8 Jan 2007 : Column 182W—continued
Mr. Philip Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the average length of time taken to answer written parliamentary questions to his Department in each year since 2001. [103376]
Mrs. McGuire:
For the period between 1 December 2005 and 30 November 2006 the Department took an average of 16.0 working days to respond to Commons written parliamentary questions.
For the period from 1 June to 31 December 2005 I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil on 7 March 2006, Official Report, column 1352W. For the session 2002-03, I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West on 4 March 2004, Official Report, columns 1056-57W.
To obtain information for previous years would incur disproportionate cost. The Department seeks to answer all parliamentary questions according to parliamentary timescales.
Mr. Philip Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department grades or classifies written parliamentary questions according to their political sensitivity. [103378]
Mrs. McGuire:
The Department began trialling in October of this year a colour-coding system to identify
8 Jan 2007 : Column 183W
questions of which press office should be made aware, and for which Ministers wish separate media briefing to be developed.
Mr. Philip Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what systems are in place in his Department for classifying written parliamentary questions when they are tabled; and if he will make a statement.[103377]
Mrs. McGuire:
No classification of Parliamentary Questions takes place when they are tabled.
8 Jan 2007 : Column 184W
Pension Credit
John Barrett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each constituency in Scotland were in receipt of pension credit in each year since 2003; and how much was claimed in pension credit in each year. [100938]
James Purnell:
The information is as follows.
| Household recipients of pension credit and the amount of pension credit claimed by Scottish constituency in 2003 and 2004 |
| Parliamentary constituency | Pension credit household recipients November 2003 (thousand) | Amount of minimum income guarantee and pension credit claimed in 2003 (£ million) | Pension credit household recipients May 2004 (thousand) | Amount of pension credit claimed in 2004 (£ million) |
|
Pre 2005
| | | | |
|
Aberdeen Central
|
2.66
|
5.40
|
3.09
|
6.54
|
|
Aberdeen North
|
2.29
|
4.50
|
2.73
|
5.70
|
|
Aberdeen South
|
2.25
|
4.24
|
2.67
|
5.26
|
|
Airdrie and Shotts
|
3.98
|
8.90
|
4.65
|
10.85
|
|
Angus
|
2.96
|
6.37
|
3.6
|
8.04
|
|
Argyll and Bute
|
3.01
|
6.79
|
3.58
|
8.47
|
|
Ayr
|
3.36
|
7.07
|
3.95
|
8.91
|
|
Banff and Buchan
|
3.09
|
6.35
|
3.73
|
8.02
|
|
Caithness Sunderland and Easter Ross
|
2.46
|
5.41
|
2.83
|
6.49
|
|
Carrick Cumnock and Doon Valley
|
3.66
|
8.19
|
4.52
|
10.52
|
|
Central Fife
|
2.92
|
6.24
|
3.7
|
7.84
|
|
Clydebank and Milngavie
|
3.53
|
7.85
|
4.02
|
9.50
|
|
Clydesdale
|
3.89
|
8.61
|
4.47
|
10.37
|
|
Coatbridge and Chryston
|
3.6
|
7.74
