---

7 Jul 2004 : Column 759W—continued

Empty Homes

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many empty houses his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement. [182144]

Mr. Pond: The Department for Work and Pensions has no houses on its estate nor is it responsible for any housing.

Ministerial Visits

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list visits made by each Minister in the Department between December 2003 and April 2004, broken down by (a) date, (b) constituency visited and (c) cost. [171563]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The information requested by the hon. Member in relation to dates and constituencies visited is set out as follows. Information in relation to the cost of visits is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Government publish on an annual basis the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Information for 2003–04 is currently being collected and will be published as soon as it is ready.
Right hon. Andrew Smith MP

	Constituencies visited
13 January 2004	Bradford South
19 January 2004	Derby South
19 January 2004	West Derbyshire
2 February 2004	Brighton Pavillion
8 March 2004	Oxford West and Abingdon
9 March 2004	Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
27 April 2004	Blackpool North and Fleetwood
27 April 2004	Denton and Reddish

 
7 Jul 2004 : Column 760W
 

Malcolm Wicks MP

	Constituencies visited
3 December 2003	Darlington
3 December 2003	Tyne Bridge
8 January 2004	Northampton North
22 January 2004	Sheffield Central
5 February 2004	Brighton Pavillion

Des Browne MP

	Constituencies visited
4 December 2003	Edinburgh North and Leith
8 December 2003	Wythenshawe and Sale East
11 December 2003	Aberavon
11 December 2003	Bridgend
6 January 2004	Derby South
15 January 2004	Hammersmith and Fulham
20 January 2004	Bromley and Chislehurst
22 January 2004	Sheffield Central
22 January 2004	Sheffield, Brightside
23 January 2004	Paisley North
26 January 2004	Knowsley North and Sefton East
26 January 2004	Bootle
4 February 2004	Leicester South
6 February 2004	Falkirk East
12 February 2004	Greenock and Inverclyde
12 February 2004	Ayr
12 February 2004	Hamilton North and Bellshill
20 February 2004	Dumbarton
26 February 2004	Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
4 March 2004	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
4 March 2004	Glasgow, Baillieston
5 March 2004	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
26 March 2004	Kilmarnock and Loudoun

 
7 Jul 2004 : Column 761W
 

Right hon. Jane Kennedy MP

	Constituencies visited
21 April 2004	Harrow East
28 April 2004	Derby South

Chris Pond MP

	Constituencies visited
2 December 2003	Lewisham West
4 December 2003	Huddersfield
4 December 2003	Leeds Central
5 December 2003	Falkirk East
13 January 2004	Selby
22 January 2004	Birmingham Ladywood
26 January 2004	Edinburgh North and Leith
21 April 2004	Gravesham

Maria Eagle MP

	Constituencies visited
9 December 2003	Blackpool North and Fleetwood
16 December 2003	Northampton
14 January 2004	Islington North, London
29 January 2004	Stratford, London
12 February 2004	Ealing Acton and Shepherd's Bush, London
16 February 2004	Edinburgh Central
3 March 2004	Coventry North East
29 April 2004	Manchester Central

Right hon. Baroness Hollis of Heigham

	Constituencies visited
1 December 2003	Lichfield
22 March 2004	Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend
26 April 2004	North Southwark and Bermondsey

New Deal

Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women in Hyndburn have benefited from the New Deal for Lone Parents since its introduction. [181304]

Jane Kennedy: 1,060 women have started New Deal for Lone Parents in Hyndburn since the beginning of the programme in October 1998, of whom, 640 have gained a job.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of the New Deal for Young People on jobseeking for those aged 18 to 24. [181886]

Jane Kennedy [holding answer 6 July 2004]: The New Deal for Young People has helped more that 490,000 young people into work, including 930 in Coventry South. It has helped virtually to eradicate long-term youth unemployment and also helped reduce youth claimant unemployment to its lowest level for 30 years.

In Coventry, South the long-term youth unemployment rate has gone down by 68 per cent. since 1997.

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington, South have been helped into work by the New Deal. [182484]

 
7 Jul 2004 : Column 762W
 

Jane Kennedy: The New Deal has been very successful in helping more than a million people into work including 1,390 in the Warrington, South constituency.

Information on numbers helped into work by each New Deal programme is in the table.

Programme	People gaining a job
New Deal for Young People	760
New Deal 25 plus	250
New Deal for Lone Parents	240
New Deal 50 plus	140

Notes:
1. All data is to March 2004, except New Deal 50 plus which is to March 2003.
2. The number of people gaining a job through New Deal for Disabled People and New Deal for Partners is not available at constituency level.
3. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
New Deal Evaluation Database, DWP Information and Analysis Directorate.

Pension Payments

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the facility for pensioners to withdraw their pensions by order book is to be withdrawn; and what alternative arrangements will be made for pensioners who do not wish or are unable to switch to direct payment. [182564]

Mr. Pond: By March 2005 all customers, including pensioners, will have moved from order book to another method of payment. The last pension book foils can be dated no later than 28 February 2005.

We have always recognised that there will be a small number of people who we cannot pay by direct payment. These people will be moved to cheque payment. Our current plan is for a gradual switchover to cheque payment starting in October 2004 through to the end of February 2005.

Pension Schemes

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will give his Department's estimate of the total Government liability for cases contained in the research into the liabilities for the insolvent pension wind-up Financial Assistance Scheme; and what the estimated total pension shortfall of these cases is. [182577]

Malcolm Wicks: The Government are not liable for the losses that people face in their pensions as a result of their pension schemes being wound up underfunded with an insolvent employer. It is not yet possible to give a firm estimate of the full extent of the funding shortfall in such cases, although the £400 million made available by the Government for the Financial Assistance Scheme is expected to provide substantial help to those most affected.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will set out the calculations underlying the regulatory impact assessment for the
 
7 Jul 2004 : Column 763W
 
Pensions Bill showing an annual saving of £100 million for business as a result of greater investment flexibility under the statutory funding objective. [182134]

Malcolm Wicks: The basis for the estimate that the replacement of the Minimum Funding Requirement could lead to additional investment income of around £100 million a year across all private sector defined benefit pension schemes is set out at paragraphs 4.1.13 to 4.1.15 of the Regulatory Impact Assessment which supports the Pensions Bill.

---