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11 Jan 2006 : Column 706W—continued

Ministerial Cars

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Department has spent on ministerial cars in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [27149]

Mrs. McGuire: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office has asked Roy Burke, Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) to write to the hon. Member with details of the costs of ministerial vehicles provided to Departments in 2004–05. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.

For information for the financial years 2000–01 to 2003–04 I refer the hon. Member to the letters from the Chief Executive of the GCDA to the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) dated 10 January 2005 and to the then hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs dated 13 September 2003. Copies of these letters are available in the Library.

Mr. Gareth Davies

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to which official post Mr. Gareth Davies has been appointed in his Department; what level of remuneration he will receive; and from what date the appointment took effect. [40352]

Mrs. McGuire: Mr. Gareth Davies has not been appointed to any post in this Department.

New Deal

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) over 25s, (b) lone parents, (c) over 50s and (d) young people have participated in the new deal in Beverley and Holderness in each year since its inception. [37441]

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is in the tables.
Number of starts to new deal 25 plus, per year, in Beverley and Holderness (individuals)

Time period	Number starts to ND25+ (individuals)
July 1998-March 1999	70
April 1999-March 2000	90
April 2000-March 2001	90
April 2001-March 2002	150
April 2002-March 2003	170
April 2003-March 2004	140
April 2004-March 2005	130
April 2005-August 2005	20

Notes:
1. New deal 25 plus was introduced nationally in July 1998.
2. Latest data is to August 2005.
3. Data is rounded to nearest 10.
Source:
Information Directorate, DWP





 
11 Jan 2006 : Column 707W
 

Number of starts to new deal for lone parents, per year, in Beverley and Holderness (individuals)

Time period	Number starts to NDLP caseload (individuals)
October 1998-March 1999	40
April 1999-March 2000	80
April 2000-March 2001	80
April 2001-March 2002	80
April 2002-March 2003	150
April 2003-March 2004	120
April 2004-March 2005	220
April 2005-August 2005	80

Notes:
1. New deal for lone parents was introduced nationally in October 1998.
2. Latest data is to August 2005.
3. Data is rounded to nearest 10.
Source:
Information Directorate, DWP





Number of starts to new deal for young people, per year, in Beverley and Holderness (individuals)

Time period	Number starts to NDYP (individuals)
April 1998-March 1999	270
April 1999-March 2000	180
April 2000-March 2001	160
April 2001-March 2002	150
April 2002-March 2003	140
April 2003-March 2004	160
April 2004-March 2005	150
April 2005-August 2005	80

Notes:
1. New deal for young people was introduced nationally in April 1998.
2. Latest data is to August 2005.
3. Data is rounded to nearest 10.
Source:
Information Directorate, DWP





 
11 Jan 2006 : Column 708W
 

Number of starts to new deal 50 plus, per year, in Beverley and Holderness (individuals)

Time period	Number starts to ND50+ caseload (individuals)
January 2004-March 2004	20
April 2004-March 2005	60
April 2005-August 2005	20

Notes:
1. New deal 50 plus starts to caseload data is only available from January 2004.
2. Latest data is to August 2005.
3. Data is rounded to nearest 10.
Source:
Information Directorate, DWP

Pension Forecasts

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pension forecasts have been sent by his retirement pension forecasting team (a) in total and (b) to persons aged (i) under 18 years and (ii) between 18 and 25 years of age since the inception of the scheme. [38060]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 15 December 2005]: State pension forecasts have been issued since 1988. Information on the number of forecasts issued is only available from April 1996. Since that date 21.85 million pension forecasts have been issued.

Information on age groups is only available from April 2003. Since that date 560,000 pension forecasts have been sent to persons aged under 18 years, and a further 1.20 million pension forecasts have been sent to persons aged between 18 and 25 years.

