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29 Nov 2006 : Column 758W—continued

Cold Weather Payments

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in Coventry, South which are not pensioner households are entitled to cold weather payments. [103295]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Company Pensions

Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what protection is provided to members of a company pension scheme in respect of terms, conditions and benefits of the scheme when the company is sold to a company which is not incorporated in the EU. [100733]

James Purnell: Members of a UK occupational pension scheme are covered by the statutory provisions irrespective of where the sponsoring company or its parent company is incorporated. Therefore, these schemes will be regulated by the Pensions Regulator and if they are defined benefit schemes members’ pensions will be covered by the Pension Protection Fund.

If a new employer (irrespective of where it is incorporated) purchases a UK incorporated company which operates an occupational pension scheme, that new employer must, as part of the TUPE(1) arrangements, ensure that it offers its new (UK) employees access to either an occupational pension scheme or stakeholder pension.

Fuel Poverty

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households which are not pensioner households are entitled to cold weather payments; and what plans he has to provide additional help to those householders who may be suffering from fuel poverty. [102113]

Mr. Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 8 November 2006, Official Report, column 1628W.


29 Nov 2006 : Column 759W

Housing

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many discretionary housing payments were awarded in each London local authority in each of the last five years; and what the average value was of those payments during that period. [102065]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations on simplifying the non-dependant deduction received in response to “Quality and choice: a decent home for all” his Department has considered. [102105]

Mr. Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander) on 1 February 2006, Official Report, column 590W.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is taking to ensure that housing benefit claimants facing benefit shortfalls are made aware of the availability of discretionary housing payments to help with their rent. [102109]

Mr. Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 8 November 2006, Official Report, columns 1626-27W.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average housing benefit payment was to households in temporary accommodation in each London local authority in each of the last five years. [102125]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many housing benefit claims were subject to each rate of non-dependant deduction in 2005-06; how many claimants in each rate lived in (a) council housing, (b) registered social landlord housing and (c) the private rented sector; and what percentage of total housing benefit claims each group represents. [102140]

Mr. Plaskitt: Information for 2005-06 is not available.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of housing benefit claims were subject to a non-dependent deduction for which the claimant was (a) registered disabled, (b) over 60 years old, (c) in receipt of income support or jobseeker’s allowance and (d) a lone parent in 2005-06. [102141]

Mr. Plaskitt: Information for 2005-06 is not yet available.


29 Nov 2006 : Column 760W

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which organisations (a) were in favour of and (b) opposed the simplification or reform of the housing benefit non-dependant deduction regime proposed in the housing Green Paper referred to in the answer of 1 February 2006 on benefits. [102142]

Mr. Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander) on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 246W.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average housing benefit payment was to households in temporary accommodation in Coventry in each of the last five years. [103296]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Means-testing

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners being means-tested to receive (a) pensions and (b) other benefits. [100849]

James Purnell: The answer is in the following table. For comparison, at the same date 10.4 million people were in receipt of the state pension.

Number of pensioner households in Great Britain in receipt of income related benefits: May 2004
Pensioner households

(a) Pensions(1)

2,490,000

(b) Other benefits(2)

630,000

(1) Pensions includes pension credit only.
(2) Other benefits includes MIG/IS, JSA(IB), HB and CTB where the pensioner is not also in receipt of pension credit.
Notes:
1. Income-related benefits are pension credit, minimum income guarantee/income support for those aged 60 and above (MIG/IS), income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA(IB)), housing benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB).
2. The figures relate to households where the claimant and/or the claimant’s partner is aged 60 or over, and are for May 2004, which is the latest date for which it is possible remove overlaps between housing benefit and council tax benefit and the other income related benefits.
3. Pensioner households contain a claimant and/or claimant’s partner who is aged 60 or over.
4. Figures based on 1 per cent. and 5 per cent. samples are subject to sampling variation. JSA(IB), information concerning partners of pension credit and MIG/IS claimants are derived from 5 per cent. sample data and HB/CTB figures are derived from 1 per cent. samples.
5. Due to the estimation procedure to produce the figures for housing benefit and/or council tax benefit, figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000.
6. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
7. CTB data exclude second adult rebate cases.
8. HB data exclude any extended payment cases.
9. Some income-based JSA claimants may also have entitlement to benefit via the contributory route.
Source:
DWP 1 per cent. samples (housing benefit/council tax benefit), 5 per cent. samples Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.


