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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

	2003–04	2004–05	Total
Barking and Dagenham	—	—	—
Barnsley	122,250	319,834	442,084
Barrow-in-Furness	153,072	—	153,072
Birmingham	871,652	—	871,652
Blackburn with Darwen	66,112	108,000	174,112
Blackpool	—	345,000	345,000
Blyth Valley	—	120,000	120,000
Bolsover	82,782	—	82,782
Bolton	1,830,038	320,616	2,150,654
Bradford	1,140,605	901,797	2,042,402
Burnley	—	1,000,000	1,000,000
Bury	—	—	—
Carlisle	—	398,000	398,000
Chester-le-Street	734,695	220,000	954,695
Corby	71,643	388,500	460,143
Coventry	1,493,480	—	1,493,480
Derwentside	—	420,000	420,000
Doncaster	—	—	—
Easington	—	360,000	360,000
Gateshead	—	1,800,000	1,800,000
Greenwich	—	—	—
Hackney	—	—	—
Halton	107,664	344,930	452,594
Hammersmith and Fulham	150,000	—	150,000
Haringey	—	238,840	238,840
Hartlepool	—	642,000	642,000
Hyndburn	—	—	—
Islington	106,079	2,000	108,079
Kingston upon Hull City	260,990	577,685	838,675
Knowsley	470,000	699,110	1,169,110
Lambeth	2,671,406	—	2,671,406
Leicester	3,243,251	469,046	3,712,297
Lewisham	582,602	—	582,602
Lincoln	—	251,100	251,100
Liverpool	4,618,182	300,000	4,918,182
Manchester	3,097,841	2,494,000	5,591,841
Middlesbrough	160,000	1,811,470	1,971,470
Newcastle upon Tyne	—	761,127	761,127
Newham	300,000	1,500,000	1,800,000
North East Lincolnshire	40,280	—	40,280
North Tyneside	—	900,000	900,000
Nottingham	647,450	1,419,191	2,066,641
Nuneaton and Bedworth	524,050	—	524,050
Oldham	—	150,000	150,000
Pendle	—	—	—
Preston	1,850,000	—	1,850,000
Redcar and Cleveland	—	600,000	600,000
Rochdale	—	298,904	298,904
Rossendale	—	150,000	150,000
Rotherham	57,000	—	57,000
Salford	207,000	800,000	1,007,000
Sandwell	765,045	—	765,045
Sedgefield	—	154,500	154,500
South Tyneside	40,000	161,929	201,929
Southwark	3,302,694	—	3,302,694
St. Helens	112,187	—	112,187
Stockton-on-Tees	—	—	—
Stoke-on-Trent	1,065,602	—	1,065,602
Sunderland	50,000	1,066,697	1,116,697
Tameside	61,285	1,672,779	1,734,064
Tamworth	—	—	—
Tower Hamlets	1,280,155	—	1,280,155
Wakefield	3,094,988	852,990	3,947,978
Walsall	529,000	—	529,000
Wansbeck	—	648,008	648,008
Warrington	800,000	555,000	1,355,000
Wear Valley	641,635	—	641,635
Wigan	—	742,000	742,000
Wirral	45,000	—	45,000
Wolverhampton	399,563	13,977	413,540
Grand total	37,847,278	26,979,030	64,826,308

 
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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.
 
16 Nov 2005 : Column 1256W
 

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]

 
16 Nov 2005 : Column 1257W
 

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
 
16 Nov 2005 : Column 1258W
 
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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