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Carpets International Pension Scheme
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether members of the Carpets International pension scheme are eligible for assistance through the financial assistance scheme. [83667]
James Purnell: The Carpets International pension scheme is a successfully qualified pension scheme for the financial assistance scheme. All members of this scheme, who were within 15 years of their scheme’s normal retirement age, or above, on 14 May 2004, will be considered for eligibility for assistance through the financial assistance scheme.
The trustees have applied for initial payments and we are currently awaiting member data to enable us to start paying eligible members.
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that members of the Carpets International pension scheme receive their full pension entitlements. [84397]
James Purnell: The Carpets International pension scheme has successfully qualified for the Financial Assistance Scheme. The trustees have applied for initial payments and we are currently awaiting member data to enable us to start paying eligible members.
While the Financial Assistance Scheme does not provide eligible members with their full pension entitlement, it can provide significant assistance to members of qualifying pension schemes. On 25 May 2006, as part of the white paper, “Security in Retirement: towards a new pension system”, the Government announced that they will extend eligibility for the Financial Assistance Scheme to members of qualifying pension schemes who were within 15 years of their scheme’s normal retirement age on 14 May 2004.
Those within seven years of their scheme’s normal retirement age on 14 May 2004 will benefit from the Financial Assistance Scheme topping up their pensions to around 80 per cent. of their expected core pension. Those between seven and 15 years from their scheme’s normal retirement age who can more reasonably be expected to supplement their retirement income will be considered for a top-up to around 65 per cent. of their expected pension if they are between seven and 11 years from scheme pension age, and 50 per cent. between 12 and 15 years.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many days training were provided to staff at the Child Support Agency in each year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [77968]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is out of the country, I am replying on his behalf.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many days training were provided to staff at the Child Support Agency in each year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.
The Child Support Agency has provided a range of training during the last five years for which figures are available covering technical, management, generic skills and information technology. The specific details are broken down as follows:
| Financial year | Training days | Number of people trained |
The decrease in training provided in 2005-06 was caused by a number of factors including awaiting the agreement of the Operational Implementation Plan, which has led to a new training programme for managers and other employees of the Child Support Agency. We have also seen a move towards blended learning and the use of e-learning with less emphasis on classroom training.
Following the announcement of the Operational Improvement Plan a full and comprehensive training programme has been developed. This includes a full training programme for Team Leaders, focusing on technical training, management skills and client outcomes. This will enable team leaders to effectively coach and mentor people leading to increased productivity and better client outcomes. In addition, we are currently developing training to support the movement of people to compliance work, as specified in the Operational Improvement Plan, so enabling the Agency to deliver the associate business benefits.
More detailed plans are still being finalised but the training will be for both new entrants and to support existing employees who may take on a different role on implementation of the new organisational design.
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what deadline was imposed for meetings between officials on the Child Support Agency redesign team and individuals or organisations from outside his Department. [84350]
Mr. Plaskitt: The consultation period for Sir David Henshaw’s redesign ended on 19 May 2006.
Following this deadline, Sir David and his team have tried to meet with individuals and organisations wherever possible.
Departmental Papers
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list in date order the (a) Green and (b) White papers produced by his Department since October 2005. [81655]
Mrs. McGuire: ‘Green’ and ‘White’ papers are not defined terms. 12 papers were published by the Department of Work and Pensions within the Command Papers series since October 2005. These are detailed in the following table:
FIFA World Cup
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which matches (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department attended at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany in their ministerial capacity; at what cost to public funds; and with what contributions from third party organisations. [83615]
Mrs. McGuire: Neither the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions nor any of his Ministers attended any matches at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany in their ministerial capacity.
Financial Assistance Scheme
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a pension scheme needs to be closed before payments can be made under the financial assistance scheme. [83250]
James Purnell: No, we can make discretionary initial financial assistance scheme payments before a qualifying pension scheme’s wind up is completed. The pension scheme’s trustees need to apply for initial payments in writing. In most cases information on the full scale of an individual’s loss is not available until a scheme is close to completing wind up. Until such information is available we are unable to assess a qualifying member’s exact level of assistance—their ‘annual’ payment.
