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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:


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21 Apr 2009 : Column 644W
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)

Option 1

190,000

40

10,000

0

40

Option 2

180,000

40

30,000

-10

30

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

Including Winter Fuel Payments

4.0

Excluding Winter Fuel Payments

12.8

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.

Letter from Mel Groves:

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]


21 Apr 2009 : Column 645W

(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]


21 Apr 2009 : Column 646W

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

2020

1,200

2,200

2030

1,200

2,100

2050

1,000

1,600

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)
21 Apr 2009 : Column 647W
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.

Letter from Mel Groves:


21 Apr 2009 : Column 648W
Annex: Locations of Jobcentre Plus Jobpoints
Libraries
Name Location Number of jobpoints

Ambleside

North West

1

Attleborough

East of England

1

Bakewell

East Midlands

1

Bewdley

West Midlands

1

Bramsholme

Yorks and Humber

2

Broadway

West Midlands

1

Brynmawr

Wales

1

Croxteth

North West

1

Dawlish

South West

1

Denbigh

Wales

1

Easterside

North East

1

Eckington

East Midlands

1

Gorleston

East of England

1

Grove Hill

North East

1

Hemlington

North East

1

Kelso

Scotland

1

Knighton

Wales

1

Loanhead

Scotland

1

Ludlow

West Midlands

1

MileCross

East of England

1

Newbridge

Wales

1

North Ormesby

North East

1

Peebles

Scotland

1

Prestatyn

Wales

1

Rhymney

Wales

1

Risca

Wales

1

Shotts

Scotland

1

Stourport

West Midlands

1

Swaffham

East of England

1

Watton

East of England

1

Wells Next sea

East of England

1

Ystrad

Wales

1


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