| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
23 Jun 2009 : Column 811W—continued
Mr. Frank Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) with reference to figure 11 in the National Audit Office report Child Support Agency—
Implementation of the Child Support Reforms, HC 1174, Session 2005-06, what the figures were for the three types of case in each month since 1993; [279117]
(2) with reference to figure 12 in the National Audit Office report, Child Support Agency—Implementation of the Child Support Reforms, HC 1174, Session 2005-06, if she will provide the same information in tabulated form for each year since 1993; [279118]
(3) how many cases registered with the Child Support Agency were (a) found and (b) projected to contain maintenance calculation errors in each year since 1993. [279119]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 12 June 2009]: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my right hon. Friend with the information requested.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when the classification of child tax credit as income when calculating the child support payments of a non-resident parent was last reviewed; and when it will next be reviewed; [279739]
(2) what assessment has been given to the effect on welfare of non-resident parents in assessing child tax credit as income when calculating their child support payments to the parent with child. [279740]
Jonathan Shaw: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner. The Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the classification of child tax credit as income when calculating the child support payments of a non-resident parent was last reviewed; and when it will next be reviewed. [279739]; and
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been given to the effect on welfare of non-resident parents in assessing child tax credit as income when calculating their child support payments to the parent with child. [279740]
A general review of the statutory child maintenance calculation rules was undertaken prior to the publication of the White Paper “A new system of child maintenance” in December 2006. The White Paper subsequently set out the change to assessing maintenance based on non-resident parent’s gross weekly income currently planned for introduction during 2011. As a result tax credits will not be taken into account in assessing maintenance in the future scheme.
No assessment of the effect on the welfare of the non-resident parent by including child tax credit as income when calculating child maintenance has been carried out.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of children in the UK for whom maintenance payments (a) are and (b) are not made via the Child Support Agency. [280025]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 15 June 2009]: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my right hon. Friend with the information requested.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of children in the UK for whom maintenance payments (a) are and (b) are not made via the Child Support Agency. [280025]
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission estimates that there are some 2.6 million separated families in Britain in which over 3 million children do not live with both their parents. Surveys indicate that less than half of these families have effective arrangements; of those that do, around half have made them through the Child Support Agency and half privately or through the courts.
These estimates are derived from a combination of CSA administrative data; DWP and Office of National Statistics (ONS) survey data (Families and Children Study, Labour Force Survey); and ONS population projections. The Commission has therefore begun its own programme of research, measurement and evaluation to provide robust measures of the impact of the Commission's services on these families as well as to understand more about the attitudes, behaviours, service needs and expectations of its current and potential future clients.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission considers a reduction in the working hours of a non-resident parent grounds for an adjustment to the calculation of child maintenance payments. [281000]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 22 June 2009]: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner. The Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission considers a reduction in the working hours of a non-resident parent grounds for an adjustment to the calculation of child maintenance payments. [281000]
It is not the change in working hours which may have an effect on the maintenance assessment; rather it is any change in income. Parents should tell us if the non-resident parent’s regular income changes, or if there are any other changes to the information that we used to work out the amount of child maintenance that must be paid. For non-resident parents this includes information relating to: changes of address, the name and address of the employer, your payroll number and the amount you expect to earn. Similarly, parents with care must inform us if there is a change to the number of children living with them for which child maintenance is due, and the number of nights a child stays regularly with the non-resident parent. It is the responsibility of the client to inform us accordingly as to any change of circumstances.
Not all change of circumstances will mean we need to change the amount of child maintenance due. In cases assessed under the current scheme we may not change the amount of child maintenance if the non-resident parent’s regular net weekly income changes by less than 5%.
For cases assessed under the old scheme, we will, when notified, change the amount of child maintenance that must be paid, if it would change by £10 a week or more, or if we included an amount of ‘protected income’ last time we worked out how much child maintenance must be paid, and the amount of maintenance the non-resident parent would have to pay would increase by £5 a week or more, or reduce by £1 a week or more.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Council Tax
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will change the name of council tax benefit to council tax rebate; and if she will make a statement. [280495]
Jonathan Shaw: Improving council tax benefit take-up for pensioners is a key priority for the Department and we are taking active measures, working with local authorities to ensure people understand, and are encouraged to claim their entitlement.
The Government acknowledge that renaming CTB to reflect its true nature as a tax rebate may encourage more people to claim their entitlement. This is something that we believe is worth doing and we will consider carefully the case for making the change when parliamentary time and resources allow.
Crisis Loans
Miss Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assessment her Department has made of the effect on applicants for crisis loans of measures to limit the number of loan awards to any one applicant in a year to three; [270972]
(2) what underlying factors her Department has identified as causing individuals to make more than three applications for a crisis loan in the same year; [270973]
(3) pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 902W, on crisis loans, what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of crisis loan awards made to applicants who had previously received four or more awards in the same year between 2006-07 and 2007-08. [270981]
Jonathan Shaw: No such assessments have been made.
We are currently testing the feasibility of making such assessments, in the future, in two Jobcentre Plus regions.
