Previous Section Index Home Page

5 Jun 2007 : Column 354W—continued


Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many state pension forecasts have been calculated on the forecasting e-service based on the Pensions Service website in each month since the service has been provided. [138056]

James Purnell: The information is in the following table.


5 Jun 2007 : Column 355W
State pension forecasts calculated by the e-service based on the Pension Service website
Forecasts calculated

2004

October

343

November

3,936

December

2,912

2005

January

9,357

February

8,019

March

4,401

April

5,841

May

4,658

June

4,356

July

3,748

August

4,221

September

4,807

October

7,110

November

8,770

December

5,452

2006

January

9,822

February

8,524

March

10,794

April

10,468

May

9,120

June

7,697

July

6,768

August

6,337

September

8,113

October

11,071

November

10,960

December

6,899

2007

January

13,536

February

13,614

March

11,568

Source:
Figures supplied by Electronic Data Systems, the Department’s IT supplier.

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests of information or assistance with regard to state pension forecasts have been received on the pensions service helpdesk telephone number 0845 601 8040. [138043]

James Purnell: The number 0845 601 8040 is the e-service helpdesk telephone number. The total number of telephone calls made to the helpdesk since real time pension forecasting was introduced in October 2004 up to the end of March 2007 was 78,716.

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many state pension forecasts have been calculated over the telephone on numbers 0845 3000 168 and 0845 3000 169 in each month since the service has been provided. [138044]

James Purnell: The available information is in the following table.


5 Jun 2007 : Column 356W
Number of state pension forecasts calculated over the telephone on numbers 0845 3000 168 and 0845 3000 169
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

April

48,132

47,977

May

39,753

51,549

June

33,912

43,432

July

32,390

39,055

August

33,112

40,702

September

43,749

44,132

October

50,852

53,281

November

87,888

56,230

50,390

December

50,599

37,148

30,647

January

79,461

46,575

53,506

February

67,412

48,735

49,290

March

66,921

66,284

41,998

Source:
Future Pension Centre Automated Call Distribution.

Public Expenditure

Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will give examples of where his Department has used cash costs for long-term public expenditure; and whether there are any examples of cash costs being used for expenditure over 30 or more years. [110977]

Mrs. McGuire: Cash costs of long-term public expenditure, up to 2050, have been quoted in figure 1.1 of the regulatory impact assessment accompanying the Pensions Bill.

Scheme Assets Review Team

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which key stakeholders the unclaimed scheme assets review team (a) has met and (b) plans to meet. [138031]

James Purnell: The Financial Assistance Scheme Review of Scheme Assets team has already met some key stakeholders including Ros Altmann, trade unions, opposition spokesmen and an additional number of interested MPs. The team will be contacting others shortly to tell them about the review and to invite their contributions.

The team has further plans to meet representatives from financial bodies and institutions as well as the Pension Protection Fund and the Pensions Regulator. However, this list is not exhaustive and the team intend to meet as many stakeholders as possible in the time available.

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria were used in the selection of the team which will review the possibility of using unclaimed assets and other potential funding sources. [138033]

James Purnell: The review will focus on whether better use could be made of the remaining assets within the failed pension schemes that have qualified for FAS. The review will also determine how these and other sources of non-public expenditure funding (not already earmarked or allocated) could be used to increase assistance for affected scheme members. This task presents a number of complex issues across a wide range of subject areas including, but not limited to, legal, investment, actuarial and administration issues.

The make-up of the team reflects the range of expertise required to meet the objectives set out in the terms of reference. In the selection of the individuals to be approached, the Department’s internal experts and a number of external industry experts were consulted.
5 Jun 2007 : Column 357W
The goal was to ensure the review had direct access to a leading source of that in each key area, and that individuals with status in the industry, an understanding of the issues, and an interest in finding a solution were involved. None of the individuals approached to participate in the review declined.

State Retirement Pensions

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the annual cost of uprating state pensions to pensioners over 80 years of age arising from the additional 25p per week allowance alone. [138183]

James Purnell: The 25p age addition is not uprated. The estimated gross annual cost of the additional 25p per week allowance for the over-80s is approximately £35 million in 2007-08.

Unemployment: Shipping

Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many holders of UK mariners’ qualifications registered as unemployed for periods of more than one month in each of the last five years. [140104]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The information is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prime Minister

10 Downing Street: Educational Visits

Mr. Wallace: To ask the Prime Minister why school visits to Downing Street are to be limited to Fridays. [140088]

The Prime Minister: In the past few years, my Office has increased the programme of events at Downing street in order to give access to as many people as possible.

Committee on Standards in Public Life: Public Appointments

Mrs. May: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to appoint a permanent chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. [139260]

The Prime Minister: I announced on 24 April 2007, Official Report, column 22WS, that Rita Donaghy CBE would become the Interim Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) from 26 April 2007. The Government are currently considering the report of the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) “Ethics and Standards: The Regulation of Conduct in Public Life” which was published on 29 April 2007 and which covers the work of not only the CSPL, but other ethical regulators. The Government will set out a timetable for the appointment of a permanent Chair in its response to the PASC report.


5 Jun 2007 : Column 358W

Departments: Aviation

Mr. Francois: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost was to the public purse of his flight from London to Sedgefield on 10 May. [140003]

The Prime Minister: None. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark), on 24 May 2007, Official Report, column 1523W.

Departments: Buildings

Grant Shapps: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost of leasing buildings and office space was for his Office in each of the last five years. [139466]

The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Hilary Armstrong) on 4 June 2007, Official Report, column 45W.

Departments: McKinsey and Company

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister what the (a) role and (b) cost has been of each employee from McKinsey hired to work for him in the last 12 months. [140136]

The Prime Minister: There have been no secondments from McKinsey to my Office in the last 12 months.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Prime Minister what recent estimate has been made of the value of the property occupied by his Office. [139371]

The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Hilary Armstrong) on 4 June 2007, Official Report, column 45W.


Next Section Index Home Page