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26 Nov 2007 : Column 139W—continued
Population: Pensioners
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated ratio of people of working age to pensioners was in each constituency in England in (a) 1997 and (b) 2007; and what the figure is expected to be in 2017. [167574]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 26 November 2007:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your questions regarding what the estimated ratio of working age to pensioners was in each constituency in England in (a) 1997 and (b) 2007; and what the figure is expected to be in 2017. (167574)
ONS does not have parliamentary constituency population estimates for the whole of England, for 1997 or 2007, or population projections for parliamentary constituencies. I am therefore unable to answer the questions asked.
Social Fund
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether budgeting advice is offered to Social Fund claimants. [163499]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 26 November 2007:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply direct to your question asking whether budgeting advice is offered to Social Fund claimants. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
At the outset of any new claim to benefit all clients are interviewed by advisers who will identify and address, where required, appropriate financial help. Furthermore, advisers are equipped with information on a range of organisations that can help with free financial and debt advice. Advisers can make appointments with the local Citizens Advice Bureau or other appropriate partner organisations. Jobcentre Plus continues to advise and support the customer throughout their claim.
For Social Fund applicants in particular, there is information in the budgeting loan decision letter on where to get help and advice. Also, the Social Fund part of the Jobcentre Plus website signposts customers to sources of money and debt advice.
In addition the “Now Let’s Talk money” campaign was formally launched within DWP on 30/07/07. Its purpose is to help people who may not know that they can get free face-to-face money and debt advice and who do not normally have access to affordable credit and loans, credit union or basic bank accounts. “Now Let’s Talk Money” is funded by the Treasury as part of a £126 million Financial Inclusion Fund to help people who are financially excluded.
I hope this is helpful.
Social Security Benefits
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons his Department’s Green Paper, “In Work, Better Off” did not consider options for a single system of working age benefits; and if he will make a statement. [163830]
Mr. Plaskitt: The Green Paper “In Work better off: next steps to full employment” looks to achieving the next steps to the Government’s long-term aim of full employment. We continue to modernise the benefit system with major reform of housing benefit and incapacity benefit scheduled for next year.
We want to go further, but recognise that fundamental change to the system would take many years to implement and would affect most people. Change on this scale would require wide public debate and engagement and a degree of consensus if it is to be carried through. The Department will consider the best way to initiate such a public debate and will put forward proposals next year.
Training: Older Workers
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people (a) over 55 years of age and (b) in retirement have made use of (i) grants and (ii) training schemes available through his Department to learn new job skills in each of the last three years. [163676]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is not available.
Unemployment: Young People
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people were not in education, employment or training in each local authority area in (a) 1997 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. [164778]
Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
The Department’s estimate of the number and proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) cannot be disaggregated to regional or local authority level. However, we can give an indication of the number of 16, 17 and 18-year-olds(1) NEET in 2006 in England from data provided by Connexions services, and this is given in the table. Figures for 1997 are not available.
Data provided by Connexions services are used to set and monitor local authority NEET targets. However, it should be noted that figures are calculated on a different basis from that used in the Department’s estimates, and therefore do not give the same totals.
(1) Connexions service figures relate to calendar age (rather than academic age as is used in the Department’s participation estimates).
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