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21 Apr 2009 : Column 642W—continued
Council Tax Benefit
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of raising the income level at which a household no longer receives full council tax benefit (a) to £174 for a single person between the ages of 60 and 74 and (b) to £177 for a single person aged over 75 years. [266519]
Kitty Ussher [holding answer 25 March 2009]: The following table shows estimates of the cost and number of council tax benefit (CTB) beneficiaries; and the saving and number of losers, if the following changes are made to the income level at which a household no longer receives CTB:
Option 1: Income level for single people between 60 and 74 set to £174
Option 2: Income level for single people over 75 set to £177.
| Change applicable amounts in CTB for some groups | |||||
| Change in applicable amount | Number of beneficiaries | Cost in annually managed expenditure (£ million per year) | Number of losers | Saving in annually managed expenditure (£ million per year) | Impact on annually managed expenditure (£ million per year) |
| Notes: 1. All figures are for Great Britain. 2. Beneficiaries and losers are rounded to the nearest 10,000. Costs and savings are rounded to the nearest £10 million. These estimates include both customers who gain/lose and those who become or lose entitlement to the benefit. 3. Each beneficiary represents a benefit unit, which can be a single claimant or a couple. 4. The impact is estimated using the Department’s Policy Simulation Model for 2008-09, using data from the 2006-07 Family Resources Survey uprated to 2008-09 prices, benefit rates and earnings levels, and is calibrated to latest published forecasts and policies. 5. Results are subject to sampling and reporting errors and estimation assumptions, and are therefore indicative only. No behavioural changes are assumed. | |||||
Crisis Loans
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of payments from the Social Fund were for crisis loans in the latest period for which information was available; and what other types of payments were made during that period. [268703]
Kitty Ussher: The available information is given in the following table.
| Crisis loan gross expenditure as a percentage of total social fund gross expenditure in Great Britain for 2007-08 | |
| Percentage | |
| Note: Apart from crisis loans, the other types of social fund payments made during 2007-08 were: winter fuel payments, Sure Start maternity grants, cold weather payments, funeral payments, community care grants and budgeting loans. Source: Annual report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the social fund 2007-08 and, for winter fuel payments, the unrounded version corresponding to the table 3 entry at: www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/medium_term.asp | |
Crisis Loans: Telephone Services
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the average waiting time for calls made to the Crisis Loans Direct helpline to be answered was in each of the last 12 months; [266649]
(2) how many telephone calls were (a) made to and (b) answered by the Crisis Loans Direct helpline in each of the last 12 months. [266650]
Kitty Ussher [holding answer 26 March 2009]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to respond to your questions on what the average waiting time for calls to the Crisis Loans Direct helpline to be answered was in each of the last 12 months and how many telephone calls were (a) made to and (b) answered by the Crisis Loans Direct helpline in each of the last 12 months. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus does not have a Crisis Loan Direct helpline. Crisis Loans operate from 20 of our Benefit Delivery Centres (BDC's) across the country, each with a dedicated telephone number. Currently these BDC's do not operate on the same telephony platform. The information requested is therefore not available in the format requested, as the data cannot be compared. The roll-out of the Internet Protocol Contact Centre telephony platform into BDC's will provide us with comparable data by the summer.
In the last two years Crisis Loan applications have more than doubled and since July 2008 averaged around 230,000 applications per month. Since January 2009 we have seen further increases in applications to 275,000 for January and 272,000 for February 2009. This increase in demand means customers in some areas may not get through first time. There is, however, no evidence to suggest that people fail to get through ultimately.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of his Department's capital expenditure in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [268130]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department's Capital Budgets were published by HM Treasury as part of the pre-Budget report in November 2008. Please refer to page 214 of this report for the Department's Capital DEL—Departmental Expenditure Limit—estimated expenditure in (a) 2008-09 and planned Capital DEL expenditure in (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.
The Government have not set Departments' Capital DEL budgets for years beyond 2010-11. Capital DEL budgets for 2011-12 and beyond are a matter for the next spending review. The Government do, however, publish projections for PSNI (Public Sector Net Investment) over the forecast period at Budgets and pre-Budget reports.
Departmental Rail Travel
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department issues on whether members of staff may claim for travel in first class carriages on trains if there are no seats in standard class. [268542]
Jonathan Shaw: I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the section of the Department's Business Travel Policy which covers travel by rail; and placing a copy in the Library.
Disability Living Allowance
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for (1) what reasons attendance allowance has no component equivalent to the lower rate care component of disability living allowance; [268198]
(2) what recent representations he has received on the compatibility of the age limit on the disability living allowance with equalities legislation; and if he will make a statement; [268219]
(3) what recent representations he has received in support of allowing those aged 65 and over and in receipt of disability living allowance to claim a mobility component. [268220]
Jonathan Shaw: Disability living allowance is designed to provide extra help for those disabled relatively early in life who have had limited opportunities to earn and save. Once awarded, disability living allowance may continue in payment after the age of 65 if the entitlement conditions continue to be satisfied.
