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7 Sept 2004 : Column 1105W—continued
Employers' Liability Insurance
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to require companies to be registered for employers' liability compulsory insurance. [187185]
Jane Kennedy: The Department will assess the costs and benefits of registering employers on an ELCI database by autumn 2004. This is part of our work to consider how best to tackle the small number of employers who do not have Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) cover, and how best to help claimants trace employers' ELCI insurance policies.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of (a) the extent of evasion of employers' liability compulsory insurance within the construction and roofing industries and (b) the impact of such evasion on (i) the health and safety of workers and (ii) the profitability of insured employers. [187186]
Jane Kennedy: There are no figures available to show compliance with the Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) Act 1969 solely within the construction and roofing industries.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out a survey of compliance with ELCI in the autumn of 2003. That survey included small, medium and large firms across all sectors in England, Scotland and Wales and concluded that ELCI compliance was high—nearly 99.5 per cent. of those employers surveyed were ELCI compliant.
The provision of ELCI does not, of itself, impact on the health and safety of workers. ELCI merely ensures that there is some money available to compensate a person who successfully claims against their employer in the event of an injury or ill health arising out of their employment.
The survey found that the most commonly sited response to the increased cost of ELCI has been to "try and improve health and safety performance" (50 per cent. of respondents). In the context of our work to promote a risk-based approach to the setting of ELCI premiums, better Health and Safety performance will enable insurers to better reflect good Health and Safety practices in the terms they can offer.
7 Sept 2004 : Column 1106W
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to implement the recommendations of his Department's second report on employers' liability compulsory insurance. [187187]
Jane Kennedy: The Department for Work and Pensions, working with stakeholders, has made good progress towards delivering all the recommendations in the Second Stage Report.
Recommendations still to be fully implemented are the Framework for Vocational Rehabilitation, the Health and Safety Executive Management Performance Index for small businesses, and the Claims Pilots to make claims processes more cost effective, quicker and transparent. All of these will be launched by the autumn 2004.
Jobcentre Plus
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost has been of creating Jobcentre Plus offices in each year since 2001–02; and what the estimated costs are for each year to 2007–08. [187347]
Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive.
Letter from David Anderson to Mr. David Willetts, dated 7 September 2004:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the costs of creating Jobcentre Plus offices in each year since 2001/02 and what the estimated costs are for each year to 2007/08. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The creation of Jobcentre Plus offices was organised in two separate phases. The rollout did not start until 2002/03. The 56 offices introduced in 2001/02 were known as Pathfinders and were not accounted for as part of the main roll out project. The capital cost of these Pathfinders in 2001/02 was £36.7m.
From 2002/03 the Jobcentre Plus Implementation Project was set up to roll out the remaining offices nationwide. This is a 4-year programme from 2002/03 to 2005/06. The breakdown of the total costs is as follows:
| Total | ||
|---|---|---|
| £ million | Percentage | |
| Total Staffing | 674 | 30 |
| Total Running Costs | 652 | 29 |
| Total Capital | 903 | 41 |
| Total Rollout Programme | 2229 | 100 |
The total project spend to date, including accruals, is £817m. The annual costs of rolling out the offices are shown below.
| Actual | Forecast outturn | Rollout Programme | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | Total | |
| Capital Costs | 111 | 251 | 195 | 346 | 903 |
| Staffing/Running Costs | 149 | 200 | 381 | 596 | 1326 |
| Cumulative Total | 260 | 711 | 1287 | 2229 | — |
The Jobcentre Plus Implementation project is due to be completed in March 2006. The project has now rolled out over 500 offices and remains within budget.
I hope this is helpful.
New Deal
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have entered self-employment as a result of participating in each New Deal scheme in each year since 1997–98. [186779]
7 Sept 2004 : Column 1107W
Jane Kennedy: The information is not available.
