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26 Jan 2009 : Column 82W—continued
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people flowed on to (a) contribution-based and (b) income-based jobseeker's allowance in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [244553]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 16 December 2008]: The available information is in the following table.
| Number of flows onto jobseeker's allowance by type | |||
| As at August each year | Total income-based and contribution-based | Income-based | Contribution-based |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Annual flows totals have been derived from quarterly data and based on the last four quarters of data available. 3. Claimants can be in receipt of both income-based and contribution-based jobseeker's allowance, and therefore may appear in both columns. A total number of flows onto jobseeker's allowance has therefore been produced separately. Source: DWP Information Directorate 5 percent terminations dataset | |||
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 January 2009, Official Report, columns 2-4WS, whether he plans to revise the (a) savings and earnings disregards and (b) tariff income applied to jobseeker’s allowance claimants’ savings; [250824]
(2) if he will suspend the business assets disposal rule for new customers applying for jobseeker’s allowance; [250825]
(3) if he will (a) suspend and (b) revise the (i) savings disregards, (ii) earnings disregards and (iii) tariff incomes for savings for jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) customers moving from contribution-based JSA to means-tested JSA in 2009-10. [250844]
Mr. McNulty: There are no plans to change the income and capital rules used when determining eligibility to jobseeker’s allowance.
The additional funding for this Department announced in last year’s pre-Budget report and other measures have helped to ensure that people continue to leave jobseeker’s allowance quickly, the great majority within six months of claiming. The new measures announced on 12 January will provide additional help for people who are still unemployed after six months. The Government’s aim is to do everything they can to help people into jobs.
Parliamentary Questions: Government Responses
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to respond substantively to (a) Question 241441, on provision of emergency support for Jobcentre Plus customers, tabled on 4 December 2008 and (b) Question 245228, on payment of child maintenance to parents with care, tabled on 15 December 2008; and what the reason is for the time taken to reply is in each case. [250917]
Kitty Ussher: I replied to the hon. Member’s questions (a) 241441 on 22 January 2009, Official Report, columns 1443-44W, and (b) 245228 on 21 January 2009, Official Report, column 1687W. I apologise for the delay in replying to these questions, which was due to the time required to conduct and check the relevant analysis.
Pension Protection Fund: Hertfordshire
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed pension payments from the pension protection fund in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire in each of the last five years. [246559]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Pension Protection Fund was set up to protect members of eligible defined benefit and hybrid pension schemes. Individuals do not need to make a claim to be eligible for PPF compensation.
The PPF commenced operations in April 2005 and the first schemes transferred to the PPF in December 2006.
As at 30 November 2007 there were 1,167 members receiving compensation from the PPF, with 6,024 members due to receive compensation in future as it falls due. 75 members receiving compensation and 370 deferred members resided in the South East of England (excluding London).
As at 30 November 2008 there were 7,703 members receiving compensation from the PPF, with 12,942 members due to receive compensation in future as it falls due. 439 members receiving compensation and 733 deferred members resided in the South East of England (excluding London).
A breakdown of the aforementioned figures below regional level is not available.
While in the PPF assessment period, the process which determines whether a scheme transfers to the PPF, the trustees remain responsible for the running of the scheme with benefits being paid to members at PPF levels when they fall due. As at 30 November 2008 there were 121,300 scheme members, across the UK, in the assessment period.
Poverty: Children
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are being taken to reduce levels of relative child poverty in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire. [249060]
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 and children in the poorest fifth of the population are, on average, £4,100 a year better off than in 1997. The measures we announced in the pre-Budget report 2008 will increase this to £4,400 from April 2009. These measures will continue to benefit children in Hemel Hempstead and Hertfordshire.
In addition, Government measures over the past two years will result in lifting around a further 500,000 children from relative poverty. Our plans for reducing levels of child poverty in England were set out in “Ending child poverty: everybody’s business”, which is available in the Library.
Sick Leave: Musculoskeletal Disorders
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate has been made of the number of working days lost due to musculoskeletal conditions in the last three years. [249270]
Jonathan Shaw: The estimated number of working days lost in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08, taken by people who believed that they were suffering from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder, are given in the following table:
| Estimated full-day equivalent working days lost (in thousands) due to self-reported work-related musculoskeletal disorders | |||
| 95 (per cent.) C.I. | |||
| Central | Lower | Upper | |
| Notes: 1. 95 per cent. C.I.: 95 per cent. confidence interval, the range within which we are 95 per cent. confident that the true value lies in the absence of bias. 2. Figures for earlier years are available on HSE's website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/0708/swit1.htm Source: Labour Force Survey | |||
Social Fund
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individual applications to the Social Fund for (a) community care grants, (b) budgeting loans and (c) crisis loans there were in each month from July to December 2008. [250891]
Kitty Ussher: The available information is in the following table.
| Discretionary social fund applications received in Great Britain from July to December 2008 | |||
| Number of applications received | |||
| 2008 | Community care grants | Budgeting loans | Crisis loans |
| Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System. | |||
Social Services: Private Sector
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of regulation of private sector contracted welfare services for incapacity benefits claimants at a typical investment rate of £62,000 as proposed by David Freud. [244200]
Jonathan Shaw: The White Paper (Cmnd 7560, published 10 December 2008) announced our intention to pilot the approach recommended by David Freud. One outcome from these pilots will be information on the cost of managing the contracts that we shall let.
State Retirement Pensions
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women he estimates will begin claiming the basic state pension between the end of the first full week in December 2008 and the end of (i) January and (ii) February 2009. [246583]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is not available on a weekly basis. The estimated numbers of people who are expected to claim the basic state pension from the beginning of December 2008 is given in the following table.
| December 2008 to January 2009 | December 2008 to February 2009 | |
| Notes: 1. Estimates are rounded to the nearest thousand claims. 2. Estimates include claims from residents of Great Britain and those residing overseas. 3. Some individuals may not claim until some time after they reach state pension age (65 for men and 60 for women). 4. Individuals are considered here to begin claiming at the point at which their claim is processed. Source: DWP forecasts | ||
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methodology was used to calculate the additional entitlement to the state pension for those over 80 years of age. [246756]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The weekly age addition was introduced in 1971 for those pensioners over the age of 80. This amount has not been uprated by successive Governments.
State Retirement Pensions: Overseas Residence
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of recent exchange rate fluctuations on UK pensioners resident abroad. [248820]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Pensions paid to UK residents abroad are always subject to fluctuations in exchange rates which means that the local purchasing power of the state pension can go up and down.
All economies are vulnerable to the effects of global financial markets. While the Government understands the difficulties current exchange rates are causing for some pensioners who choose to live abroad, no assessment has been made of the effect of recent exchange rate fluctuations on UK pensioners resident abroad.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what reservations his Department is seeking in relation to the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [248195]
Jonathan Shaw: My Department has been considering the implications of article 12.4 of the convention on the arrangements whereby a person may be appointed to exercise rights in relation to social security claims and payments on behalf of an individual who is for the time being unable to act.
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