| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Ministerial Behaviour
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with Sir John Bourn on matters concerning the behaviour of Ministers; and if he will make a statement. [85015]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Maldon and Chelmsford East (Mr. Whittingdale) during my evidence to the Liaison Committee on 4 July.
Work and Pensions
Atos Medical Services
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to review (a) the contract with Atos Medical Services as part of the Welfare Reform Programme and the Disability Equality Duty scheme and (b) the training requirements for Atos medical staff. [84388]
Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 12 July 2006]: The contract between the Department and Atos Origin is reviewed on an on-going basis to ensure it delivers services that are fully compliant with all current relevant legislation.
Each year
a programme of continuing medical education is agreed with Atos Origin
that identifies training need priorities for all Atos medical
practitioners. Participation is mandatory and ensures medical knowledge
and expertise is kept up to date. Implementation is monitored through
an established governance framework. Any changes or amendments to the
contracted service arising from changes in business requirements
include a review of the training requirements for
doctors.
Benefit Claimants
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to tackle the perceived stigma of claiming benefits by people in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [84955]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) is currently undertaking its annual monitoring of the rural proofing of Government policy. The CRC has appointed a team of consultants who will be interviewing officials from each Government Department on selected subjects. One subject selected for the DWP is the payment of benefits. The interviews are expected to take place this month.
The Department also produces an internal annual Rural Proofing Report for the Countryside Agency; this includes examples of how the Department has addressed service delivery issues in rural areas. A copy of the Countryside Agency’s Rural Proofing Report for 2004-05 is available in the Library.
A fundamental element of our plans for the future is the need to transform the way customers access and use the services of Jobcentre Plus so we can release resources to focus on customers who need more help. Customers are no longer required to attend our offices to make claims to benefits, undertake jobsearch activities or to enquire about their benefit payments. As we transform our services, other more efficient channels are now available to our customers, such as Jobseeker Direct, Interactive TV, or the Jobcentre Plus website and these new options will greatly assist our customers living in rural areas.
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely impact in each region of introducing a lower rate of benefit for young people under the age of 25 claiming the proposed employment and support allowance. [78108]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The proposal in the Green Paper was to align the basic rate of the employment and support allowance with jobseeker’s allowance basic rates. In the main phase, a work-related activity component or support component would be added on top.
During the
consultation period, stakeholders raised concerns that this would
penalise disabled young people. Therefore, in our consultation report
we announced that we will not proceed with plans for a young
person’s rate during the main phase. Claimants will get the same
benefit rate, regardless of age, once on the main phase of the benefit.
We believe that this provides the best balance between aligning rates
until the medical assessment is completed, and making sure
we provide an appropriate level of support for all people with health
conditions or
disabilities.
The Green Paper consultation report (CM6859) is available in the Library.
Incapacity Benefit
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which local authorities had an increase in the numbers of incapacity benefit claimants between 2001 and 2005. [86398]
Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 18 July 2006]: The information has been placed in the Library.
Job Vacancies (Hartlepool)
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies were listed at Jobcentre Plus in Hartlepool constituency in each year since 1997. [77176]
Mr. Jim Murphy: [pursuant to the reply, 26 June 2006, Official Report, c.54W]: Information on Jobcentre Plus vacancy data at parliamentary constituency level is only available from April 2004 and is set out in the following table.
| Hartlepool Parliamentary Constituency | ||
| Period | Vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus | Average number of 'live' unfilled vacancies on any given day |
Overseas Pensioners
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the amount spent by his Department, including the costs spent on administration, responding to requests from pensioners who live abroad and have their pensions frozen in each year since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement. [83378]
James Purnell: Information that is available is in the following tables. We are unable to provide costs prior to 2004-05.
| Costs for 2004005 and 2005-06 | |||
| £million | |||
| 2004-05 | 2005-2006 | Total | |
Direct costs to administer frozen state pensions for pensioners who live abroad. | |||
| Costs For The First Three Months Of The Financial Year 2006-07 | |
| £million | |
| 2006-07 | |
Direct costs to administer frozen state pensions for pensioners who live abroad. | |
Pensioners
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what pilot projects have been funded as part of the initiative announced in the 1997 pre-Budget report to encourage the improved take-up of benefits by pensioners; how many projects were given long-term funding; and how many pensioners were involved in the pilot projects. [85560]
James Purnell: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Pensions Reform
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1754W, on pensions reform, if he will add a column to the table provided in the answer showing comparable data assuming the Pension Commission’s proposals were implemented in total. [86518]
James Purnell: The figures presented in the 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1753W refer to people reaching state pension age. They consequently will not be affected by including the assumption of the full implementation of the Pensions Commission proposals—i.e. to include the payment of a full basic state pension to all people aged 75 and over.