Information on numbers of people entering the New Deal self employment option through New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus, and those receiving the New Deal 50 plus Employment Credit whilst being self employed is in the table. Information on Self Employment starts from the other New Deals is not available.
| New Deal 1 for Young People | New Deal 2 25 plus | New Deal 3 50 plus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 780 | — | — |
| 1999–2000 | 1,540 | — | — |
| 2000–01 | 1,350 | — | 4,040 |
| 2001–02 | 980 | 3,470 | 4,120 |
| 2002–03 | 1,080 | 3,870 | 4,040 |
| 2003–04 | 1,140 | 2,290 | — |
| Total | 6,870 | 9,630 | 12,190 |
Notes:
1. Information is only available from 1998 onwards.
2. Information is only available from 2001 onwards.
3. Information is only available from 2000 onwards
4. Information is for April to March each year.
5. All data is to March 2004 except New Deal 50 plus which is to March 2003.
6. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and totals may not sum due to rounding.
Source:
New Deal Evaluation Database, DWP Information and Analysis Directorate
New Deal and Employment Zones
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are employed (a) in his Department and (b) in Jobcentre Plus in administering each of the (i) New Deal programmes and (ii) Employment Zones. [186427]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available.
The Department for Work and Pensions, including Jobcentre Plus, keeps staffing records by grade and location, but not by job role.
Pensioners
Mr. Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners are (a) eligible for and (b) claiming the pension credit in Northampton South. [186464]
Malcolm Wicks:
Information on the number of people likely to be eligible for Pension Credit is not available at constituency level. However, we estimate that approximately 250,000 households in the East Midlands region, corresponding to approximately 350,000 individuals (rounded to the nearest 50,000), are likely to be eligible for Pension Credit in 2004–05. At the end of July, 3,885 pensioner households in Northampton South, comprising 4,655 individuals (rounded to the nearest five), were in receipt of Pension Credit. The corresponding figures for the East Midlands region at the same date were 185,305 households and 227,800 individuals in receipt of Pension Credit.
7 Sept 2004 : Column 1108W
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Bridgwater (a) are entitled to pension credit, (b) are in receipt of pension credit and (c) were receiving the minimum income guarantee prior to the introduction of pension credit. [186507]
Malcolm Wicks: Information on the number of people likely to be eligible for pension credit is not available at constituency level. However, we estimate that approximately 300,000 households in the South West region, corresponding to approximately 400,000 individuals (rounded to the nearest 50,000), are likely to be eligible for pension credit in 2004–05. At the end of July, 214,425 pensioner households in the South West region, comprising approximately 261,835 individuals, were in receipt of pension credit. Information on the number of pension credit and minimum income guarantee (MIG) recipients in Bridgewater is given in the table.
Recipients of MIG, 3 October 2003 | Recipients of pension credit, 31 July 2004 | |
|---|---|---|
| Households | 3,025 | 4,550 |
| Individuals | 3,655 | 5,655 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
2. Individual recipients include a small number of partners under age 60.
3. Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2004, Official Report, columns 833–34W, on pension credit, if he will provide the same breakdown of calls to the pension credit application line for subsequent months. [186852]
Malcolm Wicks: The available information is shown in the table.
| Calls received by application line | Calls receiving engaged tone or recorded message | Calls answered within 30 seconds | Average call duration (minutes: seconds) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 495,560 | 120 | 429,670 | 08:12 |
| February | 433,790 | 190 | 372,930 | 08:34 |
| March | 430,070 | 230 | 378,440 | 08:38 |
| April | 346,890 | 13,560 | 250,970 | 09:18 |
| May | 234,580 | 20 | 212,570 | 08:48 |
| June | 315,200 | 20 | 266,040 | 07:20 |
| July | 239,990 | 30 | 212,390 | 07:22 |
Notes:
1. Numbers of calls are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. The number of calls receiving the engaged tone or a recorded message was unusually high in April due to reduced numbers of staff as a result of industrial action. The number of lines feeding into the application line from the network was reduced to avoid people having to wait for a long time for an answer (instead they received a recorded message).
3. The number of calls received is a measure of the total number of calls from customers made to the application line number 0800 99 1234. The number of calls answered within 30 seconds is a measure of all calls answered in application line sites and excludes any calls abandoned by the customer.
