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4 Mar 2008 : Column 2422W—continued

Pensions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many pensioners access their pension through the Post Office; how many and what proportion received their pension (a) on or before 21 December 2007 and (b) on or by 24 December 2007; how many pensioners did not receive or were unable to access their pension on or before 24 December 2007; and if he will make a statement; [185876]

(2) how many and what percentage of pensioners did not (a) receive, (b) pick up and (c) cash their state pension before Christmas 2007. [185875]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The vast majority (around 8.6 million) of pensioners have their pension paid by direct payment into a bank account and those who were due a
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payment at Christmas were able to access their money from cash machines at any time over the holiday period. It is possible to access money in other bank accounts at the Post Office, as well as the Post Office Card Account and cheque payments, but the Department does not hold data on how many pensioners choose to do so.

The arrangements put in place to make sure that everyone received their money before Christmas worked well and around 5.4 million (60 per cent.) pensioners due to be paid over Christmas were able to access their money on Friday 21 December. The remaining around 3.6 million (40 per cent.) were able to access their money on Monday 24 December.

The information about the number of pensioners who did not subsequently collect their state pension before Christmas is not available.

The Department is reviewing its arrangements for payments due over the Christmas period.

Pensions: Females

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of the cohort of women who did not fully benefit from home responsibilities protection, referred to in the May 2006 Pensions White Paper, will be over pension age on 6 April 2010; and what estimate he has made of the cost of extending the reduction from 39 to 30 in the number of qualifying years required to be eligible for a full basic state pension to these women. [185449]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not available. The cohort of women described in the 2006 White Paper, who did not fully benefit from Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP), did not do so because HRP was not introduced until 1978. Prior to 1978 periods spent out of the labour market while caring for children did not count towards State Pension entitlement.

Public Sector: Learning Disability

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people with learning disabilities employed in (a) the public sector and (b) the NHS. [189969]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.

This information is not held centrally.

Secretaries of State

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the Secretaries of State in his Department since 2001, with the dates of service in each case. [187756]

Mrs. McGuire: The list of Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions since 2001 with dates of service is in the following table.


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Name Date of appointment Last day of service

Alistair Darling

27 July 1998

29 May 2002

Andrew Smith

30 May 2002

7 September 2004

Alan Johnson

9 September 2004

6 May 2005

David Blunkett

6 May 2005

2 November 2005

John Hutton

3 November 2005

28 June 2007

Peter Hain

29 June 2007

24 January 2008

James Purnell

24 January 2008


Sick Leave

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department’s press release of 5 September 2007, on advice to patients on sick leave, how successful the online training tool for GPs has been. [185836]

Mrs. McGuire: The online training tool is an educational programme developed in partnership with Cardiff university. It has been designed to help GPs develop their skills in handling issues around fitness for work during consultations with patients. 263 GPs completed the programme as part of an independent evaluation during the development process. The results from this evaluation showed that of the GPs that took part, there was a significant change in their attitudes towards dealing with their consultations around fitness for work.

The training tool has also been used as part of a national education programme for GPs which we have been piloting in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners. The evaluation of the pilot showed that GPs had an increased level of confidence on dealing with consultations on fitness for work.

Social Rented Housing

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of households in social housing he estimates were in poverty in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each London local authority area in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2006-07. [185685]

Mr. Timms: Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994-95, 2005-06 (Revised)". The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.

The available information is shown in the following tables. The data source does not allow us to provide robust numbers for estimates below the level of Government Office Region. Data for 2006-07 are not yet available so statistics for the most recent years are given instead.


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Proportion of households in social housing having an income below 60 per cent. of median in England and by r egion, three-year averages over 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99
Percentage of households
Before housing costs After housing costs

England

31

55

North East

36

56

North West

34

55

Yorkshire and the Humber

38

55

East Midlands

35

55

West Midlands

33

53

East of England

26

52

London

28

58

South East

21

52

South West

27

57


Proportion of households in social housing having an income below 60 per cent. of median in England and by region, three-year averages over 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06
Percentage of households
Before housing costs After housing costs

England

30

45

North East

32

42

North West

31

44

Yorkshire and the Humber

32

42

East Midlands

33

45

West Midlands

32

45

East of England

25

41

London

30

52

South East

23

42

South West

27

41

Notes: 1. Three survey year averages are given for each of the regions as robust single year estimates cannot be produced because of the sample sizes for individual regions. 2 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/equivalised for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 3. The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors. 4. Tables show figure in percentages rounded to the nearest percentage point.

Social Security Benefits

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely change in the number of postal claims for (a) jobseeker’s allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) income support as a result of closures of jobcentres or Jobcentre Plus offices, in each region. [185873]

Mr. Timms: The administration of these benefits is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Leslie Strathie, dated 4 March 2008:


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Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed each type of benefit in (a) Cornwall, (b) the South West and (c) England in each year since 1979; and what percentage those people were of the population in each area in each year. [186990]

Mr. Plaskitt: Information is not available prior to 2002. The available information has been placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Applications

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households have made both continuous claims for housing benefit and council tax and repeated claims for jobseeker’s allowance since 1997. [186112]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Cost of Living

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has conducted research into the merits of reflecting varying living costs in different regions in benefit levels. [187454]

Mr. Plaskitt: No such research has been conducted by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the risk of fraud in claims for (a) incapacity benefit and (b) income support in cases where (i) the claimant attends the local jobcentre and (ii) the claim is maintained by post; [185872]

(2) what estimate he has made of the risk of fraud in claims for jobseekers allowance (a) where the claimant attends the local jobcentre once a fortnight and (b) where the claim is maintained by post. [185896]

Mr. Plaskitt: No such estimate has been made.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has carried out into the effectiveness of the benefits campaign Targeting benefit thieves. [185918]

Mr. Plaskitt: The Targeting Benefit Thieves campaign was launched in October 2006. The Department has carried out regular quantitative tracking research, supported by qualitative research, to monitor the effectiveness of the campaign.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place a copy of the findings of the research into benefit fraud commissioned by his Department and undertaken by GfK NOP in the Library. [185921]

Mr. Plaskitt: Research commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions to evaluate communications activity is available through the Department's publication
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scheme. Further information about the publication scheme is available on our website at:


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