---

21 Jun 2004 : Column 1258W—continued

Non-resident UK Pensioners

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many UK pensioners live in each of the other member states of the European Union; and how much in total is spent on benefit payments to pensioners in each of these countries. [177905]

Malcolm Wicks: The table shows the number of people receiving the UK State Pension as at September 2003 and the estimated benefit expenditure for 2003–04 in each of the EU countries: £

Country	Number of people receiving UK State Pension	Estimated expenditure
Austria	4,600	5,500,000
Belgium	4,400	7,360,000
Cyprus	7,800	24,540,000
Czech Republic	100	320,000
Denmark	1,200	2,460,000
Estonia	Nil or negligible
Finland	500	1,210,000
France	24,600	75,010,000
Germany	29,400	38,100,000
Greece	2,200	7,070,000
Hungary	400	1,040,000
Ireland	93,800	203,350,000
Italy	29,500	52,740,000
Latvia	100	320,000
Lithuania	100	210,000
Luxembourg	200	630,000
Malta	3,000	8,630,000
Netherlands	6,600	9,760,000
Poland	1,600	3,250,000
Portugal	5,000	16,140,000
Slovak Republic	Nil or negligible
Slovenia	100	200,000
Spain	57,700	185,990,000
Sweden	1,600	3,060,000

Notes:
⁽²⁵⁾ Caseloads are rounded to the nearest hundred.
⁽²⁶⁾ Caseloads less than 500 are subject to a high degree of sampling variation and should be treated with caution. The associated expenditure figures are also subject to a high degree of sampling variation and should be treated likewise.
⁽²⁷⁾ Expenditure figures have been rounded to the nearest £10,000.
⁽²⁸⁾ Ten countries joined the EU on 1 May 2004. People receiving the UK State Pension in Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Slovak Republic did not receive annual uprating before this date. In addition, certain benefits would not have been paid in these countries before 1 May 2004. On enlargement the bilateral Social Security agreements that apply to Cyprus, Malta and Slovenia have been largely superseded by EU legislation. The figures for Cyprus cover all UK State Pension recipients on the island of Cyprus.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent., sample based on September 2003 DWP administrative data.

Official Vehicles

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of official vehicles used
 
21 Jun 2004 : Column 1259W
 
by his Department are run on (a) petrol, (b) diesel, (c) liquid petroleum gas and (d) compressed natural gas. [172771]

Mr. Pond: The Department's ministerial vehicles are provided by the Government Car Service. In relation to these vehicles, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 25 May 2004, Official Report, columns 1538W.

A breakdown of the Department's vehicle fleet at 1 April 2004 by fuel type is in the table. The Department has no vehicles which are run on compressed natural gas.

	Numbers	Percentage
Petrol	320	12
Diesel	1,587	61
European IV compliant diesels	78	3
Hybrid electric	19	1
Dual fuel	593	23
Total	2,597	100

Note:
The Department's dual fuel vehicles are capable of running on both petrol and liquid petroleum gas.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1513W, on pensions, what the net present value is of the expenditure projections shown in the table. [178871]

Malcolm Wicks: The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1513W, on pensions, what the assumptions are for the uprating of each of the benefits covered in the table. [178872]

Malcolm Wicks [pursuant to the reply, 25 May 2004, Official Report, c. 1513W]: The current policy on the uprating of the various elements of the expenditures table found at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/ad/asd4/Table3 Long Term Projections.xls is given in Table 1.

These policies are applied when estimating the expenditure on these benefits for future years, using the latest HM Treasury medium term assumptions for the annual movements up to 2006–07. For long-term projections beyond 2006–07, assumptions as found in Table 2 are used.
Table 1: Assumptions for the uprating of various pensioner benefits

Benefit	Uprating assumption
Basic State Pension	RPI with 2.5 per cent. underpin
State Earnings-Related Pension/State Second Pension	RPI / Earnings / Constant (depending on element)
Pension Credit	Guarantee Credit: Earnings Savings Credit: RPI with 2.5 per cent. underpin Additional Amounts: Rossi
Winter Fuel Payments	Constant
Over 75s TV licences	RPI + 1.5 per cent.
Christmas Bonus	Constant
Housing-related Benefits	n/a
Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance	RPI

 
21 Jun 2004 : Column 1260W
 

Table 2: Long-term assumptions for various indices, as used in for long-term expenditure projections

Index	Long-term assumption (percentage)
RPI	2.58
RPI with 2.5 per cent. underpin	2.83
Rossi	2.33
Earnings	4.58

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 4 March 2004, Official Report, column 1040W, on benefit payments (pensioners), whether the percentage figures include both pensioners in a couple in receipt of their benefits. [178874]

Malcolm Wicks: The percentage figures are based on the number of individuals aged 60 or over in a benefit unit, which includes both the benefit claimants and their partners.

