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18 Jun 2007 : Column 1545W—continued
Footnote 5 states that these contributions include minimum contributions, which is another name for contracted-out rebates.
State Retirement Pensions
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2006, Official Report, column 2004W, on pensions, how much state pension and savings credit would be received by a median earner working continuously from the age of 25, reaching the age of 68 in 2053, and saving in line with the assumptions in figure 8 of security in retirement: towards a new pension system (a) with pension reform and (b) without pension reform but with collection of state pension deferred until the individual turns 68. [141436]
James Purnell: Under reform a median earner who works from age 25 reaching state pension age at 68 in 2053 and saves in line with the assumptions set out in “Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system” could expect to receive around £152 a week in state pension. They would not receive any savings credit but could expect to receive around £86 a week in private pension income. In total they would receive around £237 a week under reform.
Without reform a median earner who worked and saved in the same way reaching state pension age at 65 in 2050 and then deferred their state pension for a further three years until they reached 68 could expect to receive around £143 a week in state pension. They could also expect to receive around £17 a week in savings credit and around £37 a week in private pension income. In total they would receive around £197 a week under the current system.
Notes:
1. In 2007-08 earnings terms, income shown before tax.
Assumes a median earner works from age 25 to SPA, retiring in 2050 at age 65 and deferring until the age of 68 under the current system and retiring in 2053 at age 68 under reform.
2. Under the current system it is assumed that saving is 5 per cent. of salary between the primary threshold and the upper earnings limit (UEL) into a stakeholder pension, with a 1.5 per cent. annual management charge. This is equivalent to employee-only contribution rate into the new personal accounts.
3. After reform it is assumed that saving is 8 per cent. of salary between the primary threshold and the UEL into a personal account (which includes 3 per cent. contribution, and has 0.5 per cent. annual management charge). Amounts may not sum due to rounding.
Source:
DWP modelling.
Deputy Prime Minister
Departments: Disciplinary Proceedings
David Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many grievance procedures have been initiated in his Department in the last 12 months. [135152]
The Deputy Prime Minister: None.
Departments: Internet
Mrs. May: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2007, Official Report, column 354W, on Departments: internet, what the cost was of (a) establishing and (b) maintaining the websites for which he is responsible. [138469]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and for Social Exclusion and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Hilary Armstrong) on 23 October 2006, Official Report, column 1624W.
Departments: Legal Costs
Grant Shapps: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how much has been spent by his Department on legal fees since its establishment; [139405]
(2) how much has been spent by his Department on public relations since its establishment; [139412]
(3) which (a) advertising agencies and (b) other organisations have supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for his Department since it was established; and what the cost of these services was; [139432]
(4) how much has been spent on advertising by his Department since its establishment. [139535]
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department and its agencies paid in travel agencies’ fees in each year since 1997. [139904]
Mr. Francois: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department has paid to recruitment consultants since its establishment. [140029]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Expenditure will be accounted for in the departmental resource accounts in the usual way.
Departments: Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Hoban:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many of his Department’s special advisers were on (a) paid and (b) unpaid leave in order to assist with party
political matters under section 22 (iii) of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers on 16 May; and how many days’ leave each adviser was granted. [140114]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Special advisers’ involvement in party political matters is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, including section 22 (iii), and the guidance issued by the Cabinet Secretary in December 2006 and May 2007, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.
Departments: Property
Grant Shapps: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what properties his Department has (a) owned and (b) rented since its establishment; [139359]
(2) what recent estimate has been made of the value of his Department’s property portfolio; [139381]
(3) what the cost of leasing buildings and office space has been for his Department since it was established. [139455]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Since its creation on 5 May 2006, my Office has been based in 26 Whitehall. This is a Cabinet Office building and I refer the hon. Member to the statement given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and for Social Exclusion and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Hilary Armstrong) on 20 February 2007, Official Report, column 12WS.
Departments: Training
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department has spent on (a) anti-bullying training and (b) diversity awareness training since its creation. [137661]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Staff in my Department are seconded from Communities and Local Government and take part in that Department's diversity and respect training in the same way as other members of staff.
Health
Abortion
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2007, Official Report, column 568W, on abortion, on what date the Annual Abortion Statistics 2006 will be published; if she will place copies in the Vote Office; and if she will make a statement. [142835]
Caroline Flint: “The Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2006” will be published on 19 June 2007. Copies will be placed in the Vote Office and the Library.
Acute Beds
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of acute beds required in (a) one year, (b) two years and (c) five years time; and if she will make a statement. [143278]
Andy Burnham: Decisions on the number of acute beds required are made locally.
Aerials: Health Hazards
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies her Department has carried out into the health effects of mobile telephone masts since March 2006; and if she will make a statement. [142806]
Caroline Flint: The Stewart Report in 2000 comprehensively reviewed the scientific literature and concluded that
‘the balance of evidence to date suggests that exposures below international guidelines do not cause health effects to the general population’.
However, the report also recommended further research as part of an overall precautionary approach to the use of mobile phone technology pending the availability of more robust scientific research results. Further information is available at
The independently managed Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) programme, jointly funded by Government and industry, was set up in 2001 in response to the Stewart Report recommendations. It is currently supporting a number of studies into the possible health effects of technology relating to mobile telephones and masts. A description of all the individual studies can be found on the MTHR website at www.mthr.org.uk. Individual studies under the MTHR programme relating directly to base stations include:
1. A measurement study on microcell and picocell base stations carried out at the Health Protection Agency, and published in the Journal of Radiological Protection (Cooper etal. J. Radiol. Prot. 2006 Vol. 26, 199-211).
2. A study of cancer incidence in early childhood near mobile phone base stations being carried out at Imperial College London. This study started in April 2003 and is ongoing.
3. A study of symptoms associated with radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure carried out at the University of Essex. This study was completed at the end of 2006 and publication is expected in the near future.
4. A study of electrical hypersensitivity in relation to exposures typical of those from terrestrial enhanced trunked radio base stations started in January 2007 at the University of Essex. As this study has recently started, it will be some considerable time before results are published.
Ambulance Services: Pay
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial rewards for performance ambulance services were eligible for in the financial years (a) 1991-92 to 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99 to 2006-07; and what financial rewards for performance ambulance services will be eligible for in the financial years 2007-08 to 2010-11. [139002]
Andy Burnham: Information is not available in a single central place in the format required, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Such information as is available is as follows:
From 2001-02 to 2003-04, national health service trusts that received three stars in the NHS performance ratings received a capital allocation of up to £1 million to support service development. Ambulance trusts received a rating for their performance across a range of areas, including ambulance response times.
The Department launched two capital incentive schemes to reward NHS ambulance trusts for marked performance improvement against the Category A 8-minute standard, one for 2004, the other for 2006-07.
No future financial rewards for ambulance trust performance have been considered by the Department for 2007-08 to 2010-11.
Cancer: Medical Treatments
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to make sutent available in England for the treatment of cancer. [141215]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Sunitinib (sutent) is licensed for use in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumours.
The Department is currently considering referring Sunitinib for renal cell carcinoma to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for appraisal.
In the meantime, it is for local primary care trusts to decide whether to make Sunitinib available to patients. In doing so, they need to take into account the available evidence. It is not acceptable for national health service organisations to refuse to fund a treatment simply because it has not been appraised by NICE.
Community Care: Expenditure
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the annual expenditure on home care services was per care recipient of each local authority in England with social services responsibilities in 2006-07; [141433]
(2) what average annual charge was paid to each local authority in England with social services responsibilities by home care services users that contribute towards the cost of their care in 2006-07. [141434]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information for the financial year 2006-07 is being collected and is due to be published in February 2008.
Table one shows the annual expenditure on home care services for each local authority for 2005-06.
Table two shows the actual income recouped via sales, fees and charges to clients receiving home care services funded fully or in part by councils with social services responsibilities for each local authority for 2005-06. Both tables have been placed in the Library.
Information is collected only on the total number of people receiving services. Data on the number of those
who are contributing to the funding of their care are not collected separately and so the average annual charge requested cannot be calculated.
Community Development: Essex
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what factors the North Essex Primary Care Trust took into account in deciding to fund a community development worker to liaise with Colchester and Tendring Black and Minority Ethnic Partnership; and how much she expects to be spent on the worker; [141392]
(2) what guidelines her Department has issued on the appointment of community development workers by primary care trusts (PCTs); what account a PCT is expected to take of the financial position of its other mental health provision in making a decision on whether to appoint a person to such a post; and what discussions her Department has had with North East Essex Primary Care Trust on its recent decision to appoint such a worker. [141596]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is a local matter. It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs) to ensure that the services they commission meet the needs of the communities that they serve.
The PCTs decision to appoint a community development worker (CDW) is in accordance with the 2007-08 operating framework for the national health service that states that PCTs are expected to recruit 500 CDWs nationally by December 2007. The appointment of CDWs is a leading priority for mental health services and the Department has supported recruitment with £16 million per annum in PCTs’ baseline financial allocations.
There have been no discussions with North East Essex PCT on the subject.
Community Hospitals: Finance
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the communities hospitals fund budget has been allocated to projects in 2007-08; and if she will make a statement. [143698]
Andy Burnham: 25 schemes were submitted in wave two. We approved and announced details of 10 schemes, including two that were carried forward from wave one, on the 11 April 2007.
This funding was allocated in 2007. To date, £49.976 million of the communities fund budget has been allocated to community hospitals projects in 2007-08.
The schemes announced on the 11 April are listed in the following table.
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