However, and particularly as completing wind up can take a number of years, initial payments enable us to start paying some money at a lower rate, to qualifying members or their survivors who become entitled to assistance before their scheme has completed winding up.
Incapacity Benefit
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people claimed incapacity benefit in West Lancashire in each year since 1997. [83544]
Mrs. McGuire: The information is in the following table:
| Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants, in the Lancashire West parliamentary constituency, by age: each November 1997 to 2005 | ||
| Under 20 years of age | 20-24 years of age | |
| Notes: 1. The figures for 1997 and 1998 have been produced using the five per cent. data and have been rated up proportionally using the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. totals. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. “Claimant” figures include all incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance, including IB credits only cases. Source: DWP Information Directorate, five per cent. samples from 1997 to 1998 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data thereafter. | ||
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on his target to reduce the number of people on incapacity benefit by one million by 2016. [84933]
Mrs. McGuire: We have received a number of representations on this subject, including parliamentary questions from hon. Members and responses received during the Green Paper consultation period. The Green Paper sets out our aspiration to see one million fewer people on incapacity benefits, over the course of a decade, through the combined efforts of the Government, employers, local authorities and health professionals.
We have said that we will set out, by the end of the year, the basis by which the aspiration of one million fewer people on incapacity benefits will be measured and the progress we will need to make over the next Spending Review period.
Mesothelioma
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have died from mesothelioma in each health authority in England in each year since 1997. [82654]
Mrs. McGuire: Data on mesothelioma deaths are not readily available by health authority. I have placed in the Library a table with data that represent mesothelioma deaths for local and unitary authorities in England for the years 1997 to 2003, the latest year for which data are currently available.
Mr. Bill McGraf
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Mr. Bill McGraf, now deceased, a constituent of the right hon. Member for Birkenhead who lived in Well Lane Flats, Birkenhead, was in receipt of carer’s allowance. [84752]
Mrs. McGuire: The administration of carer’s allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. As details about individual cases are confidential, he will contact you privately about the matter.
Letter from Vivien Hopkins, dated 13 July 2006:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the late Mr McGrath, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently unavailable, I am responding on his behalf.
As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.
Official Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2006, Official Report, column 964W, on ministerial visits (overnight stays), how he ensures the (a) cost effectiveness and (b) appropriateness of overnight stays by (i) Ministers, (ii) civil servants and (iii) special advisers. [84454]
Mrs. McGuire: Under the terms of the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, when travelling on official business Ministers are expected to make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.
The same principles apply to civil servants and special advisers. Civil servants will adhere to the civil service code, and other departmental guides, ensuring value for money.
Parliamentary Ombudsman
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list those occasions when the recommendations of a report from the parliamentary ombudsman were (a) rejected and (b) partly rejected by his Department since 1997. [76266]
James Purnell: On only one occasion since 1997 has the Department, its Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies rejected the recommendations of a report from the parliamentary ombudsman. This occurred in the case of her report “Trusting in the pensions promise” published in March this year.
Pathways Areas (Blind/Partially Sighted People)
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many blind and partially sighted people have been assisted into work in Pathways areas in each year since their introduction. [68313]
Mrs. McGuire: Many customers categorised as ‘blind or having low vision’ would not be expected to participate in the mandatory Pathways process under current exemption rules. However, 11 customers categorised as being ‘blind or having low vision’ have been helped into work by Pathways to Work.
The data on medical condition for Pathways to Work participants is incomplete. The reason for this is that it is drawn from incapacity benefit data that appears in the National Benefits Database. This impacts on the completeness of Pathways medical condition data in two ways;
1. the National Benefits Database lags behind other Pathways Evaluation Database sources by some three to four months, and;
2. the incapacity Benefit data is based on a six-weekly snapshot, which means that some short-term claims of less than six weeks never appear. For this reason it is important that these figures should only be taken as an indication of Pathways activity for people who are blind or have low vision.
Notes:
1. Figures cannot be broken down annually as totals would be less than 10 leading to a potential breach of data protection guidelines.
2. Data is to October 2005.
Source:
Pathways to Work Evaluation Database.
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