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25 May 2004 : Column 1591W—continued
State Pension
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to have prepared estimates for the number of people contracted out of second tier state pension provision in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04. [173241]
Malcolm Wicks: We hope to publish estimates of the number of people contracted out of the State Second Pension in the 2001–02 and 2002–03 tax years by the end of 2004. Estimates of the number of people contracted out in the 2003–04 tax year are expected to be published at the end of 2005.
State Pension Statements
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list each item of information which may be contained in a state pension statement. [170099]
Malcolm Wicks: State pension forecasts may contain the total weekly state pension earned to date and forecasted to state pension age based on today's rates. The total figure has a breakdown of the basic state pension, including the number of qualifying years, the percentage and amount of basic state pension.
Where appropriate, the total figure will provide a breakdown of any additional state pension due, less any contracted-out deduction.
the date of birth used to calculate the forecast;
current employment status advised by the customer;
the customer's national insurance contribution status;
whether the customer is paying into another pension scheme.
Where appropriate, the forecast will also provide the following:
the number of years for which Home Responsibility Protection has been awarded;
the date of divorce or widowhood.
Where a former or late spouse's national insurance contribution has been used in the forecast calculation, the letter sent with the forecast explains the conditions attached.
Additionally, where appropriate, the customer is advised of deficiencies in their national insurance contributions in the preceding six years and how payments of these may increase their state pension entitlement.
Winter Fuel Payments
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire of 30 April 2004, Official Report, columns 1370–71W, on winter fuel payments disallowed because of late application, if he will update the table to include late claim disallowances made in respect of winter 2003–04. [172961]
Malcolm Wicks:
The figures for previous years given in the table have not changed. So far for this winter 2003–04 we have received 646 claims for a Winter Fuel Payment after the deadline for claiming of 30th March 2004.
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Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for winter fuel payments were disallowed because of late application in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 in each Greater London borough. [173335]
Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available as figures are not kept for individual constituencies or boroughs. Overall figures of late claim disallowances for Winter Fuel Payments in Great Britain are in the following table.
| Late Claim Disallowances Made | |
|---|---|
| 2001–2002 | 10,308 in respect of winter 2000–2001 |
| 2002–2003 | 1,745 in respect of winter 2000–2001 |
| 4,564 in respect of winter 2001–2002 | |
| 2003–2004 | 1,760 in respect of winter 2000–2001 |
| 2,204 in respect of winter 2001–2002 | |
| 3,948 in respect of winter 2002–2003 |
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the deadlines for applications for winter fuel payments were in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [173336]
Malcolm Wicks: The majority of payments were made automatically without the need to claim. The deadlines for Winter Fuel Payment applications to be received by the Department for winters 2001–02 and 2002–03 were 30 March 2002 and the 30 March 2003 respectively where claims were required.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants for winter fuel payments in Scotland were disallowed because of late application in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04. [174021]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available.
Data about where unsuccessful claimants lived at the time has not been retained.
HEALTH
Additives
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the average (a) daily and (b) annual per capita consumption of cyclamates in each year since 1989; [175507]
(2) what research was conducted into the safety of (a) aspartame, (b) monosodium glutamate and (c) cyclamates prior to their introduction onto the British market. [175508]
Miss Melanie Johnson
[holding answer 24 May 2004]: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that surveys of additive intake are not conducted on an annual basis, however the following intake data for cyclamate are available from studies conducted in 1999 and 2003.
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The mean intake of cyclamate by United Kingdom consumers was assessed in 1999 and 2003 to be:
| Adult | Children | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 0.77 | 8.16 |
| 2003 | — | 4.46 |
The safety of aspartame, monosodium glutamate and cyclamate was assessed by the European Commission's Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) prior to their introduction onto the European Market. Details of the research conducted into their safety are contained in the SCF reports which are available at:
Aspartame http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scf/out155 en.pdf
Monosodium glutamate http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scf/reports/scf reports 25.pdf
Cyclamate http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scf/out53 en.pdf
Air Weapons
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make it his policy to collect statistics on the number of patients treated each year in the NHS for injuries involving air weapons; [174829]
(2) if he will make a statement on the (a) age profile of patients treated in hospital for injuries resulting from air guns, (b) type of injuries suffered and (c) the times of year when these injuries are most frequently suffered. [172445]
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Miss Melanie Johnson: It would be disproportionately costly to collect statistics on national health service patients treated for injuries specifically involving air weapons and the Department has no plans to do so.
Capital Funds
Mr. Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much of the £145 million in 2004–05 of capital funds received for other uses is set aside to cover the borrowing freedoms of foundation trusts; [173847]
(2) for what further purposes he has set aside capital funds in 2004–05 which are not allocated direct to NHS organisations. [173848]
Mr. Hutton: The table is an extract from figure 4.2 of the Department of Health Departmental Report 2004. This shows the opening disposition of 2004–05 hospital and community health services capital for allocation to the national health service.
The £82 million for central budgets is for various arms length bodies. The £145 million within programme central budgets for other investments includes up to £104 million for estimated capital spending by national health service foundation trusts. The balance of £41 million is part of an opening unallocated provision set aside to cover in-year pressures and risks on the capital programme overall.
The overall capital spending by NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts is financed through a mixture of income generated internally, mainly depreciation, plus borrowing. It is not therefore possible to determine what borrowing will be required against one element of their total capital spending.
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