| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
22 Feb 2010 : Column 93W—continued
We have also taken forward a radical package of pension reforms in the Pensions Acts of 2007 and 2008 which will deliver a fairer and more generous state pension and extend the opportunity of workplace pension saving to millions, many for the first time.
The state pension reforms begin to come into effect from 2010 and will mean around three quarters of women reaching state pension age in 2010 are expected to qualify for a full basic state pension compared to half without reform.
Support for disabled people and carers
Since 2001, we have significantly extended and improved civil rights for disabled people in areas such as employment, education, access to goods and services and transport. Disabled people in Hemsworth will have benefited from these improvements. The Welfare Reform Act 2009 contains powers to increase choice and control for disabled adults, including disabled parents who are entitled to state support, enabling them to choose how certain state support is used to meet their individual needs. This will be trailblazed in up to eight local authority areas from late 2010. Older and less well off carers have gained extra help through the provisions within the National Carers Strategy.
(1) The Department for Work and Pensions was created in 2001 and so information relates to the Department and its predecessors.
(2) Based on three-year averages and changes are rounded to the nearest percentage point or 100,000 pensioners between 2000-01 to 2002-03 and 2005-06 to 2007-08.
(3) Regional information about assistance payments received by members from the Financial Assistance Scheme could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Housing Benefit
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on housing benefit at 2009-10 prices in each year since 1997. [316237]
Helen Goodman: The available information is in the following table.
| Housing benefit expenditure in Great Britain | |
| £ million, 2009-10 prices | |
| Notes: 1. Expenditure figures include all housing benefit expenditure whether funded by central or local government. 2. Real terms figures are in 2009-10 prices, and derived using the 2009 pre-Budget report GDP deflator. 3. Historic and forecast expenditure for housing benefit can be found on the internet at http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/medium_term.asp Source: Local authority expenditure data | |
Industrial Diseases: Compensation
Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former miners have (a) applied for and (b) been granted industrial injuries benefit for miners' knee; and what have been the five most frequent reasons for refusing applications. [310922]
Jonathan Shaw: Since the addition of osteoarthritis of the knee to the list of prescribed industrial diseases on 13 July 2009, 33,602 claims have been received.
13,376 claims have been processed of which 5239 have received an award of, or an increase of, industrial injuries disablement benefit.
Information is collected about the three most frequent reasons for refusing applications. These are as follows:
3,420 were diagnosed with the disease but the assessment was less than 14 per cent., which means IIDB is not payable;
2,344 did not satisfy the occupational criteria;
2,189 did not have the disease diagnosed.
This information is based on an informal count by the Jobcentre Plus offices dealing with industrial injuries disablement benefit. We are looking into arrangements to publish this information as official statistics.
My colleague, Lord McKenzie of Luton, had a very helpful meeting with the National Union of Mineworkers on 14 January to discuss how the scheme is operating in relation to osteoarthritis of the knee claims, in particular the medical assessment process, and to identify ways to improve its administration. Officials will be having further meetings with the mining unions to discuss this work in more detail.
Jobcentre Plus: Finance
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what budget for Jobcentre Plus outreach work is in 2009-10; and what the budget will be in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [313160]
Jonathan Shaw: Jobcentre Plus has locations across the country providing outreach services. These meet the needs of customers and communities, reaching the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in society. Outreach work is not an activity in its own right but covers a variety of initiatives that form part of the core services delivered to our customers and as such there is no specific budget allocated for outreach work alone.
Jobcentre Plus: Public Relations
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what payments (a) Jobcentre Plus and (b) the Pension Protection Fund has made to Fishburn Hedges in the last 12 months for which figures are available; for what purpose; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the contracts under which such payments have been made. [305146]
Jim Knight: I can confirm that in the last 12 months Jobcentre Plus has spent £49,957 with Fishburn Hedges which relates to fees associated with ESA public relations activity.
The chief executive of the Pension Protection Fund will write to the hon. Member in relation to the second part of his question as this is a matter for him.
Milton Keynes
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to North- East Milton Keynes constituency, the effects on Milton Keynes of the policies and actions of her Department and its predecessors since 1997. [316038]
Jonathan Shaw: DWP lead the Government's response to some of the biggest issues facing the country-welfare and pension reform-and are a key player in tackling child poverty(1). As the biggest delivery department in the UK, DWP makes a difference to millions of people every day, helping them to lead safer, fairer and more rewarding lives that are free from poverty. We want to give people more choice and control over their lives and are committed to providing greater choice and personalised support to everyone who needs it so they have the opportunity to get into and remain in work. We believe that work works. Even in economically challenging times we know that work works for the most vulnerable and the disadvantaged.
Through Jobcentre Plus, we are promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age. Since 1997, the number of people unemployed in North- East Milton Keynes has increased by 153 per cent. to 3,093, and the number unemployed for more than one year has increased by 94 per cent. to 475. From May 1997 to May 2009 the number of lone parents claiming Income Support in North-East Milton Keynes has decreased by 6 per cent. to 1,310.
Our New Deals have helped lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, disabled people, the over 50s and partners of unemployed people to move from benefit into work. Since their inception over 2.2 million people in Great Britain have found work with the support of the New Deal, and 2,560 have been helped in North-East Milton Keynes.
We introduced a target to halve child poverty by 2010-11 on the way to eradicating it by 2020. Poverty is measured using a headline indicator of the proportion of children in households with an income below 60 per cent. of contemporary household median income before housing costs. This is in line with international best practice.
Statistics on the numbers of children living in poverty are not available at the constituency level, but the latest information for the South East Government Office Region shows that the proportion of children in poverty has fallen from 16 per cent. to 15 per cent. since 1997.
Since 1997 our strategy has been to target help on the poorest pensioners while providing a solid foundation of support for all.
This year we will be spending over £13 billion more on pensioners than if we had continued with the policies that were in place in 199. Around half of that money will go to the poorest third of pensioners.
In 1997 the poorest pensioners, who received income support, lived on £69 a week (£98 in today's prices). Today pension credit, which was introduced in 2003, means no pensioner needs to live on less than £130 a week, £198.45 for couples. As of May 2009 3,900 pensioners in North-East Milton Keynes are benefiting from pension credit.
In 2007-08 there were 900,000 fewer pensioners living in relative poverty in UK compared to 1998-99 (measured as below 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income after housing costs).
Statistics on the proportion of pensioners living in relative poverty are not available at the constituency level. But the latest data for the South East Government Office Region show that the number of pensioners in poverty (measured as below 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income after housing costs) has fallen from 26 per cent. in 1997 to 16 per cent(2).
Pensioners in the UK also benefit from a range of additional support such as the Winter Fuel Payment which this winter is worth £250 for households with someone aged between 60-79 and £400 for households with someone aged 80 or over. These payments provide vital reassurance to older people that they can afford to turn up their heating during cold weather. Prior to winter 1997-98 less than £60 million was spent helping pensioners meet their fuel bills - this year we will be spending around £2.7 billion on winter fuel payments alone. In 2008-09 16,810 people aged 60 and over benefited from winter fuel payments in North-East Milton Keynes.
We have also taken steps to strengthen and protect the private pensions system to ensure people can continue to have confidence to save for their future through the establishment of the Pensions Protection Fund, the Financial Assistance Scheme and a more powerful and proactive pensions regulator.
The protection system ensures that, unlike in 1997, people are not left without a pension even in the event that their employer becomes insolvent.
In total 733 people in the South East are receiving compensation from the Pension Protection Fund (data not available at constituency level(3)).
We have also taken forward a radical package of pension reforms in the Pensions Acts of 2007 and 2008 which will deliver a fairer and more generous state pension and extend the opportunity of workplace pension saving to millions, many for the first time.
The state pension reforms begin to come into effect from 2010 and will mean around three quarters of women reaching state pension age in 2010 are expected to qualify for a full basic state pension compared to half without reform.
Support for disabled people and carers
Since 2001, we have significantly extended and improved civil rights for disabled people in areas such as employment, education, access to goods and services and transport. Disabled people in North-East Milton Keynes will have benefited from these improvements. The Welfare Reform Act 2009 contains powers to increase choice and control for disabled adults, including disabled parents who are entitled to state support, enabling them to choose how certain state support is used to meet their individual needs. This will be trail blazed in up to eight local
authority areas from late 2010. Older and less well off carers have gained extra help through the provisions within the national carers strategy.
(1) The Department for Work and Pensions was created in 2001 and so information relates to the department and its predecessors.
(2) Based on three-year averages and changes are rounded to the nearest percentage point or 100,000 pensioners between 1997-98 to 1999-2000 and 2005-06 to 2007-08.
(3) Regional information about assistance payments received by members from the Financial Assistance Scheme could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Motability
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the motability contract for electric-powered vehicles managed by her Department was subject to external tender; and what the monetary value of the current contract is. [315945]
Jonathan Shaw: Motability is an independent charitable company and is responsible for the administration of the Motability Scheme. They have agreed to write separately to the hon. Gentleman on this matter.
Pathways to Work
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what profiling system the Department currently uses to assess how far from the job market a claimant for (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance who is referred to a Pathways to Work provider is. [315717]
Jonathan Shaw: While we do not have an electronic profiling system, people on incapacity benefit or employment and support allowance take part in interviews with personal advisers who help customers identify appropriate job goals and move back into work as quickly as possible, depending on their individual circumstances.
For employment and support allowance customers, the discussion between personal advisers and claimants is informed by the report provided following a work-focused health-related assessment. This assessment provides the opportunity for individuals to explore their aspirations and perceptions about engaging in work with a health care professional. During the assessment customers are able to identify the health-related challenges preventing them from moving into work, and the interventions or types of work-place adaptation, which might help them to overcome these challenges.
As set out in the 2009 White Paper "Building Britain's Recovery: Achieving Full Employment", we are currently trialling a profiling tool for jobseekers to help target support. If successful we will consider using this to support advisers' judgment.
Pensioners: Income
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) single pensioner and (b) pensioner couple households living below the guaranteed minimum income for pensioners. [316653]
Angela Eagle: The information that is available is shown in the following table. Information surrounding pensioners' incomes is most commonly given in benefit unit terms. The latest available information on pensioner incomes is for 2007-08 and figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000.
In 2007-08, the latest year for which data is available, the Pension Credit Guarantee Credit amounts were £119.05 and £181.70, for singles and couples respectively.
| Table 1: Number of pensioner units living with income below the minimum income guarantee (at 2007-08 levels) | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000. 2. Pensioner units are either a single pensioner over state pension age (65 and over for men or 60 and over for women) or pensioner couples. Pensioner couples are couples where at least one member is over state pension age. 3. Income is calculated as the benefit unit's gross income. 4. Based on FRS survey data and as such subject to a degree of sampling and non-sampling error. Source: Pensioners' Incomes Series (derived from the Family Resources Survey). | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |