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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 21 April 2004

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Civil Servants

Bob Spink: To ask the Leader of the House if he will list for each civil service grade within his Office, the total number of staff employed, broken down by (a) gender, (b) ethnic group and (c) age group; and how many are registered disabled. [166400]

Mr. Woolas: Data on staffing levels in the Civil Service are collected by the Cabinet Office and published in Civil Service Statistics. A copy of Civil Service Statistics 2002 is available in the Library, and at www.civil-service, gov.uk/statistics. The 2003 edition will be published in summer 2004.

My Office currently employs 12 civil servants and two temporary civil servants as special advisers, including staff supporting the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons. The grading breakdown is set out in the following table:

Grade	Staff number
Senior Civil Servant	1
Band A	1
B2	3
Bl	3
C2	3
Cl	1
Special Adviser	2

To provide further analysis of (a) gender, (b) ethnic group, (c) registered disabled and (d) age group would identify individual members of staff.

Departmental Computers

Bob Spink: To ask the Leader of the House what plans he has to update computer (a) hardware and (b) software standard packages used in his Office. [166375]

Mr. Woolas: The computer hardware and software used in my office is provided by the Privy Council Office under an IS/IT services agreement managed by the Cabinet Office. This provides for desktop hardware to be regularly replaced, and for standard operating and applications software to be kept updated. A major upgrade is planned for the standard office automation software we use towards the end of 2004.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Asbestos

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the level of compliance with the duty to manage legislation
 
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as it relates to exposure to asbestos (a) now and (b) by the time the legislation becomes legally binding in May. [166749]

Jane Kennedy: As a result of a commitment given by the Government to the House of Lords in 2002, the Health and Safety Executive carried out a review of the progress being made towards compliance with the duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises. The review shows that between 50 per cent. and 75 per cent. of dutyholders are aware of the new regulation and that approximately 40 per cent. were already complying with the duty six months before the regulation was due to come into force.

Since the review was carried out the HSE has continued its campaign to raise awareness of the duty in order to continue to raise the level of compliance before the 21 May when the duty comes into force.

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what efforts the Department has made to raise awareness amongst small businesses and the self-employed of the duty to manage legislation as it relates to exposure to asbestos. [166750]

Jane Kennedy: In 2001 the Health and Safety Commission embarked on a five-year campaign to raise awareness of the duty to manage and to encourage proportionate and effective compliance with the new regulation.

In addition to the development of comprehensive guidance, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has gained the support of over 3,000 organisations to act as Partners in cascading HSE's campaign messages to a wide and varied audience, including small businesses and the self-employed. The partnership network includes the Federation of Small Businesses which has played a key role in the production of a free 'Duty to Manage' leaflet geared towards the needs of their members. Over 400,000 of these leaflets have been distributed nation wide.

HSE has also developed a 'duty to manage' asbestos website, which includes good practice examples for new dutyholders, and has produced a range of written guidance.

Correspondence

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to reply to the letter to him from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, dated 8 March, with regard to Mr. David Worthington. [167259]

Mr. Andrew Smith: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 16 April 2004.

Council Tax Benefit

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are claiming council tax benefit; and if he will make a statement. [166252]

Mr. Pond: The number of Council Tax Benefit recipients in Great Britain at August 2003 is 4,657,400.

Notes:

1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person, couple or family.

 
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2. The figure is rounded to the nearest hundred.

3. Council Tax Benefit totals exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.

Source:

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in August 2003.

Pension Forecasts

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to provide everyone with a personal forecast of their complete pension position as proposed in "A New Contract for Welfare: Partnership in Pensions", page 86. [166247]

Malcolm Wicks: Last year the Government began the process of issuing state pension forecasts to self- employed people and we anticipate that we will have sent 1.6 million forecasts by the end of May this year.

We also continue to work in partnership with employers and pension providers to deliver 6.3 million combined pension forecasts by the end of 2005–06. To date over 700 employers and pension providers have expressed an interest in delivering these forecasts to their employees/scheme members.

The Government are keen to ensure that individuals who are not covered by the combined pension forecast arrangements do not lose out. We intend to issue to these people a regular forecast of their projected state pension entitlement.

Retirement Planner

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate (a) the initial start-up cost and (b) the annual running cost of his Department's web-based retirement planner, as proposed in Simplicity, Security and Choice: Informed Choices for Working and Saving, page 28; if he will provide a breakdown of this cost to (i) pension providers and (ii) his Department; and if he will make a statement. [166232]

Malcolm Wicks: We anticipate that the costs of establishing and running the web-based retirement planner are likely to be less than £10 million set-up costs and less than £5 million in annual running costs. However, these figures are high-level and indicative.

Expenditure on a new service cannot be incurred ahead of Her Majesty's consent to the Pensions Bill. Following Royal Assent we will be able to engage with suppliers and estimate the potential cost. The exact costs of the system will, therefore not be known until commercial arrangements have been completed.

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the average cost per member to private pension schemes for providing personalised scheme-member information in order to facilitate his   Department's proposed web-based retirement planner. [166233]

Malcolm Wicks: This information is not available at the present time. Expenditure on a new service cannot be incurred ahead of Her Majesty's consent to the Pensions Bill and consent to that expenditure. Following Royal Assent we will be able to engage with suppliers and estimate the potential cost.
 
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Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department's proposed web-based retirement planner will be launched. [166245]

Malcolm Wicks: As announced in February 2004 in Cm 6111, 'Simplicity, security and choice: Informed choices for working and saving', the web-based retirement planner will be launched in Spring 2006.

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