7 Sept 2004 : Column 1109W
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest projections are for expenditure on all benefits to pensioners, broken down by benefit, up to 2053–54 (a) as a percentage of GDP and (b) in £ billion at 2004–05 prices. [187358]
Malcolm Wicks: The information has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average pensioner income was in (a) cash terms and (b) real terms in (i) 2001–02, (ii) 2002–03 and (iii) 2003–04, broken down by (A) state benefits and (B) private savings. [187356]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the tables. Information for 2003–04 is currently unavailable.
| Income source | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|
| State benefits | 136 | 142 |
| Private saving | 105 | 106 |
| Earnings | 24 | 25 |
| Average pensioner income | 268 | 277 |
| Income source | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|
| State benefits | 139 | 142 |
| Private saving | 107 | 106 |
| Earnings | 25 | 25 |
| Average pensioner income | 273 | 277 |
Source:
Family Resources Surveys 2001–02 and 2002–03, average incomes rounded to the nearest pound.
Income from state benefits includes: state pensions; income-related benefits; and disability benefits. Income from private saving includes: occupational pensions; personal pensions; and investments.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the state pensions of expatriates living in countries not covered by reciprocal social security agreements with the UK. [186564]
Malcolm Wicks: We up-rate state pensions for British citizens living overseas where there is a legal requirement or a reciprocal social security agreement to do so.
However, the up-dating of State Pensions outside this arrangement is the subject of an appeal to the House of Lords from a decision of the Court of Appeal which found in favour of the Government. We will respond accordingly at the hearing which is set for 28 February and 1 March next year.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the rules allowing for the state pension to be reduced after 52 weeks in hospital. [186565]
Malcolm Wicks: We have no plans at present to change these rules.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the level of a surviving partner's entitlement to the state earnings-related pension scheme. [186572]
7 Sept 2004 : Column 1110W
Malcolm Wicks: We have no plans to alter the current arrangements.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of increasing the 25p a week age addition to £25. [186573]
Malcolm Wicks: The net cost of raising the age addition to £25 per week in 2005–06 is estimated at £2.1 billion.
Notes:
1. Figures are in 2004–05 price terms, rounded to the nearest £100 million. 2. Costs net of income-related benefits (savings credit, guarantee credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) and income tax are calculated using the Department's policy simulation model for 2005–06.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost over a period of five years of increasing the basic state pension to a level of one-third average male earnings. [186575]
Malcolm Wicks: The Information is in the table.
| Gross cost | Net cost | |
|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | 50.5 | 32.3 |
| 2006–07 | 52.9 | 36.2 |
| 2007–08 | 55.6 | 38.0 |
| 2008–09 | 58.5 | 39.9 |
| 2009–10 | 61.5 | 41.9 |
Notes:
1. Figures are for GB and overseas in 2004–05 price terms, using the Gross Domestic Product deflator index, rounded to the nearest £100 million.
2. Gross basic state pension costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department and are consistent with Budget 2004 assumptions and use 2002 based population projections. Basic state pension costs refer to the additional costs after allowing for consequential changes to National Insurance Fund benefits and non-income-related vote benefits.
3. Costs net of income-related benefits (savings credit, guarantee credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) and income tax are calculated using the Department's policy simulation model for 2005–06 and 2006–07. For illustrative purposes it is assumed that the proportion of savings calculated for the 2006–07 year is constant for subsequent years.
4. Average male earnings are taken from table 3.2 of the Department for Work and Pensions annual abstract of statistics. The April 2003 figure was £525 per week, and this was used to set a category A basic state pension of £175 for the following year. This was then projected forward using Budget 2004 economic assumptions for earnings growth.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of extending the full basic state pension to all people of pensionable age regardless of national insurance contributions. [186576]
7 Sept 2004 : Column 1111W
Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the table:
| Gross cost | Net cost | |
|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | 7.3 | 5.0 |
| 2006–07 | 8.9 | 6.0 |
| 2007–08 | 9.9 | 6.7 |
| 2008–09 | 10.9 | 7.4 |
| 2009–10 | 11.9 | 8.1 |
Notes:
1. Figures are for Great Britain only, in 2004–05 price terms, using the Gross Domestic Products deflator index, rounded to the nearest £100 million.
2. It is assumed that the rules are changed from 2005–06 and that basic state pension is increased in line with prices. It is assumed that all individuals above state pension age (65 for men; 60 for women receive the full category A rate of basic state pension (currently £79.60 per week) regardless of contribution record or marital status.
3. Gross basic state pension costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department and are consistent with Budget 2004 assumptions and use 2002-based population projections. Basic state pension costs refer to the additional costs after allowing for consequential changes to National Insurance Fund benefits and non-income-related vote benefits.
