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7 Jun 2004 : Column 74W—continued
Sustainable Transport Plan
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress being made on the implementation of a sustainable transport plan. [176541]
Mr. McNulty: Delivering Better Transport: Progress Report published in December 2002 set out the progress made in delivering the 10-year Plan for Transport in the first 18 months of its life. Some more recent information is also included in the Department's Annual Report, which was published in April 2004.
We are now reviewing the plan, taking account of events and achievements since its implementation. We will set out how the strategy will be rolled forward to 2015 and beyond after the conclusion of the Spending Review.
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WORK AND PENSIONS
Jobseeker's Allowance
20. Richard Ottaway: How many people did not claim the income-based jobseeker's allowance to which they were entitled in 2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [177332]
Mr. Pond: In 2001–02, the latest year for which estimates are available, between 390,000 and 600,000 working-age adults were entitled to, but not in receipt of, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.
These estimates are published in "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2001/2002", copies of which are available in the Library.
Means-tested Benefits
21. John Barrett: What percentage of pensioners are in receipt of means-tested benefits. [177333]
Malcolm Wicks: The latest figures available which relate to the percentage of pensioners in receipt of income related allowances in Great Britain show that, as at May 2002, 27.4 per cent. of the population aged over 60 were in receipt of entitlements which included Income Support, Job Seeker's Allowance and Housing/Council Tax Benefit.
Our approach is getting money to those who need it most. As at the end of May there were 2.5 million pensioner households in receipt of Pension Credit—over 3 million individuals.
As a result of measures that this Government have introduced, the poorest third of pensioners are now £1,750 a year—£33 a week—better off than they would have been under the 1997 arrangements.
Pensions
22. Hugh Bayley: What steps the Government is taking to retain final salary pension schemes for public sector employees. [177334]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government places great importance on the value of employer pension provision, but not on any specific type of provision, which must be suited to the specific needs of the employee and employer.
Where Government is the employer, it aims to provide a remuneration package that includes access to an occupational pension and employer financing towards the accruing costs of those pensions.
This generally involves providing defined benefit occupational schemes, but defined contribution arrangements may be provided alongside or instead where this is considered to represent value for money.
Where the Government is not the employer—in the wider public sector and indeed the private sector—our programme of informed choice measures seeks to raise
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awareness of the value of employer pension provision to ensure that employers take into account the recruitment and retention benefits which they can enjoy from providing and contributing to pensions.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of (a) public and (b) private sector employees are members of final salary pension schemes; and what the percentages were in 1997. [176987]
Malcolm Wicks: The information on employment shown in the table has been obtained from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), and refers to all people who are aged 16 or over and in employment. Figures have been rounded. The information on pension scheme members (also rounded) has been obtained from the Occupational Pension Schemes Survey (OPSS), Government Actuary's Department.
These are the two most appropriate sources, but unfortunately the GAD survey data is only available for 1995 and 2000 in recent years.
The information on scheme membership refers to Defined Benefit (DB) schemes, which may include salary related schemes that are not necessarily final salary schemes. Data for final salary schemes specifically is not available.
It should be noted that in calculating the percentage of employees who are members of DB pension schemes, two different data sources (LFS and OPSS) have been used. The percentages should, therefore, be treated as estimates only. For instance, one reason for caution is that the OPSS data is a snapshot of information relating to the year as a whole, while the LFS data presented here relates to the winter period (December to February) of each year.
| Private sector | Public sector | All | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment (millions) | |||
| Winter 1995 | 19.4 | 6.2 | 25.6 |
| Winter 2000 | 20.9 | 6.3 | 27.2 |
| DB scheme members (millions) | |||
| 1995 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 9.3 |
| 2000 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 9.1 |
| Percentage of employed people who are members of DB schemes | |||
| 1995 | 27 | 66 | 36 |
| 2000 | 22 | 71 | 33 |
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the minimum amount awarded through the Pension Credit scheme is; whether small amounts are rolled up until reaching a certain value before being sent out; and if he will make a statement. [177025]
Malcolm Wicks:
A pension credit award of less than 10 pence per week is not payable unless payment can be combined with another benefit. Pension credit is
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normally paid weekly, but an award of less than £1 per week may be paid quarterly unless payment can be combined with another benefit.
Asbestos
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what powers are available to control asbestos and asbestos-containing products on or in domestic premises which may involve a risk to the general public; and if he will make a statement. [175370]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The supply and use of asbestos and asbestos containing products are banned under the Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1992, as amended in 1999.
The duty to manage asbestos, regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002, applies to the common parts of domestic premises—areas used in common by the 'occupants of more than one private dwelling', as defined in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Sure Start Maternity Grant
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many workers in Blackpool North and Fleetwood have received the Sure Start maternity grant. [175891]
Mr. Pond: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the tables.
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income support | Jobseekers allowance (income based) | Tax credit | Total | |
| 2000–01 | 625 | 75 | 327 | 1,027 |
| 2001–02 | 607 | 67 | 499 | 1,173 |
| 2002–03 | 690 | 62 | 639 | 1,391 |
| 2003(7) | 50 | 6 | 53 | 109 |
(7) April.
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income support | Jobseekers allowance (income based) | Tax credit | Total | |
| 2003(8) | 1,640 | 229 | 1,841 | 3,710 |
| 2004(9) | 142 | 17 | 135 | 294 |
(8) May to March.
(9)April.
Notes:
1. Blackpool North and Fleetwood Parliamentary Constituency used to be part of Blackpool Social Fund District. In May 2003, Blackpool Social Fund District was combined with Preston Social Fund District and parts of South West Lancashire and, Lancaster and South Cumbria Social Fund Districts to form Lancashire West Jobcentre Plus District. The two areas for which data is given above are therefore different, so the data is not comparable.
2. Prior to 2003–04, tax credits refer to Working Families' Tax Credit and Disabled Person's Tax Credit. From 2003–04, tax credits refer to Child Tax Credit payable at a rate higher than the family element and Working Tax Credit where the disability or severe disability element is included in the award.
3. Where a Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG) is awarded and the applicant or partner is in receipt of both IS and Child Tax Credit at the appropriate rate, the SSMG award is usually recorded under Income Support (IS). Similarly, where a SSMG is awarded and the applicant or partner is in receipt of both Jobseeker's Allowance (Income-Based) and Child Tax Credit at the appropriate rate, the SSMG award is usually recorded under JSA(IB).
4. Sure Start Maternity Grants were introduced on 27 March 2000. The very small number of cases for 1999–2000 have been excluded for data protection reasons.
Source:
DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.
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Mr. Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mothers in Bootle have taken up the Sure Start maternity grant. [176237]
Mr. Pond: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the table.
| Applications | Awards | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 2,076 | 1,867 |
| 2001–02 | 2,270 | 2,002 |
| 2002–03 | 2,714 | 2,254 |
| 2003–04 | 2,870 | 2,313 |
| 2004 April | 201 | 154 |
Notes:
1. Bootle parliamentary constituency is part of Knowsley and Sefton Jobcentre Plus District, which was formed by merging Knowsley Social Fund District and Sefton Social Fund District in October 2003. For comparison purposes, data before the merger are given for Knowsley Social Fund District and Sefton Social Fund District combined.
2. Sure Start maternity grants were introduced on 27 March 2000. There were no cases for 1999–2000.
3. Data are given for all applications and awards, irrespective of whether the application was made by the mother or her partner.
Source:
DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.
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