Pensioner Poverty

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people of retirement age were living on an income deemed to be beneath the poverty line in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) London in each of the last five years. [40612]

Mr. Timms: The number of pensioners living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median—a measure of 'relative' low income—and below 60 per cent. of 1996–97 GB median—a measure of 'absolute' low income—are presented in the following tables. For consistency all figures are presented as three-year rolled averages as single year estimates for the English regions, including London, are not robust. Equivalent data is not available for Northern Ireland, as the necessary information has only been collected for two financial years.
Number of pensioners living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median

					Million
	Three-year rolling averages
Before housing costs	1997–98 to 1999–2000	1998–99 to 2000–01	1999–2000 to 2001–02	2000–01 to 2002–03	2001–02 to 2003–04
England	1.98	1.96	1.96	1.97	1.95
Scotland	0.18	0.19	0.18	0.17	0.17
Wales	0.14	0.14	0.13	0.12	0.13
London	0.19	0.18	0.19	0.18	0.19
After housing costs
England	2.33	2.26	2.14	2.05	1.92
Scotland	0.22	0.22	0.21	0.19	0.18
Wales	0.14	0.13	0.13	0.12	0.12
London	0.30	0.29	0.28	0.25	0.24

 
11 Jan 2006 : Column 709W
 

Number of pensioners living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of 1996–97 GB median

					Million
	Three-year rolling averages
Before housing costs	1997–98 to 1999–2000	1998–99 to 2000–01	1999–2000 to 2001–02	2000–01 to 2002–03	2001–02 to 2003–04
England	1.77	1.62	1.43	1.27	1.12
Scotland	0.16	0.15	0.13	0.10	0.09
Wales	0.12	0.11	0.09	0.07	0.07
London	0.17	0.16	0.15	0.13	0.12
After housing costs
England	2.03	1.73	1.37	1.09	0.90
Scotland	0.20	0.17	0.13	0.10	0.08
Wales	0.12	0.10	0.08	0.06	0.05
London	0.27	0.23	0.19	0.14	0.12

Note:
Tables show numbers in millions and rounded to the nearest 10,000.

Pensioners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) single female pensioners, (b) single male pensioners and (c) married pensioner
 
11 Jan 2006 : Column 710W
 
couples are receiving financial assistance to bring them up to the minimum pension level in (i) each constituency in Wales and (ii) each ward in the Vale of Clwyd. [39300]

Mr. Timms: The available information is in the following table:
Guarantee credit recipients by parliamentary constituency in Wales as at September 2005

	All			Single			Couples
	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female claimant	Male claimant
Wales	126,500	81,800	44,700	100,500	76,900	23,600	26,000	4,900	21,100
Aberavon	3,500	2,300	1,200	2,700	2,200	600	800	100	600
Alyn and Deeside	2,500	1,700	800	2,100	1,600	400	500	100	400
Blaenau Gwent	3,700	2,400	1,300	3,000	2,300	700	700	100	600
Brecon and Radnorshire	2,500	1,700	800	2,000	1,600	400	500	100	400
Bridgend	2,900	1,900	1,000	2,300	1,800	500	600	100	500
Caernarfon	3,100	2,100	1,100	2,500	2,000	500	600	100	500
Caerphilly	3,800	2,400	1,400	2,900	2,300	600	900	100	700
Cardiff Central	2,100	1,300	800	1,700	1,200	500	400	100	300
Cardiff North	2,200	1,500	700	1,800	1,400	400	400	100	300
Cardiff South and Penarth	4,400	2,700	1,700	3,600	2,500	1,000	800	100	700
Cardiff West	3,600	2,200	1,400	2,900	2,100	800	700	100	500
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr	3,000	1,900	1,100	2,400	1,800	600	600	100	500
Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire	3,200	2,000	1,200	2,500	1,900	600	700	100	600
Ceredigion	2,700	1,700	1,000	2,100	1,600	500	600	100	500
Clwyd South	3,100	2,000	1,100	2,500	1,900	600	600	100	500
Clwyd West	3,500	2,200	1,200	2,700	2,100	600	800	200	600
Conwy	3,000	2,000	1,000	2,500	1,900	600	600	100	500
Cynon Valley	3,200	2,100	1,000	2,500	2,000	500	700	100	500
Delyn	2,700	1,700	1,000	2,100	1,600	500	600	100	500
Gower	2,800	1,900	900	2,200	1,800	500	500	100	400
Islwyn	2,900	1,900	1,000	2,300	1,800	500	600	100	500
Llanelli	4,200	2,800	1,500	3,300	2,600	800	900	200	700
Meirionnydd Nant Conwy	1,900	1,200	700	1,500	1,200	400	400	100	300
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney	3,700	2,400	1,300	3,000	2,300	700	700	100	600
Monmouth	2,700	1,800	900	2,100	1,700	500	500	100	400
Montgomeryshire	2,100	1,400	700	1,700	1,300	400	400	100	300
Neath	3,400	2,300	1,100	2,700	2,100	600	700	200	500
Newport East	2,700	1,800	1,000	2,100	1,700	500	600	100	500
Newport West	3,400	2,200	1,200	2,800	2,100	700	600	100	500
Ogmore	3,100	2,000	1,100	2,400	1,800	600	700	100	500
Pontypridd	3,300	2,200	1,200	2,600	2,000	600	700	200	600
Preseli Pembrokeshire	3,100	2,000	1,100	2,500	1,900	600	700	100	500
Rhondda	4,300	2,800	1,500	3,400	2,600	800	900	200	800
Swansea East	3,700	2,400	1,400	2,900	2,200	700	900	200	700
Swansea West	3,700	2,400	1,400	3,000	2,200	800	700	100	600
Torfaen	3,600	2,300	1,200	2,800	2,200	600	800	200	600
Vale of Clwyd	3,800	2,400	1,400	3,000	2,200	800	900	200	700
Vale of Glamorgan	3,100	2,000	1,100	2,500	1,900	600	600	100	500
Wrexham	2,900	1,900	1,000	2,300	1,800	600	500	100	400
Ynys Mon	3,300	2,100	1,200	2,500	2,000	600	700	100	600

