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22 Feb 2007 : Column 843W—continued
Freedom of Information
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2007, Official Report, columns 573-74W, on freedom of information (FOI), what the grounds were for each non-publication of an FOI request referred to in the answer of 24 January 2007, Official Report, column 1769W, on Freedom of Information on the Department’s website. [121156]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office publishes on its website all responses to requests where new information is actually released but not when the reply is that we do not hold the information, or that it is available elsewhere in the public domain, or where the information is withheld because exemptions apply. The grounds for each non-publication of an FOI request referred to in my answer of 24 January 2007, Official Report, column 1769W, are therefore as follows:
| Number | |
WORK AND PENSIONS
Children in Poverty
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of children in Ribble Valley constituency lived in workless households in each year since 1979-80. [106222]
Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 29 November 2006]: Data are only available from April 2004. The available information is in the following table.
Correspondence
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when staff in Jobcentre Plus, Tothill street expect to reply to the letters dated (a) 13 July 2006 and (b) 19 September 2006 from the hon. Member for Edinburgh West on Mrs. Margaret Mclean of Edinburgh. [106860]
Mrs. McGuire: Jobcentre Plus replied to the hon. Member’s letter on 11 August 2006. A further copy of the letter has been provided separately to the hon. Member.
Health and Safety Executive: Prosecutions
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many prosecutions were brought in each of the last five years by the Health and Safety Executive in (a) magistrates courts and (b) Crown court; in what proportion the pleas were guilty; and in how many cases where the plea was not guilty the defendants were convicted. [119457]
Mrs. McGuire: The following table presents: the number of prosecutions brought by the HSE’s Field Operations Directorate (FOD) that received their final hearing in each of the years 2001-02 to 2004-05 in magistrates courts and Crown court (Column A); the numbers of guilty pleas (Column B); and, the number (Column C) and percentage (Column D) of not guilty pleas resulting in conviction (excluding charges withdrawn). Validated data for 2005-06 is not available at this point in time.
| Charges decided | ||||||||
| Not guilty plea: Of which | ||||||||
| Not guilty plea: Of which | Convicted | |||||||
| A Total number | B Guilty plea | Not Guilty plea | Charges withdrawn | Charges proceeded | Found not guilty | C Number | D Percentage | |
Income Levels
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of (a) households and (b) individuals in each region and country received less than 40 per cent. of the UK median income in the last period for which figures are available. [107342]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
The most common and internationally recognised threshold to measure poverty is income below 60 per cent. of median. We do not present information covering 40 per cent. of median income in our households below average income series as it is not a good measure of poverty. This is because for a number of those households with an income below this level, their incomes will not reflect their living standards. There are a number of reasons why these households' living standards tend to be higher than their incomes suggest, for example this low income may be a temporary phenomenon. In addition, it is widely recognised that there are difficulties in obtaining timely and accurate income information from self-employed people.
We measure progress on child poverty using three indicators: absolute low income, relative low income and relative low income and material deprivation combined. This three tiered measure provides the right balance between clarity and comprehensiveness. In March 2005, UNICEF called the UK measure transparent, credible and not too complicated to be useful.
Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in “Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2004/05” (HBAI). This annual report, which is a National Statistics publication, includes the numbers and proportions of individuals, children, working age adults and pensioners with incomes below 50 per cent. 60 per cent. and 70 per cent. of median income, and the proportions in persistent poverty. The 60 per cent. median income level, before housing costs, is the internationally recognised threshold of low income.
Our aim, to ensure that every child gets the best start in life and has the opportunity to fulfil their potential, is to halve child poverty by 2010 and eradicate it by 2020. This is the first time that any government has set itself such a goal. By setting these targets, we have ensured that we have made huge progress, and that we will continue to do so.
Industrial Injuries Benefit
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what entitlement the self-employed have to industrial injuries benefit; and if he will make a statement. [102269]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Industrial injuries disablement benefit is payable to employed earners who suffer a loss of faculty through an industrial accident or prescribed disease and is not available to those who are self-employed. Those who undertake self-employment therefore should make their own provision against industrial injury, and private insurance is available to them. However, we are carrying out a review of the current industrial injuries disablement benefit scheme and will look at all aspects of the scheme.
Official Visits: Australia
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) which organisations and individuals he is due to meet on his forthcoming visit to Australia; [121013]
(2) whether he will be accompanied on his forthcoming visit to Australia by the Chief Executive of the Portland Trust in the capacity as advisor on the Government’s review of its welfare to work strategy; [121014]
(3) what the estimated cost is of his forthcoming visit to Australia. [121015]
Mr. Hutton:
I had an extensive range of engagements to learn about Australian welfare and employment service reforms including: meetings with my Australian ministerial counterparts; Members of the Australian House of Representatives; officials from the Department for Employment and Workplace Relations; Centrelink and
Job Network; social partners including the Salvation Army, Mission Australia and the Social Policy Research Centre; and site visits to a Child Support Service Agency, a Family Relations Centre, Marrickville Training Centre Work Solutions and Cabramatta Customer Services Centre.
The Chief Executive of the Portland Trust did not accompany me on my visit to Australia.
The estimated cost of the visit is £22,000.
Personal Accounts
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of the target audience for personal accounts who will be subject to means-testing in retirement in (a) 2020, (b) 2030, (c) 2040, (d) 2050 and (e) 2060; and if he will make a statement. [111493]
James Purnell: The information is not available. Under the reforms to state pensions proposed in the Pensions Bill, we project that the proportion of pensioners eligible for Pension Credit will fall to around 30 per cent. by 2050, with only about one in 20 being eligible for the Guarantee Credit only, many of whom are unlikely to save for long periods in personal accounts.
Poverty Statistics
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) children and (b) pensioners were recorded as living in poverty in (i) the UK, (ii) the North East, (iii) South Tyneside and (iv) Jarrow constituency in each year since 1997. [103034]
Mr. Jim Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 2 November 2006, Official Report, columns 631-32W.
State Retirement Pensions: Bristol
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of the state retirement pension there are in Bristol, East. [120484]
James Purnell: As at May 2006, there were 15,060 recipients of state pension in Bristol, East parliamentary constituency.
Notes:
1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied.
2. Parliamentary constituencies are those used for the Westminster Parliament.
Source
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
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