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28 Jun 2004 : Column 87W—continued

Potters Bar Rail Accident

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the Health and Safety Executive to conclude its investigations into the Potters Bar rail accident; and if he will make a statement on the HSE's work to date. [177804]

Mr. McNulty: I have been asked to reply.

The Health and Safety Executive advise that their investigation into the Potters Bar rail accident, which is continuing, is expected to conclude in September or October 2004.

Self-storage

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Health and Safety Executive has received representations concerning the storage of hazards in self-storage sites; and if he will make a statement. [179736]

Jane Kennedy: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has received one representation regarding storage of hazards in self-storage sites from Derbyshire District Council, relating to an explosion which had occurred at Macaravans Ltd, Trent Lane, Kings Newton, Melbourne, Derbyshire on 19 May 2004

Social Security Appeals

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many social security appeal decisions have not been implemented by executive agencies linked to his Department in each of the last three years. [180559]

 
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Maria Eagle: In law the circumstances when a decision of a social security appeal tribunal will not be implemented are: (i) when the Secretary of State is granted leave to appeal the decision to the Social Security and Child Support Commissioners; (ii) when the decision is set aside and the appeal re-heard; and, (iii), where the tribunal's decision is made in ignorance or mistake as to material fact and is superseded. The number of appeals is in the table. Information about set aside and decisions superseded is not available.

	Appeals to the Commissioners
2001–02	68
2002–03	57
2003–04	110

Winter Fuel Allowance

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many senior citizens in Tamworth have benefited from the winter fuel allowance since 1997. [179964]

Malcolm Wicks: The number of senior citizens in the Tamworth constituency who have benefited from a winter fuel payment in each year since 1999–2000 (including provisional figures for 2003–04) is in the table. Information relating to the 1997–98 and 1998–99 winters is not available.

	Payments made
1999–2000	12,515
2000–01	14,475
2001–02	14,845
2002–03	15,225
2003–04	15,575

Notes:
1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5.
2. Please note that the figures for 2003–04 refer only to the main payment run, i.e. they do not include the late payment run figures. We estimate that there are approximately 100,000 people in Great Britain paid via late payment runs (0.8 per cent. of all payments). Since most of the payments made in late payment runs are to people who are not receiving another benefit from DWP and whose claims had not been received by the Qualifying Week, most are to men aged 60.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. samples.

Work Incentives (Homeless Households)

Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures he plans to introduce to increase work incentives for statutorily homeless households placed in temporary accommodation. [178738]

Mr. Pond [pursuant to my reply 21 June 2004, Official Report, c. 1263W]: Homeless people who are at a distinct disadvantage in the labour market, and who are claiming benefits, are entitled to early access to the range of help available from Jobcentre Plus, such as the New Deal. This includes those statutorily homeless households placed in temporary accommodation. In addition, Jobcentre Plus is also piloting specialised support for clients who have additional barriers to work including homelessness. These pilots are aimed at
 
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helping homeless people, alcohol misusers and offenders move into work. There are progress2work-LinkUp pilots based in 23 Jobcentre Plus Districts.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Disadvantaged Children

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of disadvantaged children live in the 20 per cent. most deprived wards in England. [179420]

Yvette Cooper: 54.26 per cent. of children living in households which are reliant on means tested benefits, live in the 20 per cent. most deprived wards based on data from the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000.

Advisers (North-east Lincolnshire)

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the advisers seconded to North East Lincolnshire are able to (a) accept and (b) propose cuts in spending on education. [179887]

Mr. Raynsford: The Office for the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) currently has no staff seconded to North East Lincolnshire council. ODPM is providing funding to allow the council to employ interim staff to provide help and expertise in developing their financial systems. The interim staff are not in a position to decide cuts in any service or corporate budget. Only the council can decide how and where it will make savings.

Civil Service Relocation

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many civil servants and what percentage of the total Civil Service workforce in his Department will be relocated over the next five years (a) outside the M25, (b) to the West Midlands and (c) to Staffordshire. [180182]

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 22 June 2004, Official Report, columns 1292–93W.

Correspondence

Mr. Keith Bradley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter of 19 February, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Withington, on behalf of his constituent, Mr. Alan Gellion. [180705]

Yvette Cooper: I replied to this letter on 25 June.

Council House Waiting Lists

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the waiting lists were for council housing in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Chorley, broken down by (i) houses, (ii) flats and (iii) old age pensioner bungalows, in each of the last five years. [180422]

Keith Hill: Local authority figures supplied to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister show the total number of households on the housing registers in Chorley, Lancashire and the North West are as follows.
 
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	Chorley	Lancashire (including Chorley)	North West (including Chorley)
1999	869	21,715	118,829
2000	1,050	21,832	116,937
2001	1,017	18,450	112,405
2002	1,017	20,119	121,213
2003	1,323	26,879	155,702

This data cannot be further disaggregated to match the categories requested.

Council Housing

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Birkenhead since 1997. [166214]

Keith Hill [pursuant to the reply, 21 April 2004, Official Report, c. 493 W]: Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per cent. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance we introduced in 2001–02 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Wirral allocations, which include Birkenhead, in the period 1997–98 to 2003–04 have risen by 60 per cent. In addition to this welcome increase there is support through the Community Housing Task Force and Government Office for the North West to help the local authority and its tenants to choose the best strategy for long-term improvement.

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the effect of changes in the level of council funding for housing upon residents of Wirral South since 1997. [166635]

Keith Hill [pursuant to the reply, 21 April 2004, Official Report, c. 493W]: Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per cent. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance we introduced in 2001–02 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Wirral's allocations in the period 1997–98 to 2003–04 have risen by 60 per cent. In addition to this welcome increase there is support through the Community Housing Task Force and Government Office for the North West to help the local authority and its tenants to choose the best strategy for long-term improvement.

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