| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
29 Jan 2007 : Column 94W—continued
| Percentage of London IB/SDA spending on those recipients whose primary diagnosis is obesity | ||||
| May 2002 | May 2003 | May 2004 | May 2005 | May 2006 |
| Notes: These figures were calculated using average weekly amounts and caseloads for London region. | ||||
Pension Credit
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of pension credit in Eastbourne constituency in each year since 2003; and how much was claimed in total in pension credit in each year. [110392]
James Purnell: The answer is set out in the following table.
| Household recipients of pension credit and pension credit expenditure in Eastbourne constituency, 2003 to 2006 | ||
| Household recipients | Annual pension credit expenditure (£ million) | |
| Notes: 1. Expenditure figures are consistent with the pre-Budget report 2006 and are rounded to the nearest million. 2. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Annual expenditure figures are based on the household recipient figures for November 2003, May 2004, May 2005 and May 2006. Estimates refer to financial years. For example 2006 refers to 2006-07. 4. Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003 and replaced minimum income guarantee (income support for people aged 60 or over). 5. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data, DWP Accounts and Forecasts for 2006-07 | ||
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in (a) Morecambe and Lunesdale and (b) Lancashire receive pension credit. [110467]
James Purnell: The answer is set out in the following table.
Household recipients of pension credit for Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency and the county of Lancashire—May 2006
| Pension credit household recipients (000) | |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. 3. Parliamentary constituencies and county areas are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. Constituencies are therefore based on the 2005 parliamentary boundaries. Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data | |
Pensions
Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the movement in bulk annuity rates for pension schemes buying out their liabilities on wind-up in each year since 1999. [110973]
Ed Balls: I have been asked to reply.
Bulk annuity rates are driven by a range of variables, including interest rates, stock market performance and demand from pension schemes winding-up.
The Treasury continues to work closely with the Financial Services Authority, the Department for Work and Pensions and other stakeholders to maintain an up-to-date understanding of the bulk annuities market.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the evidential basis was for the estimate in paragraph 39 of the executive summary of his Department's Personal Accounts White Paper that 60 per cent. of private pensions savings going into the new personal accounts would be new savings. [112260]
James Purnell: The estimate that approximately 60 per cent. of money saved in personal accounts will be new saving is based on the results of a literature survey carried out for the Department for Work and Pensions(1).
The 60 per cent. is the middle point of a range of 50-70 per cent. that was put forward in the report as a plausible assumption for the average level of new savings in NPSS or similar personal account schemes.
It is this range that is used in the White Paper and the accompanying Regulatory Impact Assessment, which note that personal accounts would generate pension savings of £7-8 billion per year, of which approximately £4-5 billion are expected to be additional(2).
(1) John Hawksworth, PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2006, “Review of research relevant to assessing the impact of the proposed National Pensions Savings Scheme on household saving”, DWP Research Report No373, p.3.
(2) See for example Regulatory Impact Assessment: Overview, p. 10.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the British colonies and overseas dependencies where the UK state pension payable to UK pensioners resident there is (a) indexed and (b) not indexed against inflation; and if he will make a statement. [110619]
James Purnell: The British Overseas Territories where UK state pensions are indexed against inflation are Bermuda, Gibraltar and the Sovereign bases on Cyprus.
UK state pensions are not indexed against inflation in Anguilla, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Island, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, St. Helena and Dependencies (Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) and Turk and Caicos Islands.
Poverty Statistics
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of (a) female and (b) male pensioners live in poverty. [103395]
Mr. Plaskitt: Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in “Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2004/05”. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting data on low income.
The information requested is shown in the table as follows.
| Table 1: Female and male pensioners living in households with less than 60 per cent. contemporary median income—Great Britain | |
| 2004-05—AHC | |
| Note: Due to rounding, the figures for female and male pensioners do not sum to the 1.8 million pensioners in low income households (after housing costs) shown on page 93 of HBAI publication. Source: Family Resources Survey AHC = After Housing Costs. | |
Public Opinion Research
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on commissioning public opinion research in each of the last five years. [105445]
Mrs. McGuire: My Department carried out limited annual public attitude omnibus surveys between 2001 and 2004. In 2005, in order to make the findings more robust, an increased number of new attitude statements were tested among the public prior to being included in omnibus research. In 2005 we also conducted a piece of research to monitor public awareness of the Department and its responsibilities.
| £ | ||
Winter Fuel Payment
Mr. Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many late claims for winter fuel allowance were received in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005. [107256]
James Purnell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 18 December 2006, Official Report, column 1580W.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of the winter fuel payment was in each year since its introduction. [103986]
James Purnell: The information requested is in the following table .
| Total cost of winter fuel allowance paid out in Great Britain | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest million. 2. Winter fuel payment was introduced in 1997. 3 Payments made to people aged 60 to 64 years and over 80 payment are included from 2000-01 onwards. Following a European Court of Justice Judgement in 1999, winter fuel payments were extended to people aged 60 or over regardless of whether they were receiving a social security benefit. A claims process was set up in the year 2000 to enable payments to be made to those people who could not be identified through the Department's records. Source: DWP Expenditure tables consistent with Pre Budget Report 2006. | |
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the merits of increasing the annual winter fuel payment to take account of increases in energy bills. [114961]
James Purnell: The Government keep all tax and welfare policies under review and any changes are considered as part of the normal Budget and Spending Review processes. The winter fuel payment has risen from £20 in winter 1997-98 to £200 from winter 2000-01 and to £300 for those aged 80 or over from winter 2003-04. These increases have been at a significantly higher rate than inflation whereas utility prices tend to fluctuate and have fallen as well as risen in recent years.
Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals have received winter fuel payments in Derby city since 2005. [110946]
James Purnell: In the winter of 2005-06, 38,480 people in the two parliamentary constituencies in the city of Derby received a winter fuel payment. This comprises 20,210 people in Derby North and 18,270 people in Derby South. Figures are not yet available for this winter but we expect the numbers to be similar.
Notes:
1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Source:
Information Directorate 100 per cent. sample.
Culture, Media and Sport
Gaelic Language Television
10. Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make resources available to make provision for supporting new Gaelic language television. [111461]
Mr. Woodward: Government funding for the Gaelic Media Service was devolved to the Scottish Executive in 1999, but my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State committed a one-off sum of £250,000 to secure arrangements for a new Gaelic television service which we expect to be launched later this year.
Freeview
11. Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the provision of spectrum to ensure that high definition television is available on Freeview. [111462]
Mr. Woodward: We have had preliminary discussions with Ofcom about all aspects of the Digital Dividend Review. We look forward to the developing debate leading up to and after the consultation closing date of 20 March.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |