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8 Dec 2004 : Column 567W—continued
WORK AND PENSIONS
Benefit Fraud
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what budget has been allocated to the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in each of the past two years; and how many staff have been employed by the Inspectorate in each year. [201861]
Mr. Pond: The information is in the table.
| 2002–03 | 2003–04 | |
|---|---|---|
| Benefit Fraud Inspectorate budget allocation (£) | 7,108,885 | 7,710,776 |
| Staff employed by Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (Number) | 134 | 154 |
Notes:
1. The budget figures for 2002–03 includes £507,675 and 2003–04 includes £494,832 from the H M Treasury Invest to Save Bid.
2. The number of staff in each year is an average across the year.
Benefits
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to publish "Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up in 2002–03". [203173]
Mr. Pond: We expect to release "Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up in 2002–03" in January 2005. The statistics were originally intended for release in December 2004 but have been put back due to delays in the provision of data. A precise date of release will be pre-announced at least two weeks prior to publication in National Statistics Updates—the diary of statistical releases.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when action will be taken concerning the application for child support made by Julie Stephens of Christchurch on 20 June 2003. [202110]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Christopher Chope, dated 8 December 2004:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when action will be taken concerning the application for child support made by Julie Stephens of Christchurch on 20 June 2003.
As individual cases are confidential, I will write to you separately about this case. This is in line with paragraph 12, part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will ensure that the money paid to him in error by the Child Support Agency is passed without further delay to Ms Oakes, the constituent of the right hon. Member for Birkenhead. [201720]
8 Dec 2004 : Column 568W
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to my right hon. Friend with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Frank Field, dated 8 December 2004:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will ensure that the money paid to him in error by the Child Support Agency is passed without further delay to Ms Oakes the constituent of the honourable Member for Birkenhead.
As individual cases are confidential, I will write to you separately about this case. This is in line with paragraph 12, part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency applications are being dealt with off-computer. [202293]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Bob Spink, dated 8 December 2004:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many CSA applications are currently being dealt with off computer?
Of the Agency's caseload of 1.3 million, around 7,000 cases are currently being dealt with clerically.
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects all Child Support Agency cases to have migrated to the new payment scheme. [203015]
Mr. Pond: We will make a decision on the transfer of old scheme cases once we are sure that the new arrangements are working well.
Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to improve the performance of the Child Support Agency in the handling of direct approaches in correspondence and by telephone from the constituents of honourable Members. [202019]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. John Taylor, dated 8 December 2004:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to improve the performance of the Child Support Agency in the handling of direct approaches in correspondence and by telephone from the constituents of honourable Members.
The Child Support Agency is continuing to improve its performance in handling approaches from the constituents of honourable members. We are deploying our staff equitably across the new and old child support schemes to provide the best possible level of service to our clients. Telephone calls are routed direct to a client's caseworker wherever this is possible and our National Helpline continues to provide a back-up service. In addition we offer an e-mail service which is growing in demand and which generally provides a response to a client within 24 hours.
Construction Industry
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of (a) the frequency of health and safety inspection in the construction industry, (b) the sanctions available for enforcement of breaches reported and (c) the criteria used to choose which sanctions are used in a particular case; and if he will make a statement. [201988]
Jane Kennedy: The Health and Safety Executive's Field Operations Directorate (FOD) have made the following number of inspection contacts in the construction industry in the last three years (based on companies identified with a construction Standard Industrial Classification code):
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 18,089 |
| 2002–03 | 19,881 |
| 2003–04 | 18,694 |
FOD's Construction Division works with the construction industry and seeks improvements in health and safety standards using a range of methods in addition to inspection and investigation activity and appropriate enforcement action.
The health and safety enforcing authorities have a range of tools at their disposal in seeking to secure compliance with the law and to ensure a proportionate response to criminal offences. These include the provision by an inspector of information and advice. Inspectors may also serve improvement and prohibition notices that require remedial measures to be carried out, or to stop dangerous activities. They may also prosecute (or report to the Procurator Fiscal with a view to prosecution in Scotland).
The health and safety enforcing authorities follow the principles and approach set out in the Health and Safety Commission's Enforcement Policy Statement. This policy statement requires proportionality and consistency in enforcement, in line with the Enforcement Concordat, to make most effective use of enforcing authority resources.
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