| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Housing Benefits
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of housing benefit claimants with non-dependant deductions who are (i) elderly and (ii) disabled. [85607]
Mr. Plaskitt: The most recent available information is in the following table:
| Housing benefit households with non-dependant deductions by client type: Great Britain: May 2004 | ||
| Number | Proportion of client type (Percentage) | |
| (1)
Denotes nil or
negligible. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. 2. Figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 3. HB figures exclude any extended payment cases. 4. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 5 “disabled” means one of the disability premiums has been awarded. Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2004. | ||
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has commissioned to establish whether changes have occurred in the level of the shared room rate available to under 25 year olds in the local housing allowance Pathfinder areas. [85608]
Mr. Plaskitt: The Department has commissioned a comprehensive and independent evaluation of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) Pathfinders that will include consideration of any changes in the LHA rates in the Pathfinder areas over the two year Pathfinder period. This includes an assessment of the LHA shared room rate.
Four interim evaluation reports have already been published and copies are available in the Library. The final evaluation reports are expected to be published between the autumn of this year and spring of next year.
Pensions
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2006, Official Report, column 235W, on pensions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the advice he has received attributing £60 million of this increase in the Pension Protection Fund levy to changes in the level of schemes' assets, together with the effect of changes to the relevant market interest rates on the liabilities and £220 million to changes in the mortality assumptions which reflected similar changes to the assumptions used by insurance companies when setting buy-out terms, together with the detail of the assumptions, including mortality tables and interest rates, used in making that attribution. [73779]
James Purnell: There has been no increase in the PPF levy estimate. We cannot provide all the details requested on the increase in the estimate produced by the Government Actuary's Department (GAD). I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 2 May 2006, Official Report, columns 1528-529W, which set out the difficulties of doing so. However, a summary of the GAD update will be placed in the Library shortly.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to fully compensate, with index-linking, all former Allied Steel and Wire workers who lost occupational pension savings; and if he will make a statement. [78293]
James Purnell: The estimated cost of compensating all ASW scheme members in full is £250—£450 million in cash terms and £120—£210 million in net present value, based on limited information on the ASW scheme
Personal Capability Assessment
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Department proposes to pilot the proposed new Personal Capability Assessment referred to in the Green Paper “A new deal for welfare”; and if he will make a statement. [75385]
Mr. Jim Murphy: We will not use formal ‘piloting’ powers for the revised PCA. However, we are committed to testing the new regime by running it in parallel with the current assessment to compare outcomes—we are calling this ‘dummy runs’ of the revised PCA using live assessments. This will play no part in deciding entitlement to incapacity benefit, but will allow us to test the new assessment and make any subsequently required adjustments.
Retirement
Danny
Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions what assumptions were made about the employment rate
for (a) men and women between the ages of 20 and 64, (b)
men and women between the ages of 20 and 68 and (c) the state
pension
age in (i) 2010, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2030, (iv) 2040 and (v) 2050 in
calculating the old-age dependency ratio for the chart on page nine of
the pension White Paper, Security in Retirement.
[85838]
James Purnell: The chart on page nine of the pensions White Paper: “Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system” does not make assumptions about the employment rate or changes in state pension age.
Home Department
Antisocial Behaviour
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were found guilty of (a) drunken and disorderly behaviour and (b) drunken and aggravated disorderly behaviour in (i) England, (ii) Peterborough constituency and (iii) the Peterborough city council area in each year since 1997. [76623]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of offenders found guilty for drunkenness with aggravation (which includes drunk and disorderly) in England, and Peterborough Local Justice Area, 1997—2004 are given in the following table. It is not possible to identify those convicted in Peterborough constituency, or Peterborough city council, as the data are not collected at this level of detail. Court statistics for 2005 will be available in autumn 2006.
In addition to this, the penalty notice for disorder scheme was brought into effect in all police forces in England and Wales during 2004. Under the scheme the police are able to issue persons committing specified minor offences with a fixed penalty notice. No admission of guilt is required and payment of the penalty discharges all liability for the offence. In 2004 25,591 penalty notices were issued in England for the offence of being drunk and disorderly. Provisional data for 2005 shows that 34,238 penalty notices were issued in England for this offence. It is not possible to identify the number of penalty notices issued in Peterborough as centrally held data is not collected at that level of detail.
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
Mr. Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) England. [85267]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 17 July 2006]: The number of ASBOs, as reported to the Home Office by the court service, where restrictions are imposed in the local authority area of Stoke-on-Trent city council, from 1 June 2000 to 30 September 2005 (latest available) is 54. The number issued in England during the same period is 6,922.
Appointments Booking System
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent the Appointments Booking System software has been modified to prevent counter officers by-passing the normal process; whether override audit trails are maintained and checked; and if he will make a statement. [73712]
John Reid: I am advised that the Appointments Booking System software was upgraded on 6 April. The software has been specifically designed to prevent staff from overriding the system without management approval. An audit trail is maintained and is checked on a daily basis.
Asylum/Immigration
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the (a) opposition to and (b) potential impact of the extension of the voucher system for asylum seekers. [71888]
Mr. Byrne: Vouchers are used to support failed asylum seekers under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 who would otherwise be destitute and for whom there is a temporary barrier to leaving the UK.
Officials, through the NASS Forum, National Consulting Group and Voluntary Sector Chief Executives’ group have discussed impacts. These have been considered carefully and taken into account. The Commons Clearance of Lords’ Amendments stage of the Bill also provided an opportunity to debate their use.
