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16 Sept 2004 : Column 1728W—continued
Working Hours
Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the percentage change in the hours worked per capita in the UK in (a) 1970 to 1980, (b) 1981 to 1997 and (c) 1998 to the latest available year. [184353]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
(a) Unfortunately no data for this time period is available on the Labour Force Survey.
(b) The Labour Force Survey reweighted data starts from 1992. The change in hours worked (that is total hours worked and excluding overtime) from spring 1992 to spring 1997 is 0.08 per cent.
(c) The change in hours (that is total hours worked and excluding overtime) worked from spring 1998 to spring 2004 is 0.59 per cent.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Children in Poverty
Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate the Government have
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made of (a) how many and (b) what percentage of children lived in poverty in (i) St. Helens and (ii) the UK, broken down by region, in each year since 1997; [186825]
(2) what estimate the Government have made of (a) how many and (b) what percentage of children lived in low-income households in (i) St. Helens and (ii) the UK, broken down by region, in each year since 1997; [186824]
(3) what the Government's performance has been against each of its child poverty reduction targets in (a) St. Helens and (b) the UK, broken down by region, since 1997. [186806]
Mr. Pond: Poverty and social exclusion are complex and multi-dimensional issues, affecting many aspects of peoples' lives—including their living standards, health, housing, the quality of their environment—and not just low income. The sixth annual "Opportunity For All" report (Cm 6329) sets out the Governments strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and presents information on the indicators used to measure progress against this strategy.
Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain and the United Kingdom is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994–95 to 2002–03". Data are not available below regional level.
"Measuring Child Poverty", published in December 2003, outlines the Government's measure of UK child poverty for the long term. This new measure will begin from 2004–05.
All publications listed are available in the Library.
Benefit Claimants (Faversham)
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people in Faversham are claiming (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) incapacity benefit or their equivalents; and how many were doing so in 1997; [189333]
(2) how many people in the Faversham and Mid-Kent constituency are claiming (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) incapacity benefit or their equivalents; and how many were doing so in 1997. [189334]
Mr. Pond: The available information is in the tables.
| Thousand | |
|---|---|
| May 1997 | |
| Great Britain | 2,739.3 |
| Swale local authority | 4.3 |
| Faversham and Mid-Kent parliamentary constituency | 2.5 |
| May 2004 | |
| Great Britain | 2,708.7 |
| Swale local authority | 5.1 |
| Faversham and Mid-Kent parliamentary constituency | 3.1 |
Notes:
1. "Incapacity benefits claimants" includes all incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants, including those receiving national insurance credits only.
2. Figures are shown in thousands and are rounded to the nearest hundred.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. samples.
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| Swale local authority | Faversham and Mid-Kent parliamentary constituency | |
|---|---|---|
| May 1997 | 3,508 | 1,715 |
| May 2004 | 1,450 | 634 |
Source:
Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems.
Benefits
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of benefits paid was in (a) 1997–98 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available. [188592]
Mr. Pond: The total benefit expenditure for Great Britain, in nominal terms, in 1997–98 was £93,342 million; in 2002–03 it was £110,282 million.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have (a) nominated agents to collect state benefits on their behalf and (b) made formal appointments for third parties to receive and handle the administration of benefits on their behalf on account of their lack of mental capacity. [188231]
Mr. Pond: The only information available is for pension credit and income support.
In Great Britain, as at February 2004, there were 100,400 pension credit claimants and 53,200 income support claimants with an agent.
In Great Britain, as at the end of February 2004, there were 174,700 pension credit and 118,200 income support claimants with appointees.
It is not possible to state how many people have appointees in cases of lack of mental capacity as this information is not collated centrally.
Bereavement Benefits
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the operation of the bereaved parents allowance. [188405]
Mr. Pond: Bereavement benefits were introduced on 9 April 2001, and for the first time extended support to both widows and widowers following the death of a spouse. These new benefits concentrate the help available where it is most needed; on immediate needs and on families with children.
Widowed parent's allowance is a weekly benefit payable to widowed parents who satisfy the qualifying conditions. The bereavement payment is a lump sum payment of £2,000 payable immediately to help with costs arising on bereavement. In addition, bereavement allowance is a weekly benefit payable, for 52 weeks following widowhood, to widows and widowers aged 45 and over without dependant children.
We have no plans to change these arrangements.
Sue Doughty:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will provide a Written Ministerial Statement outlining the key points on the agenda for each of the Council of Ministers' meetings at which his Department is represented in advance of each meeting; [188202]
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(2) if he will provide a Written Ministerial Statement outlining for each meeting of the Council of Ministers at which his Department is represented as soon as is practicable following that meeting (a) the key items of discussion, (b) the positions of the Government on those items, (c) the key positions taken by other member states that Ministers consider should be noted by hon. Members and (d) any preliminary discussion on the timing and the agenda of the following meeting. [188203]
Mr. Pond: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, on 13 September 2004, Official Report, column 1451.
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is provided to staff of his Department to enable them to give sufficient advice to those who are bereaved on what benefits are available to them. [188268]
Maria Eagle: Staff who deal with bereavement benefits claims have extensive technical training on those benefits before commencing their job. The training includes both classroom lessons and computer based material. Although primarily aimed at staff who process benefit claims, the training can also assist Personal Advisors and Financial Assessors in gaining a comprehensive understanding of these benefits.
Additionally, further computer-based learning on the availability of bereavement benefits can be accessed by all staff who are likely to come into contact with, and give advice to, recently bereaved customers.
All staff dealing with customers have access to benefit guides, including guides on bereavement benefits.
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