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26 Nov 2008 : Column 2022W—continued
| Housing benefit and council tax benefit recipients | ||||||
| Housing benefit recipients aged 60 or over | Council tax benefit recipients aged 60 or over | Housing benefit recipients aged 65 or over | Council tax benefit recipients aged 65 or over | Housing benefit recipients aged 70 or over | Council tax benefit recipients aged 70 or over | |
| Notes: 1. The figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 2. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 3. The figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand. 4. Council tax benefit figures exclude any single adult rebate cases. Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 1997 to 2004. | ||||||
Personal Injury
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many personal injury claims against his Department from its employees arose out of the floods in June 2007; and which of his Department's districts such claims relate to. [233169]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions took receipt of one personal injury claim from an employee that arose from the floods in June 2007. The claim relates to Sheffield district (within Jobcentre Plus).
Post Office Card Account
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2008, Official Report, columns 561-62W, on the Post Office card account, if he will estimate the cost to his Department of the tendering and bidding process for the Post Office card account; and what information his Department holds on the costs of the processes. [238559]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 24 November 2008]: It is not possible to give a precise figure for my Department’s costs in undertaking the procurement exercise, but I shall write to the hon. Member with an estimate of the costs of the staff directly involved in the procurement and will place a copy of my letter in the Library.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much compensation will be paid to failed bidders for the Post Office Card Account contract. [238632]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The other bidders who were still in the competition at the point at which it was halted will be reimbursed for their reasonable bid costs. The precise amounts payable will be subject to commercial confidentiality.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2008, Official Report, columns 561-62W, on the Post Office card account, what were the names of the other bidders who were still in the competition at the point it was halted. [239459]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 25 November 2008]: The identity of the other bidders is subject to the normal principles of commercial confidentiality and it would not, therefore, be appropriate to make their names public.
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of (a) conducting the review into the operation of and (b) placing the contract for the Post Office card account. [239819]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The contract to be entered into with the Post Office for delivery of a successor to the current Post Office card account will be commercially confidential. It is not possible to give a precise figure for my Department’s costs in undertaking the procurement exercise, but I shall write to the hon. Member with an estimate of the costs of the staff directly involved in the procurement and will place a copy of my letter in the Library.
Poverty: Children
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps the Government have taken towards their target to end child poverty by 2020. [238383]
Kitty Ussher: Some 600,000 children have been lifted out of relative poverty since 1998-99. Government measures over the past two years will lift around a further 500,000 children from relative poverty.
As a result of the support we have introduced, families with children in the poorest fifth of the population are already on average £4,100 a year better off than in 1997. The measures that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced in the pre-Budget report will increase this to £4,400 by 2009-10.
The pre-Budget report also announced that the commitment to increase the child element of the child tax credit by £25 above indexation will be brought forward from April 2010 to this coming April. A £50 increase had already been planned from that date so from April 2009 the child element will therefore rise by £75 above indexation to £2,235.
Planned increases in child benefit, from £18.80 per week to £20 for the first child and from £12.55 to £13.20 for subsequent children, will also be brought forward to this January.
We have made substantial progress but we are not complacent. Despite the scale of the challenge, the Government's commitment to tackling child poverty is stronger than ever. The Prime Minister's recent announcement of our intention to legislate gives us renewed impetus.
We are investing in public services, such as education, health care and housing, which play a key role in overcoming some of the immediate effects of growing
up in poverty, and have provided poor children with opportunities to enhance their life chances and break cycles of deprivation. Hundreds of thousands of families have been helped by new tax credits, better public services and a renewed welfare state.
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are being taken by his Department to help eradicate child poverty in Leeds, West constituency. [238805]
Kitty Ussher: We have made substantial progress in tackling child poverty. 600,000 children have been lifted out of relative poverty since 1998-99. As a result of the support we have introduced, families with children in the poorest fifth of the population, including those in Leeds, West, are on average £4,100 a year better off than in 1997. The measures announced in the pre-Budget report 2008 will increase this to £4,400 by 2009-10. In addition, Government measures over the past two years will result in lifting around a further 500,000 children from relative poverty.
The target of eradicating child poverty by 2020 cannot be achieved by Government alone. It requires sustained national, regional and local effort. Eradicating child poverty is a priority across Leeds. The Leeds local area agreement sets out the priorities for the city including several indicators which will impact on child poverty: reducing the numbers of 16 to 18 year olds not in education, training or employment; reducing the number of working age people on out of work benefits; and improving the skills of the working age population.
Leeds city council has recently been shortlisted for Beacon status, a prestigious award scheme that recognises excellence in local government, for their approach to preventing and tackling child poverty. Key themes for the council and its partners, including Jobcentre Plus, are: tackling the entrenched causes of poverty; reducing worklessness; promoting work readiness; improving financial inclusion; and raising attainment.
Redundancy
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many staff in his Department left under (a) involuntary and (b) voluntary staff exit schemes in each year since 2005-06; how many of them in each case were paid (i) up to £25,000, (ii) £25,001 to £50,000, (iii) £50,001 to £75,000, (iv) £75,001 to £100,000 and (v) over £100,000 in the year before they left; and how much (A) was spent in each of those years and (B) is planned to be spent on such schemes in (1) 2008-09 and (2) 2009-10 by (Y) his Department and (Z) each of his Department's agencies; [237342]
(2) how many of his Department's staff who left under (a) an involuntary and (b) a voluntary exit scheme in each year since 2005-06 received a severance package of (i) up to £25,000, (ii) £25,001 to £50,000, (iii) £50,001 to £75,000, (iv) £75,001 to £100,000 and (v) over £100,000; and if he will make a statement. [239166]
Jonathan Shaw: No staff have left under involuntary staff exit schemes, but 108 staff have acquiesced to leave on compulsory redundancy terms.
Table 1 shows the number of staff who left the Department and its agencies on staff exit schemes in each financial year since 2005-06 together with total costs.
Individual rates of pay for members of staff in the year before they left and consequently a breakdown by the bandings in the question is only available at disproportionate cost.
| Table 1 | |||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
| Note: The cost shown for 2007-08 is subject to final reconciliation of accounts. | |||
The Department's three-year plan for 2008 to 2011, published in February 2008, contained planning assumptions of headcount reductions of around 12,000 between April 2008 and March 2011.
However, the recent increase in unemployment will have an impact on departmental staffing levels. Future staffing plans, including the requirement for any managed staff exits are being actively reviewed as part of the Department's planning process.
Table 2 shows the number of staff who left the Department and its Agencies on all types of staff exit schemes in each year since 2005-06, grouped by the value of their severance package:
| Table 2 | |||
| Cost of package | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
| Note: The figures include the cost of any lump sum payments. | |||
Remploy
Mr. Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken in the last two years to assist those who have lost their jobs due to the closures of Remploy factories. [238670]
Jonathan Shaw: The Secretary of State guaranteed that no disabled factory employee would be made compulsorily redundant as a result of the changes announced in the modernisation plan and that any disabled employee who wanted to stay a Remploy employee on Remploy terms and conditions, could do so.
Remploy are working with former disabled factory employees who opted to remain as company employees, to find alternative mainstream jobs. For those disabled people who need extra support, Remploy are working with local social firms and charities to provide a more supportive environment. In addition, Remploy are continuing to offer support in finding another job, to their former disabled factory employees who opted to take voluntary redundancy or early retirement, if they so wish.
Local Jobcentre Plus staff has worked with Remploy to provide help and advice to its employees since December
2007. Remploy employees have had access to jobseeking and benefits advice and to a local disability employment adviser, where required.
Where appropriate, Jobcentre Plus liaised with local Remploy advisers to provide vacancy information and immediate access to Jobcentre Plus programmes and provision.
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