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29 Nov 2010 : Column 606W—continued
Phoenix Companies
Mr Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward proposals to restrict the practice of establishing phoenix companies. [27108]
Mr Davey: Financial failure and wrongdoing should not be considered to be the same thing and the current legal framework seeks to strike the right balance between the interests of creditors and the need to promote entrepreneurial activity. A phoenix company does not necessarily involve wrongdoing. When a company fails, it may be that the directors offer the best price for the assets and that is the best deal for the creditors of the failed company. It may also provide opportunities for employees.
However we must have a regime which enables appropriate action to be taken against those who are unfit to have the protection of limited liability. I assure my hon. Friend that we do have in place, and make use of, such a regime.
In 2009-10 an average of just over five directors were disqualified every working day, removing them from the marketplace and making it safer for people to do business.
Post Offices
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the merits of establishing a Post Office Diversification Fund for England akin to those in operation in Scotland and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [25887]
Mr Davey: "Securing the Post Office Network in the digital age" was published on 9 November 2010 and sets out this Government's strategy for the post office network over the spending review period. We are committed to the future of the network, and will develop new revenues for sub postmasters through the Post Office becoming a front office for Government, expanding its financial services offering, and modernising its network. This is supported by £1.34 billion of funding. There are no current plans to provide additional funding for a diversification fund in England.
Post Offices: ICT
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Horizon computer programme; and what (a) errors relating to the reconciliation of accounts were reported to his Department and (b) remedial action was taken in the latest period for which figures are available. [26688]
Mr Davey: The performance of the Horizon computer system is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd.
I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the right hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Research
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to continue to undertake research and development. [27091]
Mr Willetts: This Government are committed to working with partners in industry and academe to enhance the effectiveness of the innovation system to support successful UK innovation and we are considering the recommendations from Sir James Dyson's Report, "Ingenious Britain".
We will consult with business in the autumn on the taxation of intellectual property and the support that R and D tax credits provide for innovation.
We will continue to invest in business led technology innovation where there is greatest scope for boosting UK growth and productivity through the Technology Strategy Board and will incentivise our universities to work with industry. Through these measures, we are supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and enabling some of them to become the big businesses of tomorrow.
We have also, through the spending review, provided over £200 million to establish a network of technology and innovation centres to help to commercialise new and emerging technologies.
Research: Finance
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2010, Official Report, column 753W, on research and development, what his policy is on the EU target of 3% of gross domestic product to be spent on research and development. [27134]
Mr Willetts: The European Council endorsed in June the EU target of spending 3% of EU gross domestic product on research and development by 2020. At the national level we will be monitoring business expenditure on research and development as an indicator of UK research and development activity.
South East England Development Agency
Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of assets owned by the South East England Development Agency in Medway following the closure of that Agency. [26130]
Mr Prisk: As set out in the White Paper on local growth, regional development agency assets and liabilities will be disposed of in line with a clear set of shared principles which include a key aim of achieving the best possible outcome for the region consistent with achieving value to the public purse.
Students: Fees and Charges
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the long-term future of the cap on university tuition fees; under what circumstances higher education institutions may disregard the cap; and how he expects application of the real interest taper to affect (a) educational institutions and (b) students attending such institutions. [27089]
Mr Willetts: The Government have set out progressive plans for reforms to higher education and student finance to ensure that we maintain England's world class university sector.
We are proposing a basic threshold of £6,000 a year for tuition charges, and it will be up to individual HEIs to decide what they charge up to this level, including whether they charge different levels for different courses.
Universities or colleges wishing to charge students more than £6,000 a year, up to a ceiling of £9,000, will be expected to draw up an access agreement with the Office for Fair Access in order to widen participation in higher education.
We do not believe that our proposals to apply the real interest rate taper will affect educational institutions. The progressive real interest taper will affect those borrowers who are due to repay, and are earning over £21,000. For graduates earning below £21,000, the real rate of interest will remain at zero. For graduates earning between £21,000 and around £41,000, a real rate of interest will be tapered in to reach a maximum of inflation plus 3%, subject to parliamentary approval.
Students: Income
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the average annual income of undergraduate students; and if he will publish the figures his Department collates on undergraduate income. [26689]
Mr Willetts:
The Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2007/08, published on the 21 April 2009, includes estimates of the income of undergraduate higher education
students attending higher education institutions and further education colleges in England and Wales. The full report will be placed in the Libraries of the House and is available on the BIS website:
Full-time England-domiciled students' average (mean) total income during the 2007/08 academic year was £10,425. Part-time England-domiciled students received around 30% more than full-timers, on average, with a total income of £13,511-higher due to their greater earnings from paid work during the academic year.
Students: Loans
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely change in credit default rates among further education students resulting from taking out loans to cover the full cost of tuition fees in each of the next three years; and what guidance his Department has issued to further education colleges on steps to mitigate the adverse effects on them of any such change. [26529]
Mr Hayes: "Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth" (16 November 2010) sets out the funding strategy for post-19 further education (FE) and skills. This includes the introduction of new fee loans from the 2013/14 academic year, providing the opportunity for FE learners to access the funds they need to gain intermediate and higher-level skills. We recognise that this is a significant reform and that is why we will over the next few months engage with colleges, training organisations and others on the details of how fee loans will be implemented. The changes will be phased in over the spending review period to provide the sector with sufficient time to plan effectively.
We have however, set out the key principles that we propose to base the implementation of fee loans in FE. One of principles is that the loan will be repaid on an income contingent basis in line with the recently announced approach for higher education fee loans. This includes a repayment threshold of £21,000 and writing off any outstanding loan amount after a period of 30 years.
We have assumed that as with higher education, the repayment of these loans will be handled through HM Revenue and Customs so there will be limited scope for default for those earning over the repayment threshold.
Teesside Cast Products
Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) meetings and (b) discussions his Department has had with representatives of SSI Ltd on its proposed purchase of Tata Steel Europe's Teesside Cast Products business. [26587]
Mr Prisk: On 8 November I met with Win Viriyaprapaikit, President of Sahaviriya Steel Industries public company limited (SSI).
In addition, since the announcement of the Memorandum of Understanding on the potential sale of Teesside Cast Products was announced on 27 August, the British embassy in Bangkok has had a number of discussions with SSI officials. The new UK ambassador
has subsequently met with Mr Viriyaprapaikit here in the UK on 29 October and in Bangkok on 16 November. The ambassador will also be accompanying the Thai Minister for Foreign Affairs on a visit to Teesside Cast Products on 27 November.
Furthermore BIS officials held an introductory meeting with representatives of SSI and their consultants on 26 October and have continued to maintain contact with them as necessary.
UK Trade and Investment: Manpower
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff who are (a) employed by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and (b) undertaking UKTI-related work for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are based in each country. [25413]
Mr Prisk: UKTI is not an employer in its own right; for the majority of its human resource requirements it draws on civil service staff employed by one or other of its two parent departments-the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). UKTI has Overseas Trade Teams in 96 markets representing some 98% of global GDP. The numbers of FCO people directly recorded as working on UKTI activities is shown in the following table (these are shown as full time equivalents).
| Market | FTE slots |
In the markets where there is no UKTI Trade Team, FCO staff provide political support in-market to UK companies.
Union Learning Fund
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding he plans to provide for the Union Learning Fund in each year of the Spending Review period. [26421]
Mr Hayes: The Union Learning Fund (ULF) and unionlearn, the TUC's learning and skills organisation have achieved real success in helping thousands of workers improve their skills, particularly in reaching out to those who are poorly qualified and most in need of support.
In 2009-10 over 233,000 learners in workplaces across the country were helped back into learning by unionlearn and the Union Learning Fund.
That is why we have set out in "Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth" the Government's commitment to continue to support unionlearn and the Union Learning Fund by investing £21.5 million in the 2011-12 financial year. This will enable unionlearn to build on the impressive track record of union learning representatives and the Union Learning Fund in promoting and supporting learning in the workplace, especially in reaching out to those who are poorly-qualified and most in need of support.
The level of support for the remainder of the spending review period has not yet been decided.
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from the public purse was provided to the Union Learning Fund in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [26593]
Mr Hayes: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills provides funding to support the Union Learning Fund (ULF) and unionlearn, the TUC's learning and skills organisation, which administers the fund on behalf of the Department. The main purpose of this budget is to enable trade unions and union learning representatives (ULRs) to work with employers, employees and learning providers to encourage greater take up of learning and raise skill levels in the workplace. All ULF projects are bound by contracts with defined learning targets and outcomes and are subject to independent audit. Annual expenditure in each of the last five financial years has been as follows:
| £ million | |
Unions and their ULRs play a significant role in helping adults, particularly those who are poorly qualified and with no background in continuing their education, to become engaged and more confident with learning and improve their skills. In 2009-10 over 233,000 learners in workplaces across the country were helped back into learning by the Union Learning Fund and union learning representatives.
University and College Union: Anti-Semitism
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has received recent reports of allegations of incidents of anti-Semitism in the University and College Union; and if he will make a statement. [26704]
Mr Willetts: I have received no reports of allegations of incidents of anti-Semitism in the University and College Union (UCU).
The UCU, as a trade union, is independent from Government. The UCU is responsible for investigating any allegations of anti-Semitism it receives involving the union.
University Challenge
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the University Challenge projects. [27327]
Mr Willetts: Full details of the spending envelope for higher education, including whether there is an allocation of funds for the 'University Challenge' project will be published in the forthcoming Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) grant letter, which will be issued by January 2011.
International Development
Afghanistan: Children
Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of children in Afghanistan who died before the age of five years owing to factors other than military or terrorist action in the latest period for which figures are available. [26887]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: According to the National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment 2007-08 the under-five mortality rate in Afghanistan is 161 per 1,000, which means that five out of every six children are surviving to their fifth birthday. These figures do not discount those children who have died because of military or terrorist action. Official figures are not publicly available.
Africa: Famines
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take to promote the application of new agricultural technology to tackle famine in Africa. [26650]
Mr O'Brien:
The Department for International Development (DFID) will continue to invest in the development of new agriculture technology and its
widespread application in Africa. Speeding up the transfer of technology to farmers, such as new farming techniques and more resilient crops and livestock varieties, is vital in reducing their vulnerability to a wide range of threats.
DFID supports the work of two public-private partnerships, the Global Alliance for Livestock Vaccine and Medicines, and the African Agriculture Technology Foundation which are speeding up the development and marketing of new technology based on existing research. This includes new vaccines for major animal diseases and plant varieties which are drought and pest resistant.
We also support the Research into Use project, which has been successful in working with the private sector to promote the use of new varieties of crops such as maize, beans, cowpea, cassava and sweet potatoes, and improved fertilizer blends in six African countries. It is projected that up to 56 million farmers will benefit from the work of this project.
Agriculture: Food Supply
Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the US Administration's policy on agricultural development and food security as part of its Feed the Future initiative. [26165]
Mr O'Brien: The Secretary of State has had a number of discussions with Rajiv Shah, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, on agricultural development and food security, most recently at the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund at the beginning of October. Discussions have included the US Feed the Future initiative.
We agree with our US counterparts that continued high-level international leadership in this area is important, as is ensuring that efforts to increase agricultural productivity in developing countries leads to a reduction in malnutrition, particularly in pregnant women and young children. We also agree on the importance of being able to demonstrate results from increased donor investment in agriculture and food security.
Departmental Grants
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which non-governmental organisations were funded by his Department in each of the last two years; how much funding was provided to each in each such year; what conditions were applied to the use of such funding; what the funding was used for in each case; and if he will make a statement. [26706]
Mr O'Brien:
The Department for International Development (DFID) supports non-government organisations (NGOs) through a range of centrally managed funds and through DFID's country programmes. Details of funds provided to UK-based NGOs in 2009-10 through these different channels can be found in table 19 of Statistics on International Development 2010, which is available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website. Details of funding to NGOs based in other countries and the specific purpose and conditions attached to all funding to NGOs cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs. However, further
details of all DFID projects, including those delivered by NGOs, can be found on the project database on our website.
Each of DFID's funding schemes for civil society organisations has different criteria and a specific application process. However once funding has been agreed there are a number of conditions that DFID applies to all NGOs. For example they are required to provide quarterly financial reports, a copy of their annual audited accounts and annual reports detailing progress made against agreed objectives. Funds can be used only to support activities and objectives agreed with DFID. All NGOs are also required to produce a project evaluation and project completion reports.
