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25 Jun 2007 : Column 419W—continued


Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many calls there were to the hon. Members' tax credit helpline in each month from April 2003 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement. [144701]

Dawn Primarolo: For the number of calls answered by the Tax Credit Office MP Hotline up to the end of 2005 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) on 21 March 2006, Official Report, column 348W. The number of calls received for each month from January 2006 to May 2007 is shown below. The information for June 2007 is not yet available.

Month Number of calls to Tax Credit Office MPs' hotline

2006:

January

1,712

February

1,195

March

1,241

April

1,164

May

1,402

June

1,535

July

1,294

August

1,348

September

1,398

October

1,599

November

1,823

December

1,458

2007:

January

1,498

February

1,351

March

1,490

April

1,199

May

1,286


Working Tax Credits: Farmers and Fishermen

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many and what proportion of farmers were in receipt of working tax credits in (a) Cornwall, (b) the South West and (c) the UK in each year since 2000; [144220]


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(2) how many and what proportion of fishermen were in receipt of working tax credits in (a) Cornwall, (b) the South West and (c) the UK in each year since 2000. [144236]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 15 May 2007, Official Report, column 691W.

Written Questions

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to answer questions (a) 131114, on the marginal rate of taxation, and (b) 131115, on income tax, tabled on 28 March; and if he will make a statement. [143316]

Ed Balls: I have answered the two questions concerned.

Work and Pensions

Access to Work Programme: Hearing Impaired

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidelines are issued to Access to Work staff on the provision of communication support professionals for deaf and hard of hearing employees; and how they are enforced. [145592]

Mrs. McGuire: Updated and strengthened guidance on the provision of support workers, including communication support for deaf and hard of hearing people, was issued to all Access to Work Business Centres in December 2006. The guidance describes the types of support that may be suitable, for example British Sign Language Interpreters, lip speakers and palantypists, as well as the steps to take to establish the type and level of appropriate support.

A National Access to Work Delivery Team has been established and has been fully operational since April. The National Access to Work Delivery Manager has appointed two senior operations managers who are responsible for improving consistency of decision making nationally and for regularly monitoring that business centres comply with national guidelines.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what level of proficiency is expected of a sign language interpreter booked through Access to Work; and how his Department ensures that this standard is met. [145594]

Mrs. McGuire: The proficiency of sign language interpreters can vary from junior trainee interpreter to someone who is a Member of the Register of Sign Language Interpreters. Access to Work will fund the level of interpretation services appropriate for each individual situation. In order to decide on the required level, Access to Work staff need to consider a range of factors, for example the type and size of the event or meeting.

A national Access to Work delivery team has been established and has been fully operational since April.
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The national Access to Work delivery manager has appointed two senior operations managers whose duties include the regular monitoring of business centres to ensure they comply with national guidelines.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Access to Work scheme will pay for the use of more than one sign language interpreter for deaf British sign language users attending meetings lasting more than two hours. [145595]

Mrs. McGuire: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave the right hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce) on 15 January 2007, Official Report, column 880W.

Carer's Allowance

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of removing
25 Jun 2007 : Column 422W
the gainfully employed rule which prevents carers from earning over £87 a week if they are claiming carer’s allowance. [145243]

Mrs. McGuire: The estimated cost of removing the gainfully employed rule from carer’s allowance would be around £450 million per year.

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of the carer’s allowance in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK; and how many received this allowance in each case in each year since its inception. [146008]

Mrs. McGuire: The available information is in the following table.

Carer’s allowance—cases in payment (caseload)
November 2006 August 2006 August 2005 August 2004 August 2003

Jarrow parliamentary constituency

900

880

850

840

790

South Tyneside local authority

1,600

1,590

1,530

1,470

1,400

North East

26,470

26,350

25,950

25,380

24,640

Total GB

458,930

456,700

445,430

426,340

400,180

Notes:
1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied.
3. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
4. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended.
5. Prior to August 2003, figures are based on those with entitlement only. This means that caseloads cannot be broken down by whether or not a case is in payment.
6. The total in receipt also includes a small number of people who are temporarily abroad so not actually present in GB.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Carer’s Allowance: Blackpool

Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (a) receive and (b) are entitled to carers’ benefits. [143978]

Mrs. McGuire: The available information is in the following table.

Number of people in Blackpool, North and Fleetwood parliamentary constituency in receipt of and entitled to carers’ benefits—November 2006
In receipt Entitled

Carer’s allowance (CA)

970

2,000

Income support with a carer premium

480

480

Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Recipients of IS carer’s premium may also be entitled to or receiving CA.
3. CA recipient totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended.
4. CA entitled totals show the number of people who are entitled to receive CA, including those who receive no actual payment.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. WPLS

The vast majority of these entitled to but not receiving CA are pensioners and are likely to be receiving state pension and may receive the carers’ premium in pension credit. Only one benefit at a time can be paid for the same purpose. While the circumstances that give rise to entitlement to CA and the state pension are different, both benefits are designed to provide a degree of replacement for lost or forgone income.

Carer's Allowance: Forms

Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received from voluntary organisations on the ease of use of carer's allowance claim forms DS700(1) and DS700(2). [145846]

Mrs. McGuire: The administration of carer’s allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Terry Moran, dated 25 June 2007:


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Carers: Pensions

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the value of the pension pot secured by a median carer in a defined benefit opted-out scheme from the opted-out rebates paid from age 25 to 65 years; and if he will make a statement. [144993]

James Purnell: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 18 June 2007, Official Report, column 1541.

Child Support Act 1991

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the cost of repealing sections 6 and 46 of the Child Support Act 1991; and if he will make a statement. [145365]

Mr. Plaskitt: The overall impact of the measures in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill are set out in the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) which was published alongside the Bill. The impact of the repeal of section 6 and 46 can be found in the RIA, paragraphs 34 to 53.

Child Support Agency: Internet

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) individual hits there were on and (b) unique users of the Child Support Agency website in each month since 2001. [143590]

Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:


25 Jun 2007 : Column 424W

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