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15 Jan 2007 : Column 900W—continued

We have also announced that we aim to make further progress so that there are fewer than 1 million children in absolute low income.

There are no explicit departmental targets regarding poverty among working age adults without children based on the 60 per cent. of median earnings definition. However we have set ourselves the ambitious target of achieving a 70 per cent. employment rate for lone parents by 2010. This is part of our overall aim of achieving 80 per cent. employment across the country. Hitting these targets will contribute towards reducing working age poverty.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) pensioners and (b) children in Coventry have been lifted out of poverty since 1997. [114251]


15 Jan 2007 : Column 901W

James Purnell: Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in “Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2004-05”, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.

The data source does not allow us to provide robust numbers for estimates below a regional level. Therefore estimates for Coventry are not available. Instead, information on the numbers of pensioners and children in households with low incomes, in Great Britain in 1996-97 and 2004-05 and the Government Office for west midlands region in 1995-96 to 1997-98 and 2002-03 to 2004-05, are presented in tables 1 and 2. Estimates are shown both before and after housing costs.

Table 1: Number of pensioners living in low income households (millions): 1996-97 and 2004-05
Great Britain West midlands

After housing costs

1996-97

2.78

2004-05

1.77

Change in number in low income

-1.01

After housing costs

1995-96 to 1997-98

0.25

2002-03 to 2004-05

0.21

Change in number in low income

-0.04

Notes:
1. Numbers, for the west midlands region, are presented using a three-year moving average, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with any previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time. In circumstances such as a change in trend, moving averages will show less variation than single-year estimates.
2. The Great Britain figure is for a single year.
3. The table shows number of pensioners in millions, rounded to nearest 10,000.
4. In this answer low income is determined for pensioners as living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the GB median.
5. Figures may not sum, due to rounding.
Source:
Family Resources Survey


15 Jan 2007 : Column 902W
Table 2:Number of children living in low income households (millions): 1996-97 and 2004-05
Great Britain West midlands

Before housing costs

1996-97

3.17

2004-05

2.44

Change in number in low income

-0.72

After housing costs

1996-97

4.23

2004-05

3.42

Change in number in low income

-0.81

Before housing costs

1995-96 to 1997-98

0.33

2002-03 to 2004-05

0.28

Change in number in low income

-0.04

After housing costs

1995-96 to 1997-98

0.40

2002-03 to 2004-05

0.36

Change in number in low income

-0.05

Notes:
1. Numbers, for the west midlands region, are presented using a three-year moving average, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with any previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time. In circumstances such as a change in trend, moving averages will show less variation than single-year estimates.
2. The Great Britain figure is for a single year.
3. The table shows number of children in millions, rounded to the nearest 10,000.
4. In this answer low income is determined for pensioners as living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the GB median.
5. Figures may not sum, due to rounding.
Source:
Family Resources Survey

Predictive Dialling Technology

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which contractors his Department employs who use predictive dialling technology; how many calls using predictive dialling technology were made on behalf of his Department by each such contractor in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those calls were abandoned. [100762]

James Purnell [holding answer 20 November 2006]: Within DWP the only business area that uses predictive dialling is debt management. The following debt collection agencies have been contracted to debt management: Eversheds, Commercial Collections Services Ltd. (CCSL), Legal and Trade and the Lewis Group.

Please see the following table, which includes available data:


15 Jan 2007 : Column 903W

15 Jan 2007 : Column 904W
May to October 2006
Calls abandoned( 1) as a result of predictive dialling
Name of contractor Number of calls using predictive dialling Number Percentage

Eversheds

27,476

336

1.2

Commercial Collections Services Ltd. (CCSL)

9,530

156

1.6

Legal and Trade

132,858

4,002

3.0

The Lewis Group(2)

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a = not available
(1) Abandoned calls refers to those calls where a customer hears a so-called ‘silent call’ as no agent is available to take that call.
(2) The Lewis Group are unable to provide figures for DWP alone as they only record combined information about all clients.

Public Finance Contracts

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total liability to his Department would be in circumstances of immediate termination of all (a) public/private partnerships and (b) public finance initiative contracts. [109298]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The Department has a single private finance initiative contract entered into in 1998 with Land Securities Trillium (LST) for the supply of serviced accommodation. This contract, known as the Private Sector Resource Initiative for the Management of Estate (PRIME), was expanded in 2003 to include the former Employment Service estate.

The Expanded PRIME Contract provides for the termination of the contract during the 20-year operating period, by either the PRIME contractor or voluntarily by the Department. The contract provides the Department with safeguards in respect of the accommodation it occupies and services it is receiving at the time of termination. The Department does not have any direct liability if termination is by the PRIME contractor. However, should the termination by the PRIME contractor be as a result of the Department allegedly being in breach of contract, a compensation payment might be sought by LST.

If the Department voluntarily terminates the contract it will incur a number of liabilities, including potential redundancy payments for LST’s sub-contractors, the unitary payments for a prescribed period and compensation for early termination. The level of liability would be calculated at the time of contract termination and be subject to negotiation and financial analysis of the Department’s liability.

The Department has no public/private partnerships.

Refreshments

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department on refreshments in each year since 1997. [102168]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was formed in June 2001 from the Department of Social Security (DSS), the Employment Service (ES) and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment (DfEE).

Information on expenditure for refreshments is only available from 2002-03 as the predecessor Departments accounted for this type of expenditure in different ways.

The information is shown in the following table.

All expenditure on refreshments is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting.

£000
Working lunches Teas and coffees

2002-03

722

613

2003-04

867

905

2004-05

825

959

2005-06

937

781


State Pension: NI Contributions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women began to receive state pensions in 2005-06; and how many such women had the number of qualifying years of national insurance contributions needed to earn a full basic state pension reduced by the operation of home responsibilities protection in respect of past receipt of child benefit. [115030]

James Purnell: Approximately 300,000 UK women aged 60 in 2005-06 had some entitlement to basic state pension. Around 150,000 of these women had the number of qualifying years needed to earn a full basic state pension reduced by the operation of home responsibilities protection.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the net Exchequer cost is of the proposed reduction to 30 years national insurance contributions for a full basic state pension in 2010, and in subsequent years thereafter. [115544]

James Purnell: The estimated net cost of reducing the number of qualifying years required for a full basic state pension to 30 for people reaching state pension age from 2010 is shown in the following table:


15 Jan 2007 : Column 905W
£ billion
Estimated net cost

2010

0.0

2011

0.1

2012

0.1

2013

0.2

2014

0.2

2015

0.3

2016

0.3

2017

0.3

2018

0.4

2019

0.4

2020

0.5

2030

1.2

2040

1.7

2050

2.0

Notes:
1. Estimates are presented in £ billion, 2006-07 price terms.
2. Estimates of additional expenditure are consistent with the policy detail set out in the regulatory impact assessment accompanying the Pensions Bill. Net costs include savings seen from reduced expenditure on other income related benefits (pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit). They do not include any change in income tax revenue or national insurance.
3. Net costs assume the pension credit standard minimum guarantee is uprated by earnings from 2008. Net costs do not include the effect of direct reforms to the savings credit.
4. Costs or savings presented in the table are based on long-term projections of United Kingdom benefit spend, consistent with the pre-Budget report 2006.
5. Figures exclude the effect of raising state pension age.
6. Figures exclude the effect of personal accounts.

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