In addition, the UK Government are introducing a new Aid Transparency Guarantee, which commits us to making our aid fully transparent to citizens in both the UK and developing countries, increasing accessibility and feedback, and pushing our international partners to follow our lead. Under this guarantee we will publish full and detailed information on our projects and programmes on our website-in a standardised, accessible format so that it can be freely used by third parties.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's international development goals of the operation of the US Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. [26403]
Mr O'Brien: The US Securities and Exchange Commission has yet to complete the series of regulatory initiatives required under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that will determine the Act's impact.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether all countries in receipt of developmental aid will receive a cash increase in funding proportionate to the proposed increase in his Department's budget from £7.8 billion in 2010 to £11.5 billion by 2015. [26500]
Mr Duncan: No. The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently reviewing all spending through country and regional programmes to ensure we focus our resources where we can achieve the most impact. We will close or reduce the size of programmes where we judge that a country no longer requires substantial aid. The Secretary of State has previously announced that UK bilateral aid programmes in China and Russia will close. Consequently not all countries will receive a cash increase in funding. Allocations to each country will be determined by the conclusions of the Bilateral Aid Review early next year.
Developing Countries: Food
Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on steps to prevent future unstable fluctuations in the price of food in developing countries. [26400]
Mr O'Brien: Food prices are determined by supply and demand. A growing population will increase the demand for food in years to come. Our policy seeks to match this growing demand for food by working with others to increase the supply of food in developing countries at a price that poor people can afford, for example by funding agricultural research.
We also aim to reduce food price volatility by working internationally, particularly with other members of the G20, to liberalise trade and make commodity markets function more efficiently. We are doing this by promoting greater sharing of information on existing stocks, and discouraging disruptive actions such as export bans and panic buying, which limit supplies and drive up prices.
Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) risk assessment and (b) contingency plans he has made in respect of future spikes in the price of food in developing countries. [26401]
Mr O'Brien: The Government monitor international food supplies and price movements carefully. Our current assessment is that despite poor weather in southern Russia and Ukraine earlier this year, other regions of the world did well, and contributed to 2010 having the third largest cereals harvest on record. Global supplies remain adequate to meet expected demand, and available data and past evidence suggest that there is unlikely to be a shortage of food over the coming year. However prices remain higher than they were at the start of the year, reflecting the tighter supply situation.
We are working with others, particularly G20 partners, to seek to avoid a price spike similar to the one seen in 2008. This involves urging greater trade liberalisation, promoting greater sharing of information on existing stocks, and discouraging disruptive actions such as export bans and panic buying, which limit supplies and drive up prices. G8 countries have also pledged to support the L'Aquila Food Security Initiative to increase food supplies in developing countries, and make markets work more effectively. In 2008 high prices affected developing countries differently, and any international response to a further price spike would have to be on a case by case basis.
Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on food aid in the financial years 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09. [26405]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) spending on food aid in financial years 2006-07 to 2008-09 was published in the additional tables made available as part of the 2010 edition of 'Statistics on International Development'. This publication and the additional tables are available in the Library of the House and on DFID's website.
In addition DFID made core contributions to a range of multilateral organisations a proportion of which was also spent on food aid programmes.
The relevant figures are reproduced in the following tables:
| DFID bilateral expenditure on food aid | |||
| £ million | |||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
| Imputed DFID share of multilateral expenditure on food aid | |||
| £ million | |||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of financial speculation on food prices in developing countries. [26406]
Mr O'Brien: While it is impossible to draw definitive conclusions, it is unlikely that financial speculation has a significant effect on food prices in developing countries. Food price movements such as those seen in 2008 can be better explained by other factors such as local supply shortages, low international stocks, uncertainty about the size of the global harvest, a weak dollar, very high energy prices and export restrictions imposed by some countries.
Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of threats to food security in developing countries. [26407]
Mr O'Brien: Threats to food security come from a variety of sources, and over different time periods. In the short-term, countries heavily dependent on imports to meet their food supply needs are most vulnerable to price volatility on the international commodity markets. In 2008 this was the case in many West African countries heavily dependent on rice imported from Asia. Countries which are more self-sufficient in food are vulnerable to local harvest failure, as happened in the Sahel earlier this year.
In the longer term, slow economic growth, rising populations, and climate change pose the greatest threats to food security in developing countries. The Government remain committed to improving the food security of developing countries in collaboration with G8 and G20 partners.
Developing Countries: Human Rights
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department makes the allocation of aid to countries conditional on the upholding of standards of treatment of ethnic and religious minorities in those countries. [26340]
Mr Duncan:
The Department for International Development (DFID) has a strong commitment to human rights, including equal treatment of ethnic and religious minorities. In taking decisions on the provision of aid to any country, DFID considers the Government's
commitment to human rights, poverty reduction, accountability and combating corruption, as well as the level of development and humanitarian need.
DFID is reviewing its bilateral aid programmes to ensure that we target UK aid where it is needed most and will make the most significant impact on poverty reduction. The review will consider which countries should receive aid, how much they should receive and which countries should stop receiving it.
Energy: Export Credits Guarantee Department
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the monetary value of projects in the (a) coal, (b) oil, (c) gas, (d) wind, (e) solar and (f) nuclear energy sectors underwritten by the Export Credits Guarantee Department since June 2010. [26843]
Mr Davey: I have been asked to reply.
ECGD did not provide support to any projects in the coal, oil, wind, solar or nuclear energy sectors between June and November 2010. It supported one gas project, the UK contract value of which was £14.47 million.
EU Aid: Fossil Fuels
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has provided funding through the EU aid budget for overseas projects involving the extraction and transport of fossil fuels in the last five years. [26352]
Mr O'Brien: In the past five years, the Department for International Development (DFID) has not given earmarked funds through the European Commission (EC) aid budget expressly for investments in projects for the extraction and transportation of fossil fuels.
DFID has provided capital and funding through the EC which has been pooled with resources from other shareholders and donors. Based on EC reports to the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), DFID's share of multilateral net imputed aid marked as Official Development Assistance (ODA) and channelled through the European Commission in the energy sector has amounted to £7.55 million over the last five years for which figures are available (2004-05 to 2008-09): £4.55 million contributed to gas distribution, while £2.99 million contributed to gas-fired power plants.
Palestinians: EU Aid
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the EU donated in aid to the Palestinian territories in each of the last three years; what conditions were applied to such aid; what recent discussions he has had with (a) the President of the European Council and (b) Cabinet colleagues on aid to the Palestinian territories; and if he will make a statement. [26705]
Mr Duncan:
European Union (EU) financial commitments to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) totalled €518.41 million in 2009, €497.76 million in 2008, and €563.28 million in 2007. EU assistance to the OPTs is funded and disbursed via a variety of instruments and mechanisms. These, together with the
policy considerations and any conditions which apply to such funding, are set out on the OPTs pages of the EC website.
