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7 Feb 2007 : Column 1051W—continued
National Insurance Numbers
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers have been issued; and how many new numbers were issued in 2005-06. [102117]
Mr. Plaskitt: There are approximately 76 million National Insurance numbers in issue. There were 1,486,312 National Insurance numbers issued in 2005 and 1,531,786 issued in 2006.
The number of National Insurance numbers issued includes the following:
1. children who reach 16 years of age (the juvenile registration process);
2. UK adults who missed out on the juvenile registration process and
3. foreign nationals who enter the UK and require a National Insurance Number (NINO) for benefit, tax credit or employment purposes (adult NINO allocation process).
4. In order to maintain the integrity of the system NINOs are not removed. For example, they are retained after a person dies or moves abroad.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many National Insurance numbers have been issued since May 2004; and how many of these were to workers from EU accession countries, broken down by country of origin. [102181]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the requested format. The latest available information is in the following tables.
| Number of National Insurance numbers issued | |
| Calendar year | Number issued |
| Notes: The above figures relate to National Insurance numbers allocated to: 1. Children who reach 16 years of age (the juvenile registration process); 2. UK adults who missed out on the juvenile registration process and 3. Foreign nationals who enter the UK and require a NINO (adult NINO allocation process). | |
| NINOs allocated to A8 applicants by country of origin from May 2004 to 30 September 2006 | |
| A8 applicants by country | Allocated for employment purposes |
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were issued to citizens from the (a) Czech Republic, (b) Estonia, (c) Hungary, (d) Latvia, (e) Lithuania, (f) Poland, (g) Slovakia, (h) Slovenia, (i) Bulgaria and (j) Romania in each month of each year since 1997. [116602]
Mr. Plaskitt: Information is not available prior to April 2002. The available information has been placed in the Library.
Pension Credit
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to encourage eligible pensioners to claim pension credit. [117602]
James Purnell: The Pension Service is undertaking a wide range of steps to encourage eligible pensioners to claim pension credit.
We are writing to everyone who we believe may have an entitlement to pension credit, encouraging them to apply and advising how the Pension Service can help them do so. Over 2 million mailings are planned through 2006-07.
We are broadening the appeal of pension credit by focusing our contacts with pensioners much more on their needs as a whole. The Pension Service Local Service offers face-to-face visits to the most eligible and vulnerable pensioners during which full benefit entitlement checks are carried out. One million home visits will be carried out during 2006-07.
The Pension Service Local Service is continuing to work very closely with local partners (including local authorities as well as voluntary organisations such as Help the Aged and Age Concern) to maximise take-up
of pension credit for pensioners. We are widening the scope of partnership activity and expanding our current work programme with key utilities and other major companies whose customers include likely eligible non-recipients to pension credit. These activities are being supported by national press advertising to maintain the high profile of pension credit. Local marketing and media campaigns will be targeted in those regions and areas where there are relatively high numbers of eligible non-recipients.
In addition, we are improving our service and encouraging take-up by enabling new customers who call to claim their state pension, to also apply for pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit in a single call if appropriate.
The programme for the future transformation of the Pension Service enables customer advisers to encourage take-up of pension credit when customers call to notify key changes of circumstance.
Pension Financial Assistance Scheme
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many pension schemes which have applied to the Financial Assistance Scheme have provided an indication of the number of members in their scheme; [116385]
(2) how many schemes approved for the Financial Assistance Scheme that provided initial estimates of numbers of members in their schemes had (a) fewer than 50, (b) fewer than 100, (c) between 101 and 200, (d) between 101 and 250, (e) between 201 and 500, (f) between 251 and 500, (g) between 501 and 1500 and (h) over 1501 members. [116387]
James Purnell: Up to and including 12 January 2007, 627 pension schemes that have qualified for the Financial Assistance Scheme have provided estimates of the number of members in their schemes. The breakdown is not available in the format requested, but such information as is available is in the following table.
| Number of members | Number of schemes |
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average amount is of monthly pension being received by pension schemes with members who are receiving annual payments from the Financial Assistance Scheme (a) before tax and (b) net of tax; and what the average amount is of monthly pension being received by the members of pension schemes who are now receiving initial payments from the Financial Assistance Scheme (i) before tax and (ii) net of tax. [116388]
James Purnell: As at 12 January 2007, the average amount of monthly pension being received by eligible members from the Financial Assistance Scheme for 2006-07 is as follows:
For members receiving annual payments:
(a) before tax = £193.00 per month
(b) after tax = £150.64 per month
For members receiving initial payments:
i) before tax = £180.36 per month
ii) after tax = £141.06 per month
The figures are for 2006-07 only as figures for 2005-06 are not available without arrears. Given the low numbers paid in that year this does not make a significant difference to the answer.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of members of pension schemes who are now receiving initial or annual payments from the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) (a) who were receiving pension credit before receiving FAS payments but are now no longer receiving it and (b) who are receiving both pension credit and FAS. [116389]
James Purnell: The information is not available to answer this question.
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners have received assistance from the Financial Assistance Scheme; and how much has been paid. [116536]
James Purnell: As at 12 January 2007, since its inception, the Financial Assistance Scheme had paid out a total of £2,726,811 gross (£2,116,043 net) to 788 qualifying members. In addition, payments will be made to a further 193 people when they reach age 65.
Pension Tax Credits
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many overpayments of pension tax credits have been made to date; what the value is of these overpayments; and what the average debt incurred is by recipients of such overpayments. [110120]
Mr. Plaskitt: Since the introduction of pension credit in 2003, up to 31 October 2006, 160,600 overpayments of pension credit have been identified and recorded on systems. They represent a total of £56.07 million of overpayments. The average of each debt is approximately £350.
During 2005-06, the pension credit overpayments identified and recorded on systems represented 0.21 per cent. of the expenditure on pension credit in that year.
In addition, a further 29,600 official error and small overpayments were identified although not formally recorded on systems. Their value was estimated at £4.9 million.
Pensions
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library (a) tables showing the figures on which the charts in section 4.5 of the Gender Impact of Pension Reform are based and (b) similar tables based on the assumption that the individuals concerned opt out of personal accounts. [105023]
James Purnell: (a) The data underlying the charts in section 4.5 of the Gender Impact of Pension Reform showing the outcomes for hypothetical individuals have been placed in the House Library as requested.
Please note that these figures show some minor changes to those published in November 2006 reflecting some improvements in the modelling work. We have revised the publication to reflect these changes and to make other minor clarifications as necessary. Revised versions of the Gender Impact of Pension Reform have been placed in the House Library and on the Department for Work and Pensions website. The amendments do not in any way change the overall effects of the reforms shown in the publication.
The amendments cover the following areas:
(1) The charts in section 4.5 showing the outcomes for individuals under reform have been slightly revised to reflect the improved modelling.
(2) Related revisions to table 4.xii (page 57). The figures for the two low-earners with career breaks also now show their income in 2005 including pension credit.
(3) Corrigenda as follows:
(i) Paragraph 162: Delete “£220 per week”; Insert “around £265 per week”
(ii) Paragraph 165: Delete “around £130 per week”; Insert “over £130 per week”
(iii) Paragraph 178: Delete “less than half of the median male earner’s income”; Insert “just over half of the median male earner’s income”
(b) The analysis carried out within the Gender Impact of Pension Reform was designed to examine the expected outcomes for illustrative individuals under the full package of pension reform measures including the state reforms and the implementation of personal accounts. The Department for Work and Pensions has not undertaken detailed analysis under different assumptions of private savings behaviour. It should be noted that for the illustrative individuals concerned, it is assumed that they do not contribute to a personal account during the periods when they are not in work.
Pensions: Indexation
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the annual cost of indexing the state pension against inflation to UK pensioners living overseas. [110618]
James Purnell: If the state pension of people living in frozen rate countries was brought up to the current rate they would have received if they had remained in the UK it would cost around £410 million in 2006-07 and would increase year on year. This figure does not include paying any arrears.
Personal Capability Assessment
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants have been involved in the dummy runs of the revised Personal Capability Assessment; and how many had (a) mental health problems, (b) a learning disability and (c) an autistic spectrum disorder. [110584]
Mr. Jim Murphy: We are carrying out a two-part evaluation to ensure that the revised Personal Capability Assessment (PCA) constitutes a fair, robust and evidence based assessment of limited capability for work.
An initial, limited, evaluation of the revised descriptors and scores was conducted in October 2006 to enable us to begin drafting regulations.
The initial evaluation of the revised PCA descriptors involved 104 cases and 64 of these had a mental health condition. There were no cases involving either a learning disability or an autistic spectrum disorder because the majority of customers with these conditions are currently exempt from the PCA face to face examination.
We are about to embark on a more extensive evaluation with a more representative sample of claimants. We are working with the consultative groups who are advising the Department on the review on how to ensure that customers with these conditions are included in the evaluation.
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether stakeholders being consulted on the transformation of the personal capability assessment have been given access to LiMA beyond a demonstration of the computer system. [110587]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Members of the personal capability assessment consultative groups have received a demonstration of the Logic integrated Medical Assessment (LiMA) and how it works. It is outside the remit of the PCA consultative groups to review the LiMA software which is owned by Atos Origin and is, therefore, commercially sensitive information.
The LiMA system does not make the benefit entitlement decision and is used as a computer based support tool for doctors conducting face-to-face PCA examinations.
The LiMA system is constantly under review. It will be fully updated to take account of the revised PCA descriptors prior to the introduction of employment and support allowance.
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