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10 Feb 2009 : Column 1806W—continued
Pensioners: Winter Fuel Payments
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Government has spent on help for pensioners with fuel bills in each year since 1991. [250734]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government have implemented a number of measures to assist older people with their fuel bills, including winter fuel payments and cold weather payments.
Information relating to the expenditure on winter fuel payments and cold weather payments is provided in the following tables.
| £ million | ||
| Expenditure on winter fuel payments (GB) | Expenditure on cold weather payments (GB)( 1) | |
| (1) Figures for winter fuel payments are for people aged 60 and over. Figures for cold weather payments are the total expenditure paid to all client groups. It is not possible to split cold weather payment expenditure between pensioners and others. For 2008-09, the proportion of benefit units eligible for cold weather payments which included a pensioner is 63 per cent. (Source: based on analysis of Quarterly Statistical Enquiries and Tax Credit data.) (2) Amount below £0.5 million. Source: DWP Accounting Data | ||
This year the winter fuel payment has increased from £200 to £250 for households with someone aged 60-79 and from £300 to £400 for households with some aged 80 or over.
This year there is also a temporary increase in cold weather payments from £8.50 to £25.
Since 1997, VAT on fuel and power dropped from 8 per cent. to 5 per cent. This reduced a typical customer's bill by around £16 per year at a cost to the Government of £450 million per year.
Since 2000 the Government have spent £1.85 billion on the warm front scheme which provides grants to help people on low incomes, including pensioners, with energy efficiency measures.
Post Office Card Account
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to his Department, excluding claims for compensation, of the tendering and bidding process for the Post Office card account. [241202]
Ms Rosie Winterton: It is not possible to give the full costs incurred by DWP on the procurement exercise. The direct salary costs (including on-costs) of the staff who worked full-time on this exercise, which extended over a 22 month period, were some £700,000. Some of these costs would have been incurred in any event to put in place a new contract with the Post Office had it been decided originally that it should be renewed. In addition, a number of other staff contributed to the procurement process alongside their other duties.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 19 November 2008, Official Report, columns 561-62W, on the Post Office card account, if he will take steps to make the best possible estimate of 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. [241316]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I wrote to the hon. Member on 9 December 2008. As I said in my letter, it is not possible to give the full costs incurred by DWP on the procurement exercise. The direct salary costs (including on-costs) of the staff who worked full-time on this exercise, which extended over a 22-month period, were some £700,000. Some of these costs would have been incurred in any event to put in place a new contract with the Post Office had it been decided originally that it should be renewed. In addition, a number of other staff contributed to the procurement process alongside their other duties.
State Retirement Pensions
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value of the additional pension paid at the age of 80 would be if it had been indexed to (a) earnings and (b) prices since 1997. [253565]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The value of the age addition, paid at age 80, if indexed to (a) earnings and (b) prices since 1997, is shown in the following table.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with commoners' associations on permitting them to act as the vehicle for the allocation of single farm payments on common land. [249573]
Jane Kennedy: As a result of recent discussions with commoners’ associations further consideration is being given to this issue.
Birds: Nature Conservation
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2009, Official Report, column 707W, on birds: nature conservation, if he will take steps to monitor the effectiveness of sales controls provided for in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as measures to protect species removed from Schedule 4. [255705]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 9 February 2009]: My Department considers it would be disproportionate to monitor sales of non-CITES species sold under a general licence, especially when the numbers of birds in captivity and demand by aviculturalists is relatively low, and evidence of illegal taking is negligible for the species.
Should any evidence come to light to the contrary, we would consider what steps to take in conjunction with advice from Natural England.
Carbon Emissions
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 28 October 2008, Official Report, column 846W, on carbon emissions, what the timetable is for the completion of the navigator waste infrastructure research study. [252719]
Jane Kennedy: It is anticipated that the executive summary of the Navigator study will be completed by spring 2009.
Departmental Advertising
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on advertising in (a) the last 12 months and (b) 1997. [247595]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The figures as follows shows how much DEFRA has spent through COI on campaign advertising in the last 12 months.
From January 2008—March 2008 the ACT ON CO2 spend was approximately £685,000 (press and online advertising).
From April 2008 to December 2008 the ACT ON CO2 spend was approximately £6,700,000 (TV, press, radio and digital advertising).
Spend on non-ACT ON CO2 advertising over the last 12 months comes to £137,100:
| £ | |
Advertisements placed via the DEFRA recruitment and statutory advertising contract for the period January 2008 to December 2009:
Recruitment advertising—£381,019.29
Statutory advertising—£70,851.76
All figures include fees and are exclusive of VAT.
As a number of DEFRA’s recruitment adverts are placed through the Cabinet Office framework as part of a whole advertising campaign (campaigns can include the preparation of application packs, advertisements, sifting and assessments) it is not possible to split out the advertising element at a proportionate cost.
DEFRA was formed in June 2001. Information on the advertising spend of legacy departments is not held centrally and could only be collated at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Air Travel
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 162W, on departmental air travel, if he will place in the Library figures for 2007-08. [241676]
Huw Irranca-Davies: From information held centrally, 2007-2008 air travel mileage figures available currently for all Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF) participants are as follows:
| Participant | Domestic miles | Short-haul miles | Long-haul miles | Total miles |
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