Ministers regularly discuss the Middle East peace process and UK support to the OPTs. All UK aid is currently under review. There have been no discussions between Department for International Development Ministers and the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, on aid to the OPTs. UK officials are in regular contact with their EU counterparts regarding their respective aid programmes.
Palestinians: Overseas Aid
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take in the next 12 months to ensure that (i) financial and (ii) aid donations to the Palestinian territories are used for their intended purposes; and if he will make a statement. [26503]
Mr Duncan: UK aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories is subject to the highest levels of scrutiny. We conduct regular fiduciary risk assessments to assess the risk of funds being misspent and identify appropriate safeguards. Our funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is administered through a World Bank managed trust fund, which strictly controls how funds are used and has stringent audit requirements. For aid other than financial assistance to the PA, we work with all partners on project design to ensure that UK funding will be spent most effectively. Our partners are United Nations agencies and reputable non-governmental organisations with proven track records in effective delivery.
In line with the Department for International Development's (DFID's) commitment to enhance aid transparency and value for money, from January 2011 details of all spending over £500 will be published on the DFID website. Aid projects will also be subject to additional scrutiny by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact which will be set up by June 2011.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to ensure the effective use by the Palestinian Authority of financial assistance from his Department; and if he will make a statement. [26612]
Mr Duncan: Financial assistance from the UK to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is delivered through a Trust Fund administered by the World Bank. This makes disbursements to the PA conditional on progress in reforms to improve the efficiency of spending and reduce their need for aid in the future. The Department for International Development also provides technical assistance to the PA Ministry of Finance to help them strengthen public financial management. In addition, the UK-PA Memorandum of Understanding makes our financial assistance conditional upon the PA meeting benchmarks for reducing poverty, respecting human rights and strengthening public financial management.
Mr Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department allocated in aid to the Palestinian territories in each of
the last three years; whether any conditions were placed on the disbursement of such aid; and if he will make a statement. [26613]
Mr Duncan: UK bilateral aid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) reported in Statistics on International Development 2010 totalled £57.6 million in 2009-10, £41.3 million in 2008-09 and £45 million in 2007-08. This does not include our funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which operates in the OPTs as well as in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Funding to UNRWA was £24.9 million in 2009-10; £19 million in 2008-09; and £15.6 million in 2007-08.
This aid was delivered in line with general UK policy on conditionality, which is that our aid should be based on three partnership principles with partner governments: poverty reduction and meeting the Millennium Development Goals; respecting human rights and other international obligations; and strengthening financial management and accountability, and reducing the risk of funds being misused through weak administration or corruption. We do not use conditions to impose specific policy choices on recipient countries.
Work and Pensions
Access to Work Programme
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation was undertaken before the new Access to Work guidance was issued; and by what mechanisms the effects of the new guidance are being monitored. [26814]
Maria Miller: In February 2009 DWP officials held a series of focus groups across the country with a number of key external stakeholders, including disability charities, business groups and ethnic minority groups about plans to refocus the Access to Work programme. There was general agreement about the value of the service that Access to Work provides but that the programme should be more flexible; more available to those who are in need of most help; and that larger employers could contribute more. These changes were announced in December 2009.
Access to Work guidance has for many years specified that funding cannot be provided for standard equipment that an employer would need to provide for any employee to do their jobs. A revised list of equipment has been included in the most recent version of Access to Work guidance in order to assist advisers in making operational decisions on each case under consideration for funding and help ensure consistency across the country. This list will be updated from time to time to ensure it reflects latest developments. The list of examples provided is not exhaustive and advisers have the discretion to identify other types of equipment as standard for a particular industry or occupation.
The Access to Work programme is kept under constant review, to ensure that it remains effective, efficient and value for money.
Carer's Allowance
Kerry McCarthy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of people caring for a person who is
receiving the middle rate care component of disability living allowance who are not in receipt of carer's allowance. [16667]
Maria Miller: We are unable to estimate the number of people caring for a person receiving the middle rate care component of disability living allowance who are not in receipt of carer's allowance. This is because estimating the take-up of carer's allowance would require combining information in relation to the carer's allowance eligibility criteria about both the disabled person and their carer, who may not be part of the same household.
To receive carer's allowance, a person must be caring for someone who receives either attendance allowance or disability living allowance care component at the middle or highest rate. In addition, the carer must not have earnings from employment of more than £100 a week after deduction of allowable expenses, and must not be in full-time education. In consequence, receipt of the disability living allowance care component at the middle rate by the disabled person does not necessarily automatically qualify their carer for carer's allowance.
Cold Weather Payments: Westmorland and Lonsdale
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance his Department provides to (a) pensioners, (b) benefit recipients and (c) other vulnerable individuals resident in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency in meeting the cost of their fuel needs; and what steps he is taking to ensure that people not in receipt of a state pension or other benefit administered by his Department are aware of the help available to them. [26971]
Steve Webb: Pensioners in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency, along with other individuals who have reached women's state pension age, will receive a winter fuel payment to help meet the cost of their winter fuel needs. Households with someone aged up to 79 will receive £250 while those households with someone aged 80 or over receive £400.
Cold weather payments of £25 a week are paid to those on pension credit in periods of very cold weather. Recipients of other income-related benefits such as income-related employment and support allowance may also be entitled to a cold weather payment if they have a pensioner or disability premium included in their benefit, or they have a child who is either disabled or under the age of five in the family.
Disabled people can face extra costs but, by and large, these needs arise all year round. Benefits such as disability living allowance and the disability premiums and elements in the income-related benefits provide additional weekly payments and are related to the individual's circumstances.
We are working to ensure that people are aware of, and take up their entitlements through initiatives such as: using data matching to identify those who may be entitled to, but not currently receiving, benefits; home visits for vulnerable customers; a simple and straight-forward claim process; closer working with partner organisations and our media campaigns. For example, an article was published in the Cumberland and Westmorland Gazette on 20 November 2010 reminding
people that they will soon receive winter fuel payments and explaining what they should do if they needed to make a claim.
The Department for Work and Pensions also works closely with other Government Departments on the 'Keep Warm Keep Well' campaign, which is aimed at vulnerable households in England and gives information on the health benefits of keeping warm in winter and details of the grants and benefits available.
Communication: Young People
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department and its non-departmental public bodies spent on (a) telecommunications-based, (b) literature-based, (c) electronic, (d) television and (e) other campaigns and communications targeted at young people aged between 16 and 24 years in respect of (i) employment, (ii) training opportunities and (iii) welfare in the latest period for which figures are available. [26823]
Chris Grayling: The latest period for which figures are available relating to communications spend by DWP covers April 2010 to September 2010. During this period, DWP spent £6,225 on electronic communications, specifically to engage young people to help them find their first job. In addition, the Department spent £211,533.72 on providing literature-based information to people of working age. It is not possible to define the proportion of this spend relating specifically to the engagement of young people, as this information is aimed at everyone of working age.
