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20 Jul 2004 : Column 142W—continued
Students (Wandsworth)
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of full-time students resident in the London borough of Wandsworth stayed in education after the age of (a) 16 and (b) 18 years in each of the last three years. [184118]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: For Inner London, participation in education and training is only shown as a total because participation estimates for individual Inner London LEAs cannot be estimated reliably. This is due to considerable numbers of pupils who attend independent schools in an LEA other than the one in which they reside and residence information for independent school pupils is not available. The percentage of 16-year-olds participating in full-time education in Inner London at end 2001 (the latest available year) was 73 per cent.
There are also figures published for local Learning and Skills Council (LSC) areas, which cover Inner London. These will be affected by the cross-boundary movement, though to a lesser extent due to their larger size. The London Central LSC area includes Wandsworth LEA. The percentage of 16-year-olds participating in full-time education in London Central LSC area at end 2001 (the latest available year) was 74 per cent.
These figures are taken from the Statistical Bulletin 01/2004 and have been produced using post-Census population estimates. Historic population estimates are not currently available on a comparable basis; and therefore, comparable participation rates for earlier years prior to 2001 cannot be produced.
The percentages of 18-year-olds participating in full-time undergraduate courses in Wandsworth LEA for the last three years are given in Table 1. The higher education (HE) figures show the proportion of students who gain places in HE courses at age 18, and so will not include those who enter at 19 or over.
| As at autumn | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 23.9 |
| 2002 | 23.6 |
| 2003 | 23.4 |
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Sure Start
Mr. Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to support disadvantaged children and families who do not live in wards covered by the Sure Start programme. [184996]
Margaret Hodge: Children's centres are the focus of the Government's plans to expand high quality integrated service provision to young children and families. By 2008 we will have developed up to 2,500 children's centres. In areas not currently covered by Sure Start programmes, centres will develop from a wide range of settings in the maintained, private and voluntary sectors. In the long term the Government aim to develop a children's centre in every community.
Vending Machines
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what assessment his Department has made of the distribution cost of installing vending machines in schools selling only water, fresh milk, juice and fruit; and if he will make a statement; [184541]
(2) whether his Department has conducted research into installing healthy vending machines in schools; and if he will study the example of the Green Machine when conducting work in this area; [184542]
(3) what correspondence his Department has had from (a) the National Association of Head Teachers and (b) the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers on vending machines in schools; and if he will make a statement. [184543]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The provision of vending machines in schools is determined by individual school governing bodies.
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has not carried out any assessment of the distribution cost of installing vending machines which offer healthy food and drink, nor conducted research into installing healthy vending machines in schools. However, DfES and Department of Health are jointly funding the 'Food in Schools' (FiS) initiative, which includes an investigation of how healthy food and drink can be offered in vending machines in schools.
In addition, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently investigated the economic viability of healthier drinks vending provision in schools, and their findings are published in "A Feasibility Study into Healthier Drinks Vending in Schools" which can be found on the FSA's website: www.foodstandards.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2004/apr/vending
Information about the Green Machine has been forwarded to officials in DoH and FSA who lead on vending machine projects.
We have not received correspondence about vending machines from the National Association of Head Teachers or the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers.
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WORK AND PENSIONS
Students (Means-tested Benefits)
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money was paid to students on means-tested benefits in the last year for which figures are available. [184877]
Mr. Pond: The information is not available.
Appointees
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants have an appointee to act on the claimant's behalf in respect of benefit claims and payments; and in how many cases the appointee is (a) a family member or friend, (b) a member of staff of a public body, (c) an independent care home owner or manager and (d) another person acting in their professional capacity. [182728]
Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested as details on appointees are not collected centrally.
At the end of February 2004 there were 174,700 pensions credit claims where there was an appointee and 118,200 in respect of income support claims.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many representations have been received about appointeeship in connection with the proposed mental capacity legislation; and from whom. [182729]
Maria Eagle: The Department received correspondence from the Making Decisions Alliance after the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Mental Incapacity Bill.
In addition, a number of organisations, including the Making Decisions Alliance, referred to the Department's appointee procedures when giving evidence to the Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Incapacity Bill.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what changes are planned on the information for (a) staff undertaking assessments of capacity and (b) appointees following the implementation of the mental capacity legislation; [182730]
(2) whether there will be a requirement for staff of his Department undertaking assessments of claimant's capacity to manage his or her affairs to have regard to the Code of Practice under the mental capacity legislation. [182731]
Maria Eagle: We are currently looking at the potential impact of this Bill on our appointee arrangements. We will finalise the review in the event that the Bill receives Royal Assent and the Code of Practice is completed.
Benefit Fraud
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the weekly multiplier is that is used to estimate the average amount of housing and council tax benefit fraud run-on in cases where a fraudulent claim has been detected. [183161]
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Mr. Pond: For local authorities, the Weekly Benefit Saving (WBS) scheme was replaced by the Security Against Fraud and Error (SAFE) scheme on 1 April 2002. Unlike WBS, where a 32 week multiplier was used when calculating savings from anti fraud activity, no such multiplier is used for SAFE.
Under SAFE, local authorities earn a fixed monetary reward based on the amount of reduction in benefit for each overpayment which they detect that is a result of fraud or claimant error. In addition, local authorities are partly compensated for the costs incurred in bringing forward sanctions and prosecutions.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his written answer of 17 May 2004, Official Report, column 731W, on benefit fraud, what the average (a) weekly incorrect benefit reward and (b) security against fraud and error subsidy was as a proportion of expenditure. [183261]
Mr. Pond:
Local authorities earn Weekly Incorrect Benefit (WIB) rewards for overpayments they recover which have arisen as a result of fraud and claimant error. The average total WIB reward across all local authorities as a proportion of expenditure was 0.2 per
20 Jul 2004 : Column 146W
cent. in 2002–03. The average total Security Against Fraud and Error subsidy across all local authorities as a proportion of expenditure was 0.3 per cent. in 2002–03.
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended, (c) dismissed, (d) prosecuted and (e) convicted for involvement in benefit fraud in each of the last six months; and what amounts were involved in each case. [184688]
Mr. Pond: Information is not available in the exact format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the table and accompanying text.
32 cases of staff suspected of involvement in benefit fraud have been investigated during the period 1 January 2004 to 30 June 2004. These cases include both fraudulent personal claims to benefit and assisting third parties to commit benefit fraud.
In the same period, 10 members of staff were given either a disciplinary penalty and/or were prosecuted and convicted of an offence. Some of these will have resulted from investigations in earlier periods. Details, including the amount of benefit involved in each case, are shown in the following table. Where an amount is not shown in the table, either it has not been possible to determine a value or the overpayment is still being calculated.
| Number | Outcome | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Officer prosecuted and sentenced to a 12 month conditional discharge and £75 costs. The officer continues in post pending a decision about his employment status | £979 |
| 2 | Officer prosecuted for offences committed in 2000 and sentenced to 11 months imprisonment. | £38,938 |
| 3 | Officer prosecuted and sentenced to two months imprisonment. The officer was initially suspended on full pay, which changed to suspension without pay from the date formal charges were made. They have since been dismissed. | £4,180 plus an additional potential overpayment of £2,013 |
| 4 | Officer prosecuted and sentenced to an 18 month Community Rehabilitation Order and ordered to pay £1,510, the amount to be repaid in full by 18 December 2004. The officer was initially suspended from duty and subsequently resigned. | £410 |
| 5 | Officer found guilty of benefit fraud and will be sentenced on 16 July 2004. The officer was suspended from duty and subsequently dismissed. | £1,327 plus an additional potential overpayment of £2,600 |
| 6 | Officer sentenced to a 200 hour community service order and has been dismissed | £3,112 |
| 7 | Officer prosecuted and fined £120 costs and ordered to pay £628. The overpayment has been repaid in full | £2,599 |
| 8 | Officer Dismissed | £5,280 |
| 9 | Officer Dismissed. Prosecution pending. | £660 |
| 10 | Officer Dismissed | — |
In addition to the cases listed in the table four officers resigned prior to a penalty being imposed.
Details of staff suspensions are not routinely captured. Where appropriate, staff are suspended from duty pending the outcome of any action.
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