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27 Jun 2005 : Column 1257W—continued
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of incapacity benefit recipients live in each authority area listed in descending order; and if he will make a statement. [971]
Mrs. McGuire: The information has been placed in the Library.
Medical Examination Centres
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the medical examination centres in the UK which are (a) to be closed and (b) to remain open. [5235]
Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 20 June 2005]: As part of detailed discussion following the award of a new medical services contract the Department and Atos Origin are discussing a range of proposals including an estates strategy that would both improve service standards and secure investment in other areas. Further information will be made available once these discussions have been concluded.
National Insurance Contracted-out Rebate
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received the national insurance contracted-out rebate; and what the (a) total value of the rebate and (b) the average value per person of the rebate has been in each of the last five years. [7038]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is in the table:
Notes:
(a) Numbers of people contracted out are rounded to 100,000, Total Value" amounts are rounded to £100 million and Average Value" amounts are rounded to £10.
(b) Estimates are for Great Britain only, not UK, and are consistent with Budget 2005 projections.
(c) Estimates of the number of people contracted out are based on the average numbers contracted out in any week earning above the Lower Earnings Limit and not on the total numbers contracted out during the year.
(d) The Total Value" .of the rebate includes rebates to all Contracted-out Salary Relate Schemes, Contracted-out Money Purchase Schemes and Appropriate Personal Pension Schemes and Stakeholder Schemes. It also includes the cost of the employer's share of the rebate.
(e) Figures up to and including 2001–02 are based on published data on the numbers of people contracted out. Figures for 2002–03 to 2004–05 are based on estimates of the number of people contracted out.
Source:
Government Actuary's Department
27 Jun 2005 : Column 1258W
Pension Commission
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the consultation on the findings of the Pension Commission will be completed. [4725]
Mr. Timms: The Pension Commission's consultation on issues raised in its first report Pensions; Challenges and Choices" ended 31 January 2005. The Commission is expected to publish its Final Report before the end of 2005.
We want to build a national consensus on a long-term solution to adequate income in retirement. We intend to ensure that the widest possible dialogue takes place prior to and beyond the publication of the Pensions Commission report as part of our National Pensions Debate.
Pensions
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the take-up of pension credit by pensioners whose first language is not English. [5751]
Mr. Timms: Reliable information on the ethnicity of those entitled to income related benefits is not currently available. The Department will continue to use the findings of research in order to identify the barriers to take-up among people from ethnic minorities, including those whose first language is not English, and ways to overcome them. The Department will also continue to seek to improve the quality of the data which it holds on the ethnicity of its customers and the way in which this information is collected. Information on pension credit, as with other benefits or entitlements, is available in a number of languages and applications can be taken by telephone in languages other than English.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Islington (a) received state pension, (b) applied for pension credit and (c) received pension credit in each of the last three years; and what the average pension credit payment was in each year. [5752]
Mr. Timms:
Information on the number of people in receipt of State Pension and Pension Credit in the local authority area of Islington, and average awards, is set out in the following two tables. Information on the number of people who have applied for or are eligible for Pension Credit is not available in respect of individual local authority areas or constituencies.
27 Jun 2005 : Column 1259W
| Claimants | Average award (£) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 19,400 | 79.03 |
| 2003 | 18,500 | 81.03 |
| 2004 | 19,300 | 82.96 |
Notes:
1.Numbers of claimants are rounded to the nearest100.
2.Numbers of claimants are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
3.Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Source:
Information Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions, 5 per cent. sample
Notes:
1.Number of households and individuals are rounded to the nearest 5.
2.Figures relate to the end of the month.
3.Individuals comprise claimants and partners and may contain a small number of partners aged under 60.
4.Pension credit replaced minimum income guarantee from 6 October 2003.
5.Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS directory.
6.The figures for March 2005 are the latest available.
Source:
Information Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions, 100 per cent. sample
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures his Department is taking to ensure the equality of women's pensions compared to men's pensions. [6987]
Mr. Timms: The proportion of women retiring with a full basic state pension will rise substantially over the next 20 years. Measures such as Home Responsibilities Protection, improved participation in the labour market and tax credits have all contributed to this. In addition, with the introduction of state second pension, the proportion of women who are now accruing significant second state pension rights is similar to that of men. This represents a major improvement on the old system of SERPS.
Of course we want to do more. That is why one of our principles for reform is that the pensions system should produce fair outcomes for women and carers. We have embarked on a National Pensions Debate to build consensus as to the best way to achieve this. As part of this debate we will be publishing an analysis of women's pension position.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Coventry, South (a) received state pension, (b) applied for
27 Jun 2005 : Column 1260W
pension credit and (c) received pension credit in each of the last three years; and what the average pension credit payment was in each year. [6988]
Mr. Timms: Information on the number of people in receipt of state pension and pension credit in Coventry, South, and average awards, is set out in the following two tables. Information on the number of people who have applied for or are eligible for pension credit is not available in respect of individual constituencies.
| Date | Recipients | Average award (£) |
|---|---|---|
| September 2002 | 16,200 | 80.30 |
| September 2003 | 16,400 | 83.82 |
| September 2004 | 16,700 | 86.10 |
Notes:
1.Numbers of recipients are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2.Numbers of recipients are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
3.Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Source:
Information Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions, 5 per cent. sample
Notes:
1.Numbers of households and individuals are rounded to the nearest 5.
2.Figures relate to the end of the month.
3.Individuals comprise claimants and partners and may contain a small number of partners aged under 60.
4.Pension credit replaced minimum income guarantee from 6 October 2003.
5.Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS directory.
6.The figures for March 2005 are the latest available.
Source:
Information Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions, 100 per cent. sample
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