Pensions

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the future of pension centres; and if he will make a statement. [178433]

Malcolm Wicks: We have received a number of representations on the future of pension centres.

As we said at the time of the budget, we will come forward with more developed departmental plans following discussions with our unions and when the spending review process has been completed.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of whether members of the Cheney, Warwick Group and Debenholt and Kalamazoo pension schemes will be considered for assistance under the provisions of the Pensions Bill in respect of employees who have lost pension benefits following the wind-up of occupational pension schemes. [179444]

Malcolm Wicks: I refer my hon. Friend to my previous reply on 7 June 2004, Official Report, column 82W.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) pension units, (b) pensioner couples and (c) single pensioners had incomes below the median pensioner income in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion this is of total pensioners in each case. [177907]

Malcolm Wicks: Median net income before housing costs for pensioner units (pensioner couples and single pensioners) is £189 a week. The following tables show the number of and proportion of pensioner couples and single pensioners with cash income above and below this amount. Because of the different needs of single and pensioner couples these results should not be taken to reflect their relative living standards.
 
21 Jun 2004 : Column 1261W
 

Tables 1a and 1b show the number of single pensioners and pensioner couple with weekly net income above and below this level on a Before Housing Costs (BHC) and After Housing Costs (AHC) basis. Tables 2a and 2b show the proportion of each type of Pensioner Unit with income below the median level on a BHC and AHC basis.
Table 1a: Numbers below median net income (BHC)

	Pensioner couples	Single pensioners	All pensioner units
Below median	550,000	2,850,000	3,450,000
Above median	2,200,000	1,250,000	3,450,000
Total	2,750,000	4,100,000	6,850,000

Table 1b: Number below median net income (AHC)

	Pensioner couples	Single pensioners	All pensioner units
Below median	550,000	2,850,000	3,450,000
Above median	2,150,000	1,250,000	3,450,000
Total	2,750,000	4,100,000	6,850,000

Table 2a: Proportions under median income (BHC)

	Proportion of each group with income below pensioners unit median (BHC) (Percentage)
Pensioner couples	20
Single pensioners	70
All pensioner units	50

Table 2b: Proportions under median income (AHC)

	Proportion of each group with income below pensioners unit median (BHC) (Percentage)
Pensioner couples	21
Single pensioners	70
All pensioner units	50

Notes:
1. Statistics based on Family Resources Survey data 2002/3 for Great Britain.
2. Results in tables 1a and 1b are rounded to the nearest 50,000—due to rounding rows and columns may not sum to totals. Results in tables 2a and 2b rounded to the nearest 1 per cent.
3. The median net income of £189 for all pensioner units is based on unequivalised cash income.
4. The results are based on the incomes of the pensioner units themselves, it excludes any income from any other members of the households they are living in.
5. Single pensioners are defined as people above the State Pension Age, Pensioner Couples are defined as couples where the man is above State Pension Age. This is consistent with definitions used in the Pensioners' Incomes series.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimates he has made of the proportions of pension income coming from (a) state benefits and (b) funded pensions and other private services in each year since 1996–97. [177560]

Malcolm Wicks: The following table shows the proportion of pension income coming from state and private sources in each year from 1996–97 to 2002–03.
 
21 Jun 2004 : Column 1262W
 

Proportion of state benefit and private pension and other private asset income Percentage

	State benefit	Private pension and investment income
1996–97	58	42
1997–98	57	43
1998–99	56	44
1999–2000	57	43
2000–01	55	45
2001–02	57	43
2002–03	57	43

Notes:
1. State benefit income corresponds to benefit income as defined in the Pensioners' Income Series. The three main sources of benefit income are state retirement pension, disability benefit and income related benefits.
2. Private pension and other asset income corresponds to the sum of occupational pension income, personal pension income and investment income.
3. Estimates are subject to sampling error therefore definitive conclusions can not be drawn from small year-on-year changes in proportions.
Source:
Family Resources Survey 1996–97 to 2002–03.

---