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14 Jun 2004 : Column 727W—continued
Ministerial Visits
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the travel costs incurred by (a) his Department and its predecessors and (b) each Minister within his Department, for each of the last 10 years. [175651]
Maria Eagle: In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. These report information reaching back to 1995–96. Information for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and in some cases will no longer be held. Information for 2003–04 will be published in due course.
Departmental travel costs for the Department and the former Department of Social Security for the last 10 years is not available, however we do have information relating to the last seven years and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) on 24 May 2004, Official Report, Volume 421, column 1470W.
Information relating to individual ministers for this period is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many journeys were made by helicopter by each Minister in his Department and its predecessors in each of the last 10 years; and what the journey length was in each case. [175731]
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Maria Eagle: In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. These report information reaching back to 1995–96. Information for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and in some cases will no longer be held. Information for 2003–04 will be published in due course.
Information relating to the use of helicopters by Ministers of this Department, and it's predecessor the Department of Social Security, is not available for the last 10 years, however there has been no use of helicopters, at departmental expense, since 1997.
All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
Pension Credit
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many (a) individuals and (b) households he expects to be eligible for pension credit in (i) 2004–05, (ii) 2005–06, (iii) 2006–07 and (iv) 2008–09; [177548]
(2) what his Department's target is for the number of (a) individuals and (b) households who will be receiving pension credit by (i) 2004–05, (ii) 2005–06, (iii) 2006–07 and (iv) 2007–08. [177549]
Malcolm Wicks: Estimates of levels of eligibility for pension credit to 2008–09 are provided in the table. The Department has set a Public Service Agreement target for at least three million pensioner households, corresponding to around 3.7 million individuals, to be in receipt of pension credit by March 2006 and is on course to achieve this.
| Households | Individuals | |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 3.75 | 4.85 |
| 2005–06 | 3.85 | 5.00 |
| 2006–07 | 3.95 | 5.10 |
| 2007–08 | 4.10 | 5.35 |
| 2008–09 | 4.25 | 5.55 |
Notes:
1. Estimates for private households and individuals are based on Family Resources Survey data for 2002–03 projected forward to reflect changes in taxes, benefit rates and pensioners' incomes.
2. Estimates for pensioners in care homes are based on DWP administrative data on the number of recipients of minimum income guarantee in residential care and nursing homes and on data from Health Departments on the number of local authority supported care home residents.
3. Estimates have been rounded to the nearest 50,000 cases, are subject to a wide margin of error and should be used as broad indications of the likely eligible population only.
4. A pensioner household is defined as single persons aged 60 or over and couples where at least one partner is aged 60 or over. Individuals are single pensioners with eligibility and both partners in a couple with eligibility.
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Pensioner Incomes
James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average change in household income for pensioners in Stalybridge and Hyde has been since 1997. [177686]
Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available.
Pensions
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of average income the state pension represented in each year since 1994. [177409]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. The information as is available is in the table.
| Percentage of average income | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 35 |
| 1997–98 | 34 |
| 1998–99 | 31 |
| 1999–2000 | 31 |
| 2000–01 | 29 |
| 2001–02 | 30 |
Notes:
1. State pension figures are derived from a five per cent. sample of DWP administrative data taken at March in each year.
2. Average income for each financial year is median gross weekly individual income taken from Individual Incomes 1996/7–2001/2 published by the Department for Work and Pensions. The Individual Income series used is based on the Family Resources Survey which has been available since 1996.
3. State pension is calculated as the maximum rate of basic state pension plus the average amount of additional state pension in payment for recently retired men aged 65 and women aged 60.
4. The figures have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pension schemes have started the winding-up process in each year since 1997; and how many pension scheme members have been affected, broken down by (a) pensioners and (b) people who had not retired when the winding-up began. [177544]
Malcolm Wicks: The Pensions Schemes Registry, administered by the Occupational Pension Schemes Regulatory Authority (OPRA), holds information on the number of pension schemes which are currently in the winding up process. Figures showing the number of schemes that have entered winding up each year since 1997 and have not yet completed winding up are contained in the table, along with numbers of members in those schemes.
It is not possible to break these figures down by pensioner and pre-retirement numbers, as the registry only provides data on total membership numbers.
| Number of schemes | Number of members | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 April 1997–3 March 1998 | 120 | 1,944 |
| 1 April 1998–3 March 1999 | 156 | 5,143 |
| 1 April 1999–3 March 2000 | 3,921 | 88,577 |
| 1 April 2000–3 March 2001 | 1,403 | 52,623 |
| 1 April 2001–3 March 2002 | 1,866 | 61,639 |
| 1 April 2002–3 March 2003 | 1,460 | 73,982 |
| 1 April 2003–3 March 2004 | 1,420 | 48,194 |
| Total | 10,346 | 332,102 |
Notes:
1. The table does not contain schemes that started winding up in the time period given and have since completed wind up. The Pensions Schemes Registry only records the present status of a scheme so only those winding up at the moment are captured. This is unlikely to bias the figures extensively as the winding up process can take many years to complete, particularly for large firms.
2. A winding up scheme is one which has notified OPRA that it has commenced winding up procedures.
3. Schemes have up to 12 months to notify OPRA of any status change so the data for the current year is provisional.
14 Jun 2004 : Column 730W
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will list the meetings with external (a) bodies and (b) individuals that his Department's (i) special advisers and (ii) unpaid advisers have attended without Ministers in their official capacity in each year since 1996–97; [174646]
(2) if he will list the attributable letters that his Department's (a) special advisers and (b) unpaid advisers have written to external (i) bodies and (ii) individuals in their official capacity in each year since 1996–97. [174649]
Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions was created in June 2001. Information prior to June 2001 refers to the former Department of Social Security. The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers makes clear that special advisers may liaise with outside interest groups on the Minister's behalf. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Department has no unpaid advisers.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what role his Department's (a) special advisers and (b) unpaid advisers play in the (i) appraisal, (ii) reward, (iii) discipline and (iv) promotion of permanent civil servants. [174651]
Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions was created in June 2001. Information prior to June 2001 refers to the former Department of Social Security. In its response to the Ninth Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, the Government made clear that with the exception of up to three posts in No. 10, special advisers cannot have any role in the appraisal, reward, discipline or promotion of permanent civil servants.
The Department has no unpaid advisers.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list occasions when his Department's (a) special advisers and (b) unpaid advisers have been responsible for authorising departmental spending since 1997. [174653]
Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions was created in June 2001. Information prior to June 2001 refers to the former Department of Social Security. No special adviser within the Department has, or has had, any authority to authorise departmental spending.
The Department has no unpaid advisers.
14 Jun 2004 : Column 731W
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department's (a) special advisers and (b) unpaid advisers give instructions to permanent civil servants without the explicit authorisation of Ministers. [175020]
Maria Eagle: In its response to the Ninth Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, the Government made clear that special advisers may, on behalf of their Ministers, convey to officials Ministers' views and work priorities. It is not the case that special advisers in the Department may issue instructions to permanent civil servants.
The Department has no unpaid advisers.
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