29 Nov 2006 : Column 761W

Part-time Study Rule

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will make a statement on reform of the part-time study rule to enable young people to study full-time while in receipt of housing benefit; [102189]

(2) if he will carry out a cost-benefit analysis of the effect of (a) abolishing and (b) changing the part-time study rule for housing benefit. [102190]

Mr. Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry) on 8 November 2006, Official Report, column 1636.

Constitutional Affairs

Chelmsford Court

Mr. Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the current status of the private finance initiative scheme for a new magistrates and coroners’ court in Chelmsford; when she expects the scheme to be approved; and when she expects building to commence. [103292]

Ms Harman: The Chelmsford project continues to be within the programme of new court building schemes. However, at this stage I am not in a position to confirm the status of the Chelmsford project, or the wider court building programme, as discussions with HM Treasury are still ongoing as part of the comprehensive spending review (CSR) 2007.

Coroners

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what additional resources will be allocated to the coroners’ system to achieve 24 hour on-call cover by coroners’ officers; [102931]

(2) how many coroners’ districts (a) have and (b) do not have on-call cover 24 hours per day; [102932]

(3) whether the Department’s plans for 24-hour cover from coroners’ officers take account of regulations on working time. [103060]

Ms Harman: Rule 4 of the Coroners Rules 1984 requires a coroner to be ready at all times to undertake duties in connection with inquests and post-mortem examinations, either in person or by deputy or assistant deputy. All coroners’ districts should therefore have 24 hour on-call coverage, and I am not aware of any that do not. A requirement to contact the next-of-kin within 24 hours of a death being reported is included only within the illustrative draft charter for bereaved people which accompanied the draft Bill on coroner reform. The provisions in the charter are not intended to alter the employment terms and conditions of coroner’s officers. The charter will be subject to further consultation, and amendment where necessary, when the Bill has received Royal Assent.


29 Nov 2006 : Column 762W

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the evidential basis is for the Department’s conclusion that the work load of coroners’ officers will not increase under proposed changes to the system. [102933]

Ms Harman: The proposals in the draft Bill do not produce any increase in overall case load or work load. Coroners and coroner’s officers will continue to deal with about the same amount of cases each year—in 2005, they had 232,400 reported to them.

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what account was taken of (a) case load and (b) work load in assessing the work of coroners’ offices. [103077]

Ms Harman: In preparing the draft Bill, I considered whether the proposals would lead directly to any increase in the case load or work load for coroners and their offices, and concluded that they would not. The draft Bill was subject to consultation, which closed on 8 September. A report of the outcome will be published shortly.

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the current work load of coroners’ officers. [103078]

Ms Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to this question on 6 November 2006, Official Report, column 853W.

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the resources available to the system of coroners’ officers; and what evidence she has sought on this matter. [103079]

Ms Harman: Coroner’s officers are resourced by local authorities and police authorities. My officials meet regularly with the Coroner’s Officers Association and individual coroners to discuss issues and developments.

Court House (Salisbury)

Robert Key: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when work will start on the construction of the new Court House in Salisbury; when the new courts will be in service; and what the estimated cost is of the project. [102501]

Ms Harman: Construction on the new Court House in Salisbury is expected to start in May 2007, with the new facility being open for service in January 2009. It will be built as a Private Developer Scheme (PDS) which means that HMCS will be spending less than £1 million in fees, and will not take a capital risk. Instead we will take a guaranteed lease from the successful bidder who will take that risk. We expect that the capital cost of the project to the developer will be approximately £14.5 million.


29 Nov 2006 : Column 763W

Crown Court

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many criminal cases were brought in the Crown courts in each of the last five years. [104480]

Ms Harman: Figures relating to the number of cases received by the Crown court centres in the past five years are set out in the following table.

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Committed/Sent for trial

80,551

83,449

84,412

79,232

80,021

Committed for sentence

25,960

28,837

30,757

31,156

32,937

Criminal appeals

11,818

11,144

11,180

12,099

12,022

Note:
Receipts include committals direct from PSD’s, bench warrants executed and cases transferred in, less cases transferred out.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Swire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent by her Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available. [104435]

Vera Baird: My Department has not commissioned any TV advertising since it was established in June 2003.

Dispersal Orders

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the largest amount paid has been in legal aid in respect of (a) an individual and (b) a group appealing against a dispersal order. [106061]

Vera Baird: This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.


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