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Benefit Payments/Overpayment

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to his Department was of employing (a) solicitors, (b) debt collectors and (c) other outside agencies to recover benefits overpaid or paid as a result of fraudulent claims from claimants in each of the last five years. [192176]

Mr. Pond: Solicitors are not employed specifically to recover overpayments. Debt collectors and outside agencies have not been used to recover benefit overpayments in the last five years to April 2004. However, a pilot initiative commenced in April 2004 to use private sector companies to provide debt collection services to DWP.

As of 25 September 2004, commission based payments of £399,850 (plus VAT) have been made in respect of £1,457,380 benefit overpayments recovered by our agents.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Warrington, North receive pension credit; what the average award made is; and how much has been spent on funding pension credits in Warrington. [193300]

Malcolm Wicks: At 31 August there were 4,130 households, comprising 5,070 individuals, receiving pension credit in Warrington, North, with an average award of £38.38. Between 1 October 2003 and 31 August 2004 an estimated £14.1 million was paid in pension credit in the two constituencies of Warrington, North and Warrington, South combined.

Notes:

1. Numbers of pension credit recipients 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. The estimated amount paid includes a small amount of expenditure on the minimum income guarantee, which pension credit replaced. 4. The estimated amount paid has been rounded to the nearest £100,000.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington have been assisted by (a) the New Deal for Young People, (b) the New Deal for the over 25s, (c) the New Deal for Lone Parents, (d) the New Deal for Disabled People and (e) the New Deal for the over 50s. [193302]

 
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Maria Eagle: The available information is in the following tables.
Table 1

	New Deal for Young People		New Deal 25 plus
Constituency	Individual starts	Individuals into work	Individual starts	Individuals into work
Warrington North	1,360	800	670	280
Warrington South	830	510	450	160

Notes:
1. Data is up to the end of June 2004 for New Deal for Young People, New Deal 25 plus and New Deal for Lone Parents.
2. Information is not available at constituency level for New Deal for Disabled People.
3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
DWP Information and Analysis Directorate



Table 2

	New Deal for Lone Parents		New Deal 50 plus(22)
Constituency	Individual starts	Individuals into work	Individuals into work
Warrington North	470	260	140
Warrington South	270	150	140

⁽²²⁾ Information is not available at constituency level for New Deal 50 plus after March 2003. Information relates to Employment Credit Starts up to the end of March 2003.
Notes:
1. Data is up to the end of June 2004 for New Deal for Young People, New Deal 25 plus and New Deal for Lone Parents.
2. Information is not available at constituency level for New Deal for Disabled People.
3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
DWP Information and Analysis Directorate

Benefit Processing Centres (Wales)

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he last met the First Minister of the National Assembly of Wales to discuss the possible effects on social exclusion of the closure of benefit processing offices in Wales. [192209]

Alan Johnson: My predecessor, the right hon. Member for Oxford, East, last met the First Minister for Wales on 6 May 2004 where they discussed a range of issues, although the specific issue of benefit processing centres was not discussed. Senior officials of Jobcentre Plus and The Welsh Assembly have been in close contact about this issue and further meetings are planned.

Child Poverty

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children have been taken out of poverty since 1997 in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and Humber and (c) the City of York. [191221]

Mr. Pond: Poverty is about more than low income, it also impacts on the way people live—their health, housing and the quality of their environment. The sixth annual "Opportunity for All" report (Cm 6239) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and presents information on the indicators used to measure progress against this strategy.
 
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There is not a measure that sets out the numbers of children in poverty for the years since 1997. However, data on the number of children living in low income households are available. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting absolute and relative trends in low income.

In 1997, 2.7 million children in England were living in households below 60 per cent. median income, before housing costs. By 2002–03 this figure had fallen by 500,000. After housing costs this figure had fallen from 3.7 million to 3.1 million, a fall of 600,000.

In 2002–03, 10 per cent. of all children living in households below 60 per cent. of median income in England, lived in Yorkshire and the Humber. Data are not available below regional level, although specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994–95 to 2002–03". The document, "Measuring Child Poverty", published in December 2003, outlines the Government's new measure of child poverty which will be used from 2004–05.

Child Support

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when existing child support cases will be transferred to the new arrangements. [192551]

Mr. Pond: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 18 December 2003, Official Report, column 1092W.

Departmental Redundancies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the timescale is for job reductions in the Department; [190679]

(2) how many jobs are to be lost in the Department (a) in total and (b) as a percentage of the workforce in each region of the UK.; [190681]

(3) how many job losses in his Department he expects there to be in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06 in each town in North Wales; [190879]

(4) what discussions his Department has had with other Government departments on ensuring that past and future civil servant job losses do not fall disproportionately on the same communities; [190680]

(5) whether the proposed job reductions in the Department will be achieved through (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory redundancies; [190678]

(6) what the proposed redundancy package is for employees who lose their jobs due to the Department's restructuring. [190877]

Maria Eagle: The Department plans to reduce staffing levels by 30,000 by 2008 as part of a four year efficiency and modernisation programme. To support this programme detailed business and staffing plans continue to be developed across all parts of the Department. The latest phase of these plans was announced by the Secretary of State on 16 September, it
 
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is however too early to say precisely the total number of reductions in each region of the United Kingdom or in each town in North Wales.

The reductions in staff numbers are being managed through recruitment controls, natural wastage, redeployment and voluntary releases. Where jobs are no longer required the Department will aim to secure suitable alternative employment for staff both within the Department and in other Government departments. The Department is already working closely with Cabinet Office and other Government departments at national and regional level to better co-ordinate staffing plans, vacancies and redeployment opportunities.

Compulsory redundancy will only be used as a last resort and will only take place after all other options have been considered. If any staff are made compulsorily redundant they will be offered the standard terms included in the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

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