People who experience the onset of disability after the age of 65 receive help with their disability-related costs through attendance allowance which is based on the need for personal care. It is normal and consistent with domestic equality legislation for pensions and benefits schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives. Attendance allowance must be seen in the context of the interlocking nature of the social security scheme and the fact that the cut-off age will tend to coincide with a time when a person becomes entitled to a range of other benefits and services.
We have received a number of representations about the age limit in disability living allowance and will continue to keep it, as with other benefits, under review.
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department collects on the number of claimants of disability living allowance who use the mobility component to enable them to get to work. [268199]
Jonathan Shaw: We do not collect information about the number of claimants of disability living allowance who use the mobility component to enable them to get to work. Recipients can spend their benefit in the way that best fits their circumstances.
Empty Property
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) the Rent Service and (b) the Health and Safety Executive is in 2008-09. [258520]
Jonathan Shaw: With regard to the Rent Service the amount paid in business rates for vacant properties recorded on e-PIMS during 2008-9 is £21,304.64.
The estimated cost in business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database held on leasehold by the Health and Safety Executive in 2008-09 is £337,803.
Health and Safety Executive: Manpower
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff the Health and Safety Executive has relocated in response to the recommendations made by Sir Michael Lyons in his report on local government; and how many of those staff were (a) relocated prior to 31 March 2008 and (b) working in the Offshore Safety Division on the latest date for which figures are available. [266464]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 2 April 2009]: As at 31 March 2009, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has relocated a total of 157 posts out of London in response to the recommendations made by Sir Michael Lyons. Within this number, six staff have moved permanently with their posts and a further two are due to follow in the near future.
Of the 157 posts, 31 were relocated prior to 31 March 2008 and 10 were in the Offshore Safety Division (OSD).
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff are employed by the Health and Safety Executive at its (a) London and (b) Bootle offices; and how many staff were employed at those offices immediately prior to the publication of Sir Michael Lyons' report on local government in March 2007. [266465]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 2 April 2009]: As at 23 March 2009 the Health and Safety Executive employed 329 staff at its London office and 1,288 at the Bootle office.
The comparable figures for 31 March 2007 are 1,227 staff at the Bootle office and 528 staff at the London office.
Housing Benefit
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what expenditure his Department has incurred in the provision of housing benefit in each year since 1997 at 2008-09 prices. [266468]
Kitty Ussher: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 24 March 2009, Official Report, column 254W.
Housing Benefit: Elderly
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what his estimate is of the number of individuals over the age of (a) 65 and (b) 68 years who will receive housing benefit in (i) 2020, (ii) 2030 and (iii) 2050; [267276]
(2) who will receive council tax benefit in (i) 2020, (ii) 2030 and (iii) 2050. [267277]
Kitty Ussher: The information requested is not available. Such information as is available is in the following table.
| Pensioner households in receipt of housing benefit and council tax benefit: thousands | ||
| Households in receipt of housing benefit | Households in receipt of council tax benefit | |
| Notes: 1. These projections are of the number of benefit units in receipt of housing benefit or council tax benefit in the UK, with at least one person over State Pension Age. In 2020 State Pension Age will be 65, in 2030 it will be 66 and in 2050 it will be 68. 2. Numbers of households are rounded to the nearest 100,000. Source: Pre-Budget report 2008 projections. | ||
Industrial Health and Safety: Schools
Mr. Laws:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many serious injuries to school teachers caused by physical violence in schools in (a)
each local education authority area and (b) England were reported to the Health and Safety Executive in each year from 2000; and if he will make a statement. [266330]
Jonathan Shaw: Reported injuries to school teachers caused by physical violence since 2000 show that on average 189 incidents are reported to HSE by schools in England each year. There is no clear overall trend in the number of reported injuries across the period. A full breakdown of incidents reported in each local authority area and across England has been placed in the Library.
Jobcentre Plus
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobpoints have been set up outside Jobcentre Plus since their inception; and in what locations they have been set up. [261021]
Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked the acting chief executive to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many and in what locations Jobpoints have been set up outside Jobcentre Plus since their inception. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Locating Jobpoints with external partners is part of our vision to meet the challenge of helping more customers find jobs and remain in work using modern technology. In particular, we are keen to use this approach to focus more on customers with the greatest disadvantages and those who are not in touch with the labour market.
There are currently 108 Jobpoints located away from Jobcentre Plus offices. The locations of these Jobpoints are in the attached annex.
| Annex: Locations of Jobcentre Plus Jobpoints | ||
| Libraries | ||
| Name | Location | Number of jobpoints |
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