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22 Nov 2007 : Column 1078W—continued
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of cases in each constituency being dealt with by the Child Support Agency in Scotland under the old system which will remain open when the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission’s rules are introduced. [162789]
At the end of September 2007, the Child Support Agency had 67,900 cases assessed under old rules where the non-resident parent lived in Scotland. This figure covers all cases, including those with a positive assessment as well as those currently with a nil maintenance liability. It also includes those cases where the old rules are being processed on both the old and new computer systems.
It is expected the number of old scheme cases will reduce from around 740,000 to around 300,000 before cases move into the new statutory maintenance service expected to start in 2010-11.
The reason for this is predominantly the age and nature of these cases. It is also expected that a number of clients will wish to leave the statutory maintenance service and make their own arrangements following the removal of compulsion. No separate estimates have been made for Scotland or at a constituency level.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance he has issued to Government departments on the effect of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's report of August 2007 on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis as it affects his Department's responsibilities. [166951]
Mrs. McGuire: No guidance has been issued. The report of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is about the way chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis is treated within the NHS and has no implications for this Department's responsibilities.
Council Tax Benefit: Post Offices
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of recipients of council tax benefit in Eastbourne constituency who draw it from post offices. [165396]
Mr. Plaskitt: Council tax benefit is awarded as a rebate against council tax liability; payments of the benefit are not routinely made to claimants in a format where encashment is necessary.
Departmental Manpower
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Welsh speakers his Department employs. [162900]
Mrs. McGuire: The information requested is not available in the format requested. My Department has adopted a Welsh Language Scheme approved by the Welsh Language Board on 13 July 2004 and is committed to treating the Welsh and English languages on a basis of equality when providing a service to the public in Wales.
We do not collect figures for the number of Welsh-speaking staff in the Department as a whole. Around 400 staff in Wales have voluntarily identified themselves as active Welsh speakers. This figure includes staff employed full-time in our specialist Welsh language units.
Disability Discrimination Act: Mentally Ill
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the number of people who have been unable to file a claim under the six month rule of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 because of mental health problems; and whether he will consider extending the limit to 12 months, where mental health issues are shown to be a reason for the delay. [162042]
Mrs. McGuire: There is no central data held on the number of people who have been unable to file a claim of discrimination under the six month rule of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. My Department has made no assessment of the number of such cases, but I do not consider it necessary to extend the limit to 12 months where mental health issues are shown to be a reason for the delay in making a claim. This is because provisions in Paragraph 6(3) to Schedule 3 of the Act already allow a court to consider a claim under section 25(1) of the Disability Discrimination Act which is out of time if, in all the circumstances of the case, it considers that it is just and equitable to do so.
(1) Section 25 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 concerns enforcement of the provisions:
in Part 3 of the Act, which includes coverage of access to goods, facilities, and services; public authority functions; and premises; and
in sections 57 and 58, which concern the aiding of unlawful acts and the liability of employers and principals
Incapacity Benefit: Bassetlaw
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Bassetlaw received incapacity benefit in the latest period for which figures are available; how many of these were over 55; and what his Department's target is to reduce the number of incapacity benefit claimants in Bassetlaw. [167267]
Mrs. McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
| Number of incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants in the Bassetlaw parliamentary constituency—May 2007 | |
| Note: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data. | |
There is no specific target for reducing the numbers on incapacity benefits in Bassetlaw. The Government wants to reduce the numbers on incapacity benefits in Great Britain by one million by 2015.
Pension Credit
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many men over the age of 60 and under the age of 65 are claiming pension credit. [162629]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: As at May 2007 there are 209,290 men aged between 60 and 64 claiming pension credit. Around a further 17,000 men aged between 60 and 64 have partners who claim pension credit on their behalf.
Notes:
1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. The number of men claiming pension credit come from 100 per cent. data.
3. Those men claiming pension credit could be claiming either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.
4. The number of men whose partners claim on their behalf comes from five per cent. data which has been adjusted in line with 100 per cent. WPLS data and is therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and five per cent. samples
Pension Credit: Wales
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many men under the age of 65 resident in Wales voluntarily opted to claim pension credit instead of jobseeker's allowance after attaining the age of 60; [165943]
(2) how many men aged between 60 and 65 resident in Wales claim pension credit. [165944]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 19 November 2007]: Men aged between 60 and 64 can choose themselves whether they claim either jobseekers allowance or pension credit, providing they meet the qualifying conditions of the relevant benefit.
As at May 2007 there were 12,560 men aged between 60 and 64 claiming pension credit in Wales. Around a further 1,500 men aged between 60 and 64 have partners who claim pension credit on their behalf.
Notes:
1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. The number of men claiming pension credit comes from 100 per cent. data.
3. Those men claiming pension credit could be claiming either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.
4. The number of men whose partners claim on their behalf comes from five per cent. data which has been adjusted in line with 100 per cent. WPLS data and is therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and five per cent. samples
Personal Income
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the range of incomes in (a) each decile, (b) the top 5 per cent., (c) the top 1 per cent., (d) the top 0.1 per cent. and (e) the top 0.01 per cent. of incomes in the UK population. [162277]
Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 12 November 2007]: Information for each decile is shown in the following table.
| Household income of individuals in pounds per week equivalised, for each decile, 2005-06 | ||
| Before housing costs | After housing costs | |
Information on the top 5 per cent. is shown in the following table.
| Household income of individuals in pounds per week equivalised, for the top 5 per cent. of the income distribution, 2005-06 | ||
| Before housing costs | After housing costs | |
| Notes: 1. Household incomes for individuals in the UK are shown as equivalised pounds in 2005-06 prices. Equivalisation is the process by which household income is adjusted by household size and composition as a proxy for material living standards. 2. The first table shows the maximum income per week in each decile group. This is in contrast to DWP’s National Statistics’ series Households Below Average Income where each decile of the income distribution is presented using the median of that decile. 3. The second table presents the household income of the 95th percentile of the income distribution. 4. All estimates are subject to sampling error. Source: Family Resources Survey. | ||
Information on the top 1 per cent., top 0.1 per cent. and top 0.01 per cent. is not
available from the Family Resources Survey due to small sample sizes.
Poverty: Wales
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Wales lived in poverty in each year since 1997. [162896]
Caroline Flint: The information is in the following table.
| Number of individuals living in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income in Wales | ||
| Before housing costs | After housing costs | |
| Notes: 1. The preferred measure of low income is by using a threshold of 60 per cent. of the contemporary median income. This is an internationally recognised measure. 2. Numbers are presented using a three-year moving average, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with any previously published single-year estimates. In cases such as a change in trend, moving averages will show less variation than single-year estimates. 3. Table shows numbers to the nearest 10,000. 4. On both the BHC and AHC bases, the income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication “Households Below Average Income” series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. Source: Family Resources Survey. | ||
Social Security Benefits
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is for the amount of unclaimed means-tested benefits in 2006-07. [165312]
Mr. Plaskitt: Estimates of the amount of unclaimed means-tested benefits in 2006-07 are not available.
The latest estimates relate to 2005-06. These estimates cover the take-up of the main income-related benefits—pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and income-based jobseeker’s allowance—and are available in the DWP publication series entitled “Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2005-06”. Copies of the latest publication, together with past reports, can be found in the Library.
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