Departmental Cleaning Services
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which organisations provided cleaning services to her Department in each of the last three years; and what the cost of each such contract was in each such year. [280757]
Jim Knight: The Department has a PFI contract for the provision of fully serviced accommodation which includes cleaning. Cleaning services provided to the Department through this contract are delivered by MITIE Facilities Services Ltd. and ISS Facility Services. It is not possible to separate out the costs for cleaning.
Departmental Security
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many breaches of security have been reported at (a) the Child Support Agency, (b) Jobcentre Plus, (c) the Pension, Disability and Carers Service and (d) the Rent Service in the last five years; and what procedures each agency follows when a breach of security involves the disclosure of personal data. [276951]
Jim Knight: The Department takes its responsibilities to protect personal data extremely seriously, and follows the guidance which has been published by the Information Commissioner and Cabinet Office respectively when handling data-related incidents. Where significant breaches of security involve personal data, the Department will, in appropriate cases, alert individuals and provide them with support and advice, and bring the matter to the attention of the Information Commissioner. Details of significant personal data security breaches are published annually in the Department's resource accounts as was announced in the Data Handling Review published on 25 June 2008.
Additionally, all important control weaknesses including other significant security breaches are included in the Statement on Internal Control which is published within the annual resource accounts.
Small, localised breaches involving personal data are not recorded centrally, and consequently the information requested is not available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Future Jobs Fund
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many (a) local authorities, (b) social enterprises and (c) other third sector providers have (i) applied and (ii) qualified for money from the Future Jobs Fund; [280623]
(2) how many (a) young people and (b) people from other disadvantaged groups have received assistance from the Future Jobs Fund. [280624]
Jim Knight: The Future Jobs Fund is an important new initiative designed to create 150,000 new jobs; 100,000 of which will be for young people and 50,000 for those living in unemployment hotspots. We are currently inviting bids from a wide range of organisations and partnerships including social enterprises and third sector organisations, to create valuable jobs that bring real benefits to individuals and their communities.
Funding will be allocated through a competitive bidding process that opened on 13 May 2009. The first jobs will be created by October 2009 and we recommend that bids to create jobs by then should be submitted by 30 June 2009. Officials will start the assessment process in early July. Thereafter, bids will be assessed on a rolling basis.
Jobcentre Plus: Essex
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) benefit delivery centres and (b) customer-facing jobcentres operated by Jobcentre Plus there were in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each of the last 24 months. [280223]
Jim Knight: 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 has asked me to reply to your question asking how many Benefit Delivery Centres and customer-facing Jobcentres operated by Jobcentre Plus there were in Essex and Castle Point in each of the last 24 months. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Mel Groves as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Mel Groves is currently on annual leave, I am replying in his absence.
There is currently one Benefit Delivery Centre in Essex, situated in Basildon. This situation has been unchanged for the last 24 months. There are currently 14 Jobcentres across Essex, of which one, Canvey Jobcentre, is situated in your constituency. Within the last 24 months we have closed two Jobcentres in Essex.
Customers are now using our Jobcentres differently. More of our face-to-face customer contact is on an appointment basis and information on job vacancies is readily available by telephone and the Internet. This enables staff in our offices to focus on those customers in greatest need of support to return to work. As part of this change in the way we work we decided that Stansted Airport Jobcentre should close on 1 July 2007 and Tilbury Jobcentre on 31 March 2008.
Stansted Jobcentre had always focussed on providing our customers with access to vacancies with employers at the airport and we never offered an advisory or benefit service from there. For several years we have provided our advisory and benefit services for customers in Tilbury through Grays Jobcentre. In short, the major purpose of both of these Jobcentres was overtaken by the change in the way we work.
Maternity Benefits
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research she has undertaken on the reasons for which people do not take up Sure Start maternity grants; and if she will make a statement. [279735]
Jonathan Shaw: There has been no research on the reasons people do not take up Sure Start maternity grants.
Mobility Allowance
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if she will extend eligibility for the mobility allowance to people with a disability who are over the age of 65; [281407]
(2) if she will estimate the annual cost of giving a mobility allowance to every disabled person over pensionable age who would qualify for the allowance if they were under pensionable age; and if she will make a statement; [281408]
(3) what representations her Department has received from individuals or organisations in favour of the mobility allowance being made available to newly-disabled people over the age of 65 in the last two years. [281409]
Jonathan Shaw:
The Department received numerous representations from a broad range of individuals and organisations in the last two years on the matter of extending the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance to people who become disabled after the age of 65. The cost of introducing such a measure cannot be established as there are no reliable data on which
estimates could be made of the number of people over the age of 65 who might be entitled to the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance if they were to make a claim.
We have no plans to amend the entitlement conditions. It is normal for pensions and benefits schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives. Disability Living Allowance is intended to focus additional help with the extra costs of disability on people who have the very considerable disadvantage of being severely disabled early, or relatively early, in life and who, in consequence, face limited opportunities to work, earn and save compared with non-disabled people.
Attendance Allowance provides help with the disability-related extra costs of people who experience the onset of disability after age 65. Based on the need for personal care, this help is part of the wide range of support that the Government make available to older people so that they can have a decent and secure income in retirement.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |