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5 Feb 2007 : Column 650W—continued

Executive Agencies

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by each of his Department’s executive agencies in each Government office region in the most recent year for which figures are available. [116662]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department’s executive agencies do not record their total expenditure by Government office regions. Therefore the information is not available in the format requested. The information requested could be supplied only at disproportionate cost to the Department.

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which executive agencies are the responsibility of his Department; what the function is of each agency; and what the budget was of each agency in the most recent year for which figures are available. [116741]

Mrs. McGuire: The executive agencies that were the responsibility of the Department for Work and Pensions at 31 March 2006 were


5 Feb 2007 : Column 651W

A description of the purpose and objectives of each agency, together with the latest expenditure figures can be found in each executive agency’s published annual report and accounts for 2005-06. These documents are available to view on the internet and are also published by The Stationery Office (TSO). The documents can be accessed via the following links:

Fatal Accidents: Workers

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fatal accidents at work occurred in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006; and how many have occurred in 2007. [117603]

Mrs. McGuire: The latest number of work related fatalities were released in the Health and Safety Commission’s (HSC) “Statistics of Fatal Injuries” published in August 2006. Each reporting year covers the period 1 April to 31 March. The figure of 212 reported fatal injuries to workers in 2005-06 was the lowest on record and showed a 5 per cent. reduction over the 2004-05 figure of 223. The rate of fatal injury also fell by 5 per cent. to 0.71 fatalities per 100,000 workers, again the lowest on record. Figures for 2006-07 will not be available until July 2007.

There has been a significant improvement in the number of fatalities in the construction industry and in the overall number of deaths resulting from falls in the workplace; in both areas these are the lowest figures on record.

Although we are making progress, I remain concerned that so many people continue to lose their lives at work. Whilst I and the HSC wish to see further reduction in work related fatalities, it requires a major effort by all concerned to maintain even the present relatively low levels.

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Health and Safety Executive records accidents that occur when workers are being transported to work by their employers. [117604]

Mrs. McGuire: No. Employers are required to record, and report to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), only accidents that are covered by the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR).


5 Feb 2007 : Column 652W

Work-related incidents which are not reportable under RIDDOR 1995 include those related to transport activities where safety regulation is not primarily the responsibility of health and safety enforcing authorities, including most road transport incidents, as well as civil aviation and merchant shipping.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid out by the Financial Assistance Scheme since its inception. [118077]

James Purnell: As at 26 January 2007, the Financial Assistance Scheme has paid out more then £3 million to 871 qualifying members.

A further 91 members will be paid as soon as they have confirmed their personal details, and an additional 196 members have been assessed and will be eligible for FAS when they reach age 65.

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Financial Assistance Scheme in retrospectively protecting members of collapsed private- sector pension schemes. [118079]

James Purnell: We reviewed the scheme last spring and extended it in May's Pensions White Paper. This review increases the funding from £400 million in cash terms to £2.3 billion in cash terms or £783 million net present value.

We also reviewed the administration of the scheme and published our findings in July 2006. Since then we have made good progress to implement the findings.

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the average time taken to process applications made to the Financial Assistance Scheme in the last 12 months. [112964]

James Purnell: Before the financial assistance scheme is able to start processing applications for individual scheme members, the pension scheme has to complete the notification and qualification processes. These involve the trustees and administrators providing basic scheme information to the FAS Operational Unit. They then have six months to provide data on individual members before a notice requiring provision of this information can be issued.

'Notification' of a scheme occurs when trustees or members formally notify the FAS of their scheme's basic details, after which a scheme can then be considered for FAS qualification. As at 29 December 2006, the average time taken (since FAS operations started in September 2005) from ‘notification’ of a scheme to the date of the first payment to a member of the scheme was 190 working days.

Within this period, the average time taken (over the last 12 months) by the FAS Operational Unit from first receipt from the trustees or administrators of member data to the date of the first payment to a member of the scheme was 24 working days.


