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24 Nov 2008 : Column 1008W—continued
Social Security Benefits: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in (a) City of York constituency and (b) the City of York local authority area received (i) the winter fuel payment and (ii) the free television licence entitlement in 2007-08. [236886]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 869W for the information on winter fuel payments.
TV Licensing, which administers free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, is not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued.
SOS List
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the meaning of the term SOS List is in referring to hon. Members who table Questions to him; what the purpose of the SOS List is; and if he will make a statement. [235842]
Jonathan Shaw: The designation “SoS list” is a purely administrative marking to indicate the correspondence addressed to the Secretary of State which should normally receive a reply from the Secretary of State. The designation has no other significance in relation to how correspondence is handled by the Department.
Because the Department uses a single database for both correspondence and parliamentary questions, the marking also appears on internal documents relating to questions. It has no significance whatsoever in relation to the handling of parliamentary questions.
State Retirement Pensions: Females
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2008, Official Report, columns 868-69W, on the state retirement pension, if he will estimate the number of women who will be entitled to (a) lump sum pension backpayments only, (b) lump sum backpayments and home responsibilities protection (HRP) and (c) HRP only by the end of the special exercise; and what his estimate is of the cost to the public purse in each case at the end of the exercise. [235941]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 17 November 2008]: The information requested is not available because it is too early in the special exercise to allow the results to date to be reliably extrapolated.
UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when the Government plan to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities; and if he will make a statement; [238282]
(2) what assessment he has made of the compatibility of UK legislation with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [238283]
Jonathan Shaw: The Ministry of Defence, Home Office and Department for Children, Schools and Families are finalising the texts of the small number of reservations/interpretative declarations that they want in their policy areas, to enable us to move towards ratification of the convention. We are continuing to explore whether there are any compatibility issues in respect of measures relating to the exercise of legal capacity, and my Department is considering the need for a reservation in this area in respect of the review of arrangements for benefit appointees. Issues in respect of aspects of mental health legislation; choice of place of residence; and cultural services (interpretative measures) to which reference was made in the written statement of 6 May 2008, Official Report, column 30WS, "UN Convention on Disability Rights", made by my predecessor as Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire, have been resolved. Reservations/interpretative declarations will not be needed for these.
My ambition is that we will ratify this convention in spring 2009.
Unemployment
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Vale of York constituency and (b) the UK were classified as unemployed and actively seeking work in each of the last five years. [237096]
Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated November 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about what estimate has been made of the number of people in (a) Vale of York constituency and (b) the UK who were unemployed and actively seeking work in each of the last five years. (237096)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions, which includes the requirement for people to be actively seeking work to be classed as unemployed.
Table 1, attached, shows the number of people aged 16+, resident in (a) the Vale of York constituency and (b) the UK who were unemployed in each of the last five years. Estimates are provided for the 12 month period ending in February 2004 from the annual LFS, and for 12 month periods ending in March from 2005 to 2008 from the APS.
The UK estimates in the table have been compiled using the same source as those for the Vale of York and are different from the unemployment figures published in the Labour Market First Release.
As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
| Table 1: Persons in unemployment( 1) in (a) the Vale of York and (b) the United Kingdom in each of the last five years | ||
| Thousand | ||
| 12 months ending | Vale of York | United Kingdom |
| (1) Levels of unemployment are provided for persons aged 16 and over. The figures presented are weighted to population estimates published in 2007. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality as follows: Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 < CV < 5 Estimates are considered precise. ** 5 < CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise. *** 10 < CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable. **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes. Source: Annual Population Survey and annual Labour Force Survey | ||
Unemployment Benefits: Foreigners
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many foreign (a) EU and (b) non-EU nationals have obtained (i) jobseeker’s allowance, (ii) incapacity benefit and (iii) income support in each of the last 10 years; and how much each category of person has received of each type of support in each of those years. [233685]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 6 November 2008]: The information requested is not available.
Winter Fuel Payments: Bolsover
Mr. Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Bolsover constituency received the winter fuel payment in (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005, (d) 2006 and (e) 2007. [238081]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The number of people in Bolsover receiving winter fuel payments is as follows:
| Bolsover constituency | |
| Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest five up to 2004-05 and nearest . from 2005-06 onwards. 2. Parliamentary constituencies, local authorities and Government office regions are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. Source: Information directorate 100 per cent data. | |
Information relating to winter fuel payments for 2007-08 is not yet available.
Children, Schools and Families
Education Maintenance Allowance
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils who have been in receipt of the education maintenance allowance have not gained a qualification and are no longer in education and training. [226486]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold information about applications made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the LSC’s Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 20 November 2008:
I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question 226486 that asked:
“How many pupils who have been in receipt of the education maintenance allowance have not gained a qualification and are no longer in education and training.”
Unfortunately the Learning and Skills Council are unable to supply this information as the Individual Learner Record returns for the 2007/08 year, which contains this information, have not at this time been finalised. However in 2007 the Institute for Fiscal Studies carried out an evaluation of the impact of EMA on attainment using new data sets. The study found that EMA had increased attainment at levels 2 and 3 by around 2 percentage points for male learners and 2.5 percentage points for female learners — this calculation included all learners, both EMA and non- EMA.
Further calculations suggest that attainment rates at levels 2 and 3 will be higher for those learners who received EMA compared to those with similar characteristics who did not—7 percentage points for female EMA learners and 5 percentage points for male EMA learners.
The research and consultancy group RCU also carried out an independent evaluation of the impact of EMA on the success of 16 year old learners following the national rollout of the scheme in 2004 and found that the success rates were 1.2 percentage points higher on the learning aims of those learners in receipt of EMA, compared to those who were not in receipt of EMA.
Education Maintenance Allowance: Enfield
Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people received education maintenance allowance in the London Borough of Enfield in each year since it was introduced. [235441]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold information about payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the LSC’s Chief Executive, has written to the right hon. Member for Enfield North with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 20 November 2008:
I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question 235441 that asked;
“How many people received education maintenance allowance in the London Borough of Enfield in each year since they were established.”
Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority Level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
In the first year of national roll out EMA was available to all 16 year olds across England and to 17 and 18 year olds in former pilot areas (young people who are 19 are entitled to receive EMA in certain circumstances). In 2005/06 EMA roll out continued and EMA was available to all 16 and 17 year olds nationally. In 2006/07 EMA was available to all 16,17 and 18 year olds nationally.
EMA take-up for Enfield Local Authority area during each academic year since inception is as follows:
2004/05—1,337
2005/06—2,639
2006/07—3,499
2007/08—3,764
2008/09—774 (to end October 08)
EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 is available on the LSC website, at the following address:
Educational Maintenance Allowance: Crosby
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people (a) are eligible for and (b) claim education maintenance allowance in Crosby constituency. [236677]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold information about applications made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the LSC’s Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member for Crosby with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 20 November 2008:
I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question 236677 that asked;
“How many people (a) are eligible for and (b) claim education maintenance allowance in Crosby constituency”.
We do not hold data on the number of learners potentially eligible for education maintenance allowance (EMA). Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received EMA is available at Local Authority Level, but not at Constituency Level.
In the 2008/09 academic year to date a total of 2,897 Notices of Entitlement (NOEs) have been issued across the Sefton Local Authority area and of these 2,594 young people have received at least one payment.
EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 is available on the LSC website, at the following address:
http.7/www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/Data/statistics/leamer/EMA take up.htm.
Lone Parents: Tamworth
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children under the age of 11 live in single-parent families in the Tamworth constituency. [237339]
Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated November 2008:
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