With regard to activity delivered by NDPBs, Remploy is the only body to have incurred expenditure during the relevant financial period. Remploy has incurred spend on (b) literature-based materials for young people aged between 16 and 24 years on (i) employment of £817.
Departmental Sick Leave
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2010, Official Report, column 908W, on departmental sick leave, what assessment he has made of the reasons for regional variations in average rates of sickness in his Department and its agencies. [27305]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions assesses variances in average rates of sickness at office and agency level. The Department has succeeded in reducing sickness absence from an average of 11.1 days per employee in 2007 to 8.3 days per employee currently. This has been achieved through compliance with policy, sharing best practice and, where necessary, by focusing additional efforts in under performing offices.
The Department has not, therefore, made an assessment on the reasons for regional variances in average rates of sickness.
Disability Living Allowance: Medical Examinations
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what criteria the objective assessment of disability living allowance applications is made; and how that assessment differs from his Department's previously proposed medical assessments for that allowance. [22466]
Maria Miller: Entitlement to disability living allowance (DLA) depends on the effects that disability has on a person's life and not on a particular disability or diagnosis. This means that people living with the same illnesses or disabilities may not necessarily have the same care or mobility needs. The current entitlement conditions can be open to interpretation which can lead to inconsistent and subjective decisions about benefit entitlement. It does not always focus support on those who need it most.
As set out in Budget 2010, the Government intend to introduce a new assessment for disability living allowance to allow us to more accurately, objectively and consistently assess individuals to determine who is likely to benefit most from additional support. The Department remains committed to the social model of disability and it is not our intention that the new assessment will just be based on the medical model of disability and focused solely on an individual's impairment.
We are not intending to introduce any other assessments in addition to this.
We are currently in the process of developing the new assessment with the help of an independent group of specialists in health care, social care and disability, which includes disabled people. We are planning to consult publicly on our proposals later this year.
Employment Schemes: Disability
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funds have been made available from his Department's budget to assist the implementation of the recommendations of the work capability assessment independent review led by Professor Malcolm Harrington. [26818]
Chris Grayling: Professor Harrington's independent review of the work capability assessment (WCA) was published on 23 November, alongside the Government's response. The Government's response fully accepted the substantial series of recommendations put forward by Professor Harrington.
While we are fully committed to doing this, we have not yet established exactly what funds will be needed to implement the Government's response. Many of the changes are already planned in the design of IB (IS) reassessment. We agree with Professor Harrington's assessment that as these changes are implemented they will reduce costs.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many placements have been commissioned under the Work Choice programme; [26811]
(2) how many placements he expects to be commissioned under the Work Choice programme by 2015. [26812]
Chris Grayling: Work Choice contracted delivery will support around 79,000 people over the life of the contracts. This includes 66,000 new starters plus a further 13,000 former Workstep customers, who will continue to be supported within Work Choice.
Figures for Work Choice delivered by Remploy cover the remaining two and a half year period of the modernisation plan, which goes up to 2012-13. During
this period Remploy will support around 70,500 people. This includes 59,500 new starters plus a further 11,000 former Workstep customers, who will continue to be supported within Work Choice.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanisms are in place in the Work Programme to encourage employers to recruit people with disabilities. [26813]
Chris Grayling: The Work Programme will give providers the freedom to design personalised support that delivers for all participants, including those with a disability. It will also operate a differential pricing system which will ensure it is worthwhile for providers to support all customer groups back into work.
We are expecting providers to engage with local partners, including employers, in order to deliver an effective localised service to our customers.
Additionally, all providers offering employment support on behalf of the Department will be required under the Equality Act 2010 to give due regard to promoting disability equality in the exercise of their duties, which will include supporting disabled people into employment.
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which of the recommendations of the work capability assessment independent review led by Professor Malcolm Harrington he expects to have been fully implemented before the national migration from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance begins in April 2011. [26819]
Chris Grayling: Professor Harrington's independent review of the work capability assessment (WCA) was published on 23 November, alongside the Government's response. The Government's response fully accepted the substantial series of recommendations put forward by Professor Harrington.
The Department is committed to a programme of continuous improvement, working with the stakeholders to ensure the customer journey is as smooth as possible. While there is still considerable work to be done in order to accurately determine time scales we remain confident of being able to get the key recommendations implemented by April 2011. The obvious exceptions to this are the programme of work for the second independent review Professor Harrington has set out, which he will take forward over the next year.
Housing Benefit
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the number of households in (a) Newcastle Upon Tyne North constituency, (b) the North East and (c) England likely to be affected by the proposed changes to housing benefit; [24442]
(2) how many households he estimates will experience a reduction in their housing benefit as a result of his proposals on housing benefit arrangements in (a) Newcastle North constituency, (b) the North East and (c) England. [25706]
Steve Webb:
The Department published a document on "Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12".
This includes information at the local authority level. A copy of the documents has been placed in the Library.
We will publish a document on the impacts of the proposed changes to the shared room rate in due course, which will include information at the local authority level. A more detailed equality impact assessment will be published in the normal way, once the detail of the policy has been finalised to accompany the amending regulations.
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on those in receipt of local housing allowance of his proposals for changes to the allowance. [27452]
Steve Webb: On 23 July the Department published a document on 'Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12', which includes analysis at the local authority level, and a separate equality impact assessment. A copy of the documents has been placed in the Library.
The Department will publish a full impact assessment for the 2011-12 changes to the local housing allowance arrangements when it lays the relevant legislation in November 2010.
The Department is intending to carry out evaluation and monitoring to cover the impact of the housing benefit measures. The precise form will depend upon the resources that are available, but we anticipate that it will include independent research examining the effects on different types of households in a range of areas across Great Britain.
Housing Benefit: Aberdeenshire
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the average amount of housing benefit paid to local authority tenants in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City was in the latest period for which figures are available; [25305]
(2) what the average amount of local housing allowance paid to local authority tenants in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City was in the latest period for which figures are available; [25306]
(3) what the average amount of housing benefit paid to housing association tenants in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City was in the latest period for which figures are available; [25307]
(4) what the average amount of local housing allowance paid to housing association tenants in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City was in the latest period for which figures are available; [25308]
(5) what the average amount of housing benefit paid to private sector tenants in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City was in the latest period for which figures are available; [25309]
(6) what the average amount of local housing allowance paid to private sector tenants in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City was in the latest period for which figures are available; [25310]
(7) what proportion of (a) housing benefit and (b) local housing allowance recipients in (i) local authority, (ii) housing association and (iii) private sector housing in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City were also in receipt
of (A) jobseeker's allowance and (B) employment and support allowance in the latest period for which figures are available. [25312]
Steve Webb: The information requested on housing benefit claimants also in receipt of either jobseeker's allowance or employment and support allowance in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen city is not available.
Information is collected on the number of claimants in receipt of a passported benefit, which includes income-based jobseeker's allowance and income- based employment support allowance. However neither the total number of jobseeker's allowance claimants nor the total number of employment support allowance claimants receiving housing benefit is available.
The information requested on the average amount of local housing allowance paid to local authority and housing association tenants is not available.
Local housing allowance was introduced in the private deregulated sector from April 2008.
The latest available figures (August 2010) on the average weekly amount of housing benefit in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen city are as follows, by tenure.
| £ | ||
| Aberdeen city | Aberdeenshire | |
| Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 3. Local housing allowance tenants (LHA) may include a small number of non-LHA cases making a new claim since 7 April 2008. This will include recipients in caravan accommodation. 4. These data incorporate the local authority changes from 1 April 2009. 5. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data are available monthly from November 2008 and August 2010 are the most recent available. 6. Average awards are shown as pounds per week and rounded to the nearest penny. 7. Tenure type does not include recipients with unknown tenure type. 8. Housing association tenants are now registered social landlord tenants. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE)-August 2010 | ||
Housing Benefit: Fife
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Fife receive local housing allowance. [27277]
Steve Webb: As at August 2010, our records show that there are 4,300 people receiving the local housing allowance in Fife.
Housing Benefit: Finance
Ms Buck:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2010, Official Report, column 911W, on housing benefit: finance,
if he will place in the Library a copy of the data on the amounts and monetary values of all historical data and internal forecast assumptions referred to. [26883]
Steve Webb: The methodology used for the costing of the Budget measures was published at the June Budget and is available at:
Detailed assessments will be published to accompany the draft legislation.
Housing Benefit: Social Security Benefits
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in receipt of housing benefit in each local authority area include at least one person in receipt of (a) (i) long-term and (ii) short-term incapacity benefit and (b) severe disablement allowance. [27281]
Steve Webb: The information is not yet available.
Information is collected on claimants' income from long-term and short-term incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance on the new single housing benefit extract. However this information has not yet been quality assured to National Statistics standard, and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
Lone Parents: Social Security Benefits
Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women will be affected by the changes to lone parent conditionality announced in the June 2010 Budget by 2014-15. [26778]
Maria Miller: By the end of 2014-15, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates that there will have been around 300,000 lone parents with children over the age of five affected by the changes to conditionality announced in the June 2010 Budget. Of these, it is estimated that over 90% will be women.
A framework of flexibilities and support is in place to help lone parents balance their caring responsibilities and work search. This includes access to specialist advisers in Jobcentre Plus who can provide advice on child care, local employers with flexible working vacancies, and financial incentives; the right to restrict availability for work to the child's normal school hours where the youngest child is 12 or under; and enabling lone parents to be deemed available for work during school holidays if appropriate, affordable child care is not available.
Lone parents will also be helped by the universal credit which aims to make sure that all amounts of work will be more financially rewarding than inactivity, and remove the current barriers to small amounts of work. Improving the incentives to take up mini-jobs, for example, will particularly help those who are not able to take up full-time employment. Promoting a culture of employment will not only help those individuals but will also tackle the intergenerational cycles of worklessness and welfare dependency.
National Employment Savings Trust Scheme
Julian Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effect on small companies with fewer than
10 employees of the requirement for them to contribute to employees' National Employment Savings Trust. [21431]
Steve Webb: Based on the Making Automatic Enrolment Work review recommendation thresholds, and full employer compliance, we expect between 2.3 million and 2.6 million of the automatically-enrolled population to work for employers with fewer than 10 employees. These individuals make up 17% to 18% of the automatically-enrolled population.
The effect on small businesses of the Workplace Pension Reform Regulations is set out in the 2010 impact assessment. The impact assessment looks at the impact on employers by employer size, looking specifically at small employers (defined as those with fewer than 50 workers) and micro employers (defined as those with fewer than five workers). Annex A presents the detailed assessment, as well as elements of the reforms that are designed to help small and micro employers.
Copies of the impact assessment can be found in the Commons Library or at:
An independent review of the workplace pension reforms "Making automatic enrolment work" was published on the 27 October 2010. One of the things the review team examined was the impact of the reforms on business. David Yeandle, of the Engineering Employers' Federation, was part of the review team to ensure that business interests were well represented in the review process.
The review team recognised that easing burdens on business was important. So a number of their recommendations are aimed specifically at making things more straightforward for employers and we have accepted these recommendations in full. This includes:
Increasing the threshold at which an individual is automatically enrolled (currently £5,035 at 2006-07 prices) to align it with the PAYE tax threshold (£7,475 in 2011-12) and aligning the threshold at which contributions become payable (currently £5,035) with the national insurance contributions threshold (currently £5,715).
A simpler way for employers to check that their defined contribution schemes meet the required standards.
An optional waiting period of up to three months before an employee needs to be automatically enrolled.
Such recommendations will give employers greater flexibility in how they implement the new requirements and will mean that there is a much more proportionate impact on employers. The increased earnings threshold and waiting period are particularly beneficial for smaller employers, as they tend to have more lower earners and higher staff turnover.
The review team recommended a range of further measures specifically aimed at helping smaller businesses including:
Ensuring that micro employers are aware that the design of NEST specifically takes account of their needs.
Providing the maximum possible comfort to small employers that they will not be held liable for their scheme choice, particularly if they opt for NEST or a stakeholder pension scheme.
In addition, smaller businesses will not be required to do anything until 2014, once larger employers have been fully brought in. This gives them more time to prepare and more time for us to ensure that the processes work well. Even then they will not be required to contribute the full 3% minimum contribution until October 2017.
New businesses will be given further protection by being brought into the reforms last. Any new businesses set up after April 2012 will not have to automatically enrol until March 2016 at the earliest.
The Government are taking forward the recommendations from the review as part of the forthcoming Pensions and Savings Bill, which is scheduled for introduction to Parliament in January 2011. The accompanying impact assessment will set out in detail how the changes affect smaller employers.
Pensioners: Cost of Living
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the (a) consumer price index and (b) retail price index in measuring the increases in living costs of pensioners. [26976]
Steve Webb: The relative effectiveness of the consumer prices index (CPI) and retail prices index (RPI) in measuring the increases in living costs for pensioners has been considered with regards to the coverage or "basket of goods" and methodology of each.
The CPI excludes mortgage interest payments, which are not relevant to the majority of pensioners: only 7% of pensioners have a mortgage(1). The RPI includes mortgage interest payments, which are variable and consequently can have a marked effect on that index. This means that in some years the RPI faces significant downwards or upwards pressure from a cost of living irrelevant to 93% of pensioners.
For example, in the 12 months to September 2009 the RPI fell by 1.4%, leading to many pensions being frozen, including additional state pensions, public service pensions and some occupational pensions. Without downwards pressure from mortgage interest payments, the RPI would have grown by 1.3%(2).
In addition in terms of population coverage the RPI excludes a significant group of pensioners (pensioner households who receive 75% or more of their income from the state). The CPI includes those pensioners(3).
The methodology used to calculate the CPI takes into account the fact that many people tend to trade down to cheaper goods when prices rise. This contributes a significant portion of the gap between the CPI and the RPI and is known as the "formula" or "substitution" effect.
(1) Households Below Average Income 2008-09
(2) Table 2, Consumer Price Indices Statistical Bulletin, September 2010, Office for National Statistics
(3) Consumer Prices Index Technical Manual 2010
Personal Income: East of England
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the median household income was of a family in (a) social rented sector, (b) private rented sector and (c) owner-occupied accommodation in the East of England (i) before and (ii) after housing costs in the latest period for which figures are available. [17865]
Steve Webb:
Estimates of median income by tenure type both before and after housing costs can be derived from the published households below average income
(HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
| Table 1: Median income of households, before housing costs (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC) for the east of England by tenure type, 2006-07 to 2008-09 | ||
| £ per week, 2008-09 prices | ||
| Tenure | BHC | AHC |
| 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, as an income measure as a proxy for 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. Amounts have been rounded to the nearest pound. 7. These statistics are based on incomes before housing costs. 8. All estimates are subject to sampling error. Source: Household below average income. | ||
Poverty: Children
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children in Great Yarmouth were classified as being in poverty in each year from 2005 to 2009. [24705]
Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the households below average income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
As they are based on survey data, child poverty estimates published in HBAI only allow breakdowns to Government office region and analysis by parliamentary constituency is not possible. However, figures for East of England are set out in the following table.
| Number and percentage of children living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income for the East of England, before housing costs (BHC) | ||
| BHC | ||
| Period | Number (million) | Percentage |
| Notes: 1. These statistics are based on households below average income (HBAI) 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. 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. Numbers of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000, while proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 5. These statistics are based on incomes before housing costs. Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP | ||
Social Security Benefits
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of household income made up of benefits in kind by net equalised income quintile. [21052]
Chris Grayling: The main source of income information, the households below average income series, includes free school meals, healthy start vouchers, free school milk and TV licences as benefits in kind income. The proportion of gross unequivalised household income made up by these benefits in kind by net equivalised household income quintile before and after housing costs is given in the following table:
| Proportion of gross unequivalised household income made up by benefits in kind included in income by net equivalised household income quintile, before housing costs (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC), 2008/09, United Kingdom | ||
| Quintile | Before housing costs | After housing costs |
| (1) Less than 0.5% of gross income is made up by those benefits in kind being considered. Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the 2008-09 Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses net 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. In this analysis, equivalised net household incomes before or after housing costs are used to calculated which quintiles households fall into, but shares of incomes have been calculated using gross unequivalised household incomes. This is in line with the best practice and the HBAI publication. 3. 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. Source: Household Below Average Income. | ||
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people he expects to transfer from incapacity benefit to jobseeker's allowance or employment and support allowance by 2015. [26810]
Chris Grayling: We expect around 1.5 million existing incapacity benefits customers to go through the IB reassessment process by 2014. Of these the Department's initial projection is that approximately 23% are expected to be assessed as fit for work following their work capability assessment and move off incapacity benefits, of which around half are expected to go to JSA. The remaining 77%, are expected to be assessed as having a limited capability for work and move to ESA with around three-quarters moving to the Work Related Activity Group.
It should be noted that these are projections for reassessment outcomes-there are no targets.
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in receipt of housing benefit in each local authority area include a claimant in receipt of disability premium on the basis of being incapable of work for over 12 months and no qualifying benefit. [27282]
Steve Webb: The information is not available.
Information is collected on whether claimants are in receipt of a disability premium on the new Single Housing Benefit Extract. However this information has not yet been quality assured to National Statistics standard, and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
State Retirement Pensions
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 October 2010, Official Report, column 117W, on state retirement pensions, how many people who were in receipt of a full state pension before 6 April 2009 had not accrued the full number of entitlement years by means of their own national insurance contributions, their spouse's national insurance contributions or bought-back years. [27135]
Steve Webb: At the end of the 2008-09 tax year there were 1.6 million people over state pension age in GB and overseas with entitlement to a full basic state pension who had not accrued the requisite number of qualifying years solely by means of paid contributions of any class.
Notes:
1. The answer shows the number of people with full entitlement to basic state pension who accrued their entitlement from 1975 onwards wholly or in part through national insurance credits or home responsibilities protection.
2. Due to insufficient data all recorded pre-1975 contributions are assumed to be paid contributions.
3. Figure excludes individuals for whom entitlement to full basic pension is derived wholly or in part from their former spouse's national insurance contributions.
4. The figure is for individuals reaching state pension age before 6 April 2009. These individuals are not affected by changes to the calculation of entitlement to the basic state pension for people reaching state pension age from 6 April 2010.
Source:
DWP, Information Directorate: Lifetime Labour Market Database 1% sample of the National Insurance Recording System.
State Second Pension
Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women will be affected by uprating the additional state pension with reference to the consumer price index by 2014-15. [26777]
Steve Webb: The following table shows the number of (a) men and (b) women expected to be in receipt of additional state pension in 2014-15, and therefore affected by uprating of additional state pension using the consumer prices index.
| State second pension, state earnings-related pension scheme and graduated retirement benefit caseload by gender, 2014-15 | |
| Thousand | |
| Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000. 2. Forecasts are based on the June 2010 Budget medium-term projections. 3. Figures cover Great Britain residents only. | |
Treasury
Bank Bonuses
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an estimate of the amount likely to be paid out in bonuses by the largest banks to staff in (a) investment banking and (b) other divisions of those banks from December 2010 to April 2011. [24838]
Mr Hoban [holding answer 18 November 2010]: Estimates for bonuses at the level of detail specified in the question have not been made.
