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18 Jan 2010 : Column 64W—continued
Anticipated level of expenditure for 2010-11 is £175,000 on working age benefits and £1,226,000 on pension age benefits.
Budgets are not set as yet for 2011-12 and 2012-13.
State Retirement Pensions
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the (a) gross and (b) net additional spend on the basic state pension if it were increased by the rate of increase in average earnings, the retail price index or 2.5 per cent., whichever was the highest, in each of the next five years. [306375]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 14 December 2009]: The information requested is given in the following table:
| Additional basic state pension spend from uprating the basic state pension by the higher of earnings, the retail prices index or the 2.5 per cent. underpin, £ billion 2009-10 price terms, net of income related benefits, UK and overseas | |
| Additional s pend | |
| Notes: 1. Baseline projections of expenditure on pensioner benefits used for these costings assume that the basic state pension is increased by earnings from 2012. Prior to 2012, projections assume that the basic state pension is uprated by the greater of RPI or 2.5 per cent. 2. Estimates given are net to baseline, they do not include the gross additional basic state pension spend from implementing the 2007 Pensions Act reforms to the basic state pension from April 2010. 3. During the next Parliament, we will re-link the uprating of the basic state pension to average earnings. Our objective, subject to affordability and the fiscal position, is to do this in 2012, but in any event by the end of the next Parliament at the latest. We will make a statement on the precise date at the beginning of the next Parliament. 4. In the financial years up to and including 2014-15 Treasury economic assumptions consistent with table B1 of the pre-Budget report 2009 have been used in the above modelling. 5. The costs and savings estimates provided are based on future projections of earnings and price inflation-which are inherently uncertain and subject to change particularly in light of the current economic uncertainty. This is underlined by the fact that the estimated cost of earnings uprating has changed from estimates based on Treasury economic assumptions consistent with Table C1 of the Budget 2009. 6. Estimates are in 2009-10 prices, have been rounded to the nearest £100 million and include UK and overseas claimants. Source: DWP calculations | |
Winter Fuel Payments: Barnsley
Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Barnsley, East and Mexborough constituency are in receipt of winter fuel allowance. [310669]
Angela Eagle: For winter 2008-09 (the last year for which information is available), 18,700 people received a winter fuel payment in Barnsley, East and Mexborough.
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Winter Fuel Payments: Preston
Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners resident in Preston have received the winter fuel allowance since its introduction. [311078]
Angela Eagle: Information on winter fuel payments was not broken down by parliamentary constituency for winters 1997-98 and 1998-99. The information from winter 1999-2000 onwards is in the following table.
| Preston constituency | |
| Payments made | |
| Notes: 1. Figures up to 2001-02 are rounded to the nearest five. 2. Figures from 2002-03 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 | |
Winter Fuel Payments: Walsall
Mr. Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for winter fuel payments were made by households in (a) Aldridge-Brownhills constituency and (b) the Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council area in each of the last five years. [310787]
Angela Eagle: Information on winter fuel payment claims made by households in Aldridge-Brownhills and Walsall metropolitan borough council is not available.
Information about the number of payments made to households in Aldridge-Brownhills and Walsall metropolitan borough council is in the following table. 2008-09 is the latest year for which information is available.
| Aldridge-Brownhills | Walsall metropolitan borough council | |
| 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. | ||
Transport
Automatic Number Plate Recognition
Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions he has had with operators of motorway service areas on the installation of automatic plate registration number equipment; and if he will make a statement. [310618]
Chris Mole: Operational issues affecting the management of a service area are the responsibility of the site operator and Government have not been involved in discussions regarding the installation of automatic number plate recognition equipment.
Aviation: Security
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the introduction of additional security measures at UK airports. [310286]
Paul Clark: Department for Transport officials attended a special meeting of the EU's Regulatory Committee for Civil Aviation Security in Brussels on 7 January 2010, at which there was discussion about the current security situation and possible responses to the incident that took place on 25 December 2009. They are keeping in regular touch with senior officials in the European Commission.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions he has had with representatives of airlines on security training for check-in staff; and whether he plans to introduce requirements for additional security training for such check-in staff. [310290]
Paul Clark: The training of check-in staff is covered by regulations issued by the Department for Transport under the Aviation Security Act 1982. These Regulations impose mandatory training on new check-in staff, and regular refresher training for existing staff.
The UK aviation security training programme is kept under regular review, both through a departmental working group, at which key industry stakeholders are represented, and regular liaison between officials and the industry. No representations have been received seeking additional training for check-in staff and there are currently no plans to introduce any.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment has been made of the potential security risks posed by long queues at airports. [310306]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport, together with the police and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) provide airport operators with advice on landside measures to mitigate the risk to passengers, prior to being screened at the search comb.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether he plans to introduce increased surveillance at airports (a) outside and (b) inside security screened areas. [310308]
Paul Clark: Robust measures are in place, as a component of the National Aviation Security Programme. These measures are always subject to review, if necessary.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether he plans to introduce new security measures at airports outside the security screened area. [310309]
Paul Clark: Robust measures are in place, as a component of the National Aviation Security Programme. These measures are always subject to review, if necessary.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent steps have been taken to increase the security of airport perimeters. [310310]
Paul Clark: Robust measures are in place, as a component of the National Aviation Security Programme. These measures are always subject to review, if necessary.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the Secretary of State's contribution of 5 January 2010, Official Report, House of Lords, column 42, on terrorism: aviation and border security, whether funds from his Department's budget have been allocated to other countries to assist the improvement of airport security in the last five years. [310311]
Paul Clark: Funds from the Department for Transport's budget have been and continue to be allocated to assist the improvement of aviation security in other countries. The Department has officials who are fully engaged in international and European fora developing and improving aviation security. In addition since 2002 the Department has had a network of five regional aviation security liaison officers (RASLOs) who are tasked to provide advice and assistance on aviation security throughout Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department has had discussions with its overseas counterparts on the introduction of body scanners at airports which have services to the UK. [310313]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has held discussions with its counterparts overseas on the introduction of body scanners at airports, including those which have flights to the UK. The most detailed discussions have been with the EU and with the USA.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to his oral statement of 5 January 2010, Official Report, columns 28-32, on aviation and border security, what equipment his Department classifies as explosive trace detection equipment. [310342]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport classifies explosive trace detection as a technique/technology that has the capability to detect particulate or vapour of an explosive material.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department is taking to prevent suicide bomb attacks on aeroplanes by people prepared to ingest explosives or have them surgically implanted. [310355]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport is keeping all potential threats to aviation under review, in close co-operation with European and international partners.
Body Searches: X-rays
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the effects on health of the use of body scanners that use X-ray technology. [309427]
Paul Clark: Some body scanners are X-ray machines, so a very small dose of radiation is involved. Previous assessments carried out by the Health Protection Agency and St. Bartholomew's Hospital show the risk to be negligible in comparison to background radiation dose received from naturally occurring radiation. Further risk assessments are being obtained for future deployments.
Borders: Personal Records
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent representations he has received from the airline industry on the e-borders programme. [310285]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport and the Home Office both hold regular stakeholder meetings to facilitate contact between the airline industry and Government on the e-borders programme. These meetings provide a forum for industry representations on all aspects of the e-borders programme.
Dartford-Thurrock Crossing
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what monthly indicators are used by (a) his Department and (b) the Highways Agency to monitor performance in respect of the operation of the Dartford River Crossing. [309419]
Chris Mole: A wide range of performance indicators are measured by the Highways Agency for the operation of the Strategic Road Network which includes the Dartford River Crossing. The Highways Agency's contract with the Dartford Crossing operator (Connect Plus) includes the following four other specific performance indicators for the Dartford River Crossing:
1. The average queue length at the toll booths;
2. The average time for payment transactions;
3. The effectiveness of responding to faults within technology equipment at the Dartford Crossing;
4. The rate of injuries, accidents and near misses to road workers at the Dartford Crossing.
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