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16 Nov 2005 : Column 1254W—continued

Sport England

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding Sport England has allocated to areas of health inequalities in each of the last two financial years; and if she will make a statement. [28516]

Mr. Caborn: I am able to provide data from Sport England on awards (committed in the financial years 2003–04 and 2004–05) to the Spearhead Group of local authority districts that are in the bottom fifth nationally for three or more of the five indicators of health inequality.
Sport England lottery awards to Spearhead local authorities for the two financial years to 31 March 2005

2003–042004–05Total
Barking and Dagenham
Barnsley122,250319,834442,084
Barrow-in-Furness153,072153,072
Birmingham871,652871,652
Blackburn with Darwen66,112108,000174,112
Blackpool345,000345,000
Blyth Valley120,000120,000
Bolsover82,78282,782
Bolton1,830,038320,6162,150,654
Bradford1,140,605901,7972,042,402
Burnley1,000,0001,000,000
Bury
Carlisle398,000398,000
Chester-le-Street734,695220,000954,695
Corby71,643388,500460,143
Coventry1,493,4801,493,480
Derwentside420,000420,000
Doncaster
Easington360,000360,000
Gateshead1,800,0001,800,000
Greenwich
Hackney
Halton107,664344,930452,594
Hammersmith and Fulham150,000150,000
Haringey238,840238,840
Hartlepool642,000642,000
Hyndburn
Islington106,0792,000108,079
Kingston upon Hull City260,990577,685838,675
Knowsley470,000699,1101,169,110
Lambeth2,671,4062,671,406
Leicester3,243,251469,0463,712,297
Lewisham582,602582,602
Lincoln251,100251,100
Liverpool4,618,182300,0004,918,182
Manchester3,097,8412,494,0005,591,841
Middlesbrough160,0001,811,4701,971,470
Newcastle upon Tyne761,127761,127
Newham300,0001,500,0001,800,000
North East Lincolnshire40,28040,280
North Tyneside900,000900,000
Nottingham647,4501,419,1912,066,641
Nuneaton and Bedworth524,050524,050
Oldham150,000150,000
Pendle
Preston1,850,0001,850,000
Redcar and Cleveland600,000600,000
Rochdale298,904298,904
Rossendale150,000150,000
Rotherham57,00057,000
Salford207,000800,0001,007,000
Sandwell765,045765,045
Sedgefield154,500154,500
South Tyneside40,000161,929201,929
Southwark3,302,6943,302,694
St. Helens112,187112,187
Stockton-on-Tees
Stoke-on-Trent1,065,6021,065,602
Sunderland50,0001,066,6971,116,697
Tameside61,2851,672,7791,734,064
Tamworth
Tower Hamlets1,280,1551,280,155
Wakefield3,094,988852,9903,947,978
Walsall529,000529,000
Wansbeck648,008648,008
Warrington800,000555,0001,355,000
Wear Valley641,635641,635
Wigan742,000742,000
Wirral45,00045,000
Wolverhampton399,56313,977413,540
Grand total37,847,27826,979,03064,826,308

 
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Staff Discipline

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many employees have been dismissed by her Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [29123]

Mr. Lammy: The Department dismissed one employee in 2000–01, one employee in 2003–04 and two employees in 2004–05.
 
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WORK AND PENSIONS

Carers Allowance

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will reform the policy whereby widows under retirement age, unable to work because of carer's responsibilities and in receipt of a husband's pension, are not eligible for carers' allowance; and if he will make a statement. [20312]


 
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Mrs. McGuire: It is a fundamental principle of the social security system that only one benefit at a time can be paid for income maintenance. Carer's allowance provides a measure of financial support to those who give up the opportunity of full-time paid employment to care for a severely disabled person. As such it is not an extra-costs" benefit. To pay both benefits in full therefore would duplicate provision for the same need.

Where carer's allowance is overlapped in full, the person maintains an underlying entitlement to the benefit which, in turn, gives them access to the carer premium in the income-related benefits such as income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit.

There are no plans to change this policy.

Child Maintenance

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what statutory obligations there are on non-resident parents who have been assessed for Child Support Agency maintenance to inform the Agency of any change of (a) address and (b) employment; and if he will make a statement. [28421]

Mr. Plaskitt: There are no statutory obligations on non-resident parents who have been assessed for child support maintenance to inform the CSA of either change of address or employment.

Council Tax Rebate

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what mechanism those not claiming pension credit will be able to claim the £200 council tax rebate. [28756]

Mr. Plaskitt: In most cases the £200 payment to help with council tax bills will be paid automatically with the winter fuel payment. Payments are being made over a number of weeks from early November until Christmas 2005. Eligible people who do not receive a winter fuel payment will need to claim.

People who need to claim or who have not received an automatic payment by Christmas 2005 should call the office that pays their benefit or the winter fuel payment helpline on 08459 15 15 15. Claims must be received by 30 March 2006.

Child Support Agency

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the aims and purposes of the Child Support Agency. [21432]

Mr. Plaskitt: The Child Support Agency exists to deliver an efficient child support service, which plays its part in ensuring that children whose parents do not live together are financially supported.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on Government plans to reduce the complexity of Child Support Agency maintenance calculations. [21448]

Mr. Plaskitt: The introduction of the new child support scheme in March 2003 brought in a much simpler way of calculating maintenance. We know that
 
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many parents now choose to calculate maintenance themselves by using the on-line calculator on the agency's website.

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken in response to the recommendation in the Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No. 243 that all disabled claimants and all care leavers should be made exempt from the single room rent restriction; and if he will make a statement. [28781]

Mr. Plaskitt: We are continuing to consider the issues raised by this report.

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations his Department has received on the impact of the single room rent restriction on (a) homelessness and (b) poverty among young people. [28796]

Mr. Plaskitt: We have received representations concerning the single room rent from various bodies including Shelter, Centrepoint, YMCA and Citizens Advice Bureaux.


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