| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
4 Jun 2009 : Column 622W—continued
Jobseeker's Allowance
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff of 10 March 2009, Official Report, column 269W, on jobseeker's allowance, what (a) quantitative and (b) qualitative evaluation has been undertaken of (i) the extent to which signposting takes place and (ii) the outcomes it achieves; and if he will make a statement. [264352]
Mr. McNulty: 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 full answer and the information requested appear at XXXX
Members: Correspondence
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Lichfield, Official Report, 11 May 2009, columns 545-6, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for Lichfield. [278031]
Mr. McNulty: I wrote to the hon. Member for Lichfield on 1 June 2009.
Pension Protection Fund
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the assets of the Pension Protection Fund have been in each year since 2005; what payments have been made from that fund in each such year; and what pension payments he expects to be made from that fund in each of the next six years. [276837]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is given in the following table.
| £ | ||
| Financial year | PPF Assets( 1) | PPF Payments( 2) |
| (1) Total assets less current liabilities (not taking into account the long term liabilities of the fund). 2 Compensation payments. 3 No schemes transferred. 4 The PPF is in the process of finalising this information for the annual report and accounts which will be published in the autumn. | ||
Forecast information on expected pension compensation payments for the next six years is not available.
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Coventry South of 13 May 2009, Official Report, column 865, on Rover Group: pensions, what estimate his Department made of the extra costs which would be imposed consequent on the changes to the operation of the Pension Protection Fund in respect of people who took early retirement before the relevant scheme entered that fund; and what assessment he made of the capacity of the Pension Protection Fund levy to meet those extra costs. [276895]
Ms Rosie Winterton: As at April 2008, the estimated cost of removing the 90 per cent. compensation limit and the compensation cap for the people who had taken early retirement before April 2005 in a scheme that had already been admitted into the Pension Protection Fund was around £4 million. That figure is based on the number of individuals affected at that time and does not reflect the costs in relation to early retirees in schemes which entered the PPF after April 2008 or those which may do so in the future as such information is not readily available. The pension protection levy is a matter for the board of the Pension Protection Fund, but any extra costs would be borne by levy payers.
The estimated costs are one factor in the Government's decision not to change the way in which the Pension Protection Fund treats early retirees. The second is equality of treatment between those people who receive PPF compensation. Removing the compensation limit and the cap for some individuals who were under scheme pension age at the time their pension scheme entered the Pension Protection Fund would introduce inequalities in treatment of individuals under normal pension age and lead to a two tier system. The 90 per cent. limit and the cap ensure consistent treatment based on the individual's age at the time their pension scheme enters the PPF. They ensure that people who are able to take early retirement are not placed in a more beneficial position than those who stay in employment.
Pensioners: Poverty
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners were estimated to be living in poverty in each English region in (a) 1997 and (b) 2007-08. [276265]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Poverty is a complex and multidimensional issue and, as such, there are many possible measures of poverty.
Our public service agreement “Tackle poverty and promote greater independence and wellbeing in later life” includes a range of indicators related to low income for pensioners. These are relative low income (below 50 and 60 per cent. contemporary median household income), and absolute low income (below 60 per cent. of 1998-99 median income uprated in line with prices), all measured after housing costs have been taken into account.
The estimated number of pensioners living below each of these low income thresholds by each English region in 1996-97 and 2007-08 are published in Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2007-08, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to answer Question 258770, on deprived areas funds, tabled on 20 February 2009. [265555]
Mr. McNulty: I replied to the hon. Member’s question on 30 April 2009, Official Report, column 1488W.
Defence
Climate Change
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to adapt its activities to climate change in the last two years. [277646]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The MOD is involved in the cross-Government Adapting to Climate Change Programme, which brings together and drives forward work on adapting to climate change across Government and the public sector in England. The programme was established in January 2008, and its work includes implementation of the adaptation aspects of the Climate Change Act, such as development of the national Climate Change Risk Assessment. Information about the programme and its work can be found at the following link:
As well as working together to tackle issues that affect all Departments and their work, each Government Department is adapting to climate change in its own operations and policies.
In December 2008 the Ministry of Defence published its climate change strategy, which sets out how the Department will adapt our policy planning, equipment and estate to a changing climate. Information about this can be found at the following link:
The Department has ongoing research into climate change impacts around the globe to determine the potential security threats that may arise as a result of climate change and how our policies and force development may need to alter to reflect this.
For our estate, we are in the early phases of developing a Climate Impacts Risk Assessment Methodology that will consider the risks, incidents and geological effects associated with climate change events. We have begun the first pilot exercise for this model, the findings of which will be built into our long-term strategic development plans.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of his Department's potential gross (a) costs and (b) savings arising from its climate change adaptation measures in the next three years. [277726]
Mr. Kevan Jones:
It is not currently possible to provide estimates of the potential costs and savings arising from MOD climate change adaptation measures over the next three years. It has, however, been shown in the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change that timely and well-targeted climate adaptation measures will yield benefits in excess of their costs. Some of these
benefits will accrue to Departments as cost-savings over the next three years, and in future years. The main rationale for MOD investment is to address climate risk and contribute to reduction of the UK's vulnerability to longer-term climate change impacts.
The Government is undertaking a Climate Change Risk Assessment and Economic Analysis, which will provide estimates of the costs and benefits of adaptation to the UK. This analysis will be presented to Parliament in 2011.
The Government will also be publishing supplementary appraisal guidance this summer. This will help to ensure that adaptation measures are designed and implemented in a cost-effective manner.
Defence Storage and Distribution Agency: Redundancies
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether a health and safety impact assessment has been conducted on the proposed programme of redundancies at the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency; [277902]
(2) what involvement Ministers from his Department have had in the development of proposals to make posts redundant at the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency; [277903]
(3) what the reasons are for the proposed programme of redundancies at the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency; [277904]
(4) how many redundancies are planned at the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency; and at which sites such redundancies are planned; [277905]
(5) what recent assessment he has made of the merits of the proposed programme of redundancies at the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency on the defence supply chain; and if he will make a statement; [277906]
(6) if the Government will suspend the planned programme of redundancies at the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency for the period of the suspension of the Chief Operating Officer and the Financial Director. [277912]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Defence Storage and Distribution Agency’s proposed planned programme of efficiencies is currently under review and I will write to the hon. Member once a decision has been made.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Manpower
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many people under the age of (a) 26, (b) 31, (c) 36 and (d) 41 years and resident in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK have been recruited to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service in the last five years; [277790]
(2) how many people resident in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have been recruited to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service in the last five years. [277791]
Mr. Kevan Jones:
The Royal Navy does not hold the information in the format requested. However, it is able to provide figures for the residency, which is taken from
current address records, of those joining the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by postcodes for the North East. For this information the North East has been identified as incorporating the area from Berwick upon Tweed in the north, Barnards Castle in the west and Middlesbrough/Stockton/Darlington in the south.
| Age on recruitment | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Postcode DH | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Postcode DL | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |