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12 Oct 2005 : Column 503W—continued
Civil Servants
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants are employed to administer the state pension scheme and benefits distributed to senior citizens; and what the total cost of employing these civil servants was in the last year for which figures are available. [16666]
Mr. Timms: Staff in the Pension Service are responsible for administering the state pension and pension credit schemes. The number of staff employed in the Pension Service in 2004–05 was 16,193 at an annual cost of £352,907,000.
It is not possible to identify separately, staff working in other departmental agencies who administer other benefits to senior citizens.
CSA
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total amount of maintenance payments owed by non-resident parents as determined by the Child Support Agency is; and what proportion of this amount was paid in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [10140]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty to Mr. Danny Alexander, dated 12 October 2005:
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, what the total amount of maintenance payments owed by non-resident parents as determined by the Child Support Agency is; and what proportion of this amount was paid in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Details of the total amount of maintenance payments due and sums received are published in the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts each year and are set out in the following tables.
| Amount due(13) £m | Sum received £m | Percentage collected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 677 | 484 | 71 |
| 2001–02 | 696 | 514 | 74 |
| 2002–03 | 752 | 559 | 74 |
| 2003–04 | 683 | 568 | 83 |
| 2004–05 | 734 | 576 | 78 |
| Amount due £m | Sum received £m | Percentage collected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 75 | 19 | 25 |
| 2001–02 | 51 | 15 | 29 |
| 2002–03 | 43 | 14 | 33 |
| 2003–04 | 131 | 12 | 9 |
| 2004–05 | 112 | 10 | 9 |
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(13) The "amounts due" and "sums received" figures are taken from the general ledger and therefore the "percentage collected" varies slightly from the published cash compliance figures recorded in the Child Support Agency Annual Report and Accounts. This is because the cash compliance figures are derived from a different data source using a slightly different methodology.
(14) Total receipts for 2004–05 were £602 million comprising £586 million of maintenance receipts from non-resident parents and £16 million received in respect of Agency fees and other non maintenance receipts.
Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Child Support Agency will submit its business transformation programme to the Department; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library. [14110]
Mr. Plaskitt: My right hon. friend the Secretary of State has asked the chief executive Stephen Geraghty to conduct a full review of the agency, which will produce a future strategic plan. I will be considering this review shortly, and will report back to the House before the end of the year.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2005, Official Report, column 1063, on the Child Support Agency, whether he proposes to amend the time scale under which payments made by those whose CSA cases transferred from the old calculation system to the new calculation system will be amended to bring them to the level due under the new system. [14895]
Mr. Plaskitt: In most cases, there will be a change in the amount of child maintenance due when a case is transferred from the old scheme to the new scheme. To give non-resident parents and parents with care time to adjust to their new amount, most changes will be phased in by fixed annual steps. These steps are known as the "phasing amount".
Phasing will last for a maximum of five years or until the new amount of maintenance is reached if this is sooner.
The new chief executive is carrying out a strategic review of the agency, including the transfer of cases to the new system. He will be reporting his findings to us over the coming months.
Green Minister
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what work his Department's Green Minister has undertaken in the last three months in their official capacity in that role; [14535]
(2) what meetings his Department's Green Minister has attended in the last 12 months in their official capacity in that role. [14536]
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Mr. Plaskitt: Following the General Election in May, the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers (ENV(G)) was replaced by the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development in Government (EE(SD)) whose members are departmental Sustainable Development Ministers.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath was appointed as our departmental Sustainable Development Minister in June 2005. In July, the Minister attended a seminar for Sustainable Development Ministers to discuss the Sustainable development strategy and Ministers' role in delivering it. Subsequently he met with officials to agree action to further develop work on Sustainable development within the Department which will be detailed in the Action Plan to be published in December.
New Members of Parliament
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will arrange a Tuesday morning briefing by Ministers and senior officials introducing the work of the Department to new hon. Members. [11028]
Mr. Blunkett: I have held a number of introductory meetings with new hon. Members and would obviously be happy to arrange further meetings should they be required.
Pension Entitlement (Married Women)
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to reform pension entitlement for married women. [11856]
Mr. Timms: As part of the national pensions debate, we will be hosting an event on 7 November to look specifically at how we can make the pension system work well for women. Prior to this event, we will publish analysis of the pension position of women, and our response to the Pensions Commission will be guided by the principle that reform should give women and carers opportunities to build up security in retirement.
Recycling
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what measures he has put in place to ensure that his Department meets the quick win targets set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that all paper for printed publications brought by the Department is 60 per cent. recycled, of which a minimum is 75 per cent. post consumer waste; [14390]
(2) by what date his Department expects to implement in full the quick win targets set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that (a) all copying paper brought by the Department is 100 per cent. recycled with a minimum of 75 per cent. post consumer waste content and (b) all paper for printed publications brought by the Department is 60 per cent. recycled, of which a minimum is 75 per cent. post consumer waste. [14392]
Mr. Plaskitt:
The new Department for Work and Pensions contract for office paper (including paper for
12 Oct 2005 : Column 506W
office printers and photocopiers) has gone live. This contract changes the Department's standard use paper from that manufactured from virgin pulp to recycled paper with a minimum content of 80 per cent. post consumer waste. All virgin papers will be removed from the Department for Work and Pensions bespoke catalogue.
From January 2006 all paper for printed publications will be produced on 100 per cent. recycled paper.
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