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Benefit Claimants

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed (a) incapacity benefit and (b) jobseeker's allowance in (i) the Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency and (ii) the county of Suffolk in each year since 1997. [187188]

Maria Eagle: The most recent information is in the tables.
People claiming incapacity benefit in the Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency and Suffolk



As at February		Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency

Suffolk
19972,00018,200
19982,10019,200
19992,30018,800
20002,00019,200
20012,60019,600
20022,80019,500
20032,70019,700
20042,70020,100




Notes:
1. Incapacity benefit figures include those getting severe disablement allowance and national insurance credits only.
2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.
3. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
4. Numbers are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
5. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.
6. Suffolk is made up of the following LAs: Babergh, Forest Heath, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk, St. Edmundsbury, Suffolk Coastal, and Waveney.
Source:
DWP-IAD Information Centre 5 per cent. sample.





 
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People claiming job seekers allowance in the Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency and Suffolk.



As at July		Bury St. Edmunds parliamentary constituency

Suffolk
19971,35013,769
19981,11911,342
199999110,390
20008188,472
20017427,437
20027717,538
20037547,877
20046837,153




Source:
Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems (including clerically held cases).




Fraud

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made in achieving his anti-fraud targets. [186522]

Mr. Pond: We have set firm targets to reduce fraud and error and have already had considerable success. Our latest figures show that since 1997 we have reduced fraud and error in income support and jobseekers allowance by 29 per cent. This is against our target of reducing fraud and error in these benefits by 33 per cent. by March next year and by 50 per cent. by March 2006.

For the first time, we have established a continuous measurement of the level of fraud and error in housing benefit with a target to reduce fraud and error in housing benefit by 25 per cent. by 2006.

The latest assessment of the levels of fraud and error in housing benefit were published in "Fraud and Error in Housing Benefit, April 2002 to September 2003" on 12 August 2004. Copies of the report are in the Library.

Savings Incentives

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what incentives the Government are offering to young people to begin saving for pensions. [186686]

Malcolm Wicks: We recognise that pension saving is far more affordable when done over a long period and the key is for young people to start taking action early in life as they become financially independent and enter the workplace for the first time.

Through our Informed Choice 1 programme we are encouraging all people, including young people, to plan ahead. We are doing this by making them aware of their options and ensuring they have the right information at the right time, together with the basic financial awareness and skills, to help them make appropriate choices. The range of initiatives include measures to:
 
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maximise workplace pensions savings, provide personalised information about an individual's forecasted state and occupational/private pension positions, working with employers to provide information and advice in the workplace, and introducing a new web-based retirement planner.

Furthermore, the national Financial Capability Strategy, led by the Financial Services Authority and set out in two recent FSA documents 2 , is working to address the financial capability needs, including those related to saving for retirement, for all groups, including young people.

We already provide incentives to encourage long-term savings by giving more generous tax treatment on pensions than on other forms of investment. Pensions are one of the most efficient ways of saving for all age groups. To encourage and reassure individuals who save in occupational pensions that their pension is secure, the Pension Protection Fund, will, for the first time in the UK, serve to protect members of defined benefit schemes if their sponsoring employer becomes insolvent and the scheme is under-funded.

We are also introducing other measures to encourage the savings habit. For example, in June, we announced our proposals for the stakeholder suite of simple, low-cost, risk-controlled savings and investment products to meet the needs of all, including the young, for their short, medium and long-term needs. Measures such as the Savings Gateway, the Universal Banking Services, the Community Finance and Learning Initiative and the introduction of the Child Trust Fund, also serve to encourage young people to engage with the financial sector.

Family and Child Study

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason all reference to marriage has been omitted from the Family and Child Study data; and if he will reinstate the previous format. [187251]

Mr. Pond: The Families and Children Study (FACS) collects data from a sample of British families with dependent children on an annual basis. The questionnaire covers topics such as demographics, health, child outcomes, work, family income, material well-being and child support, among others.

FACS also continues to collect data on the marital status of the study's members. However, for reasons of limited space, the most recent FACS annual report did not include a separate analysis of marital status. Instead, the focus was on lone parent/couple status, a key determinant of benefit entitlement. It is anticipated that future reports based on FACS data will provide analyses by marital status.
 
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Pensions

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice the Government provide for young people on saving for pensions. [187303]

Malcolm Wicks: Through our Informed Choice 1 programme, we are delivering a range of initiatives which help to break down the barriers people, including young people, often experience in planning ahead for their financial future in retirement. We are making people aware of their options and ensuring they have the right information at the right time, together with the basic financial awareness and skills, to help them make appropriate choices. The range of initiatives include measures to: maximise workplace pensions savings, provide personalised information about an individuals forecasted state and occupational/private pension positions, working with employers to provide information and advice in the workplace, and introducing a new web-based retirement planner.

The Government cannot promote or provide advice about financial products for pensions saving but we want all people, including young people, to be confident about making their own informed choices about working and saving for retirement. They can only do so if they have acquired basic financial awareness and skills to help them interpret the information and advice available to them.

The national Financial Capability Strategy, led by the Financial Services Authority and set out in two recent FSA documents 2 is working to address the financial education, information and advice needs, including those related to saving for retirement, for all groups, including young people.

In addition, Government information about pensions is already available to everyone, including young people, from the Pensions Service and the Financial Services Authority, via their websites and/or telephone helplines, leaflets and publications.

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