes to the savings ratio. [160855]

Malcolm Wicks: Government continues to work with all its partners to build confidence in pension saving and make available the information that can empower individuals to take control of their retirement planning. The savings ratio is one part of the evidence base available.

However, it is a measure of current household saving (including pensioners), not a measure of saving for retirement. As such it is not an accurate predictor of long term pension savings.

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Pensioner Benefits

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of pensioners in the Tamworth constituency are in receipt of (a) winter fuel payments and (b) pension credit. [160084]

Malcolm Wicks: As at winter 2002–03, the last full year for which figures are available, there were 15,225 winter fuel payments made to people aged over 60 in the Tamworth constituency. We cannot provide an estimate of the percentage of eligible people in receipt of a winter fuel payment, since payments are based on household composition and complete information on household circumstances is not available.

At 29 February 2004 there were 3,165 households (3,930 individuals) in receipt of pension credit in the Tamworth constituency. It is not possible to express these figures as percentages of pensioners, since relevant population estimates are not held at constituency level.

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.

2. Pension credit recipients include a small number of partners under age 60.

3. Pension credit figures exclude a small number of clerical cases.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners are not receiving their pension credit entitlement. [160845]

Malcolm Wicks: There is no reliable estimate of the number of pensioners not currently receiving their pension credit entitlement.

We estimate that there are approximately 3.8 million pensioner households in Great Britain likely to be eligible for Pension Credit. Estimates of entitlement are known only with a significant margin of error as they are based on survey data, published after a time lag.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions today announced latest progress on take up of Pension Credit. I am pleased to report that as at 29 February, there were 2.26 million households in Great Britain, comprising approximately 2.73 million individuals, receiving Pension Credit. This number increased by 83,000 households or 110,000 individuals in the last month alone and the number continues to grow.

The hon. Member will be interested to learn that 2,653 households now receive Pension Credit in his constituency with an average award of £44.08.

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on pension credit. [160853]

Malcolm Wicks: Pension Credit is making a real difference to the lives of millions of pensioners. As the progress report published today shows, there are 2.26 million pensioner households, comprising some 2.73 million individuals, now receiving Pension Credit.

Some 1.61 million households, comprising approximately 1.93 million individuals, are now receiving more money than they did under the old Minimum Income Guarantee system.

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In the hon. Member's constituency some 2,661 households are now receiving Pension Credit, with an average award of £35.60.

Carers Allowance

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of abolishing the overlapping benefits rule in respect of carers' allowance for (a) all carers and (b) carers aged under 75. [155891]

Maria Eagle [holding answer 25 February 2004]: The gross cost of abolishing the overlapping benefits rule for carers allowance is estimated at about £330 million a year, or £195 million after allowing for reduced payments in the income-related benefits ¹ . Abolishing the rule only for those aged under 75 would be about £270 million or £160 million after offsetting adjustments. These figures do not take account of the behavioural effect of carers presently not claiming carers allowance who would be induced to do so by a change in the rules.

¹ Estimates use benefit rates for 2003–04 and are based on a 100 per cent. extract of carers allowance claims on the carer's allowance computer system for May 2003, a 5 per cent. extract from the claims on the income support computer system in 2003 and a 1 per cent. extract of the housing benefit/council tax benefit claims of May 2002.

Child Support Agency

Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to finalise plans for existing payments under the Child Support Agency to be transferred to the new system of calculating payments. [160110]

Mr. Pond: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Howard Stoate) on 27 January 2004, Official Report, column 341W.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will answer question reference 151019, tabled by the hon. Member for Northavon on 21 January. [161625]

Mr. Pond: An answer was given on 12 March 2004, Official Report, column 1796W.

Departmental Website

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how often his Department updates the section on its website containing details of local Jobcentre Plus and Pension Service offices. [156826]

Mr. Browne: Information about Job Centre Plus and the Pension Service local offices is updated at least once a month.

Employment Development Fund

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of the Employment Development Fund was for each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06 (planned); what its purpose is; and if he will make a statement. [156703]

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Mr. Browne: The Employment Development Fund (EDF) was created in autumn 2001 to provide funds for the continued development of our Welfare to Work agenda, which has been successful in helping to reduce unemployment to its lowest level since 1975.

EDF funds were primarily allocated to part-fund the national roll out of Jobcentre Plus, which delivers an enhanced work-focused service to all working age people. Remaining EDF funds were allocated to fund wider Welfare to Work policies.

The EDF provided funds of £86 million in 2001–02; £577 million in 2002–03 and £564 million in 2003–04. The use of funds available from the EDF have now been agreed and the fund no longer exists.

Health and Safety

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to increase penalties for breaches of health and safety legislation. [155940]

Mr. Browne: The Government are committed to raising maximum penalties for health and safety breaches, as parliamentary time allows. We welcome the Health and Safety at Work (Offences) Bill, introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton (Mr. Love), which introduces the changes the Government are seeking to make.

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