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13 May 2009 : Column 864W—continued
Rover Group: Pensions
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will meet a delegation of ex-Rover employees to discuss the Rover pension scheme. [272361]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I met the hon. Member in March to discuss the position of a number of individuals, including members of the Rover pension schemes, who took early retirement before the relevant scheme entered the pension protection fund (PPF).
PPF compensation payable to scheme members who are under the scheme's normal pension age when the sponsoring employer becomes insolvent is subject to the compensation cap. The compensation cap affects compensation payable to active and deferred members and those who take early retirement and remain under normal pension age at the point of insolvency unless that early retirement was on the grounds of ill health.
The cap ensures consistent treatment, based on age, relative to the trigger point for entry to the PPF. It also ensures that people who are able to take early retirement before the insolvency event are not placed in a more beneficial position than people who stay in employment.
A person who takes early retirement before the PPF becomes involved with the scheme is not treated any less favourably than a person under normal pension age who did not take early retirement. Both are eligible for the 90 per cent. level of compensation and both are subject to the compensation cap. While both will have the cap actuarially reduced if they draw compensation before age 65 the person who took early retirement before the PPF became involved could have had a number of years where they were in receipt of their pension at full rate and the PPF does not recover those amounts.
After careful consideration the Government has decided not to make any changes. We realise that this decision will be a disappointment for some people. Any change could impose extra costs and we need to bear in mind not only those people who receive PPF compensation but also those people who pay the PPF levy to enable that compensation to be paid.
Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the level of savings to the public purse which would result from the compulsory treatment of drug addicts and alcoholics in each of the next six financial years. [272257]
Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not currently available. We will pilot the new approach in a limited number of districts and evaluate carefully. This process will then inform future plans.
Social Security Benefits: Eligibility
Harry Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effects of payments received by individuals as the result of successful claims on (a) income protection insurance policies, (b) standalone payment
protection insurance policies and (c) accident, sickness or unemployment policies on the entitlement of those individuals to a means-tested state benefit; and if he will make a statement. [272627]
Mr. McNulty: Monies received from income protection, standalone payment protection and accident, sickness or unemployment policies are taken into account when calculating entitlement to the working age means tested benefits. In certain circumstances payments intended to cover housing costs, credit or hire-purchase agreements may be disregarded.
State pension credit, which is for a different type of client group, allows these types of payments to be disregarded.
State Retirement Pensions
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on state retirement pensions in each year since 1997. [272568]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is in the table. Total state pensions expenditure figures include contributory basic state pension, non-contributory basic state pension and additional state pension.
| Total expenditure on state pensions | ||
| £ million | ||
| Nominal terms | 2009-10 prices | |
| Notes: 1. All figures to 2007-08 are out-turn, figures for 2008-09 are our latest estimates 2. Figures are consistent with the Budget 2009 report and have been rounded to the nearest £ million. 3. Basic state pension expenditure includes graduated retirement pension. Additional state pension expenditure relates to the SERPS (state earnings-related pension scheme and the state second pension and includes lump sum payments made to pensioners who have deferred claiming their state pension. The state second pension began on 6 April 2002. 4. Real terms expenditure figures have been calculated using gross domestic product deflators updated after the 2009 Budget report on 22 April 2009 and published on the HM Treasury website. 5. Figures presented are also available on the DWP website through the following link: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp Source: DWP accounting data. | ||
Winter Fuel Payments
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cold weather payments were made to households in West Chelmsford constituency in each of the last five years. [254755]
Kitty Ussher: In each of the years 2004-05 to 2007-08, no cold weather payments were made to households in West Chelmsford constituency. In 2008-09, cold weather payments were triggered three times for West Chelmsford constituency, but an estimate of the total number of payments made is not available, by constituency, only by weather station.
Children, Schools and Families
Departmental Buildings
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on building maintenance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [274553]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Since April 2004, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and its predecessor has spent the following amounts on building maintenance on our four headquarter sites in London, Sheffield, Darlington and Runcorn:
| £ | |
Education: Assessments
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if his Department will bring forward plans to create a single unified examination board. [274088]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There are no plans to create a single awarding body. Ofqual recognises a number of different awarding bodies which offer GCSEs, A-levels, diplomas and other qualifications. This ensures teachers have choice and flexibility about the qualifications that are most suitable for their students.
Qualifications offered by independent organisations with, for example, links to universities are more likely to be credible and respected. The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learners Bill currently before Parliament would ensure that Ofqual has the powers to ensure maintenance of standards by and between the different awarding bodies.
Education: Expenditure
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of gross domestic product the Government have spent on education in each of the last 15 years. [273794]
Jim Knight: Details of expenditure as a proportion of GDP for the financial year 2008/09 are not yet available. Figures for the financial years 1993/94 to 2007/08, as published in the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2008 are provided in the following table.
| Percentage of GDP | |
Figures taken from the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2008, published 21 April 2008.
GCE A-level
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were entered for A-level examinations (a) including equivalents and (b) excluding equivalents in each (i) local authority, (ii) constituency and (iii) area classified by decile of deprivation in the last year for which figures are available. [274588]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information will be placed in the House Libraries. Further information by local authority and income deprivation affecting children index decile is published by the Department in table 9 and 13 of the Statistical First Release ‘GCEA/CE/Applied A/AS and Equivalent Results in England, 2007/08 (Revised)’:
GCSE: Disadvantaged
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils receiving free school meals gained five A* to C grade GCSEs including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in each of the last 10 years. [244286]
Jim Knight: The information available is given in the following table. Figures for those achieving five A*-C grades including English and mathematics and including equivalents are also presented.
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