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Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the letter to him dated 24 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr. T. Cheema. [182460]

Mr. Andrew Smith: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 2 July.

Household Income

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of (a) all households containing at least one disabled person, (b) single disabled people and (c) couples over pension age where at least one person is disabled receive 60 per cent. of median contemporary incomes after housing costs where income is calculated excluding disability living allowance and attendance allowance received. [181116]

 
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Maria Eagle: In 2002–03, 65 per cent. of all households containing at least one disabled person, 62 per cent. of all single disabled people, and 65 per cent. of couples over pension age where at least one person is disabled received income that was at least 60 per cent. of the median income after housing costs, where household incomes exclude any disability allowance and attendance allowance received.

If disability living allowance and attendance allowance are not deducted from incomes, 74 per cent. of all households containing at least one disabled person, 70 per cent. of all single disabled people, and 77 per cent. of couples over pension age where at least one person is disabled received income that was at least 60 per cent. of the median income after housing costs.

Notes:

1. Figures are for 2002–03 the latest date for which data is available. 2. Estimates are for Great Britain and are quoted to the nearest per cent. 3. Estimates relate to the household's status at the time they were interviewed for the FRS. 4. The estimates are based on sample counts, which have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors that, in the case of the Family Resources Survey, control for tenure, council tax band and a number of other variables. Estimates are subject to both sampling error and to variability in non-response.
 
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5. The income measure used is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income (that is to say income that is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household). 6. The median income of the population is the contemporary median income. For the part of the answer were DLA/AA have been deducted, the median is the same as that used in HBAI, and therefore has not been recalculated following deduction of disability living allowance and attendance allowance. Previous analysis has shown that recalculating the median in this way has little impact of the risk of low income. This is due to the small impact DLA/AA receipt has on the location of averages in the income distribution. 7. For part (a) disabled persons includes both disabled adults and children. For part (b) single disabled people includes only adults.

Source:

Family Resources Survey (FRS).

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of (a) all adults, (b) single people without children, (c) single people with children, (d) couples without children and (e) couples with children in households under pension age containing at least one disabled person have incomes below 60 per cent. of median contemporary incomes after housing costs where income is calculated excluding disability living allowance received. [181117]

Maria Eagle: The information requested is in the table.

	Percentage who are under pension age, living in a household containing at least one disabled person, with income, minus any disability living allowance, below 60 per cent. of the median income after housing costs	Percentage below 60 per cent. of the median with no deduction of disability allowance from incomes
All adults under pension age	32	27
Single people without children	37	31
Single people with children	54	48
Couples with no children	23	18
Couples with children	32	28

Notes:
1. Figures are for 2002–03, the latest date for which data is available.
2. Estimates are for Great Britain and are quoted to the nearest per cent.
3. Estimates relate to the household's status at the time they were interviewed for the FRS.
4. The estimates are based on sample counts, which have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors that, in the case of the Family Resources Survey, control for tenure, council tax band and a number of other variables. Estimates are subject to both sampling error and to remaining variability in non-response.
5. The income measure used is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income (that is to say income that is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household).
6. The median income of the population is the same as that used in HBAI, and therefore has not been recalculated following deduction of disability living allowance. Previous analysis has shown that recalculating the median in this way has little impact on the risk of low income. This is due to the small impact DLA receipt has on the location of averages in the income distribution.
Source:
Family Resources Survey (FRS).

Pension Protection Fund

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether charities with funded final salary pension schemes will be covered by the Pension Protection Fund. [182075]

Malcolm Wicks: The PPF will cover defined benefit and hybrid schemes except those where the benefits are effectively guaranteed. In most cases, these will either be statutory schemes (mostly unfunded schemes) or funded schemes with government guarantees.

Based on the exemptions from the minimum funding requirement, we expect the following schemes to be exempt from payment of the initial levy and the pension protection levies:

(a) an unfunded public service pension scheme;

(b) a public sector scheme providing pensions to local government schemes where there is an established crown guarantee;

(c) any scheme where a Minister of the Crown has given a full guarantee or made other arrangements to secure that assets will be sufficient to meet liabilities;

(d) a pension scheme which provides relevant benefits but is neither an approved scheme nor a relevant statutory scheme;

 
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(e) a section 615(6) scheme (a scheme set up under trust in the UK, but relating to employment outside the UK);

(f) a scheme with less than three members;

(g) a scheme where the only benefits provided (other than money purchase benefits) are death benefits and under the provision of which no member has accrued rights (other than rights to money purchase benefits);

(h) a 'relevant lump sum retirement benefits scheme' (basically, one which only provides a non-salary-related lump sum on retirement);

(i) the scheme set up under the Salvation Army Act 1963 and

(j) the Chatsworth Settlement Estate Pension Scheme.

We also have the PPF exemption for schemes with fewer than 12 members, all of whom are directors, or connected to directors.

We anticipate that all other occupational defined benefit pension schemes and defined benefit elements of hybrid schemes will be covered by the PPF.

Pension Service

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will explain the background to the inability of the Pension Service to issue direct payment letters with the full surnames of people with long names. [182588]

Mr. Pond: An IT constraint prevents surnames in excess of 13 characters being input on to direct payment letters.

Customers with over 13 characters in their surname have their name truncated on all correspondence from the Customer Conversion Centre.

A customers conversion to direct payment is unaffected by the use of truncated surnames—it is a correspondence issue only.

Sales Training (Disabled People)

Mr. Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is (a) required and (b) provided for people who sell equipment and appliances to disabled people. [181736]

Dr. Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.

Private companies that sell equipment and appliances to disabled people are not subject to statutory regulation, but the British Health Trades Association (BHTA), which has over 300 member companies, runs a voluntary registration scheme for sales people. Training is provided by employers and under the BHTA scheme. Registration is open to people who: are willing to be bound by the code of conduct; have three years relevant experience in the non-medicinal healthcare industry; and who can demonstrate competencies in the areas of product knowledge, basic anatomy, physiology, disability, and cultural awareness. Further information is available on the BHTA website at www.bhta.com/.

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