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14 Dec 2005 : Column 1982W—continued
Benefit Exit Rates
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2005, Official Report, columns 1365–66W, what the quarterly average exit rate for (a) incapacity benefit and (b) severe disability allowance was in each quarter since May 1997 in (i) Pathways to Work pilot jobcentre plus districts, (ii) the UK excluding Pathways to Work pilot jobcentre plus districts and (iii) the UK. [31520]
Mrs. McGuire: The available information is in the tables.
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Notes:
1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100 and are expressed in thousands.
2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
3. Numbers are based on a 5 per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
4. These figures should be used as a guide to the current situation only.
5. Local authorities and Government office regions are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.
6. Pathways to work pilot areas were introduced in October 2003.
Sources:
Caseloads—DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.
Terminations—DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. samples.
Benefit Fraud
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff have been employed on benefit fraud enforcement in each of the last eight years, broken down by type of benefit; and if he will make a statement. [28772]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested.
Every person employed in the DWP has a role in enforcing the requirements of the benefits system. Our preventive structures are intended to make our systems robust against fraud. All claims are subject to verification and all statements made by our customers are open to challenge where it appears that they may be incorrect.
Benefit Payments
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the total number of job entries by claimants of incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance in the UK (a) returned to incapacity benefits and (b) claimed jobseeker's allowance within (i) one month, (ii) two months, (iii) six months and (iv) 12 months, in the latest period for which data is available. [30676]
Mrs. McGuire: The information is not available.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of inactive benefits in Tamworth constituency moved back to work in 2004–05. [35676]
Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the format requested.
The Department for Work and Pensions Research Report Number 244—Destination of benefit leavers 2004—showed that nationally, 62 per cent. of claimants leaving income support, incapacity benefit or jobseeker's allowance entered employment of 16 hours or more a week. Copies of the report are available in the Library.
Benefits Office Closures
Chris Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make funding available to the
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voluntary sector benefits advice organisations that have witnessed an increase in their workload since the benefits office closure programme. [34624]
Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 5 December 2005]: The Department does not, and has not previously, provided funding for voluntary sector benefits advice organisations. We have no plans to change this position.
Child Maintenance
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families received child maintenance payments in (a) Brent and (b) London in each of the last five years. [35668]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information cannot be broken down to the geographical level requested.
Child Poverty
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from Save the Children about the number of children living in severe and long-term poverty. [36131]
Margaret Hodge: I have not received any representations from Save the Children. However, my officials are in regular contact with them, and were consulted by Save the Children on their recently published report Britain's Poorest Children Revisited".
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of children who will be living in poverty in winter 2005–06. [36132]
Margaret Hodge: The seventh annual Opportunity for all" report (Cm 6673) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and reports progress against a range of indicators.
Information regarding the number of children living in low-income households is published in Department for Work and Pension's publication Households Below Average Income (HBAI)", copies of which are available in the Library.
Figures for 2005–06 are not yet available and are planned for publication in 2007.
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Child Support Agency
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many uncleared Child Support Agency cases are awaiting processing in East Dunbartonshire. [21104]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available at the geographical level requested.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the performance of the Child Support Agency. [22944]
Mr. Plaskitt: While there have been some improvements in the Child Support Agency's performance we are not satisfied with its overall level.
A copy of the most recent Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Summary, which gives information on the agency's performance, has been placed in the Library and is available on line at www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/csa.asp.
The Child Support Agency's chief executive, Stephen Geraghty, is currently undertaking a root and branch review of the agency. He will report to Ministers and we will make announcements shortly.
Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the benefits system of the unresolved Child Support Agency cases. [26101]
Mr. Plaskitt: We do not have sufficient information on these cases to make a robust estimate. Not all of the unresolved cases will reach a calculation, and for those cases where the Agency will make a calculation we have no information about the amount of maintenance that will be charged and paid.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases were in arrears in each year from 1997 to 2005 in (a) England, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) Wellingborough. [26798]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested is not available at the geographical level requested.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints were registered with the Child Support Agency in (a) England, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997. [29916]
Mr. Plaskitt: This information requested is not available at the geographical level requested.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the performance of the Child Support Agency. [32085]
Mr. Plaskitt: While there have been some improvements in the Child Support Agency's performance we are still not satisfied with the overall level.
A copy of the most recent Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Summary, which gives information on the Agency's performance, has been placed in the Library and is available on line at www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/csa.asp"
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The Child Support Agency's chief executive, Stephen Geraghty, is currently undertaking a root and branch review of the Agency. He will report to the Ministers and we will make announcements shortly.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when (a) he and (b) his officials last met officials from HM Revenue and Customs to discuss the future of the Child Support Agency. [35393]
Mr. Plaskitt: Since the Secretary of State's appointment on 2 November 2005 he has not discussed Child Support with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officials. However, departmental officials meet regularly with HMRC to look at a range of issues.
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