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Carer's Allowance
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will introduce proposals to enable carers to receive carer’s allowance after the age of 60. [80384]
Mrs. McGuire: Carer’s allowance, formerly known as invalid care allowance, has always been available to carers aged below state pension age. From 1994 it was made available to women aged between 60 and 65, and from 2002 we abolished the upper age limit for making a claim.
People entitled to carer’s allowance can have the additional amount for carers, currently £26.35 a week, included in the assessment of their pension credit. This applies both to those in receipt of carer’s allowance and those who cannot be paid because they are receiving at least an equivalent amount from a state pension. It is a basic principle of the social security system that only one benefit at a time can be paid for the same purpose. Even though the circumstances which give rise to carer’s allowance and state pension are different, they are both designed to provide a degree of replacement for lost or forgone income. We have no plans to change the current arrangements.
As at November 2005, more than 42,500 people aged 60 or over were receiving carer’s allowance and more than 181,800 had the additional amount for carers included in their pension credit.
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the amount of carer’s allowance for which there was eligibility but no claims in each of the last five years. [80446]
Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 26 June 2006]: Entitlement to carer’s allowance depends on whether the qualifying conditions are satisfied, and this can be reliably established only after a claim has been made. There are no data available from which a reliable estimate might be made of the number of carers who would meet the conditions if they claimed.
Child Support Agency
Mr.
Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of
State for Work and Pensions what aggregate amount was
paid to senior civil servants in the Child Support Agency in bonus
payments related to performance in 2005-06.
[78050]
Mrs. McGuire: Bonus payments to senior civil servants in the Child Support Agency for performance in 2005-06 have still to be decided. Annual bonus payments are normally paid in July.
Criminal Offences
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since April 2005, broken down by Act. [76901]
Mrs. McGuire: The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (c.13) is the only DWP sponsored primary legislation since April 2005. The criminal offences created in that Act are:
(i) Section (7)(2)(b) adds 'a rail vehicle accessibility compliance certificate' to the list of relevant documents in section 49(1) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in respect of which it is already an offence for such a document to be forged, altered etc or for a false statement be made knowingly for the purpose of obtaining such a document. The amendment has yet to be brought into force;
(ii) Section 8(2) inserts a new subsection (5) into section 49 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Act to make it an offence to falsely pretend to be a person authorised to inspect rail vehicles for conformity with rail vehicle accessibility regulations. The provision has yet to be brought into force;
(iii) Section 9 inserts a new section 21A into the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 (c.44) in relation to badges issued outside Great Britain; subsection (4) of the new section makes 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 to be made under subsection (3). Subsection (8) makes it an offence to fail without reasonable excuse, to produce a badge when required to do so by a constable or enforcement officer. This provision came into force as regards England on 30 June 2005.
(iv) Section 10(3) inserts a new subsection (2B) into section 16B of the Disability Discrimination 1995 Act which makes it an offence for a person knowingly or recklessly to make a false or misleading statement to the effect that publication of a particular advert would not be unlawful by reason of the operation of subsection. (2); For the sake of completeness, the following provisions of Schedule 1 to that Act make amendments to other primary legislation which insert new offences into that legislation:
(v) Schedule 1, Part 2, paragraph 43(3) inserts a new subsection (6A) into section 105 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c.27). This makes it an offence to leave a vehicle stationary in contravention of any prohibition or restriction, where an immobilisation device could have been fixed to the vehicle if it had not been displaying a current recognised badge (defined by section 21A of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970), where the vehicle was not being used in accordance with regulations under s21A of the 1970 Act and in circumstances where a concession would not be available to a vehicle lawfully displaying a recognised badge. This provision also came into force as regards England on 30 June 2005.
(vi) Schedule 1, Part 2,
paragraph 44(3) inserts subsection (1A) into section 117 of the Road
Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c.27). This makes it an offence for a
person to display a badge purporting to be a recognised badge (defined
by new section 21A of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act
1970) where they are also breaching a provision of an order relating to
parking under the 1984 Act and where the circumstances are
such that a concession would be available to someone lawfully displaying
a recognised badge. The offence will not be committed provided the
badge is a recognised badge and is being displayed in accordance with
regulations under section 21A of the 1970 Act. This provision also came
into force as regards England on 30 June
2005.
