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25 Apr 2006 : Column 1051W—continued
CABINET OFFICE
Departmental Advertising Costs
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on advertising for job vacancies in each of the last five years. [65969]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Recruitment expenditure for the Cabinet Office is shown in the following table:
| Expenditure (£) | |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 317,828 |
| 2005–06 | 249,535 |
The Cabinet Office is also responsible for the advertising and filling of Fast Stream vacancies across the Civil Service. These figures include specific Fast Stream advertising costs of £81,000 for the period 2004–05 and £47,888 for the period 2005–06.
Cabinet Office systems are not sufficiently structured to provide accurate information on this issue prior to 1 April 2004.
Recruitment expenditure for the Central Office of Information is shown in the following table.
| Expenditure (£) | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 61,622 |
| 2002–03 | 133,013 |
| 2003–04 | 80,457 |
| 2004–05 | 179,807 |
| 2005–06 | 125,884 |
The figure for Central Office of Information 2005–06 is still subject to audit.
25 Apr 2006 : Column 1052W
Office of Public Service Reform
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what factors underlay his decision to abolish the Office of Public Service Reform. [65223]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The transfer of Office of Public Service Reform's functions to other units is one of a number of recent changes designed to produce a more strategic and better focused Cabinet Office.
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total expenditure was during its lifetime of the Office of Public Service Reform, broken down by (a) salaries, (b) funds spent on consultants and (c) other costs. [65224]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The total expenditure during the lifetime (June 2001 to January 2006) of the Office of Public Service Reform, broken down by salaries, funds spent on consultants and other costs (including non-salary payroll costs, secondees, publications and conferences) is shown in the following table.
| Expenditure | £ million |
|---|---|
| Salaries | 4.9 |
| Consultants | 3.5 |
| Other costs | 4.1 |
| Total expenditure | 12.5 |
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many individuals in the Office of Public Service Reform were, when it was wound up, receiving gross salaries in excess of £100,000 per annum. [65226]
Mr. Jim Murphy: No one in the Office of Public Service Reform was receiving a gross salary in excess of £100,000 per annum.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Benefits
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of the population claimed (a) income support and (b) incapacity benefit in (i) the UK, (ii) the South West and (iii) Taunton constituency in each year since 1997. [64313]
Mrs. McGuire:
Information is not available in the format requested. The available information for Great Britain, the South West Government Office Region and the Taunton parliamentary constituency is in the tables. No proportions can be given for the constituency figures as working-age population estimates are not available by parliamentary constituency.
25 Apr 2006 : Column 1053W
Notes:
1. The Parliamentary Constituency figures for the years 1997 to 1998 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.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred; percentages have been rounded to one decimal place.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. Samples from 1997 to 1998 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data thereafter and ONS population estimates.
Notes:
1. Figures for August 1997 and August 1998 have been derived by applying 5 per cent. proportions to 100 per cent. totals. Figures for August 1999 to August 2005 have been taken from 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred; percentages have been rounded to one decimal place.
3. A smaller number of former minimum income guarantee cases did not convert to pension credit on 6 October 2003. These cases have been excluded from the figures and are mainly cases where the claimant is aged under 60 and the partner over 60.
4. Figures may be affected by the introduction of new tax credits in April 2003.
5. Percentage population figures have been calculated using the relevant mid-year estimate of those aged 16–59 apart from 2005 where mid-2004 estimates were used.
Source:
DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) Information Directorate five per cent. samples and ONS Mid-term Population Estimates, 2004.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) benefits and (b) other assistance are offered by his Department to those who act as carers for ill or disabled relatives in West Lancashire; what measures are in place to encourage higher levels of take-up of such benefits; and if he will make a statement. [64292]
Mrs. McGuire: The administration of carer's allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. member with the information requested.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) benefits and (b) other assistance are offered by his Department to those who act as carers for ill or disabled relatives in West Lancashire; what measures are in place to encourage higher levels of take-up of such benefits; and if he will make a statement.
The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service (DCS). In the Chief Executive's absence I have been asked to reply on his behalf.
In answer to parts (a) and (b) of your question, depending on their personal circumstances, carers have access to the full range of social security benefits. Those who provide regular and
- substantial care of at least 35 hours a week for a severely disabled person receiving Attendance Allowance or the equivalent rates of the Disability Living Allowance care component can be entitled to a Carer's Allowance and if on a low income, to the carer premium in the income-related benefits or the carer's additional amount in Pension Credit.
Information on the recipients of carer's related benefits in West Lancashire is provided in the following table:
Notes:
1. Definitions and conventions: -" Nil or Negligible;"." Not applicable.
2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
3. Carer's allowance: Total shows the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.
4. Pension credit: Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003 and replaced minimum income guarantee (income support for people aged 60 or over).
5. Parliamentary constituencies are allocated by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS Postcode Directory.
6. A smaller number of former MIG cases did not convert to pension credit on 6 October 2003. These cases have been excluded from the figures and are mainly cases where the claimant is aged under 60 and the partner over 60.
