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9 Feb 2010 : Column 862W—continued
Industrial Diseases: Compensation
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether those instructed to act for his Department in litigation relating to miner's knee have made an assessment of the prospects of success of defending the claims. [316127]
Mr. Kidney: As this matter is before the courts it would not be appropriate to comment. A preliminary issues trial on 'Limitation' will commence on 28 June 2010 and has been listed for five weeks. This will be important to help shape the way forward for this case.
For compensation to be payable as a result of the litigation, it must be established that British Coal were negligent as an employer and that the injuries suffered by their employees were caused by that negligence.
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what expenditure his Department has incurred to date on preparing for miner's knee litigation. [316128]
Mr. Kidney: The Department's costs and disbursements on defending the miners' knee litigation are £6,537,104.32 at 5 February 2010. The majority of these costs relate to the Department's obligations for document disclosure to the claimants.
Work and Pensions
Employers' Duties (Registration and Compliance) Regulations 2010
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what factors (a) were taken into account in determining the level of the fixed penalty prescribed in regulation 12 of the Employers' Duties (Registration and Compliance) Regulations 2010 and (b) are taken into account in determining the level of initial penalty notices issued by HM Revenue and Customs; [314265]
(2) what assessment her Department has made of the level of fixed penalty notices prescribed in Regulation 12 of the Employers' Duties (Registration and Compliance) Regulations 2010. [314267]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 29 January 2010]: The factors taken into account in determining the level of the fixed penalty are set out on pages 53 to 55 of the Government Response to the Consultation 'Workplace Pension Reform - Completing the Picture', available at:
The Regulator will consult with interested stakeholders and publish its enforcement strategy later this year.
The purpose of tax penalties is to encourage taxpayers to fulfil their obligations on time, and to re-assure those who do comply that they will not be disadvantaged by those who do not. Penalty levels have been set so that they provide a fair, proportionate and effective incentive to taxpayers to meet their obligations. This approach has been the subject of wide consultation and received a generally favourable response.
Review of Equality 2025
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 10 December 2009, Official Report, columns 40-42WS, on the publication of the report of the Review of Equality 2025, for what reasons the report of the review has not been published immediately; and on what date it will be published. [314033]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 28 January 2010]: As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 10 December 2009, Official Report, columns 40-42WS, on the publication of the report of the Review of Equality 2025, the report of the Review of Equality 2025 was not published immediately to allow officials in the Office for Disability Issues time to fully consider and implement the recommendations in the report. We are committed to publishing the report and the document will be available by summer 2010.
Unemployment: Milton Keynes
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the population of Milton Keynes is in receipt of jobseeker's allowance. [315375]
Angela E. Smith: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated February 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of the population of Milton Keynes is in receipt of jobseeker's allowance. (315375).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
The proportion of the working age population (men aged 16-64, women aged 16-59) resident in the local authority of Milton Keynes claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for December 2009, was 4.5 per cent.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average price of a home purchased through the (a) HomeBuy Direct, (b) New Build homebuy, (c) Open Market homebuy, (d) First Time Buyers' Initiative and (e) Social homebuy was in each region in each year since 2005. [315657]
John Healey: The following tables show the average value of properties purchased through New Build homebuy, Open Market homebuy and Social homebuy in each region from 2005-06 to 2008-09.
| New Build homebuy | ||||
| £ | ||||
| Average property values: | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 | 2005-06 |
| Open Market homebu y | |||
| £ | |||
| Average property values: | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 |
| Social homebuy | |||
| £ | |||
| Average property values: | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 |
| n/a = Not available due to no sales or small sample size of less than five. Source: CORE (Continuous Recording) sales returns from registered social landlords to the Tenant Services Authority (TSA). | |||
HomeBuy Direct commenced in 2008-09, but no sales were made in that financial year. Data on Open Market homebuy and Social homebuy are not held centrally prior to 2005-06.
Figures for the sales under the First Time Buyers Initiative are not recorded separately on the CORE return but will be subsumed within other shared ownership categories.
The property price figures are based on the total property price, not the amount paid by the purchaser, which would be to purchase a share of the property.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average income of a household purchasing a property through the (a) HomeBuy Direct, ( b) New Build homebuy, (c) Open Market homebuy, (d) First Time Buyers' Initiative and (e) Social homebuy was in each region in each year since 2005. [315658]
John Healey: The average income of households purchasing through New Build homebuy, Open Market homebuy and Social homebuy in each region from 2005-06 to 2008-09 is shown in the following tables.
| New B uild homebuy | ||||
| £ | ||||
| Average household income: | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 | 2005-06 |
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