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13 Jul 2004 : Column 1072W—continued
Pension Credit
Dr. Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the rate of take-up of pension credit is in (a) Copeland, (b) Cumbria and (c) the UK; and if he will make a statement; [182807]
(2) how many pensioners in (a) Copeland and (b) Cumbria he estimates have gained as a result of pension credit; and if he will make a statement. [182808]
Malcolm Wicks: Information on numbers of households eligible for pension credit is not available at county or constituency level. However, we estimate that approximately 3.75 million households in Great Britain and approximately 500,000 households in the north west region (rounded to the nearest 50,000) are likely to be eligible for pension credit in 2004–05. Information on the numbers of pension credit recipients and people gaining as a result of pension credit is given in the following table. Those gaining are defined as recipients of the savings element of pension credit, plus those recipients of the guarantee element only who were not previously claiming minimum income guarantee and who were aged 60 prior to 6 October 2003.
We have now published a review of the pension credit campaign to the end of May 2004. This shows that pension credit is playing a vital role in helping to give more money to the people who need it most. Over three million pensioners are now benefiting, with over 2.2 million individuals receiving more money than they did before. The review has been placed in the Library.
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| Households | Individuals | Households gaining(19) | Individuals gaining(19) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 2,496,970 | 3,028,390 | 1,833,690 | 2,217,125 |
| Copeland parliamentary constituency | 2,950 | 3,585 | 2,260 | 2,735 |
| Cumbria local authority | 20,270 | 24,265 | 16,245 | 19,375 |
(18) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
(19) 'Gainers' are defined as (a) recipients of the savings element of pension credit plus (b) those recipients of the guarantee element only who were not previously claiming MIG and who were aged 60 prior to 6 October 2003.
Sanctions Database
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the total cost to his Department of establishing the Sanctions Database; [182079]
(2) if he will make a statement on the progress of the Sanctions Database; when he expects it to be fully operational; and when he expects to be able to publish findings arising from it. [182127]
Mr. Pond: The Sanctions Database is currently in development and a prototype database is now being tested and analysed. After the initial release the database will be continuously developed to meet future analytical needs.
Total development costs are not available but it is estimated that they will be less than £100,000.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Asylum Seekers
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding was made available by his Department for the care of asylum seekers in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available. [180699]
Mr. Pearson:
The National Asylum Support Service provides support, accommodation and financial help for asylum seekers, including those residing in Northern Ireland, whilst their claim is being considered by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office. My hon. Friend the Minister for Immigration has advised me that figures are not held on a regional basis.
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Details of funding for the care of immigration detainees are not recorded separately by the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
Chief Constable
David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what restrictions are placed (a) in law and (b) operationally on the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland making public political statements. [182968]
Mr. Pearson: The general functions of the Chief Constable are in accordance with the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 as amended by the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2003. There are no restrictions placed either in law or operationally on him making public statements.
Civil Service (Industrial Action)
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days each department, agency and non-departmental public body in Northern Ireland has been affected by industrial action since the start of the current dispute involving the Civil Service trade unions; how many man-hours were lost as a result of that industrial action; and what the cost was of that lost time. [180826]
Mr. Pearson: Since the start of the current dispute involving civil service trade unions, departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland, up to 24 June 2004, have been subject to a total of 522 days of industrial action with 315,242 staff-hours lost. A breakdown of the figures for each department, agency and non-departmental public body is as follows. Information on the cost of the lost time is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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Foreign Criminals
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent reports he has received of foreign criminal groups and organisations operating in Northern Ireland, with particular reference to the Triads. [178765]
Mr. Pearson: As Chair of the Organised Crime Task Force, I receive regular briefings from the partner agencies on the progress being made in tackling organised criminal groups that operate in Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland is currently pursuing a number of investigations into alleged criminal groupings, including those from ethnic minorities.
Government Spending
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what Government spending has been in Northern Ireland, broken down by (a) Department and (b) district council over the past 10 years. [180991]
Mr. Pearson:
The introduction of Devolution in 1999 involved the restructuring of Northern Ireland Departments, and an increase in number from six to 11. In addition, from 2000–01 public spending has been recorded on a resource basis, as opposed to the previous cash basis. It is not possible, therefore, to provide details of spend by Northern Ireland Departments over the last 10 years on a consistent basis. Allocations to
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departments are set within Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) and the following table (table A) shows DEL spending for NI Departments for the period 2000–01 to 2002–03, the latest year for which details of final spend are available.
In respect of district councils, expenditure is not held on record for the years 1994–95 to 1996–97. Table B shows the net expenditure for each of the 26 Northern Ireland district councils for the period 1997–98 to 2002–03.
| Department | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and Rural Development | 192.5 | 199.4 | 202.0 |
| Culture, Arts and Leisure | 70.6 | 75.3 | 87.3 |
| Education | 1,255.2 | 1,338.7 | 1,461.3 |
| Employment and Learning | 532.8 | 537.6 | 571.0 |
| Enterprise, Trade and Investment | 251.0 | 281.3 | 213.0 |
| Finance and Personnel | 103.9 | 131.7 | 130.5 |
| Health, Social Services and Public Safety | 2,151.0 | 2,293.9 | 2,568.4 |
| Environment | 87.1 | 92.8 | 105.5 |
| Regional Development | 444.2 | 499.3 | 564.7 |
| Social Development | 395.0 | 404.9 | 419.3 |
| Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister | 27.7 | 33.2 | 37.0 |
| Total | 5,510.9 | 5,888.2 | 6,360.3 |
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| District council | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 6.0 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 8.3 | 8.8 |
| Ards | 8.3 | 8.7 | 9.4 | 10.8 | 10.5 | 11.9 |
| Armagh | 6.3 | 6.9 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 9.2 | 10.1 |
| Ballymena | 6.1 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 8.2 | 9.6 | 10.8 |
| Ballymoney | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| Banbridge | 4.3 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 7.2 |
| Belfast | 59.4 | 60.1 | 66.9 | 68.5 | 67.9 | 75.5 |
| Carrickfergus | 4.7 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 6.4 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Castlereagh | 6.4 | 6.5 | 7.9 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 10.2 |
| Coleraine | 5.9 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 8.9 | 9.1 | 9.5 |
| Cookstown | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.9 |
| Craigavon | 10.5 | 11.6 | 12.1 | 12.0 | 13.4 | 14.7 |
| Derry | 15.7 | 16.8 | 17.0 | 18.1 | 19.4 | 19.6 |
| Down | 8.3 | 8.0 | 9.2 | 10.0 | 10.5 | 11.2 |
| Dungannon | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 6.7 |
| Fermanagh | 5.7 | 5.9 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 8.2 |
| Larne | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 5.3 |
| Limavady | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 4.8 |
| Lisburn | 11.6 | 12.4 | 13.6 | 13.3 | 15.6 | 17.0 |
| Magherafelt | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.6 |
| Moyle | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.2 |
| Newry and Mourne | 10.4 | 11.6 | 13.1 | 13.5 | 18.1 | 16.9 |
| Newtownabbey | 10.9 | 11.4 | 13.2 | 14.2 | 15.0 | 15.5 |
| North Down | 10.6 | 10.5 | 12.9 | 13.4 | 12.6 | 13.6 |
| Omagh | 6.1 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 7.5 | 7.9 |
| Strabane | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 5.2 | 5.9 | 6.2 |
| Total | 226.7 | 238.0 | 263.4 | 277.5 | 295.7 | 316.3 |
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