7. IS, PC and CA figures are taken from 100 per cent. WPLS data.
8. JSA (IB) figure is derived by applying 5 per cent. proportions to 100 per cent. WPLS data.
9. August 2005 is the latest published data available.
Source:
DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS).
Information directorate, 5 per cent. samples.
25 Apr 2006 : Column 1055W
Information on housing benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB) recipients with a carer premium in the North West Government office region (GOR) is provided in the following table:
| Thousands | |
|---|---|
| Benefit | Number of recipients |
| Housing benefit | 24 |
| Council tax benefit | 32 |
Notes:
1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand.
2. HB/CTB data refers to households and may be a single person or a couple.
3. HB figures exclude any extended payment cases.
4. CTB figures exclude any single adult rebate cases.
5. The figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
6. May 2004 are the latest data available.
7. The lowest level the figures can be broken down to is GOR, therefore figures have been provided for North West GOR.
Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2004.
In answer to the second part of your question asking what measures are in place to encourage higher levels of take-up of such benefits, information and advice about entitlement to Carer's Allowance and other benefits are available from a range of outlets. These include the DCS' Benefit Enquiry Line which is a dedicated helpline, providing advice and information to disabled people and carers or representatives, social security offices, Jobcentre Plus offices, DWP and other internet sites, local authorities, Citizens Advice and welfare benefit offices, public libraries, health clinics, doctors' surgeries and health visitors. Officials from the DCS also discuss Carer's Allowance at outreach events throughout Great Britain, including West Lancashire.
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what forms of financial assistance are available for full-time carers. [64376]
Mrs. McGuire:
Depending on their personal circumstances, carers have access to the full range of social security benefits. Those who provide regular and substantial care of at least 35 hours a week for a severely disabled person receiving attendance allowance or the equivalent rates of the disability living allowance care component can be entitled to a carer's allowance and, if on a low income, to the carer premium in the income-
25 Apr 2006 : Column 1056W
related benefits or the carer's additional amount in pension credit. Most carers entitled to carer's allowance are credited with national insurance contributions to protect their entitlement to state pension, and around two million carers will benefit from the special arrangements we have made for them in the state second pension.
The Government's National Carer's Strategy, which we developed with carers and the organisations that represent them, and published in 1999, has achieved much in improving the financial support for carers, including older carers, through carer's allowance and other benefits, and through introduction of the carers grant to support local authorities in providing breaks and services for carers. In the last local government finance settlement, we confirmed our commitment to continue the carers grant beyond 2006. Until at least the end of the 2007–08 financial year, provision for the grant will be £185 million a year. In this way, the Government will have invested an extra £1 billion in support for carers by 2008.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of incapacity benefit claimants in West Lancashire have been receiving the benefit for five years; and what the percentage was in May (a) 1983 and (b) 1997. [64113]
Mrs. McGuire: Incapacity benefit was introduced in April 1995, so no information is available about durations of five years or over prior to May 2000. A breakdown below national level is not available for the predecessor benefits. As at August 2005, the most recent available information, 51 per cent. of incapacity benefit claimants in Lancashire West had been claiming the benefit for over five years.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants of working age in West Lancashire are in receipt of (a) income support with a disability premium, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) severe disablement allowance. [64119]
Mrs. McGuire: As at August 2005, there were 1,800 income support claimants of working age with a disability premium, 4,500 incapacity benefit claimants of working age and 500 severe disablement allowance claimants of working age in West Lancashire.
Mr. Keetch:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken between (a) the submitting of a claim for incapacity benefit and the formal acknowledgement of that claim by his Department, (b) the formal receipt of a claim for incapacity benefit and the carrying out of a personal capability assessment interview, (c) a personal capability assessment for incapacity benefit and the decision on eligibility being made, (d) the decision on eligibility for incapacity benefit and the first payment
25 Apr 2006 : Column 1057W
being made and (e) the claim for incapacity benefit being submitted and the first payment being made using the most recent period for which figures are available. [64839]
Mrs. McGuire: The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to what point can a recipient of incapacity benefit backdate a claim once eligibility for the benefit has been confirmed; and when in the claims process is the official start point for the payment once eligibility for incapacity benefit has been confirmed. [64840]
Mrs. McGuire: Claims for incapacity benefit can be backdated for up to three months prior to the date of claim.
Incapacity benefit is not paid for the first three days in a period of incapacity but payment will be made for any other day within the three-month period providing the conditions of entitlement are satisfied.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2006, Official Report, column 1349W, on incapacity benefit, how many recipients of incapacity benefit are receiving an adult dependant addition; and what the average payment is for such recipients. [64841]
Mrs. McGuire: As at August 2005, the most recent available figures, there were 61,400 incapacity benefit claimants in receipt of an adult dependency increase. Of these, 37,700 claimants were in receipt of only an adult dependency increase; the average weekly benefit paid to these claimants was £134.21. Additionally, there were 23,800 incapacity benefit claimants in receipt of both an adult dependency increase and a child dependency increase; the average weekly benefit paid to this group was £151.41.
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the benefit replacing incapacity benefit will be taxable. [64277]
Mrs. McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to him by my right hon. Friend, Margaret Hodge on 27 March 2006, Official Report, column 720W.
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