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10 Jan 2007 : Column 636W—continued


Table C: Administration cost by benefit
£ million, 2005-06 prices
Income support Total incapacity benefit Disability living allowance Attendance allowance Contributory retirement pension (basic state pension) and retirement pension earnings-related/S2P

1996-97

1,349

453

183

102

376

1997-98

866

355

198

92

377

1998-99

684

441

140

38

370

Notes:
1. Information on administrative costs prior to the creation of DWP in 2001 is not comparable to administrative costs now due to considerable organisational change.
2. Administration expenditure information is rounded to the nearest £ million in 2005-06 prices and has been taken from the 1998, 1999 and 1999-2000 Department for Social Security departmental reports. Information is only available to 1998-99.
3. The income support figures include expenditure on income support for the under 60s and over 60s.
4. From 1999-2000 the cost of administration is accounted for separately within the departmental expenditure limit (DEL) and the information requested on administration costs is not available in the format requested.
5. Administration expenditure is only available for the sum of contributory retirement pension (basic state pension) and retirement pension earnings-related/S2P expenditure.
6. Incapacity benefit figures do not include severe disablement allowance

Table D: Administration percentage by benefit
Income support Total incapacity benefit Disability living allowance Attendance allowance Contributory retirement pension (basic state pension) and retirement pension earnings-related/S2P

1996-97

8

5

3

3

1

1997-98

6

4

3

3

1

1998-99

5

5

2

1

1

Notes
1. Information on administrative costs prior to the creation of DWP in 2001 is not comparable to administrative costs now due to considerable organisational change.
2. Income support administration percentage is of the sum of income support for the under 60s and income support for the over 60s, except for 1996-97 which includes around six months expenditure on the unemployed in the percentage calculation.
3. Figures have been rounded to nearest whole percentage.
4. Incapacity benefit figures do not include severe disablement allowance.

Table E: Social fund
Including loans and recoveries (£ million, 2005-06 prices)
Social fund, Administration cost of social fund Administration percentage by benefit

1996-97

1,042

224

21

1997-98

1,264

194

15

1998-99

1,311

253

19

Notes:
1. Information on administrative costs prior to the creation of DWP in 2001 is not comparable to administrative costs now due to considerable organisational change.
2. Administration costs for the net social fund is unavailable so the administration costs for the social fund, including loans and recoveries, has been shown, along with the consistent social fund expenditure.
3. Administration percentage has been rounded to nearest whole percentage.

10 Jan 2007 : Column 637W

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was in each London borough in current prices of (a) income support, (b) incapacity benefit, (c) disability living allowance, (d) attendance allowance, (e) the social fund, (f) retirement pension, (g) the state second pension/state earnings-related pension scheme and (h) pension credit in each year since 1996-97; and what percentage of these costs was accounted for by administration in each year. [101994]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Council Tax Bands

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of poor households live in homes in each of the council tax bands A to H; and if he will make a statement. [101290]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested is in the table.

Proportion of households with incomes less than 60 per cent. of median by their council tax bands, Great Britain, 2004-05
Council tax band Before housing costs After housing costs

A

36

37

B

20

20

C

19

19

D

13

12

E

7

6

F

3

3

G

2

2

H

0

0

Other(1)

1

2

(1) Households not valued separately and not allocated a council tax band.
Notes:
1. The commonly used definition for the threshold of relative low income (below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income) has been used in this table.
2. Figures may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
Source:
Family Resources Survey 2004-05

Child Support Agency

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total is of uncollectable Child Support Agency arrears, broken down by uncollectable due to (a) death, (b) move abroad, (c) unknown address, (d) incorrect maintenance assessment and (e) other causes; and if he will make a statement. [102241]

Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty:


10 Jan 2007 : Column 638W
Agency’s Debt Analysis sample exercise—Breakdown of Probably Uncollectable Provision
Debt Type Proportion (percentage) Amount(£ million)

Non Resident Parent Deceased Parent with Care Deceased Last Qualifying Child Deceased

1.54

29

Reconciled (private case) Non Resident Parent terminally ill Non Resident Parent permanently abroad Non Resident Parent in receipt of State Pension

18.0

347

Unable to trace Non Resident Parent for more than 5 years

26.2

505

Benefit case with no enforced deductions in place

23.2

447

Non Resident Parent self employed—nil compliant

31.2

601

Total

100

1,929



10 Jan 2007 : Column 639W
Agency’s Debt Analysis sample exercise—Breakdown of Possibly Uncollectable Provision
Debt Type Proportion (percentage) Amount (£ million)

Unemployed student Reconciled cases

1.8

15

NRP address unknown

15.2

124

Unable to trace NRP for between 1 and 5 years

36.7

300

NRP on benefit, enforced deductions not in place

3.0

25

Nil compliant employed or employment status unknown

30.2

247

Self employed NRP, nil compliant

9.4

77

Self employed NRP, partially compliant

1.1

9

Case at Enforcement Directorate for more than 1 year

2.6

21

Total

100

818

Notes:
1. Amounts rounded to nearest £ million
2. Percentages rounded to one decimal place
3. The proportions are based on a sample of cases
4. The amounts of debt are robust estimates calculated by applying these proportions to the full, categorised amounts of uncollectable debt

Departmental Staff

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were employed through employment agencies in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest time was for which these temporary workers were employed in each year. [102961]

Mrs. McGuire: Historical information on the number of staff employed through employment agencies and for how long is not available. However a recent estimate indicates the Department currently has around 120 agency staff undertaking administrative and related work with an average contract length of just over four months.

The estimated number of agency workers represents around 0.1 per cent. of total departmental staffing.


10 Jan 2007 : Column 640W

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether people employed (a) through employment agencies and (b) on a consultancy basis are included in the calculations for the full-time equivalent staff mentioned in his Department's annual report. [102997]

Mrs. McGuire: The full time equivalent staff reported in the Department's annual report are based on the Office for National Statistics definition. This definition specifically excludes staff employed through employment agencies and on a consultancy basis.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the reduction in the number of civil servants in his Department and each of its agencies has been in each year since 2004-05, broken down by region. [109689]

Mrs. McGuire: [holding answer 18 December 2007]: The reduction in the number of civil servants in the Department of Work and Pensions and its agencies from 1 March 2004 (the start of the Department's efficiency challenge) to 31 March 2005 is shown in Table 1.

The reduction in staffing from 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 is shown in Table 2.

Table 1: Reductions in Staffing from 1 March 2004 to 31 March 2005
Jobcentre Plus The Pension Service Child Support Agency Disability and Carers Service The Rent Service Appeals Service Other Departmental Units

East Midlands

-390

-383

-36

1

n/a

-3

70

East of England

-391

-250

-15

0

0

-31

London

-1,258

-98

-4

-39

-19

49

North East

-468

-325

-171

-17

-5

-208

North West

-1,198

-544

-227

-486

-30

-21

Scotland

-1,103

-380

-147

-29

5

334

South East

-746

-120

-178

0

1

-21

South West

-363

-443

98

-4

-7

-26

Wales

-463

-212

-34

-17

1

133

West Midlands

-667

-285

-169

-50

-11

110

Yorkshire and The Humber

-546

-431

-60

-8

-17

107

Total

-7,592

-3,471

-943

-648

n/a

-86

496

Note: The Rent Service joined DWP on 01 April 2004 Figures are full time equivalent (rounded)

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