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1 Oct 2007 : Column 2376W—continued
Pensions: Compensation
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average cost of compensation to pensioners whose pension schemes were underfunded and who are eligible for either Financial Assistance Scheme or Pension Protection Fund compensation. [152649]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 26 July 2007]: We estimate that the average assistance from the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) for those individuals whose pension scheme was underfunded and who are eligible for payments will be around £64,000 for the scheme as extended under the budget announcement.
Information in respect of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) is not available in the requested format. However as at 25 July 2007 10 schemes have transferred into the PPF and average annual payments to members are: (i) to pensioner members £4,509; (ii) to deferred members £4,999; and (iii) for members receiving a mixture of pension and deferred payment £3,673.
Pensions: Females
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many married women aged (a) 60, (b) 61, (c) 62, (d) 63, (e) 64, (f) 65, (g) 66, (h) 67, (i) 68 and (j) 69 are currently receiving nil basic state pension on their own contribution records; and of these, how many have contribution records of (i) 20 to 24 per cent., (ii) 15 to 19 per cent., (iii) 10 to 14 per cent., (iv) 5 to 9 per cent. and (v) 0 to 4 per cent. [155043]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 10 September 2007]: The information is not available for married women only. The information that is available is in the following table.
It shows the number of UK women aged between 60 and 69 in 2003-04 who did not satisfy the “25 per cent. rule” for entitlement to a basic state pension on their own contribution records. It also shows for each age group the proportion of the full rate of basic state pension that they accrued during their working life.
Some of these women may be eligible to receive a basic state pension based on their husband's contribution record.
| Number of UK women not satisfying the 25 per cent. rule | ||||||
| Thousand | ||||||
| BSP entitlement at state pension age | ||||||
| Age in 2003-04 | 0-4% | 5-9% | 10-14% | 15-19% | 20-24% | All |
| Notes: 1. Figures refer to women living in the UK. 2. Figures refer to entitlement based on women's own contribution records. 3. Figures exclude women who satisfy the “25 per cent. Rule” but do not satisfy the “first contribution condition” for basic state pension entitlement, and so also receive nil basic state pension based on their own contribution record. 4. The information is based on the data held on the national insurance record up to and including the 2003-04 tax year at May 2005. It therefore excludes any national insurance contributions paid after that date. Source: Lifetime Labour Market Database 2, 2003-04. | ||||||
Pensions: Postal Services
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) for what reasons his Department used a private sector company to deliver pension cheques to sub-post offices during the recent postal disruption due to industrial action; what cost-benefit analysis was made prior to the temporary arrangement to send pension cheques by courier service to sub-post offices; and what the total cost was of the exercise; [155056]
(2) what steps were taken to ensure that the sub-post offices which received pension cheques during the recent postal disruption were within easy access of the intended recipients; what criteria were used to determine which sub-post offices were used; what provisions were made for house-bound and frail pensioners to collect their cheques from sub-post offices; and what revisions he will make to his contingency plan to dispatch pension cheques during any future postal strike. [155057]
Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer s 10 September 2007]: During the recent postal disruption, the Department used a company with whom it has an existing contract for providing courier services. In the absence of assurance from Royal Mail that deliveries to our customers could be maintained, we used our contingency arrangements to ensure customers (many among the most vulnerable in society) received their payments. A comprehensive cost-benefit analysis was conducted when the cheque contingency plan was developed. This established that the contracted courier could deliver cheques to our customers during local, regional or national postal disruptions, and that Post Office Ltd. could provide additional counter services during such disruptions.
The total cost of the exercise, including VAT, was approximately £2.6 million. This cost included discounts totalling £390,000 negotiated with the suppliers. A quantifiable saving of £250,000 was made by using our contingency arrangements, in not having to incur postal delivery charges. Further unquantifiable savings were made by substantially reducing the number of customer cheque payment queries received in local offices due to the industrial action.
Customer cheques, including those paid to pensioners, were delivered to each cheque customer’s nearest post office, as determined by their postal code. Any customers who were unable to collect their cheques, could nominate a temporary agent to do so on their behalf.
The contingency plan was highly effective in ensuring our customers received their cheque payments throughout the disruption caused by the postal workers’ dispute, and the contingency will be used again if required.
Poverty: Children
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what definition his Department uses of child poverty. [153584]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is available in Working for Children Cm7067, page 11, published on 27 March 2007. This is available in the Library.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely reductions in fraudulent benefit claims from the use of voice risk analysis technology. [152741]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: No such estimate has been made. The technology will be evaluated to assess its potential to identify risk in benefit claims following the completion of the pilot exercises.
Social Security Benefits: Internet
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements he has made for individuals with personal computers using (a) Microsoft Windows and (b) Apple Macintosh operating systems to make online applications for (i) attendance allowance and (ii) other social security benefits; and if he will make a statement. [155464]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 17 September 2007]: The Department for Work and Pensions is able to accept online applications for income support, incapacity benefit, jobseeker’s allowance, child maintenance, disability living allowance, attendance allowance and state pension. However, this service is not currently available to citizens using Macintosh computers. The service was introduced as a pilot and is currently being reviewed and the suitability of the technical platform will then be considered. Applications for carer’s allowance can also be made online using an interface that can be accessed by a computer with either Windows or Macintosh systems.
Claim forms for the majority of social security benefits can be downloaded from the DWP website, irrespective of system, for subsequent postal applications. The Department also offers a telephone application service for a number of benefits.
Access to all online Government services is moving to Directgov, the cross-government portal that will provide the single citizen access point for Government services, which supports both the Windows and Macintosh systems.
Social Security Benefits: New Deals Schemes
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of those people who had left each New Deal for Work, how many and what proportion were claiming benefit for the second or more time in (a) 2001, (b) 2004 and (c) 2007 where claimants had not claimed benefit for (i) up to three months, (ii) between three and six months, (iii) between six and 12 months, (iv) over 12 months and (v) over 24 months, broken down by each New Deal group. [155083]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 10 September 2007]: The available information has been placed in the Library.
State Retirement Pensions: Males
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many men aged (a) 65, (b) 66, (c) 67, (d) 68, (e) 69, (f) 70, (g) 71, (h) 72, (i) 73 and (j) 74 are currently receiving state pensions of 98 per cent. or less of the full rate. [155465]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 17 September 2007]: The information is in the following table.
Tax Credit
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2007, Official Report, column 895W, on tax credit, how many (a) individuals and (b) households were beneficiaries of (i) both means-tested assistance and tax credits, (ii) means-tested assistance or tax credits, (iii) means-tested assistance and or tax credits, (iv) tax credits and (v) means-tested assistance in (A) 1979, (B) 1992, (C) 1997 and (D) 2007. [155094]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 10 September 2007]: The information is not available in the format requested.
Because of the changes to income-related benefits since 1979, and the different types of data and methods of collection employed over the years, it is not possible to provide directly comparable figures for each of the years sought.
The information provided in the previous reply of 17 May 2007, Official Report, column 895W, was derived from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). FRS information is not available for 1979 and 1992. Tax credits were introduced in 1999 and replaced family credit. The available information for family credit in 1997-98 and tax credits in 2005-06—the most recent year for which information is available—is in the following tables.
| Households and individuals in Great Britain who are in receipt of various combinations of income-related benefits and family credit, 1997-98 | ||
| Individuals | Households | |
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