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30 Nov 2006 : Column 864W—continued
Local Housing Allowance Pathfinders
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to review the evaluation findings from the Local Housing Allowance Pathfinders on people aged under 25 years; and if he will take into account those findings before finalising the proposed secondary legislation to be made under the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill. [103669]
Mr. Plaskitt: The evaluation findings from the Local Housing Allowance Pathfinders for under 25-year-olds were taken into account in the eleventh sitting of the Welfare Reform Bill Commons Standing Committee, where the housing benefit provisions for people aged under 25 were debated.
The Government will continue to consider the evaluation findings as the Welfare Reform Bill progresses through the House of Commons and the House of Lords. However, the commitment to the principles behind the Shared Room Rate remains.
Medical Assessments
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of medical assessments for (a) disability living allowance, (b) attendance allowance, (c) industrial injuries disablement benefit and (d) incapacity benefit have been appealed in each of the last five years; and what the cost was of administering such appeals in each year. [101787]
Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
The information is not available in the format requested as data are not captured on the number of medical assessments which are appealed against.
The following tables instead give details of the total number of claims and appeals for disability living allowance, attendance allowance, industrial injuries disablement benefit and incapacity benefit as well as the average unit cost of administering an appeal.
| Disability living allowance | ||
| Total number of claims received(includes awards and refusals) | Number of appeals | |
| Attendance allowance | ||
| Total number of claims received(includes awards and refusals) | Number of appeals | |
| Industrial injuries disablement benefit | ||
| Total number of claims received(includes awards and refusals) | Number of appeals | |
| Incapacity benefit | ||
| Total number of claims received(includes awards and refusals) | Number of appeals | |
| Average unit cost of administering an appeal (all benefit types within the Tribunals Service only) | |
| Average unit cost (£) | |
| Notes: 1. Figures on claims and appeals are rounded to nearest 10. 2. Figures for industrial injuries disablement benefit claims are not available prior to April 2002. 3. “'Number of appeals” relates to the number received by the Tribunals Service (previously Appeals Service) in the year specified and may not relate to a claim counted in the same year. The following special points should be noted : Appeals Data: 1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data become available. 2. Figures for the latest months may increase substantially as information feeds through to the Appeals Service. 3. Migration of customer records from the existing Generic Appeals Processing Systems (GAPS) to the new G2 system commenced on 5 June 2006. Consequently during the migration period information from GAPS will over time diminish while G2 will increase. 4. “Received” denotes the number of appeals registered at the Appeals Service. Source: 100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System. Benefit Data: 1. DLA figures include top up DLA and a small number of Mob A claims. 2. DLA and AA figures for January 2000 are estimated. 3. Total number of claims received includes claims awarded, refused, withdrawn and defective. Source: Management Information Systems | |
Pensions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the data underlying the graph on page 46 of the response to the report by the Parliamentary Ombudsman ‘Trusting in the Pensions Promise’ showing cash and net present value cost over time for compensating those who have suffered diminutions in their pensions. [102120]
James Purnell: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond), on 8 November 2006, Official Report, columns 1636-37.
Poverty
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of households living in poverty in each UK constituency have (a) one parent and (b) both parents in work. [100868]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The information is not available.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children have been classed as living in poverty in each of the last 10 years when poverty is defined as (a) less than 50 per cent. and (b) less than 60 per cent. of the median national income, broken down by (i) electoral ward in London and (ii) constituency. [101100]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The figures are not available by UK constituency or London electoral ward.
Specific information regarding low income in the Government office regions and countries of Great Britain is available in the “Households Below Average Income 1994-1995 to 2004-05” publication. This is available in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what pension income a single pensioner in the UK would have needed in 2005-06 to avoid being classed as being in relative poverty on the 60 per cent. of median income definition, assuming entitlement to and take-up of housing benefit and council tax benefit. [101138]
James Purnell: The information requested is not available. Data for 2005-06 are expected to be published in the spring of 2007.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much income a single pensioner would have needed to receive in each year from 1990-91 to 2006-07 to avoid being classed as poor on the definition of relative poverty using 60 per cent. of median income. [101369]
James Purnell: Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in the publication “Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2004-05”.
The survey from which estimates are provided started in 1994-95, and there is no suitable data source for the years prior to 1994-95. The latest available data are for 2004-05, with data for 2005-06 expected to be published in the spring of 2007.
The following table shows the weekly income in pounds, after housing costs have been accounted for, that a single pensioner would have needed to avoid being below the 60 per cent. of median income for the years 1994-95 to 2004-05.
| 2004-prices after housing costs (£) | |
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what level of income a UK pensioner needed to avoid relative poverty on the 60(th) median income definition in each year from 1995-96 to 2004-05; and if he will make a statement. [101370]
James Purnell: Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in the publication “Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2004-05”.
The coverage of the survey from which estimates are provided is Great Britain and estimates for a pensioner in the United Kingdom are not available.
The following table shows the weekly income in pounds, after housing costs have been accounted for, that a single pensioner in Great Britain would have needed to avoid being below the 60 per cent. of median income for the years 1995-96 to 2004-05.
| 2004-05 prices; after housing costs (£) | |
Social Fund
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the costs of administering the Social Fund were in each of the last 10 years. [106012]
Mr. Plaskitt: The Department accounts for its administrative expenditure by strategic objective as set out in its public service agreements (PSA) and by individual requests for resources (RfRs) as set out in the departmental estimates and accounts, and not by benefit. Information on administrative expenditure by strategic objective is available in the annually published departmental report, copies of which are available in the Library.
State Pension
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether it is the policy of his Department to make a statement on the timing of the restoration of the link between the basic state pension and average earnings within the first year of the next parliament; and if he will make a statement. [101293]
James Purnell: The White Paper on pension reform, “Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system”, published on 25 May, states that the Government will make a statement on the precise date of the earnings uprating of the basic state pension at the beginning of the next Parliament.
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