| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
7 Jul 2004 : Column 756W—continued
Motorway Patrols
Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce civilian traffic officers in patrolling motorways. [181312]
Caroline Flint: Home Office and Department for Transport Ministers have agreed that the Highways Agency should appoint its own civilian traffic officers who will relieve the police of certain responsibilities with regard to the management of accidents and other major incidents on the motorways. Provision for the statutory powers required for them to exercise the full range of their proposed functions is made in the Traffic Management Bill currently before Parliament. Responsibility for law enforcement and accident investigation will remain with the police.
National Offender Management Service
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a risk assessment has been carried out in respect of the National Offender Management Service; and if he will make a statement. [181586]
Paul Goggins: A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is being completed as part of the work to prepare for the planned Correctional Services Bill. Additionally, the National Offender Management Service Change Programme governance has defined and operates a risk management approach for the overall Change Programme.
Police Stations
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations have (a) closed and (b) opened in each police force authority area in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement. [182091]
Ms Blears: A full survey of police stations in each police authority area, closed or opened from 1992–93 to 2002–03, was undertaken in 2003. I have placed in the Library a copy of the results. Data are not available for years before 1992–93.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Benefit Take-up
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of (a) pensioners and (b) disabled people in East Devon took up their full benefits entitlement in each of the past three years. [182051]
Malcolm Wicks:
The information requested is unavailable.
7 Jul 2004 : Column 757W
National estimates of take-up of income-related benefits among the entitled pensioner population can be found in the DWP publication "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up". Copies of the report are available in the Library.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the child support maintenance assessment for Mrs. Julie Hallett of Brixham will be prepared; what the reasons are for the delay; and if he will make a statement. [181648]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Anthony Steen, dated 7 July 2004:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the child support maintenance assessment for Mrs. Julie Hallett of Brixham will be prepared; what the reasons are for the delay; and if he will make a statement.
As individual cases are confidential, I will write to you separately about this case. This is in line with paragraph 12, part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many manual payments have been required in relation to cases under the (a) old and (b) new Child Support Agency systems. [181741]
Mr. Pond [holding answer 1 July 2004]: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to my right hon. Friend with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Frank Field, dated 7 July 2004:
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many manual payments have been required in relation to cases under the (a) old and (b) new Child Support Agency systems.
In the year to 31 March 2004 the Agency made 3,376,325 payments through its existing computer system and 496,037 payments through its new computer system. In the same period the Agency made 758 payments manually for cases on the existing computer system and 2,602 payments for cases on the new computer system.
Mr. Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases relating to clients in Strathkelvin and Bearsden have moved from the old to the new system within the Child Support Agency. [181992]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. John Lyons, dated 7 July 2004:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases relating to clients in Strathkelvin and Bearsden have moved from the old to the new system within the Child Support Agency. (181992)
I regret that this information is not available. I can however say that nationally, in the year to 31 March 2004, the records for around 326,000 cases moved from the old to the new computer system.
Mr. Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many manual payments have been made to clients in Strathkelvin and Bearsden as a result of the changeover to the new Child Support Agency system. [181993]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the my hon. Friend with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. John Lyons, dated 7 July 2004:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many manual payments have been made to clients in Strathkelvin & Bearsden as a result of the changeover to the new Child Support Agency system.
I regret that this information is not available. I can however say that nationally, in the year to 31 March 2004, the Agency made 3,376,325 payments through its existing computer system and 496,037 payments through its new computer system. In the same period the Agency made 758 payments manually for cases on the existing computer system and 2602 payments for cases on the new computer system.
Departmental Staff
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent staff there have been in (a) his Department and (b) agencies of the Department for each year from 1997 to date. [181397]
Maria Eagle: The information is published annually in the Civil Service Statistics. Copies are available in the Library and on the Cabinet Office Civil Service Statistics website at www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics.
Guarantee Credit/Savings Credit
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 14 June, Official Report, column 728W, on pension credit, how many (a) individuals and (b) households he expects to be eligible for (i) guarantee credit only, (ii) savings credit and guarantee credit and (iii) savings credit only in (A) 2004–05, (B) 2005–06, (C) 2006–07 and (D) 2008–09. [182121]
Malcolm Wicks:
The information is not available in precisely the form requested, but projections based on the available data are given in the following tables 1 and 2. The figures include a number of assumptions which will be sensitive to change over the next 10 years.
7 Jul 2004 : Column 759W
| Guarantee element only | Guarantee element and savings element | Savings element only | Pension credit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–2005 | 950,000 | 1,400,000 | 1,200,000 | 3,550,000 |
| 2005–2006 | 850,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,250,000 | 3,650,000 |
| 2006–2007 | 850,000 | 1,550,000 | 1,350,000 | 3,750,000 |
| 2007–2008 | 850,000 | 1,600,000 | 1,450,000 | 3,900,000 |
| 2008–2009 | 900,000 | 1,650,000 | 1,550,000 | 4,050,000 |
| Guarantee element only | Guarantee element and savings element | Savings element only | Pension credit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–2005 | 1,250,000 | 1,700,000 | 1,700,000 | 4,650,000 |
| 2005–2006 | 1,150,000 | 1,850,000 | 1,800,000 | 4,800,000 |
| 2006–2007 | 1,150,000 | 1,900,000 | 1,850,000 | 4,900,000 |
| 2007–2008 | 1,150,000 | 1,950,000 | 2,050,000 | 5,150,000 |
| 2008–2009 | 1,200,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,150,000 | 5,350,000 |
Notes:
1. Projections with this breakdown are only available for private households. In addition to pensioners in private households, there are approximately 200,000 pensioners in care homes eligible for pension credit. The figures in Tables 1 and 2 above do not include pensioners in care homes.
2. Estimates for private households and individuals in 2004–05 are based on the Family Resources Survey data for 2002–03 projected forward to 2004–05 to reflect changes in taxes, benefit rates and pensioners' incomes.
3. For projections beyond 2004–05 it has been assumed that pensioners' incomes will rise in line with average earnings; the guarantee credit will be uprated in line with average earnings; and the savings credit threshold will be uprated in line with prices.
4. It has also been assumed that the eligible population will tend to rise in line with the general projected growth of the pensioner population.
5. Projections 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.
6. 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.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |