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27 Feb 2008 : Column 1592W—continued
Social Security Benefits: Personal Records
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2008, Official Report, column 438W, on social security benefits: personal records, what the method of the transfer of data is; and what safeguards he has put in place to ensure security. [179365]
Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 15 January 2008]: The Department provides information to the National Audit Office either electronically or by paper copy.
The safeguards in place to ensure the security of such data include rigorous courier arrangements and a requirement that physical transfers of data must have the specific authority of a member of the senior civil service.
Winter Fuel Payments: Nottinghamshire
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners received the £200 winter fuel payment in Nottingham North constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available. [187298]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: In winter 2006-07, 16,680 people received winter fuel payments in Nottingham, North. We expect the number to be similar for winter 2007-08.
Notes:
1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Source:
Information directorate 100 per cent. data.
Winter Fuel Payments: Overseas Residence
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners living in each country overseas were entitled to receive the winter fuel payment in the most recent period for which figures are available. [181765]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
European Community law means that some benefits acquired in one member state must be paid to people when they move to another country within the European economic area. Winter fuel payments are only paid to former UK residents living in the
European economic area if they qualified for a payment before leaving the UK. The number of winter fuel payments made to former UK residents living in the EEA in winter 2006-07 is in the following table.
| Country | Payments made |
Communities and Local Government
Care Homes: Essex
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many beds were available in residential care homes in Essex in each of the last five years; [185312]
(2) how many beds were available in private care homes in Essex in each of the last five years. [185313]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested, which has been provided by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), is shown in the following table.
| Number of residential care homes and places in Essex | ||||||||||
| Private | Local authority | Voluntary | Other | Total | ||||||
| As at: | Homes | Places | Homes | Places | Homes | Places | Homes | Places | Homes | Places |
| Note: The number of places is the sum of the maximum registered places for each home. Source: CSCI Registration and Inspection database. | ||||||||||
Community Relations: Migration
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department’s migration directorate plans to examine the business case for setting up a national body to manage the integration of new migrants, as referred to in the Government’s response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion. [190158]
Mr. Dhanda: Communities and Local Government will be examining the business case for setting up a national body to manage the integration of new migrants during the course of this year. Work will include considering the role and future of existing bodies dealing with integration, for example the Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration (ABNI) and determining a national strategy for integration drawing on existing experience and good practice.
Departmental Databases
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what databases are (a) owned and (b) maintained by (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies. [185421]
Mr. Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by her Department and its agencies on entertaining in the last 12 months. [187815]
Mr. Dhanda: During the last 12 months the Department has spent £377,390 on hospitality.
All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
The response from the Department's agencies is as follows:
| £ | |
| (1) Could be supplied only at disproportionate cost | |
Departmental Pay
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2007, Official Report, column 1312W, on departmental pay to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) whether any staff in the home information pack division have received a bonus. [183021]
Caroline Flint: Staff in this division, like all others in the Department, are covered by the policy on the payment of bonuses as stated in a reply by my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Mr. Dhanda) to the hon. Member for South Holland and the Deepings (Mr. Hayes) on 18 December 2007, Official Report, columns 1310-11W. Given the small number of staff in the home information packs division, it would be a breach of confidentiality and therefore inappropriate to give details.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by senior civil service staff in her Department and its agencies in the last 12 month period for which figures are available. [187534]
Mr. Dhanda: The breakdown of information in the format requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
All departmental expenditure is claimed in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Managing Public Money.
Departmental Written Questions
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of Parliamentary questions for answer on a named day to her Department and its predecessors received a (a) holding and (b) substantive answer on the named day in each year since 2001. [190283]
Mr. Dhanda: The information in respect of Communities and Local Government (CLG) and its predecessor Department the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) is set out as follows:
| Holding answers | Substantive answers | ||||
| Department | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| (1) 29 May to 31 December 2002 | |||||
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