 
11 Jan 2006 : Column 711W
 

Guarantee credit recipients by ward within the Vale of Clwyd as at May 2005

	All			Single			Couples
	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female claimant	Male claimant
All	3,835	2,415	1,420	2,985	2,240	750	850	180	670
Bodelwyddan	60	30	35	40	30	15	20	(20)—	20
Denbigh Central	65	45	20	60	50	10	5	(20)—	5
Denbigh Lower	155	115	35	125	105	20	25	10	15
Denbigh Upper/Henllan	140	80	60	115	70	35	30	5	20
Dyserth	100	60	40	80	55	25	25	5	20
Llandyrnog	85	55	25	70	55	20	10	5	10
Prestatyn Central	175	115	65	135	105	30	40	5	40
Prestatyn East	180	120	60	150	120	30	25	(20)—	30
Prestatyn Meliden	100	65	40	70	55	15	30	5	25
Prestatyn North	405	245	160	285	225	65	125	25	95
Prestatyn South West	190	115	80	135	100	30	60	15	45
Rhuddlan	160	105	50	125	100	20	35	10	30
Rhyl East	470	315	155	390	300	95	85	15	65
Rhyl South	195	120	75	125	100	25	70	20	50
Rhyl South East	330	210	120	250	195	55	80	15	65
Rhyl South West	350	220	130	275	205	75	75	15	60
Rhyl West	365	175	180	305	170	135	60	15	45
St. Asaph East	75	55	20	60	50	15	10	(20)—	5
St. Asaph West	90	60	30	65	55	15	20	(20)—	20
Trefnant	105	75	30	95	70	20	10	5	5
Tremeirchion	45	30	15	30	25	10	10	5	5

⁽²⁰⁾ Nil or negligible.
Notes:
1. Parliamentary constituency caseloads are rounded to the nearest 100 therefore totals may not sum.
2. Data for parliamentary constituency and wards are not released simultaneously. The data provided is the most recent for each.
3. All benefit counts at ward level are rounded to a multiple of 5 to protect the confidentiality of the individual claimants.
4. Pension credit (PC) replaced minimum income guarantee (MIG) on 6 October 2003. Existing MIG recipients were automatically converted onto pension credit on that date (assuming they still met the eligibility criteria).
5. WPLS data are taken as at 31 May2005.
6. These figures used for the parliamentary constituencies are early estimates.
Operational processing times mean that a number of claim commencements and terminations are not reflected in the figures. The final figures incorporated within the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) will take account of such cases and these figures become available three to four months after the early estimates.
7. Couples may contain a number of partners who are less than the age of 60.
8. The table includes clients who are in receipt of Guarantee Credit only and those who receive Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit.
9. Parliamentary constituencies and wards are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
10. All wards nest within the Vale of Clwyd parliamentary constituency apart from Llandyrnog which is partly with Clwyd West constituency, therefore the sum of the wards will not match the Vale of Clwyd parliamentary constituency value.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (100 per cent. data).

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