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7 Oct 2008 : Column 541W—continued
Child Benefit: Telephone Services
Jenny Willott:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of calls
to the Child Benefit Helpline were (a) answered by a representative, (b) received an automated message, (c) logged with the promise of a call-back and (d) responded to in another manner in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [223434]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 10 September 2008]: I have been asked to reply.
The table below provides the details of the information requested where it is available. In answer to part (b) all calls received by the Child Benefit Helpline receive an automated message of some kind. It is not possible to calculate the relative proportions of the different groups with the information available.
| Child Benefit | 2003 - 04 | 2004 - 05 | 2005 - 06 | 2006 - 07 | 2007 - 08 |
| (1) Calls received: where the caller selected an option from the call steering menu and was put in a queue to speak to an adviser. (2) Calls handled: where the caller spoke to an adviser. | |||||
EU Law
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or the administration of EU legislation and consequent policies. [222281]
James Purnell: This Government are firmly committed to the importance of the EU in delivering on 21st century challenges. The EU is of central importance to the work of HM Government across all Departments. It is relevant to a wide range of policy areas, and to the work of approximately 380 officials in the Department for Work and Pensions.
Housing Benefits
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what spending was on housing benefit and related benefits in each of the last 20 years, broken down by (a) type of tenancy and (b) category of housing provision. [221775]
James Purnell: The available information is in the following tables.
| Housing benefit expenditure by tenure and provision. Great Britain | ||||||
| Real terms 2008-09 prices: £ million | ||||||
| Rent rebate | Rent allowance | |||||
| Local authority | Registered social landlords | Private rented sector | Total rent allowance | Minor housing benefits | Total housing benefit | |
| Notes: 1. Information sourced from local authority claims for housing revenue account subsidy and housing benefit subsidy. 2. Figures to 2005-06 are taken from the final audited subsidy claims submitted to the Department by each local authority. 3. Figures for 2006-07 are not yet audited, and represent provisional out-turn for the year. 4. Figures exclude Asylum Seekers from April 1999, since when the National Asylum Support Service has reimbursed DWP for benefits paid to asylum seekers. 5. From 2004-05 rent rebate expenditure responsibility transferred to DWP. 6. Separation of rent allowance into private rental sector and registered social landlord elements is an estimate derived from the quarterly administrative data on caseloads and average awards. This breakdown is only available from 1992-93. 7. Expenditure on minor housing benefits reflects transitional spending following the reform of housing benefit in 1988. It is not possible to identify the tenure of minor housing benefits so these are shown separately. 8. Figures are total amounts paid to beneficiaries, irrespective of the source of funding, and include benefit spending reimbursed by DWP, spending on rent rebates financed within local authorities’ housing revenue accounts, and benefit spending financed from local authorities’ general funds. 9. Figures reflect the latest benefit-by-benefit estimate of out-turn, and not the amounts voted by Parliament. 10. Figures for 1999-2000 onwards are on a resource accounting and budgeting basis. There may be differences between figures quoted in these tables and those quoted in Department for Work and Pensions accounts. 11. Figures for past years may have changed since previous publication due to changes in methodology and the incorporation of more up-to-date information. 12.Totals may not sum due to rounding. 13. Real terms have been calculated using Gross Domestic Product deflators updated after the 2008 Budget report on 12 March 2008. Source: DWP expenditure tables | ||||||
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