---

1 Mar 2005 : Column 1131W—continued

Council Tax Benefit

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will issue notifications of basic entitlement to council tax benefit to relevant claimants of pension credit. [218028]

Mr. Pond: The Pension Service are already doing much to promote council tax benefit take-up, from issuing a housing benefit/council tax benefit claim form
 
1 Mar 2005 : Column 1132W
 
to everyone who calls the pension credit application line and wishes to claim, to helping people fill in this form when visiting pensioners to take a claim for pension credit.

The Pension Service have also recently provided local authorities with details of those people in their area claiming pension credit but not claiming housing benefit or council tax benefit, for authorities to use to complement their own take-up activities.

Disability Awareness Training

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on disability awareness training in 2003–04; and what information he collects concerning the (a) number and (b) occupation of training recipients. [217359]

Maria Eagle [holding answer 21 February 2005]: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides a variety of training for its staff which raises awareness of disability. It is principally aimed at advisers and other people who deal with the public but some is available to all employees. It includes an event called 'Dealing with Vulnerable Groups' which helps staff in dealing with people who are deaf or are visually impaired or who have mental health issues.

In addition to formal training courses, people are increasingly developed by a variety of other means, including mentoring and e-learning in the work place. These include The Diversity Toolkit, which offers a range of training options and which won a British Diversity silver award in the innovation and awareness category in 2004. The disability awareness strand of this has been made compulsory for staff in several DWP businesses.

Although the Department works in partnership with external organisations to develop disability awareness products, training is only delivered to the Department's own staff.

The Department does not collect information about the numbers of its staff who access particular types of training or the cost of delivering different types of training. This information could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many company (a) directors, (b) managers and (c) secretaries have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted for health and safety offences under section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 in each year since 1996. [216303]

Jane Kennedy: Information is not available in the format requested. The numbers of company directors or other senior corporate officers (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted for offences under section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 in each year since 1996, in cases following as HSE investigation, are as follows.
 
1 Mar 2005 : Column 1133W
 

Year(25)	Number of individuals prosecuted	Number of individuals convicted
1996–97	17	15
1997–98	6	5
1998–99	9	9
1999–2000	17	12
2000–01	16	15
2001–02	16	11
2002–03	18	9
2003–04(26)	12	10

⁽²⁵⁾ Year refers to operational year which runs from 1 April to 31 March.
⁽²⁶⁾ Figures for 2003–04 are provisional

Information specifically about company directors, managers or secretaries is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Similar figures for local authority cases are not available from the (voluntary) local authority returns on health and safety enforcement.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the question tabled by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on 19 January, reference 210053. [218695]

Mr. Pond: An answer was given on 21 February 2005, Official Report, columns 405–06W.

Pension Service

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of calls made to the crisis line from Scotland in each month since July 2004 (a) were answered within 30 seconds, (b) received an engaged tone or recorded message that all agents are busy and (c) were abandoned. [217081]

Mr. Pond: The information is not available.

Public Service Pensions

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of the review of the local government, health and other public service pension schemes. [218013]

Mr. Timms: I have been asked to reply.

The cost of the reviews of local government, health and other public service pension schemes is a matter for the individual Departments which are responsible for the schemes and is not available centrally.

Social Fund

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Social Fund (a) community care grants, (b) crisis loans and (c) budgeting loan applications have been (i) made and (ii) received by Jobcentre plus in Scotland in each month since January 2002. [216921]

Mr. Pond: Information is only available on the number of Social Fund claim applications received.
 
1 Mar 2005 : Column 1134W
 

The available information is in the table.
Numbers of applications for Social Fund Community Care Grants (CCGs), Crisis Loans (CLs) and Budgeting Loans (BLs) received in Scotland since January 2002

	CCGs	CLs	BLs
January 2002	6,700	29,290	17,100
February 2002	8,060	27,810	19,730
March 2002	8,550	28,130	21,350
April 2002	8,400	27,870	22,270
May 2002	8,840	28,240	21,960
June 2002	7,050	24,390	18,580
July 2002	8,320	27,230	20,330
August 2002	8,150	27,000	19,100
September 2002	7,520	23,670	18,360
October 2002	9,040	27,900	25,000
November 2002	8,790	24,030	28,390
December 2002	6,550	21,560	17,910
January 2003	7,420	28,570	17,540
February 2003	8,190	26,200	19,370
March 2003	8,290	25,510	20,530
April 2003	8,180	25,820	20,200
May 2003	7,850	26,660	20,150
June 2003	7,820	27,440	20,210
July 2003	8,060	28,280	18,910
August 2003	7,210	26,530	18,020
September 2003	8,000	26,870	18,910
October 2003	8,590	28,940	23,350
November 2003	8,270	24,610	25,950
December 2003	6,850	24,700	19,010
January 2004	6,930	28,300	15,610
February 2004	7,620	28,120	17,030
March 2004	9,080	30,260	21,430
April 2004	7,400	24,500	18,050
May 2004	7,590	25,410	17,850
June 2004	8,360	26,860	19,250
July 2004	7,010	22,750	15,380
August 2004	7,840	25,140	17,530
September 2004	7,030	24,320	16,670
October 2004	7,280	23,710	18,980
November 2004	8,260	24,350	27,420
December 2004	6,270	22,500	18,260
January 2005	6,780	27,820	12,810

Notes:
1. Jobcentre Plus was created in April 2002. Data prior to that is for the Benefits Agency.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan/Iraq

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent since 2001 on UK military operations (a) solely and (b) mainly relating to (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Iraq. [218320]

Mr. Ingram: Ministry of Defence identifies the costs of operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. Additional costs for larger operations are identified separately and are published in the MOD's annual report and accounts following audit by the NAO.

On this basis, the cost of military operations in Afghanistan from 2001–02 to the end of 2003–04 was £578 million. Similarly, the cost of activities in Iraq under Operation Telic commencing in 2002–03 and to the end of 2003–04 was £2,158 million.
 
1 Mar 2005 : Column 1135W
 

Figures for costs in 2004–05 will be published in the MOD's annual report and accounts for 2004–05 in the autumn.

---