This is a rightly limited form of support, which should not act as an incentive for asylum seekers to remain in the UK once they have exhausted their appeal rights.
Section 43(7) of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 does not extend the voucher system, but ensures flexibility to meet additional needs of those supported under section 4. This is a new provision which should be welcomed.
My hon. Friend the Minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety (Mr. McNulty) asked officials to review longer term impacts, which they are currently in the process of doing with interested parties.
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the use of luncheon vouchers for the purposes of support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; how many such vouchers were issued to residents of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in each of the last four quarters of 2005-06; and what the total value was of the vouchers so issued. [75212]
Mr. Byrne: Where support under section 4 is provided in self catering accommodation vouchers to the value of £35 per week are issued to purchase food and essential toiletries. The type of voucher issued is not a matter of policy. The vouchers issued by accommodation providers are primarily luncheon vouchers, supermarket payment cards and supermarket vouchers.
Information on the number and types of voucher issued is not recorded centrally.
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who have been given indefinite leave to remain in (a) the past 12 months and (b) the past five years have served a prison sentence in the UK while waiting for a decision on their application to stay in the UK. [75365]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not collected centrally and would require an examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who have spent time in detention have been granted temporary release in each of the last five calendar years. [75787]
Mr. Byrne: This information is not available.
Mr. Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 8 May 2006, Official Report, column 71W, on asylum/immigration, how many of the applicants had their last known address in Northamptonshire. [73415]
Mr. Byrne: 16 had their last recorded address in Northamptonshire.
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 282W, on asylum/immigration, what definition his Department uses of a particularly serious crime. [75349]
Mr. Byrne: Article 33(2) of the Refugee Convention allows an asylum seeker or recognised refugee to be removed even if they have a well founded fear of persecution where they represent a threat to national security, or where, having been convicted of a particularly serious crime, they constitute a danger to the community.
Section 72 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 provides an interpretation of Article 33(2) of the 1951 Convention and defines the term ‘particularly serious crime’ for the purposes of Article 33(2) as one for which the person concerned has received a sentence of imprisonment of at least two years, or has been convicted of an offence specified by order of the Secretary of State, whatever the length of sentence imposed. An automatic presumption is made, which is rebuttable, that such a person poses a danger to the community.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 19 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1666-68W, on asylum/immigration, how many individuals were held in each immigration holding, reception and removal centre in each year since 2004-05. [82699]
Mr. Byrne: Quarterly snapshots are published by the Immigration Nationality Directorate's (IND's) Research, Development and Statistics (RDS) Directorate in the quarterly asylum statistics bulletin showing the number of people detained on the last Saturday of each quarter under Immigration Act powers in immigration removal centres.
Citizenship
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a mother can require a DNA test to be undertaken to prove the paternity of her child in relation to citizenship. [84295]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 11 July 2006]: There are no powers in the nationality legislation to this effect.
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a British father is required to supply his details to enable his child to be registered as a British citizen where the mother wishes this to happen. [84296]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 11 July 2006]: Where an application for citizenship is based on a parent's nationality or immigration status, the Home Secretary has to be satisfied on a balance of probabilities about the child's parentage and that the relevant parent has the appropriate status. In some cases there is also a statutory requirement, or an expectation, that both parents will indicate their consent to the child being registered as a British citizen. There is no power under nationality legislation, however, for the Home Secretary or one parent to compel the provision of certain information or consent by the other.
Correspondence
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Sherwood dated 28 April about the immigration status of Josephine Mundirwa. [81048]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 3 July 2006]: I replied to my hon. Friend on 11 July 2006.
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister of State for Immigration will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Woking of 28 June 2006 concerning a constituent, Mr. C. Imran Ali (Home Office Ref: H/65545/98/PR). [83443]
Mr. Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member on 13 July 2006.
Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter of 6 June 2006 from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on behalf of Mohammed Kashif Zahoor (Home Office reference Z1040405, acknowledgement reference B14821/6). [83891]
Mr. Byrne: I wrote to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on 3 July 2006.
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 31 May from the hon. Member for Walsall, North regarding a constituent, reference M13279/6. [84302]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 11 July 2006]: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 11 July 2006.
Custodial Education
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of education was for children and young adults in custody in each of the last 30 years; what proportion of the total cost of their detention was represented by spending on their education in each such year; and what was the per capita spending on education in each such year. [86204]
Mr. Sutcliffe: This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Custody
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider the merits of establishing a public inquiry into (a) the deaths of children in custody and (b) the role of sentencing policy in such cases; and if he will make a statement. [86229]
Mr.
Sutcliffe: Any death of a child or young person in custody
is thoroughly investigated. (Fortunately such deaths are comparatively
rare.) The main form of public inquiry into any death is the inquest.
Developments in case law in recent years have greatly extended the
scope of inquests into deaths in custody,
so that they can now inquire into a wide range of possible contributory
factors (although sentencing policy will rarely, if ever, be a directly
contributory factor to a death in an individual case). In addition, the
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman conducts his own independent inquiry
into any death of a young person in a young offender institution or a
secure training centre; and the Local Safeguarding Children’s
Board is likely to commission a serious case review under Part 8 of the
joint Department for Education and Skills/Home Office/Department of
Health guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999). Many of
the young people who become involved in serious or persistent offending
are at risk of self-harm, whether or not they are in custody. It is not
possible to quantify how many young people’s health, including
mental health, has been positively assisted by care received while in
custody. There is no reason to believe that sentencing policy is
increasing the rate of mortality of young people under
18.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |