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25 Oct 2010 : Column 141W—continued
Science: Research
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to maintain the UK's attractiveness to the scientific, technical and research sectors. [18641]
Mr Willetts: The UK's research base is world leading: second only in research excellence to the United States, as measured by journal publications and citations. This position is not maintained by the level of spending alone: the UK has the most productive research base in the G8.
This Government recognise the fundamental role of science and research in rebalancing the economy and restoring economic growth. Despite enormous pressure
on public spending, the overall level of funding for science and research programmes has been protected in cash terms over the entire period covered by the spending review.
Science and research resource funding has been ring-fenced, creating a stable investment climate for science and research which allows universities and research institutes to plan strategically, and should give businesses, public services and charities the confidence to invest in the research base.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate his Department has made of the contribution that UK science and technology research makes to the global economy. [18642]
Mr Willetts: Single estimates of the contribution of the UK science and research base are not available as the benefits from science and research reflect in diverse areas of economic and social activity that cannot be easily aggregated together.
International comparisons of the relative contribution of the UK to global advances in science and research are followed through in the various assessments BIS undertakes of the performance of the research base, including
1. Annual returns under the economic impact reporting framework-available on Research Councils' websites. These give evidence of the international standing of funded by councils, peer reviewed as excellent and outstanding by international standards, as well as examples of international advice led by Research Councils investments such as Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) advice during the crises of international air space caused by the volcanic ash cloud.
2. Biannual international comparisons of spending and performance under the report "The International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base" published in the BIS website. In this the UK ranks second in the world (after the USA) attracting 9% of world publications, 12% of world citations and 14% of the world's highly cited papers. The UK is also the most productive research base among the large economies of the G8, when considering publications and citations per pound spent.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to assist science and technology research institutions in contributing to economic growth. [18643]
Mr Willetts: The announcements made in the spending review recognise that science and technology research are critical to long term economic growth. Despite pressure on public spending, funding for science and research programmes has been protected in cash terms at £4.6 billion per annum, ring-fenced for the four years of the spending review. Over £200 million of funding will also be provided for an elite network of Technology and Innovation Centres.
Government are putting in place a range of measures to encourage the contribution of science and technology research institutions to economic growth. These include the Research Councils' Pathways to Impact, HEFCE's proposed Research Excellence Framework and reform to Higher Education Innovation Funding. The Technology Strategy Board will be the Government's prime channel through which we incentivise business-led technology innovation.
Secondary Education
Mr Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) sixth form colleges, (b) general further education colleges, (c) land-based colleges, (d) art, design and performing art colleges and (e) special designated colleges offer courses to 14 and 15-year-olds. [18540]
Mr Hayes: Information is not currently collected centrally on the number of further education institutions which offer courses to 14 and 15-year-olds. However, data are available on the number of Government-funded learners aged 14 and 15-years-old participating in further education institutions in 2008/09.
The following table shows the number of further education institutions with learners aged either 14 or 15-years-old participating on Government-funded courses in 2008/09.
| Provider type | Number of providers |
| Notes: 1. Age is based on learner age at the start of the academic year (31 August 2008). 2. Information in this table is based on all Government-funded learners. 3. These data include FE, apprenticeships/work-based learning, adult safeguarded learning and university for industry funding streams. Source: Individualised Learner Record. | |
Training: Females
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what his most recent estimate is of the number of women who have gained a qualification as a result of taking part in the Women and Work Sector Skills Pathway Initiative in (a) Redditch constituency, (b) Worcestershire and (c) England; [18647]
(2) what his most recent estimate is of the number of women who have increased their salary levels as a result of taking part in the Women and Work Sector Skills Pathway Initiative in (a) Redditch constituency, (b) Worcestershire and (c) England. [18648]
Mr Hayes: Between April 2009 and March 2010 there were 196 learners across the national regions of England who reported achieving a qualification as a result of their participation in the Women and Work Programme. Data are not available at a regional or constituency level.
Between April 2009 and March 2010, 264 learners across the national regions of England achieved an increase in salary following training on the Women and Work Programme. Data are not available at a regional or constituency level.
Unemployment: North East
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to reduce the number of unemployed young people in the North East. [18187]
Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
Unemployment among young people is unacceptably high and the range of programmes we inherited is confusing. For these reasons, we will introduce a new single Work Programme in the first half of 2010. This will offer young people targeted personalised help and will be delivered through the best of private and voluntary sector providers.
However, we recognise that, in itself, the Work Programme will not be enough. On 4 October we launched two new measures: Work Clubs as a way of encouraging people who are out of work to exchange skills and share experiences and Work Together as a way of developing work skills through volunteering. We also announced the new enterprise allowance which will support unemployed people who wish to move off benefits into self-employment. We are continuing to develop further measures to encourage pre-employment training and work placements.
Working Hours: EU Law
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to maintain the UK's opt-out from the provisions of the Working Time Directive. [18902]
Mr Davey: The coalition Government are committed to limiting the application of the working time directive in the UK, including maintaining the flexibility provided by the right of individuals to opt out of the maximum 48-hour working week. We have made, and continue to make clear to the Commission and to partners in Europe, that we will engage positively and constructively with any further negotiations on the directive but that the UK position on the opt-out will remain absolutely firm.
Treasury
BP: Tax Allowances
Mr Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much BP has received in tax relief in respect of measures to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; and what estimate he has made of the total sum to be foregone by the Exchequer in such relief. [18682]
Mr Gauke: It is not appropriate for the Government to comment on the confidential tax affairs of individual businesses.
Child Benefit
Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many children in each constituency in Scotland live in households which will be affected by the proposed changes to the administration of child benefit he announced on 4 October 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average reduction in payments for such households; [16960]
(2) how many households earning over £44,000 per year are in receipt of child benefit in each constituency in Scotland. [16961]
Simon Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of households in Norwich South constituency in receipt of child benefit include (a) a higher rate taxpayer, (b) a lone parent and (c) both. [16532]
Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of children in Stretford and Urmston constituency in households which will no longer be eligible for child benefit when his proposed rules on parental incomes are implemented. [17395]
Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of families in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency who will no longer receive child benefit from 2013 under his proposals to withdraw child benefit from families where one or both parents are higher rate tax payers. [17308]
Paul Goggins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households including one or more higher rate tax payers are in receipt of child benefit in Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency. [17551]
Mrs Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in Bridgend constituency will be affected by the proposed changes to the administration of child benefit; and if he will make a statement. [18210]
Karen Bradley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in Staffordshire Moorlands constituency (a) with at least one higher rate taxpayer and (b) with no higher rate taxpayers but a taxable household income which exceeds the higher rate tax threshold for an individual claim child benefit. [18420]
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of families in Livingston constituency in receipt of child benefit who will cease to be eligible for payments following the implementation of his proposals to change the administration of child benefit. [18636]
Mr Gauke: Information on household income for Child Benefit claimants is not available at parliamentary constituency level.
Child Benefit: Livingston
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Livingston constituency are in receipt of child benefit. [18635]
Mr Gauke: The August 2009 snapshot of all Child Benefit claims shows that 15,195 families claim Child Benefit in the Livingston constituency on behalf of 25,555 children. This information can be found at:
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in his Department have been (a) subject to disciplinary action, (b) removed from post, (c) transferred to another position and (d) dismissed for matters relating to their (i) disciplinary record and (ii) performance in each year since 1997. [18764]
Justine Greening: Information prior to 2005 was not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Regarding disciplinary issues, it is the Treasury's policy not to release full details relating to numbers of staff fewer than five, where to do so might lead to the identification of individual cases.
On that basis the number of cases where disciplinary action was taken in the Treasury in each of the last six years were as follows:
| Disciplinary Action | |
| Number | |
| (1) Fewer than five | |
There have been fewer than five dismissed for matters relating to their disciplinary record. There have been no such cases in respect of the other issues raised by my hon. Friend.
Departmental Legal Costs
Graham Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons are for the change in the amount spent by his Department on legal advice between (a) 2007-08 to 2008-09 and (b) from 2008-09 to 2009-10. [13356]
Justine Greening: It is regretted that the table provided in the answer given on 27 July 2010, Official Report, column 940W is incorrect. It shows expenditure on legal advice by HM Treasury charged to some but not all relevant accounting codes. For the years 2007-08 and following, reference to all relevant codes shows the following spend for those years:
| Financial year | HM Treasury legal spend (£) |
| (1) Using OEP methodology. | |
These figures include spend on both internal and external legal services. A substantial portion of the latter was expended in connection with HM Treasury's interventions in the financial sector and has been recovered from the institutions concerned, so the figures do not reflect the net cost to HM Treasury. It is not possible to distinguish advice from other legal services such as litigation.
The increase in expenditure between 2007-08 and 2008-09 was due to the increased legal work required to enable the Treasury to respond to the financial crisis. The slight decrease between 2008-09 and 2009-10 reflects the changing nature and level of the interventions required.
Departmental Redundancy Pay
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what severance payment was made to each (a) Minister and (b) special adviser in his Department who left office after the last general election. [14661]
Justine Greening: For information on severance payments made to Ministers, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 5 July 2010, Official Report, column 55W to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart). Information on salary levels for Ministers and other Government officers paid through the Treasury payroll are published in the Treasury Group's annual Resource Accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
In line with previous administrations, the Prime Minister will issue a written ministerial statement annually on the total cost of special advisers. The total cost of severance paid out to special advisers who left office after the last general election will therefore be published in due course.
Departmental Sick Leave
Mike Freer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many days on average his Department's staff in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in 2009-10. [18572]
Justine Greening: The following table lists the average working days lost per grade for HM Treasury employees due to sick absence in 2009-10.
| Grade | Average working days lost per employee |
Departmental Utilities
Graham Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on (i) electricity, (ii) water, (iii) heating and (iv) telephone services in each year since 1997. [7579]
Justine Greening: The available information is shown in the following tables:
| HM Treasury | ||||
| £000 | ||||
| Electricity | Water | Heating | Telephones | |
Information prior to 2002-03 is not available due to the introduction of a new accounting system at that time.
The large increase in 2007-08 electricity charges was due to the introduction of Grouped Shared Services for HM Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce which resulted in HM Treasury assuming responsibility for an additional three buildings.
Data on heating prior to 2005-06 are not available.
The figure for 2007-08 included costs associated with Trevelyan House that was vacated in that year. The figures for 2007-08 and 2008-09 have been adjusted for a large accrual reversal in 2008-09 relating to 2007-08. Additionally, the figure for 2009-10 includes elements for service charges relating to the two previous years that cannot be disaggregated.
The large increase in telephone charges between 2006-07 and 2007-08 was due to the introduction of Grouped Shared Services for HM Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce.
| Debt Management Office | ||||
| £000 | ||||
| Electricity | Water | Heating | Telephones | |
Information prior to 2002-03 is not available due to the introduction of a new accounting system at that time.
Spending on electricity covers the direct usage for the floors leased by DMO and a share of the common areas within the building. Electricity consumption for office space that is sub-leased by the DMO is recovered as income from the occupier.
Spending on water consumption and heating is aggregated into the quarterly service charge invoice and is not separately identifiable from DMO accounting records.
| Asset Protection Agency | ||||
| £000 | ||||
| Electricity | Water | Heating | Telephones | |
The APA was formed in December 2009. Spending on electricity and heating is paid by DMO and recharged as part of the quarterly service charge and is not separately identifiable.
There was no relevant spending by the Royal Mint Advisory Committee during the period in question.
EU Budget
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the outcome was of the discussions on the draft EU Budget for 2011 between the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and her counterparts in Brussels on 14 October 2010. [19214]
Justine Greening: In meetings with Members of the European Parliament, the Belgian presidency, Commissioner Semeta and other senior Commission representatives, I strongly argued the UK's case for a cash freeze: at a time of deep fiscal consolidation in member states, the Commission's proposed increase in the 2011 EU budget of 5.8% is simply not acceptable. I explained that the UK Government will continue to engage constructively in these negotiations, but are absolutely committed to seeing this increase reduced; and that the House of Commons had supported the Government's goals on 13 October. I urged Members of the European Parliament to vote against a budget increase on 20 October.
Negotiations on the 2011 EU budget are ongoing. I have made the UK Government's position and aims very clear to interlocutors at the EU level.
Excise Duties: Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the duty derogation applicable to liquid petroleum gas (a) until 2014 and (b) in subsequent years. [18518]
Justine Greening: The fuel duty rate on an energy equivalent amount of liquefied petroleum gas for road use is set by reference to the main rate of fuel duty on a litre of petrol. A differential currently equivalent to a 35.79 pence per litre reduction in duty came into effect in April.
Under plans inherited by the Government the differential is set to reduce by the equivalent of 1p per litre each year from 2011 to 2014. Other uses of liquefied petroleum gas remain exempt from fuel duty. The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review.
Financial Services Authority: Fees and Charges
Simon Kirby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on small insurance companies of the Financial Services Authority's new fee structure; and if he will make a statement. [19094]
Mr Hoban: The matter concerned is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), whose day-to-day operations are independent from Government control and influence. I have asked the FSA to write to the hon. Member on the issue he raises.
Financial Services: Regulation
Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the financial services industry on the regulation of financial advisers. [19418]
Mr Hoban: The regulation of financial advisers is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), an independent body.
Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussion.
Land Use
Simon Hart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanisms are in place to assist people who have been affected by fraudulent land banking schemes. [17871]
Mr Hoban: Where land banking schemes fail within the definition of a Collective Investment Scheme in section 235 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, they can only be established, operated or wound up with authorisation by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) deals with complaints from consumers against firms that are regulated by the FSA and can require firms to pay compensation. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) can pay compensation to consumers with claims against firms that are regulated by the FSA and financially unable (or likely to be unable) to pay the claim themselves.
Where a firm operating a land banking scheme is not regulated by the FSA, its customers will not have access to redress through the FOS and the FSCS.
Loans: Interest Rates
Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce a cap on the annual percentage rate that commercial companies can charge customers on unsecured loans. [18524]
Mr Davey: I have been asked to reply.
I recently announced a joint BIS and HM Treasury review of consumer credit and personal insolvency and this Department issued a formal call for evidence on 15 October. Government have previously committed to give regulators the power to define and ban excessive interest rates on credit and store cards and our review will provide a framework for this, as well as other coalition commitments, to be considered.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) recently considered the possible introduction of price controls on interest rates on products such as pawnbroking, payday loans and home collected credit as part of its review of high cost consumer finance products. The review concluded that price controls would not be a suitable solution to the concerns the OFT identified. The OFT made a number of recommendations aimed at improving the market for consumers and these are also being considered as part of the review.
Personal Income
Mr Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of recording the household income of all households with children in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12. [18534]
Mr Gauke: The information is not available in the format requested. HM Revenue and Customs does not hold income information for all households with children.
Public Expenditure
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to publish equality impact assessments undertaken by his Department as part of the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement. [18278]
Danny Alexander [holding answer 20 October 2010]: On 20 October 2010 the Treasury published an overview of the impact of the spending review on groups protected by equalities legislation.
However, the Treasury does not dictate the details of how other Departments will live within their settlements-this will be for Departments to decide themselves. Other Government Departments will ensure that equality considerations are taken into account when these decisions are made. Decisions about the publication of equality impact assessments are also for individual Departments to make.
With regard to its own spending, the Treasury will ensure that equalities are taken into account as policies are developed following the spending review, in line with its legal obligations.
Revenue and Customs: Retford
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax office staff are located in Retford; how many such staff there will be in October 2013; how many there were in October 2007; and if he will make a statement. [19181]
Mr Gauke: The number of staff located in the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) office at Kings Park house, Retford, in October 2007 and October 2010 is shown in the following table. As announced in 2008, as part of HMRC's Regional Review Programme, HMRC is withdrawing from Kings Park house in 2010-11 and there will be no back office staff in Retford in October 2013. Inquiry centre services will still be available for customers in Retford who need that level of support but the way these services are provided may change and the staffing provision has not yet been decided.
| HMRC staff in King's Park house, Retford | ||
| As at 1 Octobe r | FTE( 1) | HC( 2) |
| (1) FTE = Full-time equivalent. This is the equivalent number of full-time posts. (2) HC = Headcount. This is the total number of staff working in the organisation, irrespective of working patterns. | ||
Tax Evasion
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an estimate of the likely cost to the Exchequer of tax evasion by (a) large businesses, (b) small and medium-sized enterprises and (c) individuals in the next (i) 12 months and (ii) five years. [18548]
Mr Gauke: No such estimates have been made.
HMRC published the latest available estimates of the tax gap in September 2010 in 'Measuring Tax Gaps 2010', available at:
Taxation
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an assessment of the combined effects of the VAT rise and changes in the personal tax allowance on those (a) under and (b) over the age of 65 years. [19344]
Mr Gauke: At the June Budget this Government showed their commitment to transparency by publishing more detailed distributional analysis of the impacts of their policies than has ever been done before. Charts A1-A4 in the June Budget show the impacts of tax, tax credit and benefit changes, including increases to the personal allowance and changes to VAT, and are available at:
This analysis shows that the impact by 2012-13 of measures that can be robustly assessed is progressive.
The Government are committed to providing fair support to all groups. The June Budget announced particular measures to help pensioners, including uprating the basic state pension in April 2011 by at least the equivalent of the retail price index.
Taxation: Domicil
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) companies and (b) individuals have moved their tax domicile offshore in the last five months; and what estimate he has made of the consequent loss of revenue to the Exchequer through corporation tax. [18547]
Mr Gauke: Information on the number of companies and individuals that have moved their tax domicile in the last five months together with an estimate of the consequent loss of revenue to the Exchequer is not available.
VAT: Tax Rates and Bands
Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the (a) administrative cost to and (b) change in the level of business for the retail industry of the proposed increase in the rate of VAT to 20 per cent. [18523]
Mr Gauke: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The impact assessment published at June 2010 Budget provides information on compliance costs to businesses of the increase of VAT to 20% in January 2010 and available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_ impact_assessments.pdf
Compliance costs information is not available at industrial sector level.
(b) The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), and I have asked the OBR to reply.
Letter from Robert Chote, dated 25 October 2010:
As Chair of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility, I have been asked to reply to your recent question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of (b) change in the level of business for the retail industry of the proposed increase in the rate of VAT to 20 per cent. 18523
The interim OBR's June 2010 Budget forecast incorporated the estimated impact of policy measures announced at or before the Budget, including the increase in the standard rate of VAT from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent that will take effect from 4 January 2011.
The interim OBR applied a range of fiscal multipliers to help inform its judgement on the overall impact of the June Budget measures on aggregate demand in the economy. These multipliers are set out in Table C8 of the June Budget document. A figure of 0.8, for example, means that a measure which has a direct effect of raising revenue by 1 per cent of GDP is estimated to reduce aggregate demand in the economy by 0.8 per cent in the short run.
For the June Budget the interim OBR applied a fiscal multiplier of 0.35 for the impact of the change in the VAT rate. The estimated impact of the increase in VAT on real GDP has not yet been published. In accordance with our publication procedure (which is available on our website at
we will release this information on 18 November 2010, at 11am. This information will be published on the OBR website, and copies of all published material will be made available to Parliament.
Work and Pensions
Anthony Bates
Mr Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Child Support Agency's (CSA) management of the child maintenance case of Mr Anthony Bates of Nuneaton; for what reasons the case remains unresolved after three years; for what reasons the CSA wrote to Mr Bates on (a) 11 May and (b) 15 May 2010; and what recent assessment he has made of the CSA's overall performance in managing child maintenance cases. [13800]
Maria Miller: The Child Support Agency has improved its performance over the last few years against its objectives. This can be seen in the latest quarterly summary of statistics published on 28 July 2010:
The objectives set by Government for the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, which has responsibility for the Child Support Agency, are set out in its business plan for 20010/11:
Despite progress being made there remain important issues that need to be addressed to improve the service that the Child Support Agency is able to deliver.
It is a priority to ensure that an effective child maintenance system is available to families as part of the Government's commitment to supporting shared parenting and promoting parental responsibility. These issues are being considered with the management of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and in light of the spending review.
The details about individual cases are confidential so I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner, who is responsible for the child maintenance system, to write to the hon. Member separately about the case of his constituent.
Children: Maintenance
Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in respect of how many children the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has collected maintenance payments through (a) the statutory arrangement and (b) private arrangements since 1 April 2010. [16097]
Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in respect of how many children the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has collected maintenance payments through (a) the Statutory arrangement and (b) private arrangements since 1 April 2010 [16097].
The number of children benefiting from maintenance through the statutory maintenance service is routinely published in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics which is available in the House of Commons library or online at:
As of June 2010, 849,100 children were benefiting from maintenance payments. Maintenance was collected through the Child Support Agency collection service as well as through maintenance direct arrangements set up by the Child Support Agency where non-resident parents pay parents with care directly.
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission does not hold a register of private arrangements nor does it collect the maintenance payments for them as these arrangements are genuinely private.
However, the Commission estimates that by the end of March 2010 an additional 60,000 children were benefiting from maintenance payments via private arrangements following contact with the Commission's Child Maintenance Options Service.
Departmental Sick Leave
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many days on average his Department's staff in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in 2009-10. [18576]
Chris Grayling: The number of days on average Department staff in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill-health in 2009-10, as reported by the Department's personnel computer, is recorded in the following table.
| Staff p ay g rade | Average d ays |
The Department has cut average sickness absence by 25% from 11.1 to 8.4 days between March 2007 and September 2010. It is committed to further reducing sickness absence to below its Departmental target of 7.7 days.
Priti Patel:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in his Department have had (a) fewer than five days, (b) five to 10 days,
(c) 10 to 15 days, (d) 15 to 20 days, (e) 20 to 25 days, (f) 25 to 50 days, (g) 50 to 75 days, (h) 75 to 100 days, (i) 100 to 150 days, (j) 150 to 200 days, (k) more than 200 days, (l) more than three months, (m) more than six months and (n) one year on paid sick leave (i) consecutively and (ii) in total in each year since 1997. [18717]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available in the required format and could only be provided at disproportionate costs. The Department has cut average sickness absence by 25% from 11.1 to 8.4 days between March 2007 and September 2010. It is committed to further reducing sickness absence to below its Departmental target of 7.7 days.
Disability Living Allowance
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements he plans to put in place for the medical assessments to be introduced for all disability living allowance claimants from 2013-14; how such assessments will differ from those undertaken under current arrangements; and whether the new assessments will use the current A-Z of Medical Conditions as guidance. [16902]
Maria Miller: The Chancellor announced in the Emergency Budget that the Government will introduce a new assessment for DLA from 2013-14. The new assessment will be transparent, objective, fair and will be based on identifying the barriers disabled people have to overcome to participate in society and live more independent lives.
The Department is currently in the process of developing options for the new assessment in consultation with an independent group of specialists comprising of disability organisations, relevant health professionals and others with expertise in this area. This process will consider the nature of the assessment and what evidence will be required to support the new assessment and how that evidence will be gathered and used. At this stage in the development process the role of Customer Case Management (CCM) Guidance has not been determined.
To ensure that all organisations and individuals with an interest in this area have the opportunity to contribute their views on this reform, we will be holding a public consultation on the new proposals in autumn this year.
Employers' Liability: Insurance
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to respond to his Department's consultation on an employer's liability insurance bureau. [19343]
Chris Grayling: The public consultation closed on 5 May 2010. We are currently considering the replies we received and we will publish our response to the consultation in due course.
Employment and Support Allowance
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what correspondence he received from the Chancellor of the Exchequer on future reductions in spending on employment and support allowance between April 2011 and March 2015; and if he will make a statement; [15668]
(2) what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on future budgetary allocations for benefits in advance of the Spending Review; and if he will make a statement. [15716]
Chris Grayling: We are looking at a range of options for Welfare Reform, discussions continue and decisions on allocations will be made in the overall context of the spending review.
Employment Schemes: Dartford
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Dartford constituency participated in (a) a community taskforce and (b) work-focused training programme in the last 12 months. [18669]
Chris Grayling: Within the constituency of Dartford between November 2009 and the end of July 2010:
(a) 20 people started the Community Task Force;
(b) 10 people started the Young Person's Guarantee Work Focussed Training and 20 people started Routes into Work Pre-Employment Training.
Note:
Published official statistics are only currently available up until the end of July 2010.
Employment Schemes: Disability
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people he expects to have participated in the Work Choice programme by 2015. [19266]
Maria Miller: We expect around 79,000 people to have access to the Work Choice programme by 2015.
Employment Schemes: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2010, Official Report, column 338W, on employment schemes: Peterborough, how many people in Peterborough constituency completed (a) Community Task Force, (b) Routes Into Work and (c) Young Person's Guarantee Work Focused training programmes the latest period for which figures are available. [18180]
Chris Grayling: Statistics on the numbers of completers is not available.
In the constituency of Peterborough and up to the end of July 2010:
(a) 90 people started the Community Task Force;
(b) 20 people started Routes into Work Pre-Employment Training; and
(c) 30 people started Young Person's Guarantee Work Focussed Training.
Note:
Published official statistics are only currently available up until the end of July 2010.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which programmes sponsored by his Department are designed to assist young people into employment in Redcar constituency. [16530]
Chris Grayling: Young people in Redcar have access to a range of programmes designed to help them into employment. These provide jobsearch skills, temporary employment, help to become self employed, work experience and volunteering to improve employablility. Where people remain unemployed after 12 months, they enter Flexible New Deal.
Unemployment amongst Britain's youth is unacceptably high and this range of programmes is confusing. For these reasons, we will introduce a new single work programme in the first half of 2010. This will offer young people targeted personalised help and will be delivered through the best of private and voluntary sector providers. In the meantime we will ensure young people continue to have access to employment support prior to the implementation of the work programme.
EU Law
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he made of the cost to his Department and its non-departmental public bodies of compliance with (a) domestic, (b) European and (c) other international human rights requirements in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [18712]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions and its non-departmental public bodies do not collate information on the costs of compliance with human rights requirements. The Department and its non-departmental public bodies take account of the domestic and international human rights framework in developing all their policies and practices, as they do other relevant legal obligations. An accurate estimate of the total cost of compliance with human rights obligations could not be made without incurring disproportionate cost.
Housing Benefit
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number of low-income working households in receipt of housing benefit; [17570]
(2) what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number of low income working households receiving housing benefit in Scotland. [17573]
Steve Webb: The most common measure of low income used is based on a threshold of an income below 60% of contemporary median income, adjusted to take account of family size and composition.
Of the estimated 700,000 households where someone is in work and recorded receipt of housing benefit, the number of households with income below 60% of median equivalised household income in 2008/09 was 200,000 (30%) Before Housing Costs and 400,000 (54%) After Housing Costs.
The number of households in Scotland where someone is in work and recorded receipt of housing benefit is less than 50,000.
Notes:
1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average (HBAI) Income data sourced from the 2008/09 Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using
modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.
2. Figures have been presented on both a Before Housing Cost and After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Cost they are.
3. The Family Resources Survey is known to under-record some benefit receipt so the estimates presented should be treated with caution.
4. Estimates from the Family Resources Survey are presented rounded to the nearest 100,000 households. If the figure is less than 50,000, this would be rounded down to zero, so instead such figures are presented as "less than 50,000" or "negligible".
5. A working household has been defined as a household where at least one adult is in work.
Industrial Injuries
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) monitoring and (b) investigations his Department undertakes in respect of compliance with the provisions of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. [18337]
Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
( a) HSE monitors compliance rates with RIDDOR through annual questions in the Labour Force Survey that is organised by the Office for National Statistics. This figure is published annually by HSE as part of the national workplace health and safety statistics. For 2008/09, the compliance rate was estimated at 58% for non-fatal injuries.
( b) HSE may investigate compliance with RIDDOR where a complaint is made that a reportable incident has not been investigated or where information of non-reporting comes to light during the course of other interventions such as a proactive inspection. Decisions on whether to investigate are guided by HSE's Enforcement Policy Statement and take into account factors such as the likely seriousness of any breach of the law, relevant information about the dutyholder's past performance and HSE enforcement priorities.
HSE operational databases do not record investigations into failures to report injuries, cases of ill-health and dangerous occurrences under RIDDOR as discrete items and consequently figures for the numbers of investigations are not readily available and may only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Pendle
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to assist residents in Pendle constituency who are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance to enter employment. [18586]
Chris Grayling: The Government aims to introduce a new national Work Programme by summer 2011. This will be an integrated package of support providing personalised help to a wide range of customers-from jobseeker's allowance recipients who have been out of work for some time, to customers who may previously have been receiving incapacity benefits for many years.
Alongside the Work Programme we will deliver a more flexible advisory service in Jobcentre Plus, giving local offices more control and allowing them to deliver in a way that is responsive to local needs.
To get Britain working we also need to harness a wide range of talent, ideas and good practice with help from business, the public and voluntary sector and local deliverers of services.
We recently launched Work Clubs as a way of encouraging people who are out of work to exchange skills and share experiences; and Work Together as a way of developing work skills through volunteering. We also announced that we will introduce a New Enterprise Allowance which will support unemployed people who wish to move off benefits into self employment.
We are developing further options to encourage pre-employment training and work placements through Service Academies and greater insight into the world of work through Work Experience.
KPMG
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the monetary value is of his Department's contracts with KPMG; and what the monetary value is of each such contract entered into since his appointment. [17051]
Chris Grayling: We currently have two contracts with KPMG, one for £100,000 and one Pro-Bono contract which attracted a nominal consideration of £1.
The monetary value of each contract entered into since the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions appointment is £100,001.
Motability
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the value for money of the Motability scheme. [17669]
Maria Miller: Independent analysis commissioned by Motability indicates that the Car Scheme is typically 35% cheaper on a like-for-like basis then other lease providers for the same models, reflecting the Scheme's economies of scale and the significant discounts it is able to negotiate as a result.
At present, the Motability Scheme has over 300 models available which can be leased by a disabled person using the Higher Rate Mobility Component of their Disability Living Allowance (currently £49.85 per week). Motability provides regular updates to the Department and continues to work with vehicle manufacturers and other business partners to deliver the best possible value for its disabled customers.
National Insurance Contributions: Females
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps Jobcentre Plus takes to assist women who do not have a full national insurance contribution record to re-enter the workplace. [17662]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what steps Jobcentre Plus takes to assist women who do not have a full national insurance contribution record to re-enter the work place. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus does not differentiate the support given to customers by way of their gender or national insurance contribution record. Customers wishing to re-enter the workplace can benefit from a range of help, including advice on jobsearch techniques, signposting to appropriate job-search channels, skills training and help with costs associated with returning to work. However, eligibility for these services is often dependant on the customer's circumstances, including the benefits they receive and the length of time they have been unemployed.
As a minimum, all customers have access to an extensive database of job vacancies and can access jobsearch support material either from their local Jobcentre or on-line via the DirectGov website.
Jobcentre Plus Personal Advisers provide support to customers, and partners of customers who are claiming a benefit, administered by Jobcentre Plus, or who are receiving Pension Credit. Personal Advisers work with each customer to agree a personalised return to work plan. This may include participation in one, or more, of our employment and training initiatives, providing help such as support with developing a CV, confidence building, work trials, or work-focused training.
National Insurance: Foreign Nationals
Mr Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were issued to (a) non-UK EU nationals and (b) nationals of each non-EU state in each of the last eight quarters for which figures are available. [19369]
Chris Grayling: The information requested has been placed in the Library of both Houses.
Nottinghamshire
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) staff of Jobcentre Plus and (b) other staff of his Department were based in (i) Retford and (ii) Worksop on (A) 1 October 2007 and (B) the most recent date for which figures are available; and how many such staff he expects to be based at those locations on 1 October 2013. [19178]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many a) staff of Jobcentre Plus and b) other staff at his Department were based in i) Retford and ii) Worksop on a) 1 October 2007 and b) the most recent date for which figures are available; and how many such staff he expects to be based at those locations on 1 October 2013. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The information in the following table is set out in full-time equivalents.
| October 2007 | June 2010 | |
| Source: Dataview | ||
Jobcentre Plus continues to monitor workloads and as part of that, staffing levels are reviewed on a regular basis. However, staffing and spending plans for the business will be dependent on the levels announced in the Spending Review settlement set out by HM Treasury. Until we have worked through the detail of this, we are unable to give estimates of staffing levels for October 2013.
Occupational Pensions
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of (a) women and (b) people in black and minority ethnic groups who would be exempted from the auto-enrolment into a workplace pension scheme if the level of qualifying earnings were increased to (i) £6,000, (ii) £7,000, (iii) £8,000, (iv) £9,000, (v) £10,000, (vi) £11,000 and (vii) £12,000. [19342]
Steve Webb: People are not saving enough for their retirement. The coalition agreement therefore makes clear the Government's commitment to introducing automatic enrolment into a workplace pension. We believe that this will bring about a step-change in the number of people saving for their retirement.
The Pensions Act 2008 provides that, from 2012, workers between the age of 22 and State Pension Age, with annual earnings in at least one job of more than £5,035 (2006 earnings terms) will be eligible for automatic enrolment into a qualifying pension scheme, unless they are already participating in such a scheme.
Our analysis indicates that around 10-11 million people will be eligible for automatic enrolment in a workplace pension scheme from 2012. That's why automatic enrolment is so important, but it's crucial that we get the detail right. So we instigated the Making Automatic Enrolment Review to ensure that automatic enrolment is implemented in the most effective way.
An estimate of the numbers of (a) women, and (b) people in black and minority ethnic groups who would no longer be eligible to be automatically enrolled into a workplace pension consequent on the qualifying level of earnings being increased to (i) £6,000, (ii) £7,000, (iii) £8,000, (iv) £9,000, (v) £10,000, (vi) £11,000 and (vii) £12,000 in 2006 earnings terms are provided in the following tables. The figures are rounded to the nearest 500,000 because they are unlikely to be reliable below that level. The tables therefore include an additional column, showing the composition of the resultant eligible group.
| Table A: Women | ||
| Number of additional women excluded | Composition of resultant eligible group (% women) | |
| Note: Ranges are rounded to the nearest 500,000. | ||
| Table B: People from Black and minority ethnic communities | ||
| Number of additional people from BME communities excluded | Composition of resultant eligible group (% BME) | |
| Note: Ranges are rounded to the nearest 500,000 | ||
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who would be excluded from the requirement to pay into a workplace pension in circumstances in which the qualifying level of earnings, in 2006 earnings terms, was (a) £5,035, (b) £6,000, (c) £7,000, (d) £8,000, (e) £9,000, (f) £10,000, (g) £11,000 and (h) £12,000. [19345]
Steve Webb: People are not saving enough for their retirement. The coalition agreement therefore makes clear the Governments commitment to introducing automatic enrolment into a workplace pension. We believe that this will bring about a step-change in the number of people saving for their retirement.
The Pensions Act 2008 provides that, from 2012, workers between the age of 22 and State Pension Age, with annual earnings in at least one job of more than £5,035 (2006 earnings terms) will be eligible for automatic enrolment into a qualifying pension scheme, unless they are already participating in such a scheme.
This will not place a requirement on employees to pay into a workplace pension scheme. They will be able to opt out of the workplace pension scheme, and in some cases the employer may contribute more than the minimum, reducing or even eliminating the need for an employee contribution.
Our analysis indicates that around 10-11 million people will be eligible for automatic enrolment in a workplace pension scheme from 2012. That's why automatic enrolment is so important, but it's crucial we get the detail right. So we instigated the Making Automatic Enrolment Review to ensure that automatic enrolment is implemented in the most effective way.
An estimate of the numbers of people who would not be automatically enrolled into a workplace pension consequent on the qualifying level of earnings being increased to £6,000, £7,000, £8,000, £9,000, £10,000, £11,000, and £12,000 in 2006 earnings terms is provided in the following table.
| Number of additional people who would be excluded from automatic enrolment | |
| Note: Ranges are rounded to the nearest 500,000 | |
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the introduction of a three-month waiting period before auto-enrolment into a workplace pension scheme on (a) the level of pension provision for (i) temporary and agency workers and (ii) all employees and (b) the number of people choosing to opt out of such a scheme. [19356]
Steve Webb: People are not saving enough for their retirement. The coalition agreement therefore makes clear the Government's commitment to introducing automatic enrolment into a workplace pension. We believe that this will bring about a step-change in the number of people saving for their retirement.
The Pensions Act 2008 provides that, from 2012, workers between the age of 22 and State Pension Age, with annual earnings in at least one job of more than £5,035 (2006 earnings terms) will be eligible for automatic enrolment into a qualifying pension scheme, unless they are already participating in such a scheme.
Our analysis indicates that around 10-11 million people will be eligible for automatic enrolment in a workplace pension scheme from 2012. That's why automatic enrolment is so important, but it's crucial that we get the detail right. So we instigated the Making Automatic Enrolment Review to ensure that automatic enrolment is implemented in the most effective way.
We estimate that the introduction of a three month Waiting Period would reduce the total number of people eligible for automatic enrolment by around 500,000 at any particular point in time. Of course, many of these people would go on to be automatically enrolled after three months.
Analysis of the 2007 Labour Force Survey indicates that 22 percent of those in the eligible group, and in employment for less than three months, are employed through an agency. This compares to 14 percent of the total eligible group who are employed through an agency. Thus, we estimate that the introduction of a three- month waiting period will exclude around 110,000 people employed through an agency from the eligible group for automatic enrolment.
There is little direct evidence of the effect of waiting periods on the likelihood of an individual choosing to
opt-out following automatic enrolment, and it is very difficult to estimate the likely impact. What evidence there is from the United States, where schemes already operate waiting periods of up to 12 months, shows that take up rates are still high and waiting periods do not seem to adversely affect opt-out rates.
Our assumptions of the numbers of people who will opt out of automatic enrolment into a qualifying pension scheme is based on analysis of the Department for Work and Pension's 2009 survey of individual's attitudes and likely response to the workplace pension reforms. These rates are not dependent on the length of time an individual has been in employment, and therefore do not change as a result of introducing a 3 month waiting period.
Pensions
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent consideration he has given to the adequacy of pension providers' management of environmental, social and governance risks. [17743]
Steve Webb: The Government fully support the highest standards of corporate governance and ethical behaviour and considers such high standards can contribute to better company performance by helping a board discharge its duties in the best interests of shareholders. The Government continue to keep under review the role of pension scheme trustees in the governance process and, in particular, the adequacy of the rules that apply to the investment of scheme funds.
Post Office Card Account
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the monetary value of pensions and benefits payments that have been transferred from his Department to holders of the Post Office card account in each week of the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available; and what estimate he made of the proportion of such payments attributable to (a) state pension payments and (b) benefits other than the state pension. [19501]
Steve Webb: The information is not available in the requested format. The following table provides details for each month during the 12 month period October 2009 to September 2010.
| 2009 | 2010 | |||||||||||
| Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | |
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many Post Office card accounts were closed in each month of the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available; and what proportion of those accounts had been used to enable the account holder to receive (a) the state pension and (b) benefits other than the state pension; [19502]
(2) how many new Post Office card accounts were opened in each month of the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available; and what proportion
of those accounts has been opened to enable the account holder to receive (a) the state pension and (b) benefits other than the state pension. [19503]
Steve Webb: Information about the proportion of accounts used for (a) State Pension and (b) benefits other than the State Pension is not available in the requested format. The following table provides details of the number of Post Office card accounts opened and closed during the 12 month period October 2009 to September 2010.
| 2009 | 2010 | |||||||||||
| Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | |
Poverty: Redcar
Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of (a) people, (b) children and (c) pensioners in Redcar constituency were living in poverty in each year since 1997; [16535]
(2) how many children were living in relative poverty in Redcar constituency in each year since 1997. [16536]
Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of people, children and pensioners living in relative poverty across the UK are published in Households Below Average Income (HBAI). This uses household income adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size using various thresholds of low income. As they are based on survey data, poverty estimates published in HBAI only allow breakdowns to Government office region and analysis by parliamentary constituency is not possible. However, figures for the North East Government office region are set out in Table 1, 2 and 3.
| Table 1: Number in millions and percentage of people in relative poverty in the North East of England, Before Housing Costs (BHC) and After Housing Costs (AHC) | ||
| Million (and %) of individuals | ||
| Relative poverty | ||
| Period | BHC | AHC |
| Table 2: Number in millions and percentage of children living in relative poverty in the North East of England, Before Housing Costs (BHC) | |
| Million (and %) of children | |
| Period | Relative poverty-BHC |
| Table 3: Number in millions and percentage of pensioners living in relative poverty in the North East of England, After Housing Costs (AHC) | |
| Million (and %) of pensioners | |
| Period | Relative poverty-AHC |
| Notes : 1. These statistics are based on the Households Below Average Income series, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. Three survey years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition-an income measure that acts as a proxy for the standard of living. 5. For the Households Below Average Income series, incomes have been equivalised using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) modified equivalisation factors. 6. Numbers of adults and children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000, while proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 7. Relative poverty is defined as the number (or percentage) of given group (all people, children, pensioners) living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income. 8. Poverty for all people is presented on both a BHC and AHC basis. Children poverty is presented on a BHC basis and pensioners poverty on an AHC basis. This takes account of the notion that housing costs reflect the standard of living of working age families (with children), while they do not for pensioners, nearly three quarters of whom own their own home and therefore gain value from it that is not captured by the corresponding low housing costs relative to the working age population. Considering pensioners' incomes compared to others after deducting housing costs allows for more meaningful comparisons of income between working age people and pensioners, and overtime. Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP | |
Redundancy: Wolverhampton South West
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assistance his Department has provided to residents of Wolverhampton South West constituency who have been made redundant in the last 12 months; [17998]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to assist residents in Wolverhampton South West constituency who are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance to secure employment. [17999]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking what assistance his Department has provided to residents of Wolverhampton South West constituency who have been made redundant in the last 12 months and; what steps his Department is taking to assist residents in Wolverhampton South West constituency who are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance to secure employment. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive.
Jobcentre Plus's Rapid Response Service (RRS) is automatically offered to all employers declaring more than 20 redundancies. We may also offer the service to employers declaring less than 20 redundancies. The service aims to enable people who are made redundant to move quickly into alternative employment without the need to claim welfare benefits and can be accessed by people as soon as they are under notice of redundancy. In Wolverhampton South West, Jobcentre Plus has worked with Wolverhampton Local Authority, Better West Midlands and other partners to offer pre-redundancy support including job search techniques, benefit advice and access to financial support to cover the costs of re-training.
Customers claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in Wolverhampton South West have access to a range of support including jobsearch; one to one advisor support, help with writing CVs, training, work experience and more specialist help depending on the jobseekers need and length of their claim.
Jobcentre Plus work with a number of local employers in the area including Sainsbury's, KFC, C&S Care, BHS and the Black Country Hotelier's Consortium and brings their current vacancies to the attention of jobseekers living within the Wolverhampton area. To develop new Get Britain Working measures including Work Clubs and Work Together, Jobcentre Plus works closely with a number of voluntary and partner organisations within the area such as Wolverhampton Voluntary Services Council.
I hope this information is helpful.
Remploy
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to discuss with hon. Members the future of Remploy Ltd. [19264]
Maria Miller: I am happy to consider and discuss representations from all those who have an interest in improving the employment prospects of disabled people.
Social Security Benefits : East Sussex
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in (a) East Sussex and (b) Hastings and Rye constituency were in receipt of benefits other than disability living allowance of more than £500 a week in the latest period for which figures are available. [18425]
Maria Miller: The information requested is available only at Great Britain level. Latest estimates show that in 2010/11 there are around 100,000 working age households in receipt of more than £500 a week in all benefits and tax credits, including Disability Living Allowance. If Disability Living Allowance is excluded then around 50,000 working age households are in receipt of more than £500 a week.
The Chancellor's announcement of a benefit cap was informed by high-level consideration of the broad impacts. We are now working up the more detailed design of the caps. When we introduce legislation for the implementation of the caps, we will publish an impact assessment.
Note:
All figures are rounded to the nearest 50,000.
Source:
DWP Policy Simulation Model, based on the 2008/09 Family Resources Survey data.
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new claimants of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance there were in each relevant year since 2005. [16916]
Chris Grayling: The information as requested is not available.
However, statistics on total on-flows to incapacity benefit/severe disability allowance and employment and support allowance are available. These are shown in the following tables, but will include both new claimants and any subsequent repeat claims.
| Number of incapacity benefit ( IB/SDA ) c om mencements-Great Britain and abroad | |
| Number of commencements | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Years are based on the sum of four quarters ending February, May, August and November. 3. Employment and support allowance (ESA) replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 4. Data will include those claimants who make another claim to incapacity benefit/severe disability allowance. 5. Latest figures are for February 2010. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5% sample. | |
| Number of employment and support (ESA) commencements- Great Britain and abroad | |
| Quarter | Number of commencements |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data published at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/ (ESA) 3. Employment and support allowance (ESA) replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 4. The figures relating to employment support allowance have been thoroughly quality assured to National Statistics standard however it should be noted that this is a new benefit using a new data source which may not have reached steady state in terms of operational processing and retrospection. Hence most recent data shown is provisional (P). Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS. | |
State Retirement Pensions
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) men and (b) women aged 50 to 59 years who are unable to work; and what assessment he has made of the likely effects on each of those groups of the implementation of the proposed change in the state pension age. [19505]
Steve Webb: The Government's full response to the review of State Pension age will be published shortly. An impact assessment and equality impact assessment will also be published. These include gender impact covering the differences between men's and women's employment rates at older ages, and the reasons for being out of the labour market. Copies will be placed in the library of the House.
Tribunals Service: Standards
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Tribunal Service in respect of employment and benefit tribunals; and what plans he has for future targets for the performance of that service. [17438]
Mr Djanogly: I have been asked to reply.
The Tribunals Service Framework Document requires the agency to report its performance in its Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House and on the Tribunals Service website, www.tribunals.gov.uk. In addition, each year Ministers have approved a Business Plan for the Tribunals Service. Copies of this are also available on the Tribunals Service website. The Tribunals Service has also published detailed official annual statistics for the operational year 2009-10 and, most recently, for the first quarter of 2010-11. These are available on the website.
On 1 April 2011, the Ministry of Justice plans to bring Her Majesty's Courts Service and the Tribunals Service into a new, single organisation. Performance targets for that new agency will be published in the new organisation's first Business Plan.
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