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29 Sep 2008 : Column 2381W—continued
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the working-age population in each parliamentary constituency received incapacity benefit in each of the last five years. [220655]
Mrs. McGuire: The available information has been placed in the Library.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of incapacity benefits are aged 60 years and over in each parliamentary constituency. [221738]
Mrs. McGuire: The available information has been placed in the Library.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of regulation of private sector contracted welfare services for incapacity benefit claimants at a typical investment rate of £62,000 per claimant. [221739]
Mrs. McGuire: The information is not available.
Incapacity Benefit: Wakefield
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children in (a) Hemsworth constituency and (b) Wakefield district are dependent on parents or guardians whose main income source is incapacity benefit. [220923]
Mrs. McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
| Number of children aged 0-15 dependent on a parent/guardian claiming one or more of incapacity benefit or severe disablement: April 2007 | |
| Number of children | |
| Notes: 1. Data represent a snapshot in time of claimants on the computer system, and therefore excludes a very small number of cases that are held clerically. 2. The Department does not hold complete information on child dependents on its benefit computer systems and, therefore, children have been merged onto incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claims from child benefit records with permission from HMRC. Source: DWP Information Directorate | |
Income Support
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants he expects there to be of income support in each of the next five years, broken down by type of income support. [209690]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 9 June 2008]: The available information is in the table. The information is available for the period up to the end of the Government’s spending plans, 2010-11.
| Income support: Estimated numbers of claimants | ||||
| Thousand | ||||
| 2007-08( 1) | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| (1) Estimated outturn Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000. Components may not sum due to rounding. 2. Income support on the grounds of incapacity will no longer be payable to new claimants after the introduction of employment and support allowance in October 2008. 3. Figures for ‘Others’ include income support for carers, pregnant women and ex-minimum income guarantee claimants. 4. Figures are consistent with benefit expenditure tables available on the DWP website through the following link: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp | ||||
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much families with a child (a) claiming and (b) not claiming disability living allowance received on average in (i) income support and (ii) housing benefit in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [216580]
Mrs. McGuire: The information is not available.
Income Support: Disabled
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new claims for income support on the grounds of incapacity for work for which the claimant qualified for the disability premium from the start of the claim were awarded to (a) single persons aged under 35, (b) single persons aged 35 to 44, (c) single persons aged 35 to 65, (d) couples with claimant aged under 35, (e) couples with claimant aged 35 to 44 and (f) couples with claimant aged 35 to 65 years in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available. [223245]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 10 September 2008]: The information requested would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Income Support: Lone Parents
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents whose youngest child is aged 11 years or over are in receipt of income support, broken down by parliamentary constituency. [223246]
Mr. Timms: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Industrial Health and Safety: Construction
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to increase the number of Health and Safety Executive inspectors covering the construction industry. [219337]
Mrs. McGuire: I have asked the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to maintain the number of inspectors including those covering the construction industry at not less than 1,283, taking account of the fluctuations as retirements and natural turnover occur. The precise number of inspectors for construction is being kept under review.
HSE can act as a stimulus—promoting best practice, influencing major contractors, architects and designers, and inspecting, investigating and, where necessary, enforcing the law on site. The main responsibility, however, for bringing about improvements in health and safety within the construction industry lies with the industry itself.
Jobcentre Plus: Security Guards
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2008, Official Report, column 1842W, on Jobcentre Plus: security guards, if he will place in the Library a copy of the objectives and job description of (a) security guards and (b) customer care officers. [221727]
Mr. Timms: Copies of the objectives and job descriptions of security guards and customer care officers have been placed in the Library.
Lone Parents: Income Support
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of lone parent families he estimates will be affected by the changes to the eligibility criteria for income support taking effect in (a) October 2008, (b) October 2009 and (c) October 2010 are living on less than 60 per cent. of median income in each region; and if he will make a statement. [215751]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available broken down by region.
Low Incomes: Children
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the median income was in each region in the UK in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the number of children who lived in households with incomes of less than (a) 60 per cent. and (b) 40 per cent. of the regional median, in each region, during that period. [221163]
Mr. Timms: Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in “Households Below Average Income 1994/95 to 2006/07”. This annual report, which is a National Statistics publication, includes the numbers and proportions of individuals, children, working age adults and pensioners with incomes below 50 per cent. 60 per cent. and 70 per cent. of the national median income, and the proportions in persistent poverty.
Information covering 40 per cent. of median income is not presented in the Households Below Average Income series as it is an unreliable measure of poverty. Households stating the lowest incomes to the Family Resources Survey may not actually have the lowest living standards. Many people who report very low incomes appear to have high spending. Hence any statistics on numbers in this group may be misleading.
The available information is in the following tables.
| Median income in each region in the UK for the years 2004-05 to 2006-07 | ||
| £ per week equivalised | ||
| Region | Before Housing Costs | After Housing Costs |
| Number of children below 60 per cent . of each regional median income in the UK for the years 2004-05 to 2006-07 | ||
| Million | ||
| Region | Before Housing Costs | After Housing Costs |
| Number of children below 40 per cent. of each regional median income in the UK for the years 2004-05 to 2006-07 | ||
| Million | ||
| Region | Before Housing Costs | After Housing Costs |
| Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income data. 2. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. ‘—’ denotes less than 50,000 children. 4. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures is single financial years. Three sample years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 5. 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 (or “equivalised”) for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 6. The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors. 7. Regional median incomes are presented in 2006-07 prices. 8. Figures have been presented on both a Before Housing Cost and After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Cost they are. 9. This response includes a lower income threshold of 40 per cent. of the contemporary median income. The data for households with an income lower than 50 per cent. of median are not considered to be accurate as an indicator of living standards. Many of these households whilst having very low incomes would not be considered poor, but do genuinely have few sources of income in the short-run. These figures are not National Statistics and caution must be applied because those people stating the lowest incomes in the Family Resources Survey may not actually have the lowest living standards. 10. Regional median incomes have been rounded to the nearest pound sterling, while numbers of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 children. | ||
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