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14 Dec 2005 : Column 1989W—continued

EU Work at Heights Directive

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the legislative progress of the implementation of the EU Work at Heights Directive; and if he will publish a regulatory impact assessment for its implementation in the United Kingdom. [33491]

Mrs. McGuire: The EU Directive 2001/45/EC on the selection and use of work equipment for working at height was implemented in Great Britain by the Work at Height Regulations 2005. These regulations were laid in Parliament on 16 March 2005 and came into force on 6 April 2005. It was implemented in Northern Ireland by the Work at Height Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005, which came into operation 11 July. Gibraltar is well advanced in producing implementing legislation.

A regulatory impact assessment on the implementation of the Regulations in Great Britain was lodged in the House of Commons and House of Lords Libraries on 16 March 2005. A supplement on the impact of the Directive in Northern Ireland is available on request from the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland at 83 Ladas Drive, Belfast BT6 9FR.

Both sets of regulations do not apply to instructing or leading others in climbing, caving or similar activities. Arrangements for the application of the directive to workers in these activities are still under discussion with representatives from the sector.

Final Salary Pension Schemes

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government is taking to minimise employers' usage of pension fund holidays in final salary pension schemes. [36441]

 
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Mr. Timms: New scheme funding requirements will replace the minimum funding requirement for private sector defined benefit occupational pension schemes from 30 December 2005. This flexible framework will give trustees greater leverage in framing the scheme's funding strategy and determining the contributions paid by the employer. In addition, from 6 April 2006 current HM Revenue and Customs requirements for pension schemes to reduce an actuarial surplus will be abolished. This will remove a factor which may have played a part in some decisions to allow pension fund contribution holidays in the past. We do not believe, however, that it would be appropriate to prevent a contribution holiday where the scheme is sufficiently well-funded, and the trustees and the sponsoring employer consider that it is appropriate in the circumstances.

Health and Safety

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is promoting in conjunction with other Government Departments to ensure that suitably qualified health and safety advisers in the public service are encouraged to achieve the status of chartered health and safety practitioners; and how many of them have this status. [28183]

Mrs. McGuire: The Government are fully supportive of the introduction of a chartered qualification for professional health and safety advisors and would recommend all advisors, where appropriate, to work towards achieving this qualification. There are currently about 6,000 chartered practioners in the UK. The Government hold no figures for the number working in the public sector.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has held with trade unions about industrial relations issues concerning the HSE. [32440]

Mrs. McGuire: The HSE is in frequent discussion with those trade unions representing members of its staff, over the full range of employee relations. Discussions include those held through the departmental Whitley structure; negotiations, such as the annual pay negotiations which are currently ongoing; and more informal working groups on specific topics.

Incapacity Benefit

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of medical examinations for incapacity benefit claimants in each year since 1997; and how often on average existing claimants have been re-examined . [29339]

Mrs. McGuire: Information about the cost of medical examinations for incapacity benefit is confidential and cannot be disclosed as to do so may prejudice the commercial interests of the Department and/or its suppliers.

Information about the frequency of re-examinations is not available and could o be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
 
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People are re-referred at varying intervals from three months to five years on the basis of medical advice about the severity of a person's condition and the likelihood of an improvement in their condition in the future.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed incapacity benefit on the grounds of poor mental health in each year since 1997. [30846]

Mrs. McGuire: The information is in the following table.
Incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants with a diagnosis in the mental and behavioural disorders" category: Great Britain.

May	Number
1997	735,000
1998	790,600
1999	833,700
2000	873,300
2001	938,800
2002	987,000
2003	1,032,000
2004	1,070,200
2005	1,086,100

Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. 'Claimant' figures include all incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disability allowance (SDA), including IB credits-only cases.
3. Figures for the years 1997 to 1999 have been produced using the 5 per cent. data and have been rated up proportionally using the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals.
4. Diagnoses are taken from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD10).
Source:
DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. Samples from 1997 to 1999 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS)100 per cent. data thereafter.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of people claiming incapacity benefit who were claiming jobseeker's allowance immediately prior to claiming incapacity benefit. [30847]

Mrs. McGuire: The most recent available information is in the following table.
Incapacity benefit (IB) commencements previously claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for the period 1 March 2004 to 28 February 2005.

Total IB commencements	Claimed JSA within previous 30 days	Percentage of IB commencements that claimed JSA within previous 30 days.
659,000	131,000	19.9

Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Figures include JSA claims that have terminated in the 30 days prior to the IB claim commencing.
3. Due to note 2, it does not exclusively include those who were claiming JSA immediately prior to IB. It is possible for a claimant to have flowed from JSA to another benefit/work and then to IB within the 30 day period allowed for the computer systems to be updated.
4. The number of incapacity benefit commencements that flowed from JSA has been given. This figure may include some individuals who have flowed from JSA to IB more than once over this period.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples.





 
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Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people have been receiving incapacity benefit in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the United Kingdom in each year since 1997; [31707]

(2) how many people have claimed the long-term rate of incapacity benefit in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the United Kingdom in each year since 1997. [31708]

Mrs. McGuire: The available information is in the table.
Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants in the Jarrow parliamentary constituency, South Tyneside council area, the North East Government office region (GOR) and Great Britain; each May since 1997

	Great Britain	North East GOR	South Tyneside	Jarrow
May 1997
IB/SDA all rates	2,849,200	198,600	11,900	5,700
IB long-term rate	1,527,900	119,000	6,900	3,400
May 1998
IB/SDA all rates	2,795,500	189,300	11,800	5,700
IB long-term rate	1,452,800	111,000	6,700	3,400
May 1999
IB/SDA all rates	2,755,200	186,700	11,300	5,700
IB long-term rate	1,386,200	103,800	6,400	3,600
May 2000
IB/SDA all rates	2,737,800	184,600	11,500	5,400
IB long-term rate	1,331,600	101,300	6,300	3,300
May 2001
IB/SDA all rates	2,808,600	189,500	11,700	5,900
IB long-term rate	1,338,000	101,500	6,300	3,300
May 2002
IB/SDA all rates	2,822,200	189,900	11,700	6,000
IB long-term rate	1,358,400	102,700	6,200	3,300
May 2003
IB/SDA all rates	2,829,700	188,800	11,500	5,900
IB long-term rate	1,344,800	100,400	6,000	3,200
May 2004
IB/SDA all rates	2,825,000	184,500	11,100	5,900
IB long-term rate	1,337,000	97,400	5,700	3,100
May 2005
IB/SDA all rates	2,784,000	178,300	10,600	5,700
IB long-term rate	1,309,000	93,500	5,400	3,000

Notes:
1. Figures for the years 1997 to 1999 have been produced using 5 per cent. data and have been rated up in accordance with the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. incapacity benefit/severe disability allowance totals.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
3. 'Claimant' figures include all incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disability allowance (including IB credits only cases).
Source:
DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples from 1997 to 1999 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100 per cent. data thereafter.





 
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Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Ribble Valley are claiming incapacity benefit. [33521]

Mrs. McGuire: As at May 2005 there were 3,400 people claiming incapacity benefit or severe disability allowance in the Ribble Valley parliamentary constituency.

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost is to the Department of a medical examination for incapacity benefit. [34784]

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 5 December 2005]: This information is confidential and cannot be disclosed as to do so may prejudice the commercial interests of the Department and/or its suppliers.

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