(vii) Schedule 1, Part 2, paragraph 46(3) inserts subsection 2A into section 70 of the Road Traffic Act 1991 (c.40). This creates an offence for cases where an immobilisation device could have been fixed to a vehicle in a designated parking space, had a current recognised badge (defined by section 21A of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970) not been displayed on the vehicle, if the vehicle was not being used in accordance with regulations under that section and the circumstances were such that a disabled person's concession would not be available by virtue of displaying a non-GB badge. This provision also came into force as regards England on30 June 2005.
(viii) Schedule 1, Part 2, paragraph 48(2) inserts subsection (5A) into section 79 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 (c.18). This states that regulations to be made under that section shall provide that an offence is created where a person is in charge of a vehicle in circumstances where an immobilisation device would have been fixed to the vehicle had a current recognised badge not been displayed on the vehicle and the vehicle is not being used in accordance with regulations under section 21A of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 and the circumstances are such that a disabled person's concession would not be available by virtue of displaying a non-GB badge.This provision also came into force as regards England on30 June 2005.
Departmental Hospitality
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by his Department on alcohol for hospitality purposes. [77191]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions does not currently keep a separate record of expenditure on alcohol for hospitality purposes. Such expenditure is included within the hospitality account. The Department’s current intention is not to further subdivide this analysis of expenditure as it is likely to require significant additional administration and be unlikely to be accurate.
All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting. Accordingly, alcohol is provided only as an exception and only with the specific written authority of a small number of designated senior civil servants.
Departmental Staff
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the (a) operation and (b) staffing of the Appeals Service from March 2007. [78489]
Vera
Baird: Your question to ask the Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions asking if he will make a statement on the (a)
operation and (b) staffing of the Appeals Service from March
2007 onwards has been referred to the Department for Constitutional
Affairs for reply. With effect from 3 April 2006, the Appeals
Service, now known as Social Security and Child Support Appeal Tribunal
(SSCSA), transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions and
became part of the Tribunals Service, an Agency of the Department for
Constitutional
Affairs.
The SSCSA continues to meet all of their targets and delivers an efficient service in line with the Tribunals Service 2005-06 Business Plan.
Resource for the SSCSA transferred from DWP to DCA. The staffing of SSCSA will be maintained in line with its workload and the resources available to the Department overall.
Disabled Staff
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled staff his Department has employed in each year since 2000. [79934]
Mrs. McGuire: The information is contained inthe table.
The information is representative of the disabled status as voluntarily declared by individual members of staff. Not all staff who are registered disabled declare themselves as such for departmental records, and the true figure may be higher than the figures shown.
These figures represent a snapshot of the Staff in Post on the first of April for each year shown and the proportion of disabled staff. The Department for Work and Pensions was created in July 2001, and figures prior to 2002 were unobtainable.
| Table 1: Number and proportion of disabled staff in DWP | |||
| Staff in post | Staff in post with a declared disability | Percentage of staff in post with a declared disability | |
Industrial Action (Newcastle)
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the industrial action on the Newcastle Civil Service Estate between the Public and Commercial Services Union and MacLellan. [80555]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions does not have a policy on the industrial action on the Newcastle Civil Service Estate. The dispute is between the Public and Commercial Services Union and MacLellan. The staff involved were formerly part of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the industrial action between Public and Commercial Services Union and MacLellan on the work of his Department carried out on the Newcastle Civil Service Estate. [80557]
Mrs. McGuire: The industrial action between Public and Commercial Services Union and MacLellan has had minimal impact on the Department for Work and Pensions business in Newcastle. Core business has not been affected and security has not been compromised.
Jobcentre Plus
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Working Together programme in Jobcentre Plus. [76520]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 28 June 2006:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the implementation of the Working Together programme in Jobcentre Plus. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The Working Together programme has been developed in response to the significant challenges our business faces. It provides an opportunity for everyone across Jobcentre Plus to be involved in creating the working environment needed to ensure the continued success of our organisation, and helps to build understanding and commitment to our vision and to new ways of working. It also ensures our managers have the skills, tools and confidence to lead their people through change.
Working Together is currently rolled out in 384 sites, 370 of which are Jobcentres, 8 are Contact Centres, and 6 are Benefit Delivery Centres. Managers receive coaching from Working Together facilitators and people are given the time and resources to help create a better working environment, and work with their managers to implement development plans.
To date, 46 per cent of our staff are participating in the Working Together programme and the remainder will participate in the near future.
Feedback to date from participants of the programme has been very positive and our formal evaluation process starts in July.
Jobseeker Assistance
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements are made by his Department (a) to assess and (b) to report the incidence of learning disabilities among jobseekers. [76318]
Mrs. McGuire: The Labour Market System (LMS) is the computer system used in Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), that holds details of customer personal information, employer vacancies and opportunities provided by suppliers of training and work-based learning activities.
