| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
9 Jan 2006 : Column 78W—continued
Electronic Tagging
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the implications for health and safety of electronically tagging workers in commercial warehouses. [35882]
9 Jan 2006 : Column 79W
Mrs. McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has made no assessment of the implications for health and safety of electronically tagging workers in commercial warehouses.
Such warehouses are allocated to local authorities for the purposes of health and safety enforcement. Operators of such warehouses have to assess all risks to which their employees may be exposed.
HSE guidance on health and safety in warehouses is in the process of being revised and this topic will be considered for inclusion if evidence is available that any risk exists.
Equality and Diversity
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Department has spent promoting equality and diversity in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [14605]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department has a vital role in promoting equality and diversity. Key policy areas include promoting disability rights, taking initiatives to increase employment among ethnic minorities and other groups, and supporting more women to save for retirement. The annual departmental report and the annual report and accounts of the agencies provide fuller information about the Department's policy areas and expenditure. These are laid in the House.
As an employer the DWP incorporates diversity and equality principles in all its practices. The document 'Realising Equality in the Department for Work and Pensions', published in August 2005, provides an overview of the Department's current diversity and equality activity and its plans for the coming three years. It also reports specifically on race equality for the preceding 12 months. It has been placed in the Library.
The Department has, since 2002, employed diversity managers in each business area. Promoting equality and diversity is an intrinsic part of their work. The cost of the diversity manager teams for 2004–05 was £985,530. Information for earlier years is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Complete information on the cost of promoting equality and diversity is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Firework Storage Sites
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what checks are made on consignments of fireworks leaving Health and Safety Executive-licensed firework storage sites to ascertain that legal distribution is taking place. [36388]
Mrs. McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for regulating the health and safety of the manufacture, storage and transport of fireworks. It has no remit to regulate consignments of fireworks leaving HSE-licensed storage sites other than checking compliance with the transport of dangerous goods legislation.
Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the legal provisions on the supply of fireworks. HSE works in partnership with local authorities in the regulation of
9 Jan 2006 : Column 80W
fireworks; where it became aware of information suggesting the illegal supply of fireworks it would immediately pass this information on to the relevant local authority.
Local authorities are notified about firework imports. It is at the discretion of the local authority to decide what checks it undertakes. This is likely to depend on the circumstances.
The most likely circumstances are where a local authority had found evidence of illegal storage or supply in breach of a supply licence issued under the Fireworks Regulations 2004. It could then investigate the firm that had supplied those fireworks with a view to taking enforcement action against it.
Fraudulent Claims
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the value of fraudulent claims made in each of the last five years in the names of people who have died. [37791]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what means his Department traces those in receipt of benefit for whom they have an incorrect address. [37792]
Mr. Plaskitt: The Department for Work and Pensions has a wide range of processes in place for tracing individuals in receipt of benefit for whom they have an incorrect address.
At the outset of a claim for benefit steps are taken to confirm that the address provided exists and is correct, this is done through matching the details provided with historical data held within my Department. Decision notices issued when entitlement is established and annual award notices issued when benefit rates change include written reminders of the need for customers to notify changes of address. In addition to this when it is known that an address is out of date various steps are taken depending upon the benefit in payment, for example in jobseekers allowance the customer is seen on a regular basis where correct address details are confirmed. Disability & Carers Service would contact such people as carers, health care professionals involved in the case etc to confirm address details. In other areas checks would be made with local authorities where housing benefit and council tax benefit are in payment.
If an address could not be traced banks would be contacted to suspend payments and data matching takes place with organisations such as Royal Mail redirect. Details of changes in addresses notified to one part of my Department are shared with other Agencies within the Department through cross-benefit computer systems. These systems also receive address data from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs where many customers who are in receipt of child benefit, child tax credits and new tax credits are also customers of my Department.
My Department is also looking at data matching with Credit Reference Agencies to ensure address data is kept up to date.
9 Jan 2006 : Column 81W
Government Legislation
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what activities have been made unlawful by legislation introduced by his Department since 1 May 2001; and if he will make a statement. [35983]
Mr. Plaskitt: The following criminal offences have been created in primary legislation sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions since 1 May 2001.
(a) Social Security Fraud Act 2001
(i) section 2(3)(a) inserts a new paragraph (ab) into subsection (1) of section 111 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 to make it an offence for a person to refuse or neglect to comply with any requirements under section 109BA or 110A (power of the Secretary of State or local authority to require electronic access to information) or with any requirement of any arrangement entered under that section to allow authorised officers access;
(ii) section 16 amends section 111A of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (dishonest representations for obtaining benefit etc) to extend the circumstances in which a person is to be guilty of an offence if there has been a change of circumstances which he knows will affect entitlement to benefit (either his or another person's), the change is not one which is excluded by regulations from the changes which are required to be notified, and he dishonestly fails, or dishonestly causes or allows another person to fail, to give a prompt notification of the change;
(iii) section 16 also amends section 112 of that Act (false representations for obtaining benefit etc) to extend the circumstances in which a person is to be guilty of an offence if he fails or causes another to fail to give a prompt notification of any change which he knows affect entitlement to any benefit;
(i) section 77(1) makes it an offence for a person, without reasonable excuse, to refuse to provide information or produce a document when required to do so under section 72 by the Regulator;
(ii) section 77(2) makes it an offence for a person to intentionally delay or obstruct an inspector exercising powers under sections 73 to 75 or to refuse to produce or secure the production of any document or to answer a question or provide information when required;
(iii) section 77(5) makes it an offence for a person intentionally or without reasonable excuse to alter, suppress or destroy any document which he is required to produce under section 72 or 75;
(iv) section 80 makes it an offence for a person to knowingly or recklessly provide the Regulator with information which is false or misleading in a material particular in certain specified circumstances;
(v) section 82 makes it an offence for a person to disclose restricted information in contravention of that section;
(vi) section 193 makes it an offence for a person to fail to provide information to the Board of the Pension Protection Fund or to obstruct a person appointed by the Board or to refuse to produce a document in circumstances similar to those described under (i) to (iii);
(vii) section 195 and 197 respectively make similar provision as in (iv) and (v) for providing information which is false or misleading to the Board or disclosing restricted information;
(viii) section 256 makes it an offence for a trustee or manager to be reimbursed out of the assets of a pension schemes for fines or penalties in contravention of that section;
(ix) Schedule 4, paragraph 11 makes it an offence for a person, without reasonable excuse, to refuse or fail to attend or to give evidence to the Pensions Regulator Tribunal or to alter, suppress or destroy any document which he is liable to produce to the Tribunal or to refuse to produce a document;
(c) Disability Discrimination Act 2005
(i) section 10(3) insets a new subsection (2B) into section 16B of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 which makes it an offence for a person to knowingly or recklessly make a statement to the effect that publication of a particular advert would not be unlawful by reason of the operation of subsection (2);
(ii) section 7(2)(b) prospectively adds to the definition of relevant document in section 49(1) of the 1995 Act a rail vehicle accessibility compliance certificate so as to make it an offence for such a document to be forged, altered etc or for a false statement to be made for the purpose of obtaining such a certificate;
(iii) section 8(2) prospectively inserts a new subsection (5) into section 49 of the 1995 Act to make it an offence to falsely pretend to be a person authorised to inspect rail vehicles;
(iv) section 9 inserts a new section 21A into the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 in relation to badges issued outside Great Britain, subsections (4) and (8) of which respectively make it an offence to display a badge purporting to be a recognised badge unless it is a recognised badge and is displayed in accordance with regulations and to fail, without reasonable excuse, to produce a badge when required to do so by a constable or enforcement officer.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |