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11 Jun 2008 : Column 290W—continued

Work and Pensions

Blackpool

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of staff employed at the Mexford House, Blackpool site, and eligible for redeployment within his Department, utilised the exit scheme in each of the last three years. [205691]

Mrs. McGuire: In the last three years the percentage of staff employed at Mexford House eligible for redeployment who utilised the Department's exit scheme is shown in the following table.

Percentage

2005-06

0

2006-07

0

2007-08

35


Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many overtime hours were worked at the disability and carers service based at Warbreck Hill in each of the last five years. [205695]

Mrs. McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested as records are not retained of the number of overtime hours worked. Such information as is available is in the following table.

Total expenditure on overtime at the disability and carers service’s operation at Warbreck Hill site over the last five years and as a percentage of the total paybill.

2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

Overtime expenditure (£ million)

1.90

1.59

2.20

2.86

1.79

Overtime expenditure as percentage of total paybill

4

4

4

5

3


Child Support Agency: Compensation

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many compensation payments have been made by the Child Support Agency for
11 Jun 2008 : Column 291W
maladministration since 1 January 1998; and how many of those exceeded (a) £1,000, (b) £10,000, (c) £50,000 and (d) £90,000; [200813]

(2) how many clients of the Child Support Agency have received compensation payments totalling more than (a) £1,000, (b) £10,000, (c) £50,000 and (d) £90,000 for maladministration by the Agency since 1 January 1998. [200814]

Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 11 June 2008:


11 Jun 2008 : Column 292W
Child Support Agency—consolatory payments
Payments made Amount awarded (£)

December 2001 to March 2008

61,000

O f which:

4,500

1,000 to 9,999

100

10,000 to 49,999

0

50,000 to 89,999

0

90,000 +

Notes:
1. The total number of payments made is rounded to nearest 1,000. The number of payments made by value of payment is rounded to nearest 100.
2. These figures relate to consolatory payments only, these payments include awards made following admission of maladministration and are in recognition of either severe distress, gross embarrassment or gross inconvenience, and are the closest category of payment relating to compensation.
3. The Child Support Agency operates a discretionary, non-statutory scheme providing financial redress for maladministration. Awards may be made to redress any financial losses incurred and can include consolatory payments made by way of an apology for delay, inconvenience, worry and distress caused.
4. Information on the total amount paid out under the non-statutory scheme is published annually in the Child Support Agency annual report and accounts and is therefore subject to external audit. The analysis carried out in the table is based on internal Agency records and due to recording and timing differences may differ from figures previously published in the annual accounts.

Child Support Agency: Payments

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2008, Official Report, column 177W, on Child Support Agency: payments, if he will provide a breakdown of the figures for number and value of payments in respect of payments for (a) gross inconvenience, (b) embarrassment and (c) severe distress. [205480]

Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 11 June 2008:

Child Support Agency—consolatory payments
Gross inconvenience Gross embarrassment Severe distress Total
Value (£) Number Value (£) Number Value (£) Number Value (£) Number

2002/03

624,000

8,100

8,000

100

29,000

200

661,000

8,400

2003/04

392,000

5,400

4,000

100

11,000

100

407,000

5,600

2004/05

567,000

8,800

6,000

100

10,000

100

583,000

9,000

2005/06

596,000

9,000

6,000

100

5,000

100

607,000

9,200

2006/07

652,000

9,000

5,000

100

8,000

100

666,000

9,200

Notes:
1. The total number of payments made is rounded to nearest 100. The value of payment is rounded to nearest £1,000.
2. These figures relate to consolatory payments only, these payments include awards made following admission of maladministration and are in recognition of either severe distress, gross embarrassment or gross inconvenience, and are the closest category of payment relating to compensation.
3. The Child Support Agency operates a discretionary, non-statutory scheme providing financial redress for maladministration. Awards may be made to redress any financial losses incurred and can include consolatory payments made by way of an apology for delay, inconvenience, worry and distress caused.
4. Information on the total amount paid out under the non-statutory scheme is published annually in the Child Support Agency Annual report and Accounts and is therefore subject to external audit. The analysis carried out in the table is based on internal Agency records and due to recording and timing differences may differ from figures previously published in the Annual Accounts.
5. Information on the type of consolatory payment made is not available prior to December 2001. The first full year available is therefore 2002/03.

11 Jun 2008 : Column 293W

Departmental Domestic Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions he visited (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [204385]

Mrs. McGuire: The number of visits that were made to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by the Secretary of State in his official capacity since taking up post on the 24 January 2008 is in the following table.

James Purnell
Visits to Number

Scotland

1

Wales

0

Northern Ireland

0


Departmental Opinion Polls

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost has been of opinion polling conducted for his Department (a) in each year since 1997 and (b) in 2008; if he will place copies of all poll questions in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [200825]

Mrs. McGuire: My Department has not conducted any opinion polls.

My Department has, however, conducted an annual omnibus survey on public attitudes to the Government’s welfare reform programme. This research was limited between 2001 and 2004. In 2005 and 2008, to make the findings more robust, an increased number of new attitude statements were tested amongst the public prior to being included in omnibus research. In 2005 we also conducted a piece of research to monitor public awareness of the Department and its responsibilities.

To date in 2008, my Department has conducted two omnibus surveys designed to raise awareness of the change to state retirement age for women and to encourage planning and saving for retirement.

Details are provided in the following table.

Cost (£)

2001—Public Attitudes—Wave 1

9,350

2002—Public Attitudes—Wave 2

9,600

2003—Public Attitudes—Wave 3

10,450

2004—Public Attitudes—Wave 4

11,100

2005—Public Attitudes—Wave 5 and New 1 Public Awareness

86,000

2006—Public Attitudes

50,000

2007—Public Attitudes

32,030

2008—Public Attitudes

40,850

2008 Attitudes to pension saving

1,550

2008 Attitudes to retirement

4,480

Total costs

255,410


Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what issues his Department has conducted opinion polling since 2005; and what the cost has been in each case. [200826]

Mrs. McGuire: My Department has not conducted any opinion polls since 2005.


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