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12 Jul 2004 : Column 960W—continued
New Deal 25-Plus Programme
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of all starters on the New Deal 25-plus programme have left to enter sustained unsubsidised jobs. [176080]
Jane Kennedy: The New Deal has helped to achieve record levels of employment and has been an important boost to the economy, helping over a million people into work. Up to the end of March 2004, there were a total of 697,970 starts on New Deal 25-plus. In the same period, 178,000 people were helped into work through this programme, 117,250 of these into sustained, unsubsidised employment. Therefore almost 17 per cent. of starts have resulted so far in sustained, unsubsidised jobs.
A total of 141,580 people (over 20 per cent.) have found sustained employment through New Deal 25-plus. However, some of these are still in receipt of a job subsidy so are not recorded as having left New Deal.
There are currently 54,840 people participating in New Deal 25-plus and a number of these will subsequently leave the programme to a sustained unsubsidised job. The proportion of leavers from the enhanced New Deal 25-plus programme (which started in April 2001) who have left to a sustained, unsubsidised job is 25 per cent.
New Deal 25-plus has to be considered in the context of the people it sets out to help. Most have been out of work for 18 months or more in a healthy market and are considered among our hardest to help customers, frequently with multiple barriers to employment. Helping these customers into work is a substantial achievement. Not only does the programme help people into jobs as quickly as possible, it provides those facing greater difficulties with extra help to improve their job prospects and confidence. This help can include: work experience with an employer, training to develop the skills that employers want, and practical help with applying for jobs.
Pensioner Compensation Scheme
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of benefit payments which would have been paid to the 60,000 deferred pensioners who lost their entitlements and who will benefit from the Government compensation scheme. [180369]
Malcolm Wicks:
Details of the Financial Assistance Scheme, for members of pension schemes which have wound up under funded where the employer is insolvent, are being developed in consultation with interested parties. It will not be possible to make a reliable estimate of the cost of benefit payments that would have been paid to those who will benefit until the details of who will be eligible for the scheme are agreed and until detailed information is collected from all those schemes which might be eligible. It is not therefore possible to answer the question in the form requested. However, I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement on the extent of the problem which I made on 30 June, Official Report, columns 15–16WS.
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Private Pensions
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the total value of private pension funds. [182135]
Malcolm Wicks: Information on the market value of self-administered pension funds is collected by ONS as part of the annual balance sheet survey to self-administered pension funds and published as part of the Business Monitor Investment by insurance companies, pension funds and trusts on the National Statistics website. The latest published figure is £610 billion for end 2002.
The value of other private pension funds is included in aggregates collected by ONS in the annual balance sheet survey to long-term insurance companies. However the aggregates cover all long-term business, including life assurance, pensions and other business, written by the companies. A split of the insurance companies' funds between pensions and other business is not available nor is any estimate of the total value of private pension funds.
The Review of Pension Contributions Statistics recommended that
"ONS explores with insurance companies whether it is possible to split their investment flows according to pensions and other business".
Consultation with insurance companies indicated that this split would be too difficult for them to produce on a company basis and that the respondents would not be confident of any data provided on this basis.
Public Services (Funding)
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will identify for (a) his Department and (b) the agencies and task forces for which it is responsible each funding stream for public services in (i) the Isle of Thanet and (ii) Canterbury City local authority area. [181701]
Mr. Pond: The Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies are responsible for the following funding streams to Canterbury city council and Thanet district council:
Rent Rebate Subsidy;
Rent Allowance Subsidy;
Council Tax Benefit Subsidy;
Anti-fraud Subsidies;
Discretionary Housing Payments;
Administration Grant (Housing and Council Tax Benefit Schemes)
Verification Payment Subsidy;
Performance Standards Funding payments;
European Social Fund Objective 3 (Human Resource Activity) Funding.
Rent Rebate Subsidy;
Rent Allowance Subsidy;
Council Tax Benefit Subsidy;
Anti-fraud Subsidies;
Discretionary Housing Payments;
Administration Grant (Housing and Council Tax Benefit Schemes);
Housing Benefit Accuracy Review Payments
Joint Working Initiative Payments;
European Social Fund Objective 3 (Human Resource Activity) Funding.
Swale Borough Council (Housing Benefit)
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what further steps he proposes to take to improve the administration of housing benefit at Swale borough council. [183314]
Mr. Pond: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave him on 8 July 2004, Official Report, column 837W.
Vulnerable Customers (Payments by Cheque)
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 11 May 2004, Official Report, columns 6–7WS, on vulnerable customers (payments by cheque), whether pensioners unable to get to their local Pension Service office will be able to collect emergency pension payments from the nearest Jobcentre Plus or Social Security office instead. [177435]
Mr. Pond: Procedures are in place to maintain continuity of payment to avoid any inconvenience to the customer. Where the need for a replacement payment exists, each case will be treated on its merits. For example, depending on the level of urgency and need, The Pension Service may:
issue a further cheque by post, once the loss of a earlier payment has been verified by the customer; or
arrange for a visiting officer from the Pension Service to visit the customer at home and, in the light of individual needs either arrange to take another cheque payment to the customer, or arrange for the customer to collect a replacement cheque payment, at a nominated time from the existing range of secure sites including Jobcentre Plus offices.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Afghanistan
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afghanistan outside Kabul. [182781]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Security remains fragile throughout Afghanistan. The north is subject to long-standing tensions between regional factions but is generally stable, with UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Mazar-e Sharif and Meymana helping to defuse tension. The New Zealand-led PRT in Bamian and the coalition PRT in Oruzgan are helping to maintain stability in central areas. There tend to be fewer security incidents in the west but units of the Afghan National Army (ANA) have deployed to Herat and Ghowr in recent months in response to violent incidents.
Security in the south and east is more worrying, with attacks resulting in the murder of international and Afghan aid workers and officials. Seven PRTs have been established in southern and eastern provinces to help
12 Jul 2004 : Column 963W
improve the security environment. Coalition forces and units of the ANA continue to pursue terrorists in these areas.
Attempts by remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaeda to disrupt and undermine the democratic process are likely to increase as the elections approach. The UN, ISAF and the Coalition are working closely with the Afghan Government on providing a stable and secure environment for the elections. The expansion of ISAF, announced at the recent Istanbul Summit and including the UK PRTs, will help to achieve that.
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) the Ministry of Defence on the provision of further security assistance and (b) the Department for International Development on the provision of further development assistance to the Government of Afghanistan. [182785]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff at all levels regularly discuss all aspects of assistance to Afghanistan with counterparts in the Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development. I chair a regular meeting on Afghanistan involving representatives of all three Departments.
Inter-departmental co-operation on Afghanistan is highly effective. The UK contribution to expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), announced at the recent NATO Istanbul Summit, is based around the two UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams. These are run jointly by the MoD, FCO and DFID and include representatives from the two civilian departments as well as military personnel. Similarly, UK assistance to reform of the Afghan security sector is funded from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool, which is jointly administered by all three Departments. The UK has £18 million available for security assistance to Afghanistan in financial year 2003–04, in addition to over £23 million contributed since 2002.
At the recent Berlin conference on Afghanistan the UK increased our overall pledge to at least £500 million over five years for development, conflict prevention and counter-narcotics work, a 150 per cent. increase on the previous pledge of £200 million.
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