|
4.14
|
9.51
|
|
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
|
2.43
|
5.09
|
2.83
|
6.34
|
|
Cunninghame North
|
3.42
|
7.21
|
4.04
|
9.06
|
|
Cunninghame South
|
3.32
|
7.10
|
3.88
|
8.83
|
|
Dumbarton
|
3.12
|
7.12
|
3.55
|
8.58
|
|
Dumfries
|
3.4
|
6.73
|
4
|
8.46
|
|
Dundee East
|
3.97
|
9.41
|
4.74
|
11.66
|
|
Dundee West
|
3.72
|
8.78
|
4.37
|
10.72
|
|
Dunfermline East
|
2.34
|
4.77
|
3
|
5.98
|
|
Dunfermline West
|
1.74
|
3.55
|
2.19
|
4.45
|
|
East Kilbride
|
3.11
|
6.35
|
3.83
|
8.15
|
|
East Lothian
|
2.78
|
5.87
|
3.4
|
7.16
|
|
Eastwood
|
2.32
|
5.10
|
2.74
|
6.38
|
|
Edinburgh Central
|
2.29
|
5.47
|
2.78
|
6.71
|
|
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
|
3.14
|
7.47
|
3.79
|
8.97
|
|
Edinburgh North and Leigh
|
2.54
|
6.19
|
3.08
|
7.56
|
|
Edinburgh Pentlands
|
1.66
|
3.87
|
2.11
|
4.85
|
|
Edinburgh South
|
2.28
|
5.45
|
2.73
|
6.50
|
|
Edinburgh West
|
1.97
|
4.34
|
2.52
|
5.55
|
|
Falkirk East
|
2.59
|
5.50
|
3.18
|
6.92
|
|
Falkirk West
|
3.36
|
7.17
|
4.17
|
9.05
|
|
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
|
3.53
|
7.57
|
4.13
|
9.33
|
|
Glasgow Anniesland
|
4.33
|
10.20
|
4.86
|
12.64
|
|
Glasgow Baillieston
|
4.28
|
10.27
|
4.84
|
12.69
|
|
Glasgow Cathcart
|
3.42
|
8.19
|
3.95
|
10.07
|
|
Glasgow Govan
|
3.57
|
9.15
|
3.98
|
10.72
|
8 Jan 2007 : Column 185W
8 Jan 2007 : Column 186W
|
Glasgow Kelvin
|
3.12
|
8.19
|
3.47
|
9.72
|
|
Glasgow Maryhill
|
4.85
|
12.03
|
5.29
|
14.23
|
|
Glasgow Pollok
|
4.29
|
9.70
|
4.92
|
12.12
|
|
Glasgow Rutherglen
|
3.79
|
8.78
|
4.36
|
10.87
|
|
Glasgow Shettleston
|
5.38
|
13.89
|
5.97
|
16.63
|
|
Glasgow Springburn
|
5.46
|
13.21
|
6.11
|
15.96
|
|
Gordon
|
2.12
|
4.02
|
2.65
|
5.06
|
|
Greenock and Inverclyde
|
3.54
|
7.48
|
4.02
|
9.31
|
|
Hamilton North and Bellshill
|
3.39
|
7.41
|
3.91
|
9.26
|
|
Hamilton South
|
3.32
|
7.62
|
3.73
|
9.39
|
|
Inverness East Nairn and Lochaber
|
2.96
|
6.13
|
3.51
|
7.77
|
|
Kilmarnock and Loudoun
|
4.15
|
8.71
|
4.8^
|
10.79
|
|
Kirkcaldy
|
2.83
|
6.14
|
3.54
|
7.64
|
|
Linlithgow
|
3.15
|
7.20
|
3.82
|
9.01
|
|
Livingston
|
2.7
|
6.32
|
3.27
|
7.79
|
|
Midlothian
|
2.16
|
4.71
|
2.79
|
5.90
|
|
Moray
|
2.61
|
5.40
|
3.28
|
7.00
|
|
Motherwell and Wishaw
|
3.99
|
8.55
|
4.58
|
10.43
|
|
North East Fife
|
1.96
|
4.00
|
2.6
|
5.29
|
|
North Tayside
|
3.28
|
6.84
|
3.98
|
8.54
|
|
Ochil
|
2.56
|
5.60
|
3.26
|
7.22
|
|
Orkney and Shetland
|
1.38
|
2.94
|
1.71
|
3.75
|
|
Paisley North
|
3.12
|
6.87
|
3.65
|
8.43
|
|
Paisley South
|
3.55
|
7.29
|
4.19
|
9.07
|
|
Perth
|
2.74
|
6.16
|
3.42
|
7.92
|
|
Ross Skye and Inverness West
|
3.14
|
6.85
|
3.66
|
8.33
|
|
Roxburgh and Berwickshire
|
2.8
|
5.22
|
3.41
|
6.63
|
|
Stirling
|
2.27
|
4.82
|
2.72
|
5.99
|
|
Strathkelvin and Bearsden
|
2.28
|
5.14
|
2.63
|
6.23
|
|
Tweeddale Ettrick and Lauderdale
|
2.17
|
4.21
|
2.75
|
5.53
|
|
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
|
1.78
|
3.32
|
2.26
|
4.28
|
|
West Renfrewshire
|
2.55
|
5.36
|
2.97
|
6.76
|
|
Western Isles
|
1.98
|
4.25
|
2.32
|
5.36
|
