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6 Oct 2008 : Column 76W—continued
Social Security Benefits: National Insurance Contributions
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people whose national insurance contributions have been paid through the benefits system for more than 20 years of their working lives; and if he will make a statement. [223302]
Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 10 September 2008]: The requested information is not available.
Social Security Benefits: Pensioners
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of (a) single pensioners and (b) pensioner couples claiming disability living allowance were also claiming (i) council tax benefit, (ii) housing benefit and (iii) pension credits in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [216561]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the form requested.
South East
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on services, broken down by type in (a) Dartford Borough, (b) Kent Thameside, (c) the Thames Gateway, (d) Kent County Council area and (e) the South East region in each of the last five years. [222452]
Mr. Timms:
Information on expenditure in the South East region is published annually in the DWP departmental report, while expenditure on housing and council tax benefits is published at a local authority level on the
Department’s website. The remainder of the requested information could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
Stress
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace. [222166]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work. A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive’s management standards, is available to all employees and gives easy to use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.
In addition, DWP has an employee assistance programme, which is designed to offer individual staff and managers a confidential advice and support service on a wide range of issues, including work related stress. This service is available to all employees any time of day or night.
Taxis
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available. [223036]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department's expenditure on taxis in the last financial year (2007-08) was £2,024,431. This figure includes expenditure on minicab/taxi firms and black cabs. Details of the separate payments made by the Department and its agencies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to answer question 169293, tabled on 26 November 2007, on employment rates. [222339]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 July 2008, Official Report, column 1180W.
Leader of the House
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Baron: To ask the Leader of the House what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in her Office were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach. [223064]
Chris Bryant: No disciplinary action has been taken against any staff in the Leader's Office in the last 12 months.
Departmental Overtime
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Leader of the House (1) how many hours of overtime were worked by staff in each pay grade in her Department in each of the last 12 months; [221239]
(2) what the cost of overtime payments paid to staff in her Office was in each of the last 12 months, broken down by pay grade. [221290]
Chris Bryant: The number of hours and cost of overtime payment paid to staff in the office of the Leader of the House of Commons, broken down by pay grade, is given as follows:
| Month | Grade | Hours worked | £ |
| Notes: No claims for overtime were made during August 2007 and September 2007. Figures for the months of April 2008, May 2008 and June 2008 are not unavailable at this time as they have not yet been audited. | |||
Taxis
Philip Davies: To ask the Leader of the House how much her Office spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available. [223035]
Chris Bryant: The Leader of the House of Commons' Office has spent £3,233.69 on taxis in the last financial year (2007-08).
Electoral Commission Committee
5th Avenue Partners
Mr. Hands: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the Electoral Commission expects to complete its investigation of 5th Avenue Partners; and if he will make a statement. [221861]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the position remains as stated in the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 16 May 2007, Official Report, column 748W.
Departmental Buildings
James Duddridge: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) of 2 July 2008, Official Report, column 901W, on departmental buildings, whether the Electoral Commission's landlord is a public sector body. [222219]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the landlord of its London offices is a public sector body.
Fines
Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission on how many occasions the Electoral Commission has imposed a fine in each year since its inception. [222969]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it imposed no fines from 2001 to 2006, in line with its policy of encouraging political parties to develop the necessary procedures and expertise to comply with their legal obligations under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
In January 2007 the Commission put parties on notice that penalties would increasingly be imposed where there was the power to do so. Since then, 154 fines were imposed in 2007 and a further 94 in the period 1 January to 30 September 2008.
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what recent assessment the Commission has made of (a) the appropriateness of the criminal offences established by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 and (b) the merits of replacing those offences with a range of civil penalties. [222954]
Sir Peter Viggers:
The Electoral Commission informs me that in July 2008 it published a paper titled “Party finance and expenditure in the United Kingdom: the Government's proposals—The Electoral Commission's response”, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. In that document the Commission
reiterated its view that the introduction of a wider range of civil sanctions should complement rather than replace the existing criminal penalties regime in respect of offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA).
The Commission further informs me that it strongly supports the detailed proposals for civil sanctions which have since been set out in the Political Parties and Elections Bill. The Commission believes that the proposed regime will enable the Commission to regulate in a proportionate way in accordance with the Hampton principles of good regulatory practice.
Political Parties: Finance
Martin Linton: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many letters of reprimand the Electoral Commission issued to regulated donees in each year from 2001 to 2007; how many such letters it has issued in 2008 to date; and how many of those related to late declarations in each such year. [221888]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that no letters of reprimand were issued to regulated donees for late reporting between 2001 and 2007. During this period, the Commission focused on providing guidance and advice. The Commission began to issue letters of reprimand to regulated donees in February 2008 and has issued 150 such letters for late reporting of donations up to 30 September 2008.
James Duddridge: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the Ministerial Correction of 3 July 2008, Official Report, column 8MC, on political parties: finance, who took the operational decision to destroy the hard copy records; and for what reasons. [222220]
Sir Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that in July 2005 the then Director of Regulatory Services ordered the destruction of hard copy records on the grounds that there was no current or future business need for them and they did not hold any historical value for the National Archives.
Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission for what reasons the Commission has not published a list of regulated donees who have reported political donations (a) late and (b) on time since 2001. [222955]
Sir Peter Viggers: Schedule 7 to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) requires all regulated donees to report all donations to the Commission within 30 days of accepting them if the value of the donation is above certain thresholds. The Electoral Commission informs me that between 2001 and 2007, the Commission's primary focus was on encouraging registered parties and regulated donees to comply with their statutory requirements. During that period, no record was kept of whether donations to regulated donees were reported late or on time.
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