Banks: Pay
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the (i) British Bankers' Association and (ii) Investment Management Association to discuss remuneration disclosure. [26634]
Mr Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Banks: Regulation
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's policy is on the implementation of the recommendations of the Walker Review of the corporate governance of the UK banking industry; and if he will make a statement. [26820]
Mr Hoban: The Government are committed to a robust remuneration disclosure regime and the principles set out in Sir David Walker's report, and will make an announcement in due course.
Child Benefit
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the average effect on the income of (a) a single household with an income above £44,000 per annum and (b) a multiple income household with combined incomes above £45,000 per annum in which no one earns more than £44,000 of his proposed change to child benefit arrangements. [16770]
Mr Gauke: The average effect of the proposed change is dependent on the number of children in each family affected. Families with one child will lose around £1,060 per annum while families with two children will lose around £1,750 per annum.
There are no higher-rate taxpayers in households in which no one earns more than £44,000 so there will be no impact on these families.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the cost of administering child benefit. [18079]
Mr Gauke: The Chancellor has received a number of representations on the cost of administering child benefit. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of families with at least one higher rate taxpayer are eligible for child benefit payments in each (a) constituency and (b) region. [24232]
Mr Gauke: Estimates of the number and proportion of families who are eligible for child benefit in 2010-11 and have at least one higher rate taxpayer are shown in the table, by Government office region.
Information on household income for child benefit claimants is not available at parliamentary constituency level.
| Region | Number of families who are eligible for child benefit and have at least one higher rate taxpayer( 1, 2, 3) | Proportion of families eligible for child benefit that have at least one higher rate taxpayer (%)( 1, 3) |
| (1) These estimates are produced using the Inter-Governmental Tax and Benefit Model (IGOTM), which is based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS). As with any survey based estimates, they are subject to sampling error. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000. (3) For this table a family is based on a 'benefit unit' as defined in the FRS. | ||
Child Benefit: Young People
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) men and (b) women who received child benefit payments in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10; [17135]
(2) what recent estimate he has made of the number of households which are entitled to child benefit payments for children over the age of 16 years; [17121]
(3) how many households received child benefit payments for children over the age of 16 years in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [17122]
Mr Gauke [holding answer 13 October 2010]: As at August 2009, there were 640,000 men and 6,680,000 women who were in receipt of child benefit. An equivalent breakdown for 2008 is not available.
Information on the number of households which are entitled to child benefit payments for children over the age of 16 years is not available. But as at August 2009
there were 1,150,000 households who were in receipt of child benefit in respect of a young person aged over 16 years. At August 2008 there were 1,070,000 households.
Credit Unions
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to support local credit unions. [26636]
Mr Hoban: The coalition Government have committed to fostering diversity, promoting mutuals and creating a more competitive banking industry.
The Legislative Reform (Industrial and Provident Societies and Credit Unions) Order 2010 will be re-laid before Parliament in the next few weeks. The new measures will enable credit unions to expand their membership and range of services, and reduce regulatory burdens on the sector. In addition, the Government will consult shortly on electronic communications in the mutual sector. This would allow credit unions and other mutual societies to use electronic communications in discharging some of their statutory obligations which would help the sector to reduce its administrative costs.
Crown Currency Exchange
Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Financial Services Authority on reports by Currency Index in February 2010 on Crown Currency Exchange. [26606]
Mr Hoban: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Esher and Walton (Mr Raab) on 28 October 2010, Official Report, column 426W.
Debts: Disadvantaged
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has had on the effects on people in deprived areas of high levels of debt. [16946]
Justine Greening [holding answer 13 October 2010]: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
On 13 July 2010, the Government announced a review of consumer credit and personal insolvency. The Government want to ensure that the regulatory framework is fair to both consumers and the providers of credit. The review will cover all aspects of the consumer credit lifecycle from the decision to take out a loan through the lifetime of the loan, including what happens when things go wrong. The review will be jointly conducted by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and HM Treasury. The Government recently published a call for evidence in support of the review which can be accessed via the BIS website at:
The closing date for responses to the call for evidence is 10 December 2010.
Departmental Civil Service Live Conference
Graham Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the public purse was of the (a) HM Revenue and Customs, (b) Government Banking Service, (c) Government Finance Profession and (d) Buying Solutions stand at Civil Service Live 2010. [12834]
Justine Greening: The costs of the stands at Civil Service Live 2010 are shown in the following table.
| £ | |
Departmental Lobbying
Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent from the public purse on influencing public policy through (a) employing external (i) public affairs companies, (ii) strategic consultancies and (iii) corporate communications firms, (b) external marketing and (c) other activities in each of the last 10 years; [23759]
(2) which of his Department's non-departmental public bodies have undertaken activities to influence public policy for which they engaged (a) public affairs and (b) public relations consultants in each year since 1997; and at what monetary cost in each such year. [23786]
Justine Greening: None of the Treasury's agencies or non-departmental public bodies have engaged in activities or spent public funds on influencing public policy.
Departmental Official Cars
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Ministers in his Department have used an allocated ministerial car to travel between the Department and the House of Commons on each day since 21 May 2010. [5546]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson) on 29 June 2010, Official Report, column 498W.
Records are not kept of the destination of journeys using allocated ministerial cars. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in (a) May and (b) June 2010; [10112]
(2) how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in July 2010; [15149]
(3) how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each of its Ministers in (a) September and (b) October 2010. [21781]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Mr Maude) on 26 July 2010, Official Report, column 734W.
Departmental Speeches
Angela Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in his Department and (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in his Department. [7402]
Justine Greening: Treasury staff contribute to the drafting of ministerial speeches as appropriate. Special advisers also contribute to the preparation of speeches in line with their code of conduct.
Departmental Visits Abroad
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on overseas visits for senior officials in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [18411]
Justine Greening: Information on spending on overseas visits by grade level is not available within the disproportionate costs threshold. Spending on overseas travel and subsistence by Ministers and all staff in 2009-10 was £1,296,000.
EU Law
Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to his Department of compliance with regulations arising from EU obligations in the last 12 months. [6872]
Justine Greening: HM Treasury, like any employer, has to act in accordance with regulations. However, there is no breakdown of the costs imposed on it by EU regulations. Any such information that does exist is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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