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6 Dec 2005 : Column 1212W—continued
Pensions
Mr. Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at what age (a) male and (b) female civil servants become eligible for the state pension. [33913]
Mr. Timms: The state pension age for all citizens is 65 for men and 60 for women born on or before 5 April 1950. However, from 2010 the state pension age for women will begin to increase and will equalise at age 65 by 2020 for all citizens.
Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many female pensioners in East Lothian are in receipt of the full basic state pension. [34006]
Mr. Timms: The number of female pensioners in the East Lothian parliamentary constituency who are in receipt of a full basic state pension as at 31 March 2005 is 6,000.
1. Data are taken from five per cent. extract of Pension Service computer system, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pension Longitudinal Study.
3. A full basic state pension (£79.60 in 2004–05) is paid to those who fully satisfy the contribution conditions either in their own right or where applicable, on the basis of their late or former spouse's contributions.
4. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many female pensioners in Paisley and Renfrewshire, North are in receipt of the full basic state pension. [34311]
Mr. Timms: The number of female pensioners in the Paisley and Renfrewshire, North parliamentary constituency who are in receipt of a full basic state pension as at 31 March 2005 is 5,200.
Notes: 1. Data are taken from five per cent. extract of Pension Service computer system, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pension Longitudinal Study.
3. A full basic state pension (£79.60 in 2004–05) is paid to those who fully satisfy the contribution conditions either in their own right or where applicable, on the basis of their late or former spouse's contributions.
4. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the minimum income guarantee was for pensioners in each of the five years before it was replaced; and what the value of the pension credit has been in each year since its inception. [34491]
Mr. Timms: The information is in the tables.
Note:
From April 2001 the rates were levelled up (to the previous over 80/disabled level) and income support for people over 60 became 'MIG'.
| Single | Couple | |
|---|---|---|
| October 2003 | 102.10 | 155.80 |
| April 2004 | 105.45 | 160.95 |
| April 2005 | 109.45 | 167.05 |
Note:
Pension credit was introduced from October 2003.
Predictive Diallers
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls were made from call centres in his Department in 2004–05 using predictive diallers; how many such calls resulted in contact being made with the recipient without a Government agent available to talk to them; and what assessment he has made of the likely impact of Ofcom's policy on silent calls on the use of predictive diallers in departmental call centres. [28168]
Mrs. McGuire: No DWP contact centres currently use predictive diallers.
One of DWP's debt management centres did use a predictive dialling system during 2004–05. The total volume of calls made using the predictive dialling system is not available, nor are figures available for the number of 'silent calls' members of the public would have received as a result of the use of this system. This system was withdrawn from use in April 2005 in preparation for a new IT system.
Debt management have reviewed the position in light of Ofcom's policy on silent calls. A new telephony system is due for operational implementation in debt management from January 2006. Current plans are that predictive dialling will then be replaced by outbound dialling campaigns in which the system will only make an outbound call if an agent is available to take that call.
Private Members' Bills
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what occasions since 1997 Ministers from his Department have (a) authorised parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' Bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct parliamentary counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members. [20138]
Mrs. McGuire: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Retread Tyres
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many vehicles for which the Department is responsible are fitted with retreaded tyres. [17983]
Mrs. McGuire: All vehicles used by departmental officials are supplied in accordance with the Departmental Procurement Policy and are fitted with new tyres.
Cars used by Ministers, the Permanent Secretary and the chief executive of Jobcentre plus are provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA). For information on the use of retread tyres on vehicles provided to the Department by the GCDA I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 11 October 2005 which he
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received from the chief executive of the GCDA, reference UIN15087 & UIN15088. Copies of this letter are available in the Library.
Staff Relocations
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2479W, what plans there are to relocate staff to frontline duties between 2004–05 and 2008–09. [18860]
Mrs. McGuire: As part of the Department's plans to meet the efficiency challenge, we are increasing the number of posts that have regular, direct contact with customers by 10,000 by March 2008, The increase in posts will occur principally within Jobcentre Plus and they will be resourced through a combination of existing staff within the Department and new recruits. As at the end of September 2005, the Department had created and resourced around 4,000 new customer-facing posts.
Telephone Helplines
Mr. Laws:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many telephone calls were made to each
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helpline operated by the Department and its agencies in each month from April 2003 to September 2005; and how many of these calls (a) received an engaged tone, (b) were abandoned by the caller, (c) were handled and (d) had another outcome; and if he will make a statement. [24543]
Mrs. McGuire: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
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