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12 Jan 2010 : Column 838W—continued
Social Security Benefits: Overseas Residence
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many British citizens resident in other EU member states have been receiving disability living allowance, carer's allowance or attendance allowance since 2007. [309534]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 7 January 2010]: Since the judgment by the European Court of Justice in October 2007 over 1,700 people who are resident in other European Economic Area states have been paid disability living allowance, attendance allowance or carer's allowance.
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals by British citizens resident in other EU member states on disability living allowance, carer's allowance and attendance allowance have been (a) made and (b) upheld in the last three years. [309536]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 7 January 2010]: Since the judgment by the European Court of Justice in October 2007 over 500 appeals have been made by customers who are, or have been, resident in other EEA states. Our records do not indicate how many have been upheld in the last three years.
Social Services
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether people currently eligible for (a) attendance allowance and (b) disability living allowance would receive (i) an equivalent level of support, (ii) an equivalent cash payment and (iii) an equivalent cash payment in addition to any other funds received under the proposals in the Government's Social Care Green Paper. [307669]
Jonathan Shaw: As we said in the Green Paper, if we were to draw some disability benefits for older people into the new National Care Service, we would create a new offer for individuals with care needs. This support would be delivered in line with the best principles of the current benefits system: a universal entitlement, with flexible methods of payment through personal budgets, and with a focus on lower-level needs and prevention. It is our aim to deliver a better joined-up service, with people only needing one assessment of their needs to gain access to a whole range of care and support services. We will give more details about the National Care Service offer in due course.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether an assessment for a package of care under the proposals in the Government's Social Care Green Paper includes an assessment of the additional costs of being disabled which will be carried out in the same terms as those proposals in the White Paper which introduced each allowance. [307671]
Jonathan Shaw: The Green Paper Shaping the Future of Care Together proposed a new nationally consistent care assessment process. We will give more details about the National Care Service offer in due course and this will include information on the care assessment process.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether an assessment for cash disbursement would take account of non-care services currently purchased out of funds made available through attendance allowance or disability living allowance under the proposals in the Government's Social Care Green Paper; [307675]
(2) whether she plans to provide an equivalent level of support under the proposals in the Government's Social Care Green Paper to include those non-care services currently purchased out of funds made available through attendance allowance and disability living allowance; [307676]
(3) whether she plans to place restrictions on the items or services on which people may spend funds from their (a) attendance allowance or disability living allowance and (b) other care entitlements. [307682]
Jonathan Shaw: We have not taken any decisions on whether some disability benefits for older people will be reformed in the new care and support system. If disability benefits for older people are reformed as part of the National Care Service, those receiving the affected benefits at the time of reform would continue to receive the same level of cash support. We also know that the flexibility of disability benefits is valued by those who receive them, and we want to ensure that those in receipt of affected benefits at the time of reform retain control over how they spend their cash support.
Under the new care and support system, once people are assessed they will get a personal budget rather than being told what services they should receive. They will have as much support as they want in using this resource. Some people will choose to take their budget as cash, and pay for everything directly themselves. Others will prefer to let someone else manage the funding on their behalf-either someone from the local authority, or a family member or friend. People will have the control to get the services they want.
We will give more details about the National Care Service offer in our White Paper in 2010.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many responses to her Department's Social Care Green Paper were (a) in favour of and (b) opposed to changes to (i) attendance allowance and (ii) disability living allowance. [307678]
Jonathan Shaw: The public consultation on the Green Paper "Shaping the Future of Care Together", received around 29,000 responses overall. Analysis of all the responses is currently under way, and it would be misleading to comment or provide data on the results until this analysis is fully completed. The Government will be publishing an analysis of the responses in due course.
Winter Fuel Payments: Milton Keynes
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Milton Keynes are in receipt of winter fuel allowance; and how much her Department paid to such pensioners in winter fuel allowance in 2009. [310224]
Angela Eagle: For winter 2008-09-the last winter for which figures are available-16,810 people in North-East Milton Keynes and 17,350 people in Milton Keynes, South-West received winter fuel payments.
The Department paid £3.6 million to people in North-East Milton Keynes and £3.8 million to those in Milton Keynes, South-West.
Winter Fuel Payments: Slough
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for winter fuel payments were made by households in Slough in each of the last five years. [310438]
Angela Eagle: Information on winter fuel payment claims made by households in Slough is not available.
Information about the number of payments made to households in Slough is in the following table. 2008-09 is the latest year for which information is available.
| Slough constituency | |
| Notes: 1. Figures from 2004-05 are rounded to the nearest five 2. Figures from 2005-06 onwards are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. Source: Information directorate 100 per cent data | |
Home Department
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a new chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs will be appointed; and if he will make a statement. [306008]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 10 December 2009]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department met with the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) on 10 November and outlined the process for recruiting a new chair of the ACMD following the guidelines of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). My officials are currently pursuing options for appointing the new chair with OCPA and with the ACMD.
Antisocial Behaviour: West Midlands
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department has allocated to initiatives to tackle anti-social behaviour in (a) Tamworth constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) the West Midlands in each year since 2007. [309442]
Mr. Alan Campbell: As with all other Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs), Tamworth was allocated £25,000 a year from 2003-04 as a contribution towards funding an ASB co-ordinator post. In 2005-06, in England the antisocial co-ordinators grant was pooled within the safer and stronger communities fund. This pooled budget supports the delivery of outcomes and indicators relating to antisocial behaviour in local area agreements (LAAs).
Other budgets also contribute towards the wider cross-Government strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour. The Government are committed to diverting young people from crime and antisocial behaviour as demonstrated by our investment of around £2 billion on prevention, including activity such as Sure Start Children's Centres, parenting support and positive activities. Last year we launched the Youth Crime Action Plan, a cross-government programme of action to tackle youth crime and antisocial behaviour and reduce re-offending. It set out a triple track approach of enforcement where behaviour is unacceptable, non-negotiable support and challenge to children and families where it is needed and better and earlier prevention. This builds on major progress we have made in the last decade in tackling youth offending. Backed by £100 million of new investment it has led to significant action over the past year and a half, which has made a real difference to young people, families and communities. The number of young people entering the criminal justice system for the first time is falling. The number in England fell from 94,481 in 2007-08 to 74,033 in 2008-09-a 21.6 per cent. decrease.
Home Office led activities also act to tackle antisocial behaviour, for example the introduction of community support officers, but a monetary value cannot be assigned to that contribution. Also, on 13 October the Home Secretary announced assistance by experts to 62 areas where public perceptions of antisocial behaviour were high. As Tamworth is a priority area it received a visit from an ASB expert on 10 November 2009 and an action plan and support package has been signed off.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many breaches of antisocial behaviour orders have been recorded in (a) Tamworth constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) the West Midlands in each year since 2007. [309443]
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