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22 Apr 2009 : Column 772W—continued


Motability

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost of vehicle adaptations provided by the Motability scheme was in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [268192]

Jonathan Shaw: Motability is an independent charitable company and is responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme. As Motability provides many vehicle adaptations free of charge and the cost of others are met by a combination of the customers’ own contribution and financial assistance from the scheme, it is not practical for Motability to produce a single average cost figure of vehicle adaptations.

Further information about Motability can be obtained directly from the scheme at the following address:

New Deal for Lone Parents

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many individuals in each region have been on the New Deal for Lone Parents (a) in each year since its inception and (b) in each of the last eight quarters; [268860]

(2) how many 18 to 24 year olds in each region have been on the New Deal for Lone Parents (a) in each year since its inception and (b) in each of the last eight quarters. [268861]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 20 April 2009]: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

New Deal Schemes

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals have been on the (a) new deal 25 plus, (b) new deal 50 plus, (c) new deal for partners, (d) new deal for disabled people and (e) new deal for musicians programmes in each region (i) in each year since their inception and (ii) in each of the last eight quarters. [268844]

Mr. McNulty: The available information has been placed in the Library.

New Deal for Musicians is an integral part of New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus, and is not recorded separately.

New Deal Schemes: Young People

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in each region were on the new deal for young people (a) in each year since its inception and (b) in each of the last eight quarters. [268843]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2009, Official Report, column 1793W, on incapacity benefit, how many claimants of both incapacity benefit and employment support allowance there were aged (a) under 30 years and (b) under 40 years categorised by the condition limiting their capability for work in the most recent year for which figure are available; and
22 Apr 2009 : Column 773W
if he will set out on the same basis figures for those who have been in receipt of both benefits for five years or more. [263644]

Jonathan Shaw: DWP will be publishing National Statistics on Employment and Support Allowance in summer 2009. The available information has been placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what recent meetings with (a) representatives of companies selling and (b) independent experts on voice risk analysis technology (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in his Department have had in the last three years; and if he will make a statement; [265846]

(2) what research his Department has (a) undertaken, (b) commissioned and (c) evaluated on the effects of the use of voice risk analysis technology in benefit claim procedures on rates of error and fraud in such procedures; [265847]

(3) how many people have been prosecuted for benefit fraud as a result of information originally obtained using voice risk analysis technology since such technology was introduced; and if he will make a statement; [265848]

(4) how many people have had the payment of a benefit terminated as a result of investigations triggered by indications of risk from voice risk analysis technology since the introduction of such technology; and if he will make a statement; [265849]

(5) how many investigations of benefits claims have been instigated as a result of voice risk analysis technology providing an indication of risk since the introduction of such technology; and if he will make a statement; [265850]

(6) in how many telephone conversations between benefits staff and claimants voice risk analysis technology has been deployed since the pilot introduction of such technology. [265851]

Jonathan Shaw: In the last six months, there have been twice monthly telephone conversations between officials and the company selling the software to help ensure that the operation of the pilots runs smoothly. These are supplemented by face to face visits between officials and the company selling the software, and attendance at workshops as and when required.

Previous Ministers attended presentations and events with representatives of the company selling the software on three occasions.

There have been no meetings with independent experts in the field of voice risk analysis at this time.

The Department’s assessment of its voice risk analysis trials during 2007-08 in Jobcentre Plus and local authorities, and details of its evaluation methodology, has been made available. I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 11 March 2009, Official Report, columns 19-20WS.

The Department has not commissioned external research bodies at this time. Departmental statisticians are conducting the research and they are required to offer independent advice to support the policy formulation.


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At this stage, the Department has not estimated the impact of the rates of fraud and error detected or prevented via voice risk analysis on the national stock of fraud and error. Such estimates will be calculated should the voice risk analysis process prove effective at discriminating between high and low risk customers.

The information from voice risk analysis calls was not used to prosecute customers for benefit fraud or terminate customer’s benefits. In the pilots, voice risk analysis technology was used to trigger subsequent reviews of both high and low risk cases. As a result of these reviews, information could come to light that could lead to a prosecution or benefit termination but that decision would not rely on the results from the voice risk analysis call but on the information provided in the subsequent review.

During the pilots, there were no prosecutions from any of the reviews exercises.

The proportion of case changes are available across the pilots and have been previously reported. I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 11 March 2009, Official Report, columns 19-20WS. However, the proportion of these case changes that were terminations is not reliably available across the first phase of pilots.

There have been no benefit claim investigations instigated as a result of voice risk analysis. The information from voice risk analysis calls has not been used of itself to determine investigations of customers benefit. Voice risk analysis technology has been used to trigger subsequent reviews of both high and low risk cases and there were a total of 787 reviews in Jobcentre Plus and a further 1,998 reviews in local authorities.

There were 1,676 telephone conversations between benefit staff and customers in Jobcentre Plus, of which a sample of 787 were reviewed and included in the final evaluation. From the first phase of local authority trials there were 6,816 telephone conversation between staff and customers, of which 1,998 were reviewed and included in the final evaluation.

State Retirement Pensions

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of individuals who will reach state pension age in (a) 2010, (b) 2015 and (c) 2020 with no additional pension provision beyond the state pension. [267274]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government are committed to encouraging people to save for the future in private pension arrangements. The introduction of auto-enrolment and Personal Accounts in 2012 will reinforce this commitment, encouraging individuals to contribute to their own future pension income. As a result, the number of individuals reaching state pension age with no private pension income is estimated to decline over the next 10 years.

The number of individuals reaching state pension age (SPA) in 2010, 2015 and 2020 with no additional pension provision beyond that of the state (i.e. no private pension provision) is shown in the following table.


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Year SPA is reached Number of individuals with no private pension income Individuals with no private pension income as a percentage of all those reaching SPA (percentage)

2010

200,000

25

2015

150,000

22

2020

100,000

17

Notes:
1. Figures are for Great Britain and are rounded to the nearest 50,000.
2. There is considerable uncertainty over future estimates of private pension provision; the number of individuals choosing to save in a private pension may alter over time according to the macro-economic environment and individual circumstances and preferences. Therefore, the estimates should only be seen as indicative.
Source:
DWP modelling

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people of working age in each age group without any form of pension saving outside the basic state pension in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [269472]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is presented in the following tables.

The introduction of auto-enrolment and personal accounts in 2012 is intended to increase private pension coverage by making it easier and more attractive for those workers not currently saving privately to do so. We estimate that between six to nine million people will be newly saving or saving more from the reforms.


22 Apr 2009 : Column 776W
Proportion of working age population contributing to a private pension by age, Great Britain
Percentage

20-29 30-39 40-49 50 to SPA Total

1999-2000

32

53

55

42

46

2000-01

30

52

55

42

45

2001-02

30

52

56

42

45

2002-03

28

51

55

43

45

2003-04

27

50

54

42

44

2004-05

25

48

53

43

43

2005-06

24

47

51

43

42


Number of working age population contributing to a private pension by age, Great Britai n
Million

20-29 30-39 40-49 50 to SPA Total

1999-2000

2.3

4.7

4.1

3.5

14.5

2000-01

2.2

4.6

4.1

3.5

14.5

2001-02

2.2

4.6

4.3

3.6

14.7

2002-03

2.0

4.5

4.3

3.7

14.6

2003-04

1.9

4.4

4.3

3.7

14.3

2004-05

1.8

4.1

4.2

3.8

13.9

2005-06

1.7

4.0

4.2

3.8

13.7

Notes:
1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). 2005-06 is the latest year for which these data are available.
2. Private pension refers to either an occupational, personal or stakeholder pension scheme.
3. Working age is 20 to state pension age (SPA); 20-59 for women and 20-64 for men.
4. FRS survey data are taken at a point in time. People who do not have private pension provision in a given year can save later on in life or may have had private pensions in the past.
Source:
Family Resources Survey, Great Britain, 1999-2000 to 2005-06.

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