4. Costs net of income related benefits (savings credit, guarantee credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) and income tax are calculated using the Department's policy simulation model for 2005–06 and 2006–07. For illustrative purposes it is assumed that the proportion of savings calculated for the year 2006–07 is constant for subsequent years.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of raising the basic state pension to the level of the guarantee credit. [186579]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the following table:
| Gross cost | Net cost | |
|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | 13.5 | 7.3 |
| 2006–07 | 15.1 | 7.7 |
| 2007–08 | 16.4 | 8.3 |
| 2008–09 | 17.8 | 9.0 |
| 2009–10 | 19.2 | 9.8 |
Notes:
1. Figures are for Great Britain and overseas in 2004–05 price terms, using the Gross Domestic Product deflator index, rounded to the nearest £100 million.
2. It is assumed that the category A rate of basic state pension is increased to the level of the individual guarantee credit in 2005–06 and that both are increased in line with earnings. The category B rate of basic state pension is increased by the same proportion.
3. Gross basic state pension costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department and are consistent with Budget 2004 assumptions and use 2002-based population projections. Basic state pension costs refer to the additional costs after allowing for consequential changes to national insurance fund benefits and non-income-related vote benefits.
4. Costs net of income-related benefits (savings credit, guarantee credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) and income tax are calculated using the Department's policy simulation model for 2005–06 and 2006–07. For illustrative purposes it is assumed that the proportion of savings calculated for the year 2006–07 is constant for subsequent years.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets he has set for the uptake of benefits by pensioners for the next four years. [186796]
7 Sept 2004 : Column 1112W
Malcolm Wicks: The Department has two Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets for take up of pension credit by pensioners:
By 2006, be paying pension credit to at least 3 million pensioner households; and
By 2008, be paying pension credit to at least 3.2 million pensioner households, while maintaining a focus on the most disadvantaged by ensuring that at least 2.2 million of the households are in receipt of the guarantee element.
In addition, the 2006 pension credit target is supported by a Service Delivery Agreement (SDA), which says that by 2006, we will be paying the guarantee element of pension credit to at least 2.1 million pensioner households.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimates are of the cost of contracted-out rebates in each of the past 10 years and each of the next 10 years consistent with the latest estimates by the Office of National Statistics of Pension contributions. [187348]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. The National Insurance contribution (NIC) rebates for Contracted-out Salary Related Schemes are delivered through lower rate NICs rather than as a payment to the pension scheme. Because of this, they would not be included in the data source used to compile the ONS estimates of pension contributions. Such information as is available is set out in the table.
| Past 10 years | Next 10 years | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax year | Estimated cost of rebates | Tax year | Estimated cost of rebates |
| 1994–95 | (62)— | 2004–05 | 11.9 |
| 1995–96 | 6.7 | 2005–06 | 12.3 |
| 1996–97 | 6.9 | 2006–07 | 12.7 |
| 1997–98 | 7.6 | 2007–08 | 12.2 |
| 1998–99 | 7.8 | 2008–09 | 12.5 |
| 1999–2000 | 8.3 | 2009–10 | 12.8 |
| 2000–01 | 9.1 | 2010–11 | 13.1 |
| 2001–02 | 9.5 | 2011–12 | 13.5 |
| 2002–03 | 11.1 | 2012–13 | 13.5 |
| 2003–04 | 11.5 | 2013–14 | 13.8 |
(62) Data not available.
Notes:
1. Figures are based on the assumptions used to determine the current national insurance rebates and those for the long-term Public Expenditure Survey undertaken in February 2004.
2. They are for Great Britain only and are calculated on an accruals' basis.
3. The model used by GAD to produce these estimates goes back only to the 1995–96 tax year. They have been unable, therefore, to provide estimates for 1994–95.
Source:
Government Actuary's Department (GAD)
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide a breakdown of expenditure on contracted-out rebates for (a) private sector employees and (b) public sector employees in each of the past 10 years; and what the projections are for each of the next 10 years. [187353]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available.
Mr. Willetts:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the (a) mean and (b) median cost of the contracted out rebate for
7 Sept 2004 : Column 1113W
(i) a public sector employee and (ii) a private sector employee in each of the last 10 years; and what the projection is for each of the next 10 years. [187354]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available.
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