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29 Oct 2007 : Column 752Wcontinued
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to combat ageism in the workplace; how many legal claims have been made against employers relating to ageism in the last five years, broken down by (a) age and (b) sector; and if he will make a statement. [160869]
Mr. McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/1031) came into force on 1 October 2006. These regulations outlaw unjustified age discrimination in employment and vocational training. Provisions relating to occupational pensions came into force on 1 December 2006. The regulations give individuals important new rights, extend existing rights and speed up removal of traditional barriers. Figures on the number of legal claims made against employers relating to ageism in the last five years are not currently available as the regulations have only been in force since 1 October 2006. These will be provided by the ETS in its annual report. ETS does not routinely collect information on the age and sector of claimants, but BERR does carry out periodic surveys of employment tribunal findings. The last was carried out in 2003 (DTI/Pub 7531/0.9k/08/04/AR. URN 04/1071). The next survey is due to be carried out in 2008 and will include among other things information on the age and sector of claimants.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance he has issued to employers on financial arrangements for employee assistance programmes; what recent steps he has taken to promote the programme to employers; and what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on employee assistance programmes. [151249]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 23 July 2007]: No discussions have taken place with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on employee assistance programmes and the Government have not published guidance to employers on financial arrangements for employee assistance programmes. No promotional activity has taken place.
Mr. Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of companies in the East Midlands with invalid or insufficient liability insurance. [161447]
Mrs. McGuire: I refer to the answer given to the hon. Members question dated 18 October 2006 and recorded in Hansard under reference 30 October 2006, Official Report, column 11W.
HSE remains unaware of any complaints in the East Midlands concerned with deficiencies in ELCI policies. There have been no prosecutions brought by HSE in the East Midlands under the Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 since the previous answer.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will give a breakdown of the number of people in employment in the UK who were (a) UK citizens, (b) citizens of other EU states and (c) citizens of non-EU states in each year since 1971. [155993]
Caroline Flint: The following table provides the information requested. Data are only available back as far as spring 1995 broken down by nationality. The figures quoted are based on population estimates published in 2003. A note placed in the Library in response to PQ/07/157946 provides a broader context for changes in employment since 1997.
Quarter spring | UK nationals | non UK, EU nationals | non-EU nationals |
(1) Quarter 2 for years 2006 and 2007 have been used in place of summer quarters as after spring 2006 seasonal quarters are no longer available. For periods after 2006 we only have calendar quarters available. Calendar quarters do not have as extensive a time series available. Spring quarters cover months March to May, Quarter 2 covers April to June. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000. 2. These figures are subject to seasonal variation and fluctuate to some extent from quarter to quarter. 3. As these figures are based on a sample survey they are also subject to sampling variability. 4. It should be noted that the nationality question in the LFS is an undercount because: it excludes those who have not been resident in the UK for six months it excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent it excludes people in most other types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.) it is grossed to population estimates that only include migrants staying for 12 months or more. Source: Labour Force Survey, Q2 1997, Q2 2007. |
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) UK nationals and (b) foreign nationals were employed in the UK in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent period for which figures are available; what those figures are as a percentage of those in employment in the UK; and what the percentage change in each of these figures was in the relevant period. [158012]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 15 October 2007]: The following table provides the information requested, as well as information on employment rates. As shown, the employment rates of both UK nationals and foreign nationals have improved during the period. The employment rate for UK nationals is higher than that of foreign nationals but the gap is closing.
The total number in employment in the UK in 2007 is shown to be 28.4 million. This figure is based on estimates made in 2003 of the population in 2007 because these are the latest estimates available for use in
respect of particular categories of the labour force such as migrants. The Labour Market Statistics release produced by the Office for National Statistics shows the total employment level to be 29.10 million. This figure is based on estimates made in 2005 of the population in 2007, the latest estimates which can be used for the total employment level.
The increase in the number of foreign nationals in employment in the UK since 1997 is shown to be 1.1 million. This figure differs from the figure of 0.8 million given in PQ/07/154368 for reasons set out in the answer to PQ/07/157946. A note placed in the Library in response to PQ/07/157946 provides a broader context for changes in employment since 1997.
Employment level (million) | Percentage of those in employment | Employment rate (Percentage) | ||||||
UK nationals | Foreign nationals | Total | UK nationals | Foreign nationals | UK nationals | Foreign nationals | Total | |
Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000. 2. These figures are subject to seasonal variation and fluctuate to some extent from quarter to quarter. 3. As these figures are based on a sample survey they are also subject to sampling variability. 4. It should be noted that the nationality question in the LFS is an undercount because:- it excludes those who have not been resident in the UK for six months it excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent it excludes people in most other types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.) it is grossed to population estimates that only include migrants staying for 12 months or more. Source: Labour Force Survey, Q2 1997, Q2 2007. |
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how much would be needed on average in each of the next 50 years in (a) net present value and (b) cash sum terms in order for the Financial Assistance Scheme to pay 90 per cent. of the (i) core and (ii) expected pensions of all those eligible for support; and if he will make a statement. [160738]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The core pension as defined by the financial assistance scheme standardises some pension features for ease of administration and to protect the public purse. For example, payments start from 65 rather than scheme pension age and no indexation is provided. The cash and NPV costs of paying 90 per cent. of core pension are in the following table and sum to approximately £10 billion in cash terms.
We do not have the data to estimate accurately an expected pension. Schemes that qualify for the financial assistance scheme have very different scheme rules, for example, on indexation and revaluation (particularly for pre-1997 pension accruals), and it is not possible to make precise estimates of these differences.
In the Government response to the report by the parliamentary ombudsman on occupational pensions (Trusting in the Pensions Promise, June 2006), we estimated the total cost of meeting expected pensions at between £13 billion and £17 billion in cash terms to reflect this uncertainty.
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