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8 Jan 2007 : Column 198W—continued
Written Answers to Questions
Monday 8 January 2007
Work and Pensions
Occupational Pensions
15. Mr. Hepburn To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of trends in the provision of occupational pension schemes. [113161]
James Purnell: Results from the Employers’ Pension Provision Survey show that in 2000 and 2003, 7 per cent. of private sector firms in Great Britain provided occupational pensions. In 2005 occupational pensions were provided by 6 per cent. of private sector firms in 2005, these firms employed 44 per cent. of all private sector employees.
New Deal
16. Keith Vaz To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what benchmarks he uses to measure the performance of the new deal. [113162]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The new deal has been a real success—helping 1.65 million people in total back into work. We now spend £5 billion less per year on unemployment benefits than a decade ago.
Disabled People
17. Nick Herbert To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has commissioned on simplifying the benefits system for disabled people. [113163]
Mr. Plaskitt: We are aware of the importance of making the benefits system as easy and straightforward as possible for disabled people to use.
The new employment and support allowance will be a single new benefit combining earnings replacement
and the income related elements for those people with health problems or disabilities.
This approach will make the system easier to understand for claimants and smooth the administration of the new benefit.
Health and Safety at Work
18. Kitty Ussher To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made in improving health and safety at work since 1997. [113164]
Mr. Plaskitt: The number of fatal injuries to employers per annum has fallen from 287 in 1997 to 212 in 2005-06. Great Britain now has the lowest incidence of worker fatality in Europe. The number of working days lost to ill-health is also falling steadily.
Earnings Link
19. Mr. Harper To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the timing of restoring the earnings link. [113165]
James Purnell: The White Paper “Security in Retirement: Towards a New Pensions System” states that the earnings link will be restored to the basic state pension. The objective is that this will be done, subject to affordability and the fiscal position, in 2012 but in any event at the latest by the end of the next Parliament. We have said that we will make a statement on the precise date at the beginning of the next Parliament.
This commitment is set out in the Pensions Bill which was published on 29 November.
Benefit Recipients: Peterborough
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many in each electoral ward of Peterborough constituency have been in receipt of (a) jobseekers allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) disability living allowance since 2001 in each electoral ward; and if he will make a statement. [112866]
Mr. Plaskitt: The available information is in the following tables.
| Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants in each electoral ward in Peterborough parliamentary constituency | ||||||
| As at May: | ||||||
| Ward name | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest five; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Case loads are for all entitled cases and so include cases where payment has been suspended. Source: DWP Information Directorate. | ||||||
| Disability living allowance claimants in each electoral ward in Peterborough parliamentary constituency | |||||
| As at May: | |||||
| Ward name | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest five; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Case loads are for all entitled cases and so include cases where payment has been suspended. 4. Data for disability living allowance at ward level are not available prior to 2002. Source: DWP Information Directorate. | |||||
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