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10 Nov 2008 : Column 925W—continued

10 Nov 2008 : Column 926W

Standard of Living

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the findings of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's recent report Growing Unequal? insofar as they apply to the UK. [232159]

Mr. McNulty: The report states that between 2000 and 2005, income inequality and poverty fell faster in the UK than in any other OECD country and that, for the first time since the 1980s, the UK poverty level is below the OECD average.

The report also highlights the importance of policies to encourage more people into work, which reinforces this Government's message that for those who can, work is the best route out of poverty.

We welcome these findings, though accept there is more for us to do. In particular, we remain fully committed to tackling both pensioner poverty and child poverty.

State Retirement Pensions

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have received the basic state pension in each year since its inception. [231418]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The available information is in the table.

10 Nov 2008 : Column 927W

	Number getting basic state pension
Jarrow parliamentary constituency
September 1999	15,600
March 2000	15,500
September 2000	15,700
March 2001	15,300
September 2001	15,500
March 2002	15,800
September 2002	15,700
March 2003	15,700
September 2003	15,900
March 2004	15,900
September 2004	15,900
March 2005	16,100
September 2005	16,400
March 2006	16,600
September 2006	16,800
March 2007	16,700
September 2007	16,800
South Tyneside local authority
September 1999	30,000
March 2000	29,900
September 2000	30,100
March 2001	29,500
September 2001	29,900
March 2002	30,000
September 2002	30,000
March 2003	29,700
September 2003	29,900
March 2004	29,900
September 2004	29,800
March 2005	30,000
September 2005	30,400
March 2006	30,300
September 2006	30,600
March 2007	30,500
September 2007	30,700
North East Government office region
September 1999	464,300
March 2000	468,000
September 2000	470,400
March 2001	469,300
September 2001	471,600
March 2002	470,500
September 2002	471,600
March 2003	471,100
September 2003	473,300
March 2004	473,500
September 2004	477,900
March 2005	478,500
September 2005	480,800
March 2006	482,700
September 2006	485,900
March 2007	490,100
September 2007	493,700
Great Britain
March 1995	9,460,300
September 1995	9,539,200
March 1996	9,566,400
September 1996	9,671,400
March 1997	9,691,300
September 1997	9,791,500
March 1998	9,830,200
September 1998	n/a
March 1999	9,929,400
September 1999	10,003,800
March 2000	10,024,200
September 2000	10,060,200
March 2001	10,077,800
September 2001	10,136,800
March 2002	10,139,700
September 2002	10,197,500
March 2003	10,225,900
September 2003	10,291,600
March 2004	10,313,500
September 2004	10,408,900
March 2005	10,450,300
September 2005	10,502,100
March 2006	10,513,800
September 2006	10,581,700
March 2007	10,659,900
September 2007	10,778,700
n/a = Not available Notes: 1. Data are taken from a 5 per cent. extract of Pension Service Computer System, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pension Longitudinal Study. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Earlier information relating to the number of people in GB receiving retirement pension (not basic alone) is available in the annual publication “Social Security Statistics” which is available in the House Library. Source: DWP Information Directorate

10 Nov 2008 : Column 928W

State Retirement Pensions: Hertfordshire

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals received late payment of their state pension in the last 12 months in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire. [231100]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available.

Unemployment

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely level of unemployment on 1 January 2009. [230630]

Mr. McNulty: By long-standing convention the Department does not predict future levels of unemployment, but we have been planning for the impact of potentially higher levels of jobseeker’s allowance claims in the coming months.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to answer Question 225138, tabled on 3 October 2008, on the number of national insurance registrations granted since 2004. [233174]

Mr. McNulty: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 3 November 2008, Official Report, columns 4-5W.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply to Question 228031 for named day answer on 20 October 2008 on the re-organisation of Jobcentre Plus in the South East of England, tabled by the hon. Member for Aylesbury. [234305]

Mr. McNulty: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 4 November 2008, Official Report, column 261W.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply substantively to question 228037, on Sunley House, Aylesbury, tabled by the hon. Member for Aylesbury on 14 October 2008 for answer on 20 October 2008. [234511]

Jonathan Shaw: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 4 November 2008, Official Report, column 261W.

Treasury

Arni Mathiesen

Mr. David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the Icelandic Trade Minister. [233096]

Ian Pearson [holding answer 4 November 2008]: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with their counterparts in other countries and with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.

10 Nov 2008 : Column 929W

Bank Notes

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Bank of England plans to produce bilingual banknotes as part of its Welsh language plan. [234330]

Ian Pearson: The Bank of England has no current plans to produce bilingual banknotes.

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