There is a marker on LMS for ‘people with a disability’. However that is only used when the customer themselves identify that they have a disability which would be a barrier to work. Not everyone with a disability will identify themselves in this way so any data will only include a proportion of those who have a disability. The marker covers all disabilities but it does not break the figure down by type.
No other specific arrangements have been made to assess or report the incidence of learning disabilities among jobseekers.
Medical Assessments
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost is per appeal against a medical assessment decision for benefit entitlement. [76885]
Vera Baird: Your question to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding what the average cost is per appeal against a medical assessment decision for benefit entitlement has been referred to the Department for Constitutional Affairs for reply. With effect of 3 April 2006, appeals against social security benefit decisions are now the responsibility of the Tribunals Service, which is an Agency of the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
The information you have asked for is not available in the format requested as unit costs are measured over the entire appeal caseload and not broken down specifically by benefit type.
The average unit cost for processing an appeal is £253 and takes into account all Agency costs including overheads.
Pathways to Work
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when he expects to let contracts with private and voluntary sector providers to manage Pathways to Work in new areas; [77935]
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that the Pathways to Work procurement process complies with the duties and other provisions established under the Equalities Act 2006. [77936]
Mr. Jim Murphy: We are still finalising our plans for a national roll-out of Pathways to Work. In our Green Paper we said the next phase of the roll-out will be delivered primarily through voluntary and private sector providers contracted locally. The private and voluntary sectors have already demonstrated the value of their specialist knowledge and expertise in existing DWP programmes and will continue to provide major benefits. We hope to make an announcement shortly, which will lead to the start of the procurement exercise.
We will ensure that providers comply with the Equalities Act 2006. The accreditation process prior to the award of a contract confirms that providers have robust equality and diversity policies, and the Jobcentre Plus terms and conditions place contractual obligations on providers in respect of the Equalities Act 2006.
Pensioner Benefits
Mr.
Laws: To ask the Secretary of State
forWork and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the
(a) number and (b) proportion of pensioners entitled to
(i) means tested benefits and (ii) pension credit in
(A) 2010, (B) 2020, (C) 2030, (D) 2040 and (E) 2050 based on the
proposals set out in the Pension White Paper Cm 6841; and if he will
make a statement.
[75512]
James Purnell [holding answer 8 June 2006]: The information is not available in the format requested. The information available is shown in the following table.
The numbers eligible to pension credit in the future are subject to a range of uncertainties and a number of factors including policies on uprating different benefits. Table 1 shows the projected number and proportion of pensioner households eligible for pension credit under the proposals contained in the White Paper “Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system.”
| Table 1: Projected number and proportion of pensioner households eligible to pension credit for selected years under the White Paper proposals | ||
| Number of pensioner households eligible(£ million) | Proportion of pensioner households eligible (percentage) | |
| Notes: 1. Long-run projections of the number and proportion of pensioners eligible to means tested benefits under the White Paper proposals are not available. 2. Projections of the number and proportion of pensioners eligible to pension credit are sensitive to modelling assumptions and to projected changes in the distribution of pensioner incomes. 3. The estimates of proportions shown here are the mid-points of projections taken from two separate micro-simulation models. Modelling of the reform proposals does not include any increase in private saving from the introduction of personal accounts, which would further reduce the numbers eligible for pension credit. 4. Projections of the number of pensioners eligible to pension credit are derived from the projected proportions eligible and projections of the number of pensioner households in Great Britain. 5. These projections assume: continued earnings uprating of the standard guarantee credit; earnings uprating of the savings credit threshold from 2008 to 2014; earnings uprating of the basic state pension from 2012; price uprating of the maximum savings credit from 2015; measures to improve coverage of the basic state pension described in the White Paper. 6. Estimates cover all those aged above women's state pension age in the private household population of Great Britain. 7. Estimates account for equalisation of state pension age between 2010 and 2020. They also account for the proposed further increases in state pension age described in the White Paper. The estimates assume that the minimum age at which people can claim pension credit rises in line with women's state pension age. 8. Estimates are calibrated to the mid-points of the 2004-05 National Statistics range estimates of non-eligibility to pension credit, which adjust 2004-05 family resources survey data to take account of possible biases in reporting. Although the estimates here are not presented as ranges, they are subject to a margin of uncertainty. 9. Estimates of the number of pensioner households eligible are rounded to the nearest 50,000. | ||
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