State Pension/Pension Credit
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of (a) state pension and (b) pension credits in each nation and region of the UK; and what total spending was on each benefit in the latest period for which figures are available. [86512]
James Purnell: Information that is available relating to the state pension caseload and number of individual beneficiaries of pension credit in Great Britain on 31 November 2005 is in the following table. Information relating to Northern Ireland is the responsibility for my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
| Government office region | State pension caseload | Pension credit—individual beneficiaries |
| Source:
DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal
Study | ||
The total estimated spending on state pensions and pension credit in 2005-06 is in the following table.
| £ million, nominal terms, estimated outturn | |
| Notes:
1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and some additional
disclosure control has been applied. 2. Expenditure figures
are rounded to the nearest million pounds. 3. Totals may not
sum due to rounding. 4. The number of individual
beneficiaries includes both claimants and their partners.
Source: DWP Expenditure
tables | |
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of total spending on the (a) basic state pension and (b) pension credit in each (i) country and (ii) region of the UK in (A) 2024, (B) 2034 and (C) 2044 (1) under the current arrangements and (2) under the Government’s proposed pension reforms. [86514]
James Purnell: The information is not available in the format requested. Tables 1 and 2 show the total expenditure on basic state pension and pension credit respectively for the UK.
Under our reforms, more people will be getting state pensions based on their national insurance records, and there will be a more generous basic state pension due to the restoration of the earnings link. This provides a solid foundation for private saving. Incentives are further enhanced by reducing the growth of the savings credit.
Increase in the basic state pension leads to higher incomes for pensioners and as a consequence reduces the spending on pension credit. The reduction in pension credit as a result of the overall reform package can be seen in table 2. Column 2 of the table shows the level of spending without the white paper reforms while column 3 shows spending after reforms.
Table 1 shows total expenditure under current basic state pension policies, and under the proposed reforms.
| Table 1: Expenditure on basic state pension | ||
| £ billion, 2006-07 prices | ||
| Without reform | With reform | |
Table 2 shows total expenditure under different pension credit policies, all of which assume the stated policy of uprating the standard guarantee with earnings until 2008: the current system projected forward with the standard guarantee uprated by prices after 2008; the same scenario but with the standard guarantee uprated with earnings after 2008; and the projected outcomes under the White Paper reforms.
| Table 2: Expenditure on pension credit | |||
| £ billion, 2006-07 prices | |||
| Without reform, standard guarantee price-linked from 2008 | Without reform, standard guarantee earnings-linked from 2008 | With reform | |
| Notes:
1. Costs or savings presented in the table are based on long-term
projections of United Kingdom benefit expenditure consistent with the
Budget report 2006, and estimated expenditure effects of the proposed
reforms. 2. Table 2 estimates of expenditure are dependent on
projections of numbers receiving pension credit in the future. These
projections are subject to a range of uncertainties and a number of
factors including policies on uprating different benefits and
assumptions on rates of take-up. The assumptions applied here are
consistent with those that underpin published long-run expenditure
projections. 3. Table 1 includes, in the ‘With
reform’ column, earnings uprating the basic state pension,
improving coverage, and the effects of state pension age
increases. 4. Table 2 includes, in the ‘With
reform’ column, continued earnings uprating of the standard
guarantee; the savings credit maximum is uprated by earnings from 2008
and then by prices from 2015; earnings uprating of the basic state
pension from 2012; measures to improve coverage of the basic state
pension and reforms to the state second pension described in the White
Paper. 5. Figures exclude the effect of personal
accounts. 6. Figures include the effects on expenditure on
the basic state pension and on pension credit arising from increases in
the state pension age as set out in the White
Paper. | |||
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2006, Official Report, column 1716W, on Afghanistan, how many (a) ministerial and (b) official-level meetings on Afghanistan have taken place between the three Departments since January. [81738]
Margaret Beckett: There are regular ministerial and official meetings on Afghanistan. Since January, seven ministerial meetings and 16 senior official meetings specifically on Afghanistan have been held. At the official level there is daily contact between Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for International Development and Ministry of Defence personnel.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |