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26 Feb 2008 : Column 1384W—continued
Housing Benefit: Newcastle Upon Tyne
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of housing benefit there were in (a) local authority, (b) housing association and (c) private rented tenure sectors in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in each of the last five years; how many new customers there were in each tenure sector in each year; and what the average processing time was for new customers in each sector in each year. [189566]
Mr. Plaskitt: The available information is in the following tables.
| Number of new housing benefit (HB) customers in each tenure in Newcastle upon Tyne in last five years | ||||||
| Local authority new claims | Local authority average processing times (days) | Registered social landlord new claims | Registered social landlord average processing times (days) | Private rented sector new claims | Private rented sector average processing times (days) | |
| (1 )Quarter 1 to Quarter 2. Notes: 1. Data limitations mean we are unable to establish the number of new customers each year. We have answered the question using figures for new claim. This will be close to the number of new customers, but will include customers who are re-claiming and therefore not new. 2. Data limitations mean we are unable to split housing association properties from the registered social landlord definition. However, the vast majority of HA properties are RSL properties. 3. New claims have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 4. Processing times have been rounded to the nearest day. Source: Housing Benefit Operational Database, 2007-08 data. | ||||||
Industrial Health and Safety: Lorry Drivers
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to improve the provision of secure resting facilities for professional lorry drivers to improve their health and safety. [188385]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
The delivery of parking and rest facilities, since 1992, has primarily been through the private sector together with local planning authorities. The Department for Transport has been facilitating meetings between representatives of the road haulage trade associations, the Highways Agency, Motorway Service Area operators and other lorry parking providers in order to identify the issues that can promote an increase together with improvement in these facilities.
The Department for Transport and the Highways Agency intend to undertake a national study into lorry parking with the objective of finding out the current and future demand for these facilities. This could better inform the local planning authorities on the need for these facilities and the potential providers of these facilities with their investment decisions.
The Highways Agency has published a guide to truck stops in England and has recently carried out a consultation with the aim of developing policies that maintain and improve the provision of service areas and other facilities on motorways and all purpose trunk roads in England, including those for lorry drivers.
Jobseeker’s Allowance
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for jobseeker's allowance were disallowed on the grounds of the claimant not actively seeking employment in each month since April 2006; and how many such decisions on claims were reversed on appeal. [183835]
Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 1 February 2008]: Information on appeals cannot be broken down by type of sanction. The available information has been placed in the Library.
Pensioners: Social Security Benefits
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on pensioners per capita in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. [186671]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Pensions
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the timetable for pension and benefits payments in the period leading up to Christmas 2007. [175079]
Mr. Plaskitt:
My Department received a small number of representations about the arrangements for
making pension and benefits payments for Christmas 2007, from hon. Members and others.
The arrangements we put in place to make sure that everyone received their money before Christmas worked well and many (including around three quarters of pensioners) due to be paid over Christmas got their money on Friday 21 December.
Poverty: Children
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect on the number of children lifted out of poverty of all parents receiving child maintenance and arrears payments due via the Child Support Agency. [186116]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.
The receipt of child maintenance payments, through all arrangement types including the Child Support Agency, currently lifts around 100,000 children out of poverty.
The Child Support Agency's operational improvement plan is expected to help lift further 30,000-40,000 children out of poverty.
The overall effect of the redesigned child maintenance system with more parents with care getting maintenance and enabling all parents with care to benefit from a significantly higher disregard will be to lift at least a further 100,000 children out of poverty.
Social Security Benefits: Ireland
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Ireland on individuals claiming benefits in both countries. [186429]
Mr. Plaskitt: Formal arrangements are in place between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland signed at Secretary of State level. Under these arrangements officials meet regularly with their counterparts from the Republic of Ireland. Procedures are in place for collaboration and joint working.
Winter Fuel Payments
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many pensioners aged 60 and over have claimed the winter fuel payment in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK in each year since its inception; [186667]
(2) how many pensioners aged 80 and over have claimed the higher rate winter fuel payment in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK in each year since its inception. [186666]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Information relating to winter fuel payments for the winters of 1997-98 and 1998-99 is not available. The information from winter 1999-2000 is in the following tables. Information regarding Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Office.
| Winter fuel payments made to people aged 60 or over | ||||
| Jarrow constituency | South Tyneside | North-east | Great Britain | |
| Winter fuel payments made to people aged 80 or over | ||||
| Jarrow constituency | South Tyneside | North-east | Great Britain | |
| Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Parliamentary constituencies, Local Authorities and Government office regions are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. 3. The increased winter fuel payment for people aged 80 or over was introduced in winter 2003-04. Source: Information directorate 100 per cent data. | ||||
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