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14 Dec 2004 : Column 1039W—continued
Volunteering
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) when he expects to publish a report on the results of his investment of £27 million in volunteering by students announced in 2000; [203200]
(2) what projects have been undertaken as a result of the £27 million investment for volunteering by students he announced in 2000; and how the cost effectiveness of that investment will be assessed. [203201]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The projects undertaken include students volunteering in schools, prisons, hospitals or local community organisations and groups; student volunteers in cultural and sporting events end environmental projects; and student volunteers to coach young people in sport and drama. More than 30,000 people have benefited. The Higher Education Funding council for England will Produce a report in spring 2005 assessing the initiative.
WORK AND PENSIONS
New Deal for the Disabled
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2004, Official Report, column 69W, on the New Deal for the Disabled, what plans he has for the renewal of contracts from April 2006 with those organisations that are contracted to deliver the New Deal for Disabled People. [202192]
Jane Kennedy: All current contracts for New Deal for Disabled People run until March 2006. We are currently considering the most effective way to continue this work with external organisations beyond the end of the current New Deal for Disabled People contract period.
The Chancellor announced in his pre-Budget report on 2 December 2004 that a further £30 million will be allocated to expand the numbers who can benefit from the New Deal for Disabled People.
Pension Credit
Mr. Weir:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many pensioners took up pension
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credit in October in the constituency of (a) Moray, (b) Banff and Buchan, (c) Tayside North, (d) Angus and (e) Perth; [199505]
(2) how many pensioners took up pension credit in October in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland. [199508]
Malcolm Wicks: The numbers of pension credit recipients at the end of October in Great Britain, Scotland and the constituencies mentioned is given in the following table.
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
2. Figures are available for 31 October 2004 as the final output of processes that were put in place to deliver special monthly reporting during the first year of the roll-out of Pension credit. As Parliament was told in the statement accompanying the last such report, data will in future be available on a quarterly basis, in line with standard departmental practice. The next report, covering data as at 31 December 2004, should be laid in the House in January 2005.
3. Individual recipients include a small number of partners under age 60.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners his Department estimates are eligible for pension credit in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland; and how many pensioners have taken up pension credit since it was introduced in (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland. [199507]
Malcolm Wicks: We estimate that approximately 3.85 million households in Great Britain, corresponding to approximately 4.95 million individuals, and approximately 350,000 households in Scotland, corresponding to approximately 450,000 individuals, are likely to be eligible for pension credit in 2004–05. These estimates, rounded to the nearest 50,000 households or individuals, are subject to a wide margin of error and should be used as a broad indication of the likely eligible population only. The following table gives the numbers of pension credit recipients in Great Britain and Scotland at the end of October.
| Households | Individuals | |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 2,633,550 | 3,199,040 |
| Scotland | 274,225 | 328,250 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
2. Figures are available for 31 October 2004 as the final output of processes that were put in place to deliver special monthly reporting during the first year of the roll-out of pension credit. As Parliament was told in the statement accompanying the last such report, data will in future be available on a quarterly basis, in line with standard departmental practice. The next report, covering data as at 31 December 2004, should be laid in the House in January 2005.
3. A pensioner household is defined as single persons aged 60 or over and couples where at least one partner is aged 60 or over. Individuals are single pensioners with eligibility and both partners in a couple with eligibility.
4. Individual recipients include a small number of partners under age 60.
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Mr. Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the average payment of pension credit in Strathkelvin and Bearsden is; [202542]
(2) how many people received pension credit in Strathkelvin and Bearsden in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004. [202543]
Malcolm Wicks: Numbers of pension credit recipients in Strathkelvin and Bearsden in December 2003 and in October 2004 are given in the following table. The average award in Strathkelvin and Bearsden at the end of October was £41.72.
| Households | Individuals | |
|---|---|---|
| December 2003 | 2,295 | 2,745 |
| October 2004 | 2,725 | 3,280 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
2. Figures are available for 31 October 2004 as the final output of processes that were put in place to deliver special monthly reporting during the first year of the roll-out of pension credit. As Parliament was told in the statement accompanying the last such report, data will in future be available on a quarterly basis, in line with standard departmental practice. The next report, covering data as at 31 December 2004, should be laid in the House in January 2005.
3. Individual recipients may include a small number of partners under age.
4. Pension credit replaced the minimum income guarantee from 6 October 2003.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of the pension credit in each year from 2006–07 to 2011–12 if (a) the guarantee element of the pension credit is increased in line with earnings in each year after 2005–06 and the savings credit threshold is increased in line with prices, (b) the guarantee element of the pensions credit and the savings credit threshold are both increased in line with prices in each year after 2005–06 and (c) the savings and guarantee credits are increased in line with earnings. [203164]
Malcolm Wicks: Estimates for expenditure on pension credit under each of the uprating scenarios laid out in (a) to (c) are provided for each financial year from 2006–07 to 2011–12 in the following table.
| (a) | (b) | (c) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | 7.2 | 6.5 | 6.9 |
| 2007–08 | 8.0 | 6.8 | 7.6 |
| 2008–09 | 8.7 | 7.0 | 8.1 |
| 2009–10 | 9.5 | 7.3 | 8.7 |
| 2010–11 | 10.0 | 7.5 | 9.5 |
| 2011–12 | 11.0 | 7.5 | 10.0 |
Notes:
1. Figures for 2006–07 to 2009–10 are in billions and rounded to the nearest £0.1 billion. Figures for 2010–11 to 2011–12 are rounded to the nearest £0.5 billion to account for the degree of uncertainty in projecting this far ahead.
2. Overall pensioner income is assumed to rise in line with average earnings.
Sources:
1. Figures for 2006–07 to 2009–10 are based on the Department's medium term forecasts for pension credit. The projections are based on the Department's QSE 5 per cent. administrative data.
2. The figures for 2010–11 to 2011–12 are based on the Departments' policy simulation model and the FRS survey 2002–03 projected forward to the appropriate policy year.
14 Dec 2004 : Column 1042W
David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners are in receipt of pension credit in Telford; and if he will estimate how many are entitled to claim and have not done so. [203724]
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 400,000 households in the West Midlands, corresponding to approximately 500,000 individuals (rounded to the nearest 50,000), are likely to be eligible for pension credit in 2004–05. Information on the number of pension credit recipients in the West Midlands and Telford is given in the table.
| Households | Individuals | |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 271,860 | 375,600 |
| Telford | 3,720 | 4,685 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
2. Individual recipients include a small number of partners under age 60.
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many constituents of Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber have received the pension credit. [204849]
Malcolm Wicks: At 31 October 2004 there were 3,780 households, comprising 4,480 individuals, in receipt of pension credit in the Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber constituency.
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. 2. Figures are available for 31 October 2004 as the final output of processes that were put in place to deliver special monthly reporting during the first year of the roll-out of pension credit. As Parliament was told in the statement accompanying the last such report, data will in future be available on a quarterly basis, in line with standard departmental practice. The next report, covering data as at 31 December 2004, should be laid in the House in January 2005. 3. Individual recipients may include a small number of partners under age 60.
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