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14 Mar 2007 : Column 379W—continued

Social Fund

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to establish an online portal through which applications to the social fund could be made. [124905]

Mr. Plaskitt: Although the Department for Work and Pensions is looking at ways of using the internet more in conducting its business, there are currently no plans in place to establish an online portal through which applications to the social fund could be made.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled People

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to improve access to existing benefits for disabled people by increasing the number of face-to-face assessments and home visits for initial applications; and if he will make a statement. [124716]


14 Mar 2007 : Column 380W

Mrs. McGuire: The Disability and Carers Service with Job Centre plus and the Pension Service is developing proposals to extend our provision for visiting disabled customers in their own homes and other places convenient for them. This will include among other things face to face assessments and help to complete application forms. We are conducting pilots to test the capacity of Pension Service staff to carry out all of the visits needed for attendance allowance and disability living allowance purposes. The Pension Service is also developing new and efficient methods of delivering face to face contact by working with its external partners.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate, for each financial year since 1978-79, the number of women who were born in 1945 and who in the year in question were recorded (a) with a qualifying year for retirement pension on the basis of National Insurance contributions or credits and (b) without a qualifying year, showing separately in each case (i) the number receiving Home Responsibility Protection and (ii) the number with a Class 1 reduced rate election. [123886]

James Purnell [holding answer 27 February 2007]: The information available is set out in the following table. The second column of the table shows the number of women born in 1945-46 who qualified for basic state pension through contributions and/or credits for each financial year from 1978-79 to 2003-04 (a). The third column shows the number of women born in 1945-46 who did not qualify for basic state pension through contributions and/or credits for each financial year from 1978-79 to 2003-04 (b). The fourth and fifth columns show the number of these women with Home Responsibilities Protection (b)(i) and the number with a class 1 reduced rate election (b)(ii), respectively, for each financial year.


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14 Mar 2007 : Column 382W
Not qualifying for basic state pension through contributions and/or credits
Qualifying for basic state pension through contributions and/or credits (a) All (b) Number with Home Responsibilities Protection (b)(i) Number with a class 1 reduced rate election (b)(ii)

1978-79

80,000

240,000

90,000

110,000

1979-80

90,000

240,000

100,000

100,000

1980-81

100,000

230,000

110,000

80,000

1981-82

110,000

220,000

130,000

70,000

1982-83

120,000

220,000

130,000

60,000

1983-84

130,000

210,000

130,000

60,000

1984-85

130,000

200,000

130,000

50,000

1985-86

150,000

180,000

110,000

50,000

1986-87

160,000

170,000

100,000

40,000

1987-88

170,000

160,000

90,000

40,000

1988-89

180,000

150,000

80,000

40,000

1989-90

200,000

130,000

70,000

40,000

1990-91

210,000

120,000

60,000

30,000

1991-92

210,000

110,000

50,000

30,000

1992-93

220,000

100,000

50,000

30,000

1993-94

230,000

100,000

40,000

20,000

1994-95

230,000

90,000

30,000

20,000

1995-96

230,000

80,000

30,000

20,000

1996-97

250,000

70,000

20,000

20,000

1997-98

240,000

60,000

20,000

20,000

1998-99

240,000

60,000

10,000

10,000

1999-2000

250,000

50,000

10,000

10,000

2000-01

260,000

40,000

10,000

0

2001-02

250,000

40,000

10,000

0

2002-03

260,000

40,000

0

0

2003-04

250,000

40,000

0

0

Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000.
2. Figures refer to women living in the UK and overseas.
Source:
Lifetime Labour Market Database 2, 2006 release.

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women reaching age 60 in 2005 are recorded as having at least one year of Home Responsibilities Protection which (a) did not coincide with a year which qualified for a retirement pension on the basis of contributions or credits, (b) did coincide with such a year and (c) coincided with a year in which there was a Class 1 reduced rate National Insurance election. [123887]

James Purnell [holding answer 27 February 2007]: Of those women reaching age 60 in 2005-06:

As a result of these issues, the information used to answer this PQ only includes data up to and including the 2003-04 tax year.

Additionally, the figures in the response are based on information available for women aged 58 in 2003-04, since these women are aged 60 in 2005-06. No allowance has been made for deaths between 2003-04 and 2005-06.

Figures refer to women living in the UK as well as women living overseas.

Widowed Parents Allowance

Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of widowed parents allowance. [125958]

Mr. Plaskitt: As at August 2006, the most recent year for which there is an available figure, there were 37,060 people in receipt of widowed parents allowance in Great Britain.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Belarus: Human Rights

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking at the United Nations to encourage action against Belarus on human rights. [126985]

Mr. Hoon: The UK and the EU take every opportunity in the UN Human Rights Council and the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, to express our continuing concerns about Belarus’s human rights record. The UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus presented a report to the Human Rights Council in September 2006. The EU spoke in the council’s dialogue with the Rapporteur, expressing concern about the further weakening of the independence of the judiciary, intimidation of civil society activists, detention of political prisoners, and the situation of minority groups in Belarus. We will continue to use dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on Belarus, and other relevant UN Special Rapporteurs, to register our concerns and press for improvements.

In November 2006, EU members co-sponsored a resolution on Belarus in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly. It was duly adopted there and subsequently in the plenary session of the General Assembly. The resolution expressed deep concern at the deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus, including Belarus’s failure to co-operate with the UN human rights mechanisms; its failure to conduct free and fair elections, including the detention and arrest of political and civil society activists; and persistent reports of harassment and closure of non-governmental organisations, national minority groups, independent media outlets, religious groups, opposition political parties and independent trade unions.

British Food

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of food served in buildings occupied by her Department was of British origin in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006. [111126]

Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) plays an active part in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ public sector food procurement initiative, and seeks to improve the sustainability of food supplied to the Department.


14 Mar 2007 : Column 383W

In 2006, the following proportion of food served within the FCO was of British Origin:

Percentage

Meat

49

Fruit and vegetables

40

Cheese

40

Eggs

100

Fish

60

Milk

100

Bread

100


The contract for the supply of catering to the FCO changed hands in mid 2005 and as a result figures for that year could only be provided at disproportionate cost.


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