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9 Oct 2007 : Column 469W—continued

State Retirement Pensions: Widowed People

Mr. Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many widows in receipt of widow’s pension prior to their 60th birthday have failed to claim their state retirement pension. [155750]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: A woman in receipt of widow’s pension has various options on reaching State pension age (currently 60). She can choose to continue receiving her widow’s pension up to the age of 65, she can choose to claim her state pension in place of the widow’s pension, or she can give up her widow’s pension and not draw her state pension in order to earn a higher state pension or lump sum when she does claim it.

Our records show that just over 20,000 women aged 60 to 64 are receiving widow’s pension.


9 Oct 2007 : Column 470W

Mr. Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Pension Service takes to provide information to widows to claim state retirement pension at 60 years. [155751]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Four months and four days before a person reaches age 60/65, the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS) passes personal and contributions details to the Pensions Strategy Computer System (PSCS) which will set up a pension account if a current address is held and:

The claims package consists of:

Unemployment

Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of trends in the level of worklessness among the under 25s since 1997 . [156440]

Caroline Flint: Claimant unemployment is now falling for 18-24 year olds. This is the result of our successful employment policies, including the new deal. Almost three quarters of a million 18-24 year olds have been helped into work through new deal for young people.

Unemployment Benefits: Elderly

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total value of attendance allowance and disability living allowance payments to people over retirement age living in the City of York local authority area was in (a) 1996 and (b) 2006-07. [155277]

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 12 September 2007]: The available information is in the following table.


9 Oct 2007 : Column 471W
Total value of attendance allowance and disability living allowance payments to people aged 60 and over in City of York local authority
£ million
Attendance allowance Disability living allowance

Cash terms

1996-97

5.8

2.2

2006-07 (estimated outturn)

11.7

5.6

Real terms

1996-97

7.6

2.9

2006-07 (estimated outturn)

12.1

5.8

Notes:
1. Benefit caseloads data for 1996-97, produced from 5 per cent. sample data, were up rated to 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) totals. Caseloads for 2006-07 were produced from 100 per cent. WPLS data.
2. Figures are consistent with budget 2007 expenditure forecast.
3. Benefit Expenditure and Caseload Information is available on the DWP website at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp
Source:
Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate 5 per cent. and 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study data and Department for Work and Pensions Benefit Expenditure Forecasts.

Home Department

Border and Immigration Agency

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of lost documentation have the Border and Immigration Agency recorded in the last 12 months. [156340]

Mr. Byrne: Statistics for the numbers of documents lost in the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) are not kept. However the majority of passports held by BIA are in connection with managed migration casework. In the 12 months ending August 2007, 176 passports were lost from managed migration casework. Case working units in Croydon alone retain between 70,000 to 100,000 passports in their possession at any given time.

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of letters sent by hon. Members to the Border and Immigration Agency have received a substantive reply within (a) three, (b) four, (c) six, (d) eight, (e) 10 and (f) more than 10 weeks; and if she will make a statement. [156288]

Mr. Byrne: In the period 1 January to 30 June 2007, the last period full data is available, the Border and Immigration Agency received 22,636 letters from hon. Members.

Of these:


9 Oct 2007 : Column 472W

Animal Experiments

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the increase in the number of scientific procedures carried out on (a) goats and (b) sheep between 2004 and 2006; which establishments accounted for the greatest amount of that increase; and if she will make a statement. [154410]

Meg Hillier: The number of scientific procedures carried out under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 using goats and sheep for the past three years is shown in the following table.

As the table shows, the principal increase in procedures involving both goats and sheep in 2006 arose in connection with the study of fundamental biological disease.

It is Home Office policy not to publish the names of designated establishments licensed under the 1986 Act for health and safety reasons.

Procedures
2004 2005 2006 Purpose

Sheep

6,670

5,650

11,601

Fundamental biological disease

567

472

485

Applied studies-human medicine or dentistry

13,141

3,719

2,495

Applied studies-veterinary study

0

10

8

Protection of man, animals or environment

5

5

1

Education

3

3

0

Forensic enquiries

20,868

19,411

21,746

Direct diagnosis

29

59

41

Breeding

Total

41,283

29,329

36,377

Goats

322

289

502

Fundamental biological disease

43

19

20

Applied studies-human medicine or dentistry

24

8

15

Applied studies-veterinary study

4

3

2

Protection of man, animals or environment

2

11

10

Direct diagnosis

Total

395

330

549


Animal Experiments: Licensing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to assess the effectiveness of legislation on licensing of animal experimentation. [154382]

Meg Hillier: The use of animals in experiments and other scientific procedures is regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which puts into effect, and in some ways exceeds, European Union Directive 86/609/EEC. The 1986 Act provides a strong regulatory framework balancing the need to protect animals from unnecessary suffering with the legitimate requirements of the scientific community, and the public, for medical and other essential research and testing.


9 Oct 2007 : Column 473W

The operation of the 1986 Act has been regularly reviewed since it first came into force. Full-scale reviews have been carried out by the Animal Procedures Committee which published its 10 year review of the operation of the Act in 1998, and by the House of Lords Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures which reported in July 2002. In addition, specific aspects of the operation of the 1986 Act have been reviewed at various times by the Animal Procedures Committee, which is required under section 20 of the Act to advise the Secretary of State on matters concerned with Act and her functions under it. The Animal Procedures Committee has, for example, in the last five years, reviewed the use and acquisition of non-human primates, the cost benefit assessment of the use of animals in research, the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals published under section 21 of the Act, modular training for licence applicants and schedule 1 to the Act dealing with appropriate methods of humane killing

In due course, the current revision of Directive 86/609 will provide a further opportunity to review the regulation of animal experiments.

Asylum: Sri Lanka

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department last reviewed the safety of returning Tamil asylum claimants to Sri Lanka. [154571]

Jacqui Smith: Each asylum and human rights application made by a Sri Lankan national is, as with all other nationalities, considered individually against the background of current information from a wide range of well-recognised sources about the situation in Sri Lanka. Those who are found not to be in need of international protection and have no legal basis of stay in the UK, may return voluntarily to any region of Sri Lanka. Where an individual does not return voluntarily, removal may be enforced. Enforced removals will only be undertaken where we are satisfied the individual has no protection needs.

Bicycles: Confiscation

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bicycles have been confiscated from offenders under the provisions of the Police Reform Act 2002. [156465]

Mr. Coaker: None: the Police Reform Act allows the seizure, in appropriate circumstances, of motor vehicles only.

British Transport Police

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Government Departments provide funding for the British Transport Police. [156353]

Mr. Tom Harris: I have been asked to reply.

Revenue funding for the force is provided by the industry. The Department for Transport is providing £7.5 million for capital expenditure this financial year and the force receives money from the Home Office for specific initiatives.


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