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Central Science Laboratory Targets
Lord Milner of Leeds asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What targets they have set the Central Science Laboratory for 2002–03.[HL5387]
Lord Whitty: We have set the Central Science Laboratory the following performance targets for 2002–03.
1. To make satisfactory progress with the action plan resulting from the 2001–02 Science Audit.
2. To manage the agency in an effective manner, including delivery of e-Government and commercial exploitation of research outputs.
3. To achieve a minimum of 85 per cent of project milestones in commissioned projects which support the Developing DEFRA objectives.
4. To achieve a mean score of 4.0 on a scale of 0 to 5 for the assessment of customer satisfaction using the revised methodology.
5. To deliver the efficiency targets set out in the business plan.
6. To recover from Government departments, agencies and external customers, the full economic costs of the agency's services.
Serious Fraud Office Annual Report
Lord Barnet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When the Director of the Serious Fraud Office will publish her annual report.[HL5430]
The Attorney-General (Lord Goldsmith): I can confirm that I have today placed a copy of the annual report in the Library.
Law Officer's Review of the Year
Baroness David asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When the Law Officers will publish their Review of the year.[HL5435]
Lord Goldsmith: I can confirm that I have today placed a copy of the Review of the Year in the Library.
Housing Benefit
Baroness Noakes asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they accept the findings of the Audit Commission's report Housing Benefit—the National Perspective in relation to the need to simplify the housing benefit regulations and to improve the funding regime; and, if so, when they will take action.[HL5189]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): We welcome the Audit Commission's report on housing benefit (HB) administration. Its emphasis on partnership and simplification is very much in tune with our current policy initiatives.
We are determined to work with local authorities to drive up standards of service, tackle fraud and error, reduce barriers to work and tackle social exclusion.
In March last year we established a help team to work in partnership with local authorities to support them in improving the administration of HB. We are already seeing real improvements resulting from the team's work.
In addition, we have set up a help fund to support local authorities by providing funding for locally-led initiatives to improve the administration of HB. For the financial year 2001–02, a total of £1,637,570 was awarded, which benefited over 200 authorities.
We also want to help more authorities deliver a high standard of HB service by sharing good practice. We have now introduced a dedicated website for local authorities and have also distributed on CD a housing benefit manager's service improvement "toolkit".
In April this year we published for the first time performance standards for the full range of HB administration. These standards provide authorities with a definition of what they should be delivering.
The spending review announced by my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 15 July includes the biggest investment in HB administration since the scheme began in 1988. Starting with £40 million this year, we are investing an extra £200 million over three years to help local authorities meet the performance standards in delivery of HB.
From April 2003 all local authorities currently complying with the verification framework will receive a 50 per cent increase in their funding allocation for this work. In addition, any authority seeking to become compliant now or in the near future will also receive 50 per cent more than they otherwise would have done.
We will continue to review local authorities core administration subsidy each year and we will fund the set-up and ongoing costs of implementing the changes needed to bring in the new tax credits and the pension credit.
Stakeholder Pensions
Lord Higgins asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What £1,000 in a stakeholder pension invested in a "tracker fund" when the scheme was introduced is now worth.[HL5266]
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: There are many different tracker funds available, and they track a variety of indices, such as the FTSE 100, FTSE 250 or FTSE 350. Tracker funds may also track an index of bonds rather than an index of equities. Because of this there is no single, identifiable answer to the Question.
Warrington: Pensioners
Lord Hoyle asked Her Majesty's Government:
- (a) how many pensioners in Warrington are on the minimum income guarantee;
(b) how many pensioner households in Warrington receive the winter fuel allowance;
(c) how many pensioners in Warrington aged over 75 receive a free television licence; and
(d) what is the total cost of all the above including the cost of the state pension, paid to people in Warrington.[HL5267]
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: As at February 2002 there were 5,100 people in receipt of the minimum income guarantee in Warrington.
Thirty-four thousand nine hundred people living in Warrington received a winter fuel payment for last winter (2001–02).
We estimate that 12,400 people in Warrington were aged over 75 and eligible to receive a free TV licence.
The costs for the state pension, the minimum income guarantee and winter fuel allowances for pensioners living in the Warrington local authority area is estimated to be £148 million a year. Data are not available on the cost of free TV licences issued geographical areas.
1. Caseload figures which relate to the Warrington local authority area are rounded to the nearest 100 and are based on a 5 per cent sample and therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
2. Case is allocated to each local authority by matching the postcode against the relevant Office of National Statistics postcode directory.
3. Costs are rounded to the nearest million.
Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, February 2002.
Matching Intelligence Data Analysis Service Winter Fuels Payment 2001–02 exercise 100 per cent data.
Client group analysis of the population over state pension age at November 2001.
School Exclusions
Baroness Darcy De Knayth asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they are monitoring, by collecting statistics:
(a) the use of "managed moves" as referred to in paragraph 5.6 of the Department for Education and Skills guidance in Circular 10/99 Social Inclusion: Pupil Support, whereby parents are offered planned school transfer with appropriate support as an alternative to the permanent exclusion of their child;
(b) the use of "voluntary withdrawals", whereby parents are advised by schools to withdraw their child in order to avoid permanent exclusion and without any planning or local education authority involvement; and
(c) the occurrence of "unofficial exclusions", whereby parents are requested to keep their child off school for part of the school day, sometimes
- for indefinite periods, as an alternative to the permanent exclusion of their child;
and, if so, whether they would make these statistics public.[HL5177]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): Statistics on the use of "managed moves", "voluntary withdrawals" and the occurrence of "unofficial exclusions" are not collected or held centrally.
The Earl Listowel asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are considering what role Ofsted might play in reporting on the fair distribution of vulnerable or challenging children between schools.[HL5199]
Baroness Ashton: These are matters for Ofsted. The HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, will write to the noble Earl and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library.
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): We recognise that there is particular concern about the position of people with learning disabilities living with older carers aged 70 and over. They and their families must be able to plan for the future in good time. Promoting supported living for older people with learning disabilities is one of the priorities for both the revenue and capital elements of the £42 million Learning Disability Development Fund, announced in the white paper Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century published in March 2001. The fund has been made available to the new learning disability partnership boards, now established in each local authority area.
The needs of elderly carers and the development of supported living approaches for people with learning disabilities living with older carers are also identified as priorities in the implementation guidance, which was
We have received a copy of MENCAP'S report "The Housing Timebomb" (June 2002), which considers housing, care and support issues affecting people with learning disabilities living with older parents. We will consider the report and its recommendations carefully.
What proposals they have received on improving the emotional well-being of school children in response to their consultation on Ofsted's framework Inspecting Schools; and[HL5198]
What consideration they have given to the report The Housing Time Bomb, recently published by MENCAP, on the difficulties faced by people with a learning disability living with older parents aged 70 and above; and what action they are taking in relation to its findings.[HL5100]
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