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10 Jun 2008 : Column 173W—continued
Occupational Pensions
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average pension paid from occupational pension schemes was in each year since 1997, expressed in real terms in 1997 prices. [205497]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not available.
Information on the amount of occupational pension received by people of pension age since 1997 can be found in table 3.7 of the publication “The Pensioners’ Incomes Series 2005/06 (Revised)” which may be found in the Library.
Poverty: Children
Chris Grayling:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the
number of children who would be lifted out of poverty if all households claimed in full their entitlement of council tax credit. [185915]
Mr. Plaskitt: To date, around 200,000 children have been lifted out of poverty as a result of their households claiming council tax benefit. Just under 50,000 further children would be lifted out of poverty if all households claimed their full entitlement to council tax benefit.
We have put in place measures to ensure take-up is improved generally and this includes young families. For example, we have simplified the application process to ensure that families can claim council tax benefit in a combined process alongside claims for income support and jobseeker’s allowance. This means that they do not have to contact the council to make a separate claim for council tax benefit.
We have also run promotional campaigns in each of the last five years to increase awareness of council tax benefit. In March 2008, regional press advertising was used to promote uptake of council tax benefit, aimed at pensioners and people of working age, with greatest focus in areas where our data suggest take-up may be low. We also provided marketing materials promoting council tax benefit to local authorities to be included in council tax bills.
Notes:
1. Households are defined as being in poverty if their income is less than 60 per cent. of the national median equivalised income level. Income here is measured on a before housing costs basis.
2. These figures have been derived using the Policy Simulation Model (PSM) which uses data from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). These are estimated indicative figures.
3. The PSM models the calculation of individual taxes and income-related benefit entitlement, by deriving detailed microdata from the latest available FRS.
4. The PSM models the current policy year (2007-08) using the latest FRS data (2005-06), by uprating the FRS to represent the appropriate policy year.
5. This estimated 50,000 is a relatively small change and should be treated with caution.
Social Fund: Funerals
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent from the Social Fund on (a) funeral costs and (b) doctors’ fees associated with funeral costs in the last three years for which figures are available. [209976]
Mr. Plaskitt: Information regarding doctors’ fees associated with funeral costs is not available. The information on expenditure on Social Fund funeral payments is in the following table.
| Total gross expenditure on social fund funeral payments in Great Britain | |
| Expenditure (£ million) | |
| Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million. Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System. | |
Social Security Benefits
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to tackle welfare dependency. [208864]
Mr. Timms: Our plans to tackle welfare dependency are set out in ‘Ready for Work: Full employment in our generation’ which was published on 13 December 2007. Copies are available in the Library.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the value of benefits stopped following investigation of reports to the Benefit Fraud Hotline was in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by type of benefit; and if he will make a statement; [206008]
(2) how many convictions for benefit fraud relating to each type of benefit were made arising from reports to the Benefit Fraud Hotline in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [206011]
(3) how many prosecutions for benefit fraud relating to each type of benefit were brought following investigation of reports to the Benefit Fraud Hotline in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [206012]
(4) how many cases of benefit fraud relating to each type of benefit arising from reports to the Benefit Fraud Hotline were formally investigated in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [206013]
Mr. Plaskitt: Information is not available broken down by benefit type. The available information is in the following table.
| Benefit fraud hotline outcomes, Great Britain | |||||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
| Notes: 1. Figures from 2003 to 2007 include only FIBS (fraud information by sector) data on national benefit fraud hotline reports via telephone and internet. 2. 2007-08 figures also include FRAIMS (fraud referral and intervention management system) figures with the exception of ‘convictions’ as this information is not yet available. | |||||
Social Security Benefits: Separation
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much expenditure his Department incurred in the payment of benefits to individuals who have separated from their partner after a period of cohabitation in the latest period for which figures are available. [208415]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.
Social Security Benefits: Training
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the 16-hour rule on take-up of employment and skills opportunities. [203348]
Mr. Timms: Recipients of jobseeker’s allowance are not allowed to study or train full time while in receipt of that benefit. The ‘16-hour rule’ allows jobseeker’s allowance recipients to take up part-time study and training for up to 16 hours (the standard number of weekly guided learning hours for a full-time course funded by the Learning and Skills Council, the primary source of funding for further education in England), if they remain available for work and are actively seeking work. We are aware that many jobseeker’s allowance recipients take advantage of such part-time activities.
We have not assessed the impact of this rule on the take up of pre-employment study and training opportunities. Such an assessment would give us only a partial picture of the reasons why jobseeker’s allowance recipients may not take up pre-employment opportunities. Others are the associated costs of learning, such as child care and travel; family circumstances, health; and past experience of learning.
The November Green Paper included announcements to enable access to limited full-time training while on benefit. Further details will be announced in due course.
Unemployment: Foreign Workers
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance his Department provides to migrant workers from A8 countries who subsequently become unemployed in this country. [206469]
Mr. Timms: Once an A8 migrant has completed 12 months continuous employment as a registered worker those who remain in the labour market have the same rights to access Jobcentre Plus services including benefit support and advice, as other EEA and UK nationals.
Treasury
Bank Notes
Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will improve the water resistance of bank notes. [209228]
Kitty Ussher: The Bank of England's banknotes are already made from special paper that is treated during the production process to make it more water resistant, and give it significantly more strength when wet than commercially available paper.
The Bank of England has no plans to improve the water resistance of banknotes further.
The Bank of England offers a free-of-charge service for members of the public to be able to claim value on any accidentally damaged, mutilated or contaminated Bank of England notes. The Bank will give value for the notes provided there are sufficient fragments or remains.
Corporation Tax: Tax Avoidance
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department were dealing with corporate tax avoidance in each year from 1997 to 2007. [209206]
Jane Kennedy: HMRC is unable to isolate the number of staff working on corporate tax avoidance specifically as each caseworker covers a range of different avoidance schemes and volumetrics do not discriminate down to this level. The figures quoted in this response refer to HM Revenue and Customs which was formed on 18 April 2005. Prior to that date the former departments approached anti-avoidance activity in very different ways and no comparative figures are available.
Departmental Freedom of Information
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his policy to release the home addresses of (a) senior and (b) middle-ranking officials, if requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and what assessment he has made of the implications for personal security resulting from the release of such data. [207216]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 22 May 2008]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Justice on 2 June 2008, Official Report, column 640W.
Departmental Vocational Training
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what proportion of its staff his Department has provided vocational training in the last three years. [209437]
Angela Eagle: This information is not held centrally and would be available only at a disproportionate cost.
Excise Duties: Fuels
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual revenue to the Exchequer which would arise from extending the present rate of road fuel duty applicable to unleaded petrol that is not ultra-low sulphur or sulphur-free to aviation fuel (a) without and (b) with value added tax added to the duty. [209941]
Angela Eagle:
Approximately 16 billion litres of aviation turbine fuel (Avtur), which is used in jet and turboprop aircraft, was consumed in the UK in 2006. Imposing duty at the current rate for unleaded petrol of 53.65 pence per litre would imply revenue of approximately £8.5 billion, although actual revenue would be likely to be lower than this because of
behavioural responses from airlines and passengers. However, imposing duty on the commercial use of Avtur for international flights would be contrary to our international obligations, although aviation gasoline, which is used in piston-engined aircraft, is already subject to fuel duty.
HM Revenue and Customs does not hold sufficient information with which to make an estimate of any additional VAT revenue that could arise. However, under the normal rules of the tax, any VAT charged can be reclaimed by a VAT registered airline or other business to the extent that it relates to their taxable business activities.
Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of registered keepers of vehicles in Peterborough constituency who will pay more graduated vehicle excise duty between 2008-09 and 2011-12 for vehicles in (a) Band A, (b) Band B, (c) Band C, (d) Band D, (e) Band E, (f) Band F and (g) Band G; and if he will make a statement. [207073]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 22 May 2008]: The Government do not currently have information on the number of cars within each VED band that are registered within particular constituencies.
As a result of the vehicle excise duty reforms announced at Budget 2008, in 2009-10, it is estimated that a third of drivers will be better off in real terms, and in total, approximately 55 per cent. of drivers will be no worse off.
London Airports
Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times his Department hired VIP facilities at (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick, (c) Luton and (d) Stansted airports in each month since May 2006; and what the expenditure on VIP facilities at each was in each of those months. [205146]
Angela Eagle: Based on records held in HM Treasury's accounting system since May 2006 there were 18 official occasions on which VIP facilities were used at Heathrow airport at a total cost of £4,853. There is no record of similar bookings and expenditure incurred at either Gatwick, Luton or Stansted airports.
A monthly breakdown of usage is given as follows.
| Month | Number of bookings | Cost (£) |
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