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23 Mar 2004 : Column 743W—continued
Lone Parents
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents in Crosby have gained work through the New Deal programme. [160530]
Mr. Browne: Two hundred and ninty lone parents in Crosby have gained a job through the New Deal for Lone Parents since the start of the programme in October 1998.
National Insurance Pension Benefits
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of state payments to pensioners, including income related benefits, was represented by National Insurance pension benefits, in (a) 1983, (b) 1993 and (c) 2003. [162405]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is given in the table.
| 1983–84 | 1992–93 | 2002–03 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Insurance pension benefits as a proportion of all benefits paid to people over pension age | 83 | 78 | 75 |
Note:
Contributory Benefits include: Retirement Pension basic and additional pension; Widows' and Bereavement Benefits; Christmas Bonus contribution based; Invalidity Benefit basic and additional pension (not included in 2002–03 as benefit ceased in 2000).
Non-Contributory Benefits include non-contributory Retirement Pension; Mobility Allowance (benefit subsumed into Disability Allowance from 1992–93); Attendance Allowance; Disability Living Allowance; Non-Contributory Invalidity Pension/Severe Disablement Allowance; Winter Fuel Payments (payable from 1997–98); Over 75 TV Licence (payable from 2000–01).
Income Related Benefits include: Housing Benefit; Rate Rebate (1983–84)/Community Charge Benefit (1992–93)/ Council Tax Benefit (2002/03); and Supplementary Benefit (1983–84)/Income Support (1992–93)/Minimum Income Guarantee (2002–03). All income-related benefits relate to people aged 60 or over, rather than over pension age.
Major Benefits not included in the calculations are: Industrial Injuries Benefits; Invalid Care Allowance.
23 Mar 2004 : Column 744W
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of all pensioner income was represented by National Insurance pension benefits, in (a) 1983, (b) 1993 and (c) 2003. [162406]
Malcolm Wicks: Information for 1983 and 2003 is not available. In 1981 National Insurance pension benefits amounted to 52 per cent. of pensioner gross income. In 1993 this proportion was 43 per cent. National Insurance pension benefits amounted to 39 per cent. of pensioners gross income in 2001–02. National insurance pension benefits have fallen relative to pensioner gross income in the last 20 years mainly because occupational pensions have increased by more than average earnings during this period.
- Note:
- The information is derived from the Family Expenditure Survey for the years 1981 and 1993 and the Family Resources Survey for the year 2001–02. Data from the FES and FRS should not be directly compared.
New Deal
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the operation of benefit sanctions for persons participating in the New Deal. [158381]
Mr. Browne: Research that we have conducted into the effects of the imposition of sanctions found that, overall, sanctions do not have a detrimental effect on jobsearch activity, and in many cases resulted in increased effort in actively seeking work.
A copy of the report 'Saunders, T., Stone, V. and Candy, S. (2001): The Impact of the 26 week Sanctioning Regime. Employment Services Report ESR 100', which deals with the effects of the sanctioning regime is available in the Library.
Details of the number of sanctions applied to 18 to 24-year-olds are in the quarterly publication 'Labour Market Statistics—Analysis of Sector Decision Making', a copy of which is in the Library. Separate information is not available on sanctions for New Deal 25 plus participants.
We are continuing to study the effectiveness of benefit sanctions and their effect on individual jobseekers and their families. Work is being undertaken to improve the available statistics, including the development of a sanctions database, with the first results from this are expected later this year.
23 Mar 2004 : Column 745W
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance claimants have incurred benefit sanctions for failure to participate in the New Deal in each year since the New Deal's inception; and what percentage of persons liable for benefit sanctions that represents. [158421]
23 Mar 2004 : Column 746W
Mr. Browne: Within the New Deal programme, benefit sanctions are applied only in connection with the New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus. Information is not available, for sanctions applied to people who refuse to participate in New Deal 25 plus. The available information is in the table.
| Year Totals | Total starts on New Deal for Young People(6) | Decisions relating to non-participation in NDYP resulting in a benefit sanction being imposed(7) | Decisions relating to non-participation in NDYP resulting in a benefit sanction NOT being applied(8) | Percentage of decisions relating to non-participation in NDYP resulting in a benefit sanction being imposed | Number of sanctions imposed as a percentage of total starts to NDYP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 248,510 | 3,525 | 1,601 | 68.77 | 1.4 |
| 1999–2000 | 192,530 | 8,888 | 3,895 | 69.53 | 4.3 |
| 2000–01 | 170,040 | 8,518 | 4,372 | 66.08 | 4.7 |
| 2001–02 | 160,840 | 5,953 | 3,603 | 62.29 | 3.5 |
| 2002–03 | 167,370 | 6,579 | 3,873 | 62.94 | 3.7 |
| 2003–04 | 126,130 | 4,868 | 2,462 | 66.41 | 3.6 |
| Total | 1,065,420 | 38,450 | 19,806 | 66.00 | 3.4 |
(6) Some people may have made more than one start on NDYP during the year.
(7) Some people may have been sanctioned more than once during the year.
(8) These figures include cases where the original decision has been revised and allowed completely along with those cases were the initial decision was not to impose a sanction.
(9) Figures are to end December 2003.
Source:
Labour Market Statistics—Analysis of Sector Decision Making.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women in Crosby have benefited from (a) the New Deal for Lone Parents and (b) the New Deal for Partners since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [160384]
Mr. Browne: Through the New Deal we have introduced a wide range of initiatives to help individuals improve their employment prospects by giving them the skills, support and confidence they need to move into work. From 12 April we are enhancing New Deal for Partners to offer the same level of help and support as our successful New Deal for Lone Parents programme. From April we shall also start to roll out Work Focused Interviews for Partners, offering greater support to partners of benefit recipients.
Four hundred and sixty women have started New Deal for Lone Parents in Crosby since the beginning of the programme in October 1998, of whom, 280 have gained a job. Information on the number of women in Crosby who have benefited from the New Deal for Partners is not available.
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Hackney North and Stoke Newington have benefited from the New Deal for (a) young people, (b) long-term unemployed and (c) lone parents. [162289]
Mr. Browne: The information is in the table.
| Programme | Numbers into work |
|---|---|
| New Deal for Young People | 1,630 |
| New Deal 25 plus | 2,170 |
| New Deal for Lone Parents | 300 |
Note:
1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Information is to the end of December 2003.
Source:
Department for Work and Pensions Information and Analysis Directorate
Pension Entitlements
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the state retirement pension entitlements are of women who are married to younger husbands. [162686]
Malcolm Wicks: A married woman may be entitled to a State Pension in her own right if she has paid enough National Insurance (NI) contributions herself.
However, a married woman can also become entitled to a State Pension based on her husband's contributions but only when they have both reached State Pension age and claim their State Pension.
If she is entitled to a pension in her own right as well as one based on her husband's contributions, she will be paid at the higher rate.
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