5 Feb 2007 : Column 653W

Furniture

Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department on furniture made by British firms in each year since 2000. [105147]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions has a PFI contract with Land Securities Trillium (LST). The contract includes the provision of fully fitted and serviced accommodation for which the Department pays an all-inclusive unitary charge. This includes replacement furniture. Additional furniture for large projects is procured via LST and billed separately.

It is not possible to determine how much of the unitary charge relates to furniture, but the amounts spent on additional furniture are detailed as follows. While it is not known how much of this was made by British firms, LST's service partner responsible for furniture provision procures approximately 90 per cent. from British suppliers.

The financial year 2002-03 is the first for which figures are readily available.

Financial year Amount (£ million)

2002-03

6

2003-04

19

2004-05

10

2005-06

10

2006-07 (to November 2006)

7


Government Auctions

Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions where his Department publishes information about Government auctions (a) which it
5 Feb 2007 : Column 654W
arranges and (b) to which it contributes in (i) Blackpool, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the North West; and when the next such auction will take place in each area. [117429]

Mrs. McGuire: Any assets we auction are sold at auctions arranged by an external third party and we are unaware of any specific arranged auctions.

Health and Safety Executive

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many enforcement officers the Health and Safety Executive employs. [117607]

Mrs. McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive employed 1,459 inspectors (enforcement officers) at 1 January 2007. The figure is for full-time equivalents, rounded to the nearest whole number.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of litigation have been brought against (a) the Health and Safety Executive and (b) the Health and Safety Commission since May 1997; and what damages have been paid. [109505]

Mrs. McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive does not keep records of civil cases brought against it/the Commission in a way that enables a full answer to be given to this question.

The Executive’s finance section keeps records (going back to 2002) of payments made by the Executive/Commission which follow (a) settlement of very small claims ‘without admission of liability’ (b) settlement out of court, on legal advice, to compromise actions and (c) awards of damages/costs following unsuccessful defences of actions.

These figures are set out in the table as follows. They will not include cases brought against the Executive/Commission which were unsuccessful.

Compensation claims settled by HSE—including minor claims for (eg) damage to clothing and tyres. Claims over £200 include personal injury and vehicle
Staff—Number of payments Total paid (£) Public—Number of payments Total paid (£)

2002-03

Under £200

20

724.27

0

0.00

Over £200

0

0.00

0

0.00

2003-04

Under £200

30

1,252.99

0

0.00

Over £200

4

24,048.37

2

1,684.63

2004-05

Under £200

16

807.82

0

0.00

Over £200

1

845.95

2

246,125.11

2005-06

Under £200

7

189.84

0

0.00

Over £200

5

13,179.33

1

600.00

2006-07 to date

Under £200

11

283.11

2

155.00

Over £200

3

16,215.00

2

857.98


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Incapacity Benefit

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the 10 most common reasons given for claiming incapacity benefit were in each London borough in the last 12 months. [110760]

Mr. Jim Murphy: Information is not available in the format requested. A breakdown of incapacity benefits claimants in London boroughs by diagnoses groups has been placed in the Library.


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Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Lancashire and (b) Ribble Valley are in receipt of incapacity benefit; and how many of those people have been in receipt of incapacity benefit for (i) up to one year, (ii) one to two years, (iii) two to five years and (iv) over five years. [110971]

Mrs. McGuire: The available information is in the following table.

Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants by duration of claim in the Ribble Valley and Lancashire as at 31 May 2006
All Up to 1 year 1 year and up to 2 years 2 years and up to 5 years 5 years and over

Lancashire

61,700

8,700

5,520

13,390

34,090

Ribble Valley borough council

1,860

240

150

360

1,120

Ribble Valley parliamentary constituency

3,260

390

270

640

1,970

Notes:
1 .Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
3. ‘Claimant’ figures include all incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and incapacity benefit credits-only cases.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. Data.

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