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Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average housing benefit payment was in each London local authority area in respect of (a) private and (b) social rented accommodation in 2007-08. [284715]

Helen Goodman: The available information is in the following table.


16 July 2009 : Column 693W
Average weekly amount of housing benefit by tenure: Great Britain, London local authorities, August 2007
£
Average amount of weekly housing benefit for:

 Private tenancies Social rented tenancies

Great Britain

89.87

65.84

London

146.39

98.50

Barking

139.46

80.93

Barnet

156.51

101.78

Bexley

126.23

87.71

Brent

156.49

118.91

Bromley

130.08

86.42

Camden

156.82

100.86

City of London

135.93

83.43

Croydon

137.64

86.59

Ealing

151.34

110.77

Enfield

144.75

113.53

Greenwich

125.21

78.15

Hackney

151.74

90.88

Hammersmith and Fulham

156.85

97.79

Haringey

131.86

121.78

Harrow

163.10

109.31

Havering

114.10

71.75

Hillingdon

140.75

108.43

Hounslow

139.06

86.48

Islington

141.71

90.18

Kensington and Chelsea

196.59

109.51

Kingston upon Thames

144.90

99.91

Lambeth

122.30

91.09

Lewisham

158.32

81.54

Merton

153.14

78.64

Newham

137.18

132.60

Redbridge

140.82

132.35

Richmond upon Thames

149.38

88.76

Southwark

127.50

80.78

Sutton

133.38

77.90

Tower Hamlets

161.49

97.04

Waltham Forest

115.44

91.93

Wandsworth

192.46

97.76

Westminster

197.87

135.70

Notes:
1. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated.
2. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.
3. Average amounts are rounded to the nearest penny.
4. From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed HB/CTB data electronically from local authorities. Over time this will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics. However, until the new data have been fully quality assured to National Statistics standards, the most recent summary statistics available are for August 2007.
Source:
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. case load stock-count taken in August 2007.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Employment Schemes

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants started a work trial in each of the last six months. [282443]

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.

Letter from Mel Groves:


16 July 2009 : Column 694W
Annex 1-proportion of JSA customers who started a work trial
Month Number of JSA customers starting work trial Number of customers claiming JSA Proportion of JSA work trial starts (percentage)

December 2008

1,397

1,117,540

0.001

January 2009

1,491

1,243,085

0.001

February 2009

1,967

1,416,238

0.001

March 2009

2,365

1,478,222

0.002

April 2009

1,845

1,510,781

0.001

May 2009

2,837

1,516,952

0.002

Source:
BOXI management information, NOMIS

Pensioners: Poverty

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point were in relative poverty in each of the last five years. [275487]

Angela Eagle: The data source does not allow us to provide robust numbers for estimates below the level of Government office region.

PSA17 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.

Latest information for east of England, Government office region, is based on three year averages. There were around 0.2 million pensioners in the east of England below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income threshold between 2001-04 and 2005-07. During the same period, around 0.1 million pensioners in the east of England were below 50 per cent. of contemporary median income threshold.

However, between 2001-04 and 2005-07, the percentage of pensioners in the east of England being below the 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, after housing costs, has fallen from 25 per cent. to 16 per cent. The number of pensioners in relative poverty has remained unchanged due to the increase in the pensioner population in the east of England.

Social Security Benefits

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the monetary value of all benefit payments made to residents of (a) the Vale of York and (b) England was in (i) 1980, (ii) 1997, (iii) 2001, (iv) 2005 and (v) 2008. [287416]

Helen Goodman: The requested information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the average annual sum lost as a result of benefit fraud in
16 July 2009 : Column 695W
Alicante; what the objectives of her Department's campaign against benefit fraud in Alicante are; and if she will make a statement. [277049]

Helen Goodman: Information relating to the annual sum lost as a result of benefit fraud in Alicante is not available.

There are estimated to be over a million British people living in Spain, and while the vast majority are law abiding citizens, there will unfortunately be a small minority committing benefit fraud. The objectives of our campaign in Spain are:

Written Questions: Government Responses

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to answer question 274721, tabled on 12 May 2009, on maintenance payments. [278038]

Helen Goodman [holding answer 4 June 2009]: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 52W.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to provide a substantive answer to Question 274721, tabled on 7 May 2009, on child maintenance. [283746]

Helen Goodman [holding answer 2 July 2009]: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 52W.

Home Department

Calais

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the objectives were of the Minister for Immigration's recent visit to Calais; and if he will make a statement. [285930]

Mr. Woolas: The UK continues to face significant pressure from illegal migrants attempting to reach our shores from the Channel and North sea coast of France. This continuous pressure calls for determined, mutual effort to tackle illegal immigration by the UK and France.

At the UK-France summit in Evian on 6 July, the UK agreed to invest a further £15 million to strengthen United Kingdom border controls at Calais, and other juxtaposed controls in France. The French and British Governments declared a joint commitment to effect a significant increase in enforced return of illegal migrants through their national programmes and through joint returns activity as appropriate.

A copy of the Franco-British declaration on Immigration has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Departmental Contracts

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [274446]


16 July 2009 : Column 696W

Mr. Woolas: The Home Office has not outsourced any of its services within the last five years.

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