Written Answers to Questions
Monday 9 October 2006
Wales
Agency Staff
The average hourly rates paid for agency staff each year is as follows:
Agency Adecco Acorn Kelly 1999 9.30 n/a n/a 2000 9.80 n/a n/a 2001 9.80 n/a n/a 2002 10.29 8.81 n/a 2003 10.80 8.81 n/a 2004 12.07 10.35 11.28 2005 n/a 9.73 11.28
Departmental Child Care Facilities
(2) which of his Department's premises have child care facilities on site;
(3) whether there are waiting lists for places at child care facilities which his Department provides for its employees.
The Wales Office is a small organisation, with 54 staff based in Cardiff and London. It draws its staff from other bodies, namely the National Assembly for Wales and Department for Constitutional Affairs. While it is not practical for the Wales Office to provide its own on-site creche or nursery places, staff can access subsidised child care places or child care vouchers through their employing bodies.
These schemes support parents' own choices about what child care they want for their child.
Olympic Games
My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State and I regularly discuss these matters with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers.
At official level, my Department is represented on the Assembly Government's Olympic Steering Group.
Wales has an important contribution to make to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We intend to maximise the sustainable economic and commercial benefits to Wales, including those arising from the anticipated increase in tourism. Wales has many excellent training facilities and will offer a warm welcome to visiting teams and supporters.
The games will also produce a significant sporting legacy for Wales with associated health-related benefits.
Prime Minister
Art
The majority of pictures, photographs and sculptures in 10 Downing street are on loan from the Government Art Collection and other institutions. The current monetary value of each work of art in No. 10 could accurately be assessed only by professional valuation, which would usually take place at the time of purchase or sale by the owner.
China
(2) what discussions he had with the Chinese delegation on their visit to the UK on 12 to 13 September concerning the welfare of Gao Zhisheng, his family and his friends; what assurances were given by the Chinese about their welfare; and if he will make a statement.
I discussed a wide range of issues with Premier Wen Jiabao during his recent visit. I also refer the hon. Member to the press conference I held with Premier Wen Jiabao on 13 September. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
There were no discussions on Gao Zhisheng. However, during the visit the Government handed a list of individual cases of concern to the Chinese delegation, including that of Gao Zhisheng. The Government will continue to monitor the case closely.
Copyright
I have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects. Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
Correspondence
My Office wrote to the hon. Member on 27 June informing him that his letter had been passed to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for reply.
My Office wrote to the hon. Member on 22 June informing him that his letter had been passed to the Department of Trade and Industry for reply.
Departmental Expenditure
Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list.
All Ministers’ travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 10 of the ministerial code, and the accompanying guidance document, “Travel by Ministers”.
Departmental Publications
Dorneywood
I refer the hon. Member to the press briefing given by my official spokesman on 20 September. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Engagements
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 2 May 2006, Official Report, columns 1385-87W.
Information on visits made in the UK during 2006-07 will be published by means of an annual list as soon as it is ready at the end of the financial year.
I have meetings with the Scottish First Minister on a regular basis to discuss matters of mutual interest.
Gifts
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) on 24 July 2006, Official Report, column 865W.
I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 24 July 2006, Official Report, column 865W.
Honours
Details of all honours are published in the London Gazette, copies of which are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
Iraq
I refer the hon. Member to the press conference I held with Prime Minister Maliki on 24 July 2006. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Ministerial Code
Section 1 of the ministerial code sets out the process for handling alleged breaches of the ministerial code.
Ministerial Offices
Refurbishment and maintenance at 10 Downing street is part of a continuing programme of work. The Downing street complex is maintained to standards appropriate to its Grade 1/2 listed status in consultation with English Heritage.
The building also fulfils an important representational role.
Muslim Groups
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 7 March 2006, Official Report, column 1254W.
Peerage
Copies of all nomination forms are confidential.
Stem Cell Research
It is not the practice of the Government to make public details of all discussions with foreign Governments.
Minister for Women
Sexual Orientation Discrimination
[holding answer 11 September 2006]: The Government plan to publish the formal response to our consultation on proposals to outlaw sexual orientation discrimination in the provision of goods and services as soon as possible after the House returns from summer recess.
Transgendered People
The Government have made a commitment to prohibit discrimination on grounds of gender reassignment in the provision of goods and services by December 2007, in order to meet the transposition deadline for European Directive 2004/113/EC. We will implement the Directive through regulations under the European Communities Act 1972. The necessary work is under way and we will consult on our proposals around the turn of the year.
Work and Pensions
Attendance Allowance
All Medical Services doctors speak English. There are four doctors who currently carry out disability living allowance and attendance allowance assessments in Wales who have advised Medical Services that they speak Welsh.
Benefit Claimants
The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how much is being spent in 2006-07 on the provision of professional counselling support to reduce the number of jobseeker’s allowance and incapacity benefit claimants. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The information you requested is not available because Information on the costs of providing professional counselling support is not recorded separately. Budgets are prepared for each type of employment programme, some of which contain an element of professional counselling but expenditure cannot be extracted in a meaningful way.
Benefits
(2) what recent estimates he has made of the take-up rate of (a) industrial injuries disablement benefit, (b) reduced earnings allowance and (c) retirement allowance.
The information is not available.
As at February 2006, there were 48,960 incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants whose primary diagnosis was alcoholism, and 48,530 incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants whose primary diagnosis was drug abuse.
For the first six months of 2006 (January to June), 44.54 per cent. of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claims received were refused. Claims refused are all those claims where no monetary amount of incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance was awarded. Many of these claims will be national insurance contribution-only cases; other benefits may be awarded.
The Department goes to considerable lengths to publicise benefit information through a variety of channels and is always open to new ideas for improving the delivery of benefit information to all its potential customers.
Entitlement to disability living allowance or attendance allowance is not based on a particular diagnosis, but on the basis of an individual's care or mobility needs arising out of an illness or disability.
The Disability and Carers Service has, therefore, been working closely with the Department of Health and representatives of Macmillan Cancer Support to identify ways of signposting benefit advice at an early stage to people with any long term health conditions (including people diagnosed with cancer). The Department of Health is developing an “Information Prescription” which will not only give details of where people can go to find out more about their condition, treatment and services but will also inform patients with long-term conditions where to go for advice and information about the benefits they may be entitled to.
The information is not available in the format requested. A breakdown of housing benefit claimants by tenure type is not available below regional level. Information on average shortfalls due to rent restrictions is not available.
The most recent available information for case loads in the London GOR by tenure type, average benefit amounts, and details of those subject to single room rent (SRR) or local reference rent (LRR) are in the tables.
Tenure Case load Average weekly amount (£) All HB recipients 641,000 91.76 Social tenants 525,000 83.74 of which are local authority tenants 324,000 79.35 of which are RSL tenants 201,000 90.81 Private tenants 116,000 128.05
HB private tenants Of which, have weekly amount HB less than their weekly eligible rent2 All 116,000 26,000 SRR — — LRR 91,000 20,000 Neither 25,000 6,000 1 Private tenants exclude Registered Social Landlords (RSL). 2 Weekly eligible rent is after any non-dependant deductions. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and amounts to the nearest penny. 2. Figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 3. HB figures exclude any Extended Payment cases. 4. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 5 “—” denotes nil/negligible. 6. HB may be less than eligible rent due to reasons other than rent restrictions.
The Department for Work and Pensions does not provide guidance to the Rent Service on controlling expenditure of housing benefit. The Rent Service independently considers appropriate evidence and decides the appropriate eligible rent.
The information requested is not available.
The information is not available in the format requested. The most recent available information is in the following table.
Percentage Quarter Pathways to Work pilot areas Other areas Aged under 50 April 2005 to June 2005 43 35 July 2005 to September 2005 42 34 Aged 50 and over April 2005 to June 2005 33 29 July 2005 to September 2005 32 28 Notes: 1. Current benefits data do not allow six month off-flow analysis after September 2005 2. Figures do not include a proportion of short-term incapacity benefit claims, which flow on and off between scan dates; the off-flows presented will be lower than actual rates, but trends over time will be consistent. Source: DWP—National Benefits Database.
The information is in the table.
Number All ages 2,747,490 Age not recorded 70 16-19 40,370 20-24 128,580 25-29 151,820 30-34 200,540 35-39 269,660 40-44 322,030 45-49 346,700 50-54 393,000 55-59 540,840 60-64 324,710 65 and over 29,190 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures include all Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance and Incapacity Benefit credits-only cases. Source: DWP Information Directorate, WPLS, 100 per cent. data.
I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave my right hon. Friend the member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers) on 3 March 2006, Official Report, column 1034W.
Child Support Agency
The information requested is not available.
The information requested is not available.
The information requested is not available.
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Hilary Reynolds:
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many telephone calls to the Child Support Agency (a) were received (b) received an engaged tone and (c) were disconnected during the interactive response process for the period April 2002 to June 2006 for (i) all calls and (ii) calls relating to the cases being processed on the CS2 computer system.
The latest information is contained in the two following tables. Note that the CS2 computer system did not become operational until March 2003. Therefore it is not possible to provide data for the year 2002-03.
Note also that point (c) has been interpreted as referring to the total number of calls abandoned (for example, where the client does not have a National Insurance number to hand and hangs up to go and find it before calling back) or lost during the automated part of the process, as the Agency cannot disconnect a call once it is in the IVR system.
Further information on the Agency's telephony performance is available in Table 16 of the latest edition of the Agency's Quarterly Summary of Statistics. A copy of this document is available in the House Library, as well as on the internet, at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/csa.asp.
The Agency has shown a significant and sustained improvement in telephony performance, with respect to waiting times and the percentage of calls answered. Specifically:
In the quarter ending June 2006, the Agency answered 97% of telephone calls available to be answered, compared to 91% in the year ending March 2006.
In the quarter ending June 2006, average waiting time for all calls was 24 seconds, down from 59 seconds in the year ending March 2006.
I hope you find this helpful.
April 2002 to March 2003 April 2003 to March 2004 April 2004 to March 2005 April 2005 to March 2006 April 2006 to June 2006 Attempted customer calls to both CS2 and CSCS numbers 4,145,000 6,051,000 5,738,000 5,352,000 1,246,000 Calls for which outcome not recorded 45,000 145,000 48,000 42,000 2,000 Calls for which outcome recorded 4,100,000 5,906,000 5,689,000 5,310,000 1,244,000 Of which: Calls that received an engaged/busy tone 1— 498,000 126,000 50,000 30,000 Calls abandoned/lost during the IVR process. n/a 362,000 320,000 308,000 84,000 1 It is not possible to break down ineffective calls into those that did or did not receive an engaged tone for old system calls in 2002-03. Notes: 1. Data are presented for calls made regarding cases on the new system (CS2) and the old system (CSCS) combined. 2. "Attempted customer calls" excludes calls attempted outside working hours. 3. "Calls for which outcome not recorded" are those that were received but for which, due to data problems, the eventual outcome was not recorded. The volume of such calls has decreased significantly in the last three years as management information systems have improved. 4. "Calls for which outcome recorded" are those which were received and for which there is management information to track the eventual outcome. 5. IVR denotes the automated touch tone part of the process where customers enter their details via the telephone key pad. Once callers have cleared this part of the process, they enter a queue to be answered by a member of CSA staff. Note that there is no IVR process on the old system. 6. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding.
Enabling and helping parents to make their own child support arrangements will help to create a simpler, more focused child support system. We are currently developing plans for introducing a new system of child support. As part of this we are considering the most cost effective way of moving to, and administering, the new system.
We are carrying out an intensive programme of work to determine the way forward and plan to publish final, detailed proposals in a White Paper in the autumn.
Cold Weather Payments
Eligible customers for cold weather payments are those people awarded pension credit and those awarded income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance who have a pensioner or disability premium, or have a child who is disabled or under the age of five when the temperature criteria are met for their postcode.
No account is taken of the form of heating used.
Departmental Agency Staff
The Department’s policy is first to source any requirements for temporary administrative staff from the local Jobcentre Plus office. If this is unsuccessful we acquire agency staff through a framework agreement led by the Prison Service. Under these arrangements the average hourly rate by agency in 2005-06 was:
£ Reed 113.56 Hays 10.44 1 Mainly London based staff
Information on earlier years is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Contracts
The information requested is provided in the following table.
Description Start date End date Value (£) Medical Services (Impact ‘97—Property issues) 10 October 1997 25 September 2003 69,467.92 Extension of medical services contract to cover DTI 16 January 1998 10 July 1998 22,307.69 Estates contractual issues 13 February 1998 9 February 2000 76,821.27 Accommodation and Office Services Procurement Advice 12 November 1998 17 November 1999 31,402.55 War Pensions Agency: Ilford Park Polish Home 18 February 1999 10 May 1999 4,819.27 IT commercials (Accord) 29 April 1999 9 June 1999 9,905.74 Contract Change Advice 27 September 2000 27 December 2000 2,115.00 Medical Services (Impact ‘97) commercials 13 February 2001 15 February 2001 1,369.58 IT commercials—Accord Contract Review 21 November 2002 10 March 2003 42,173.08 Warbreck House, Blackpool 16 May 2002 6 January 2003 881.25 Dinerth Road Colwyn Bay—Renewal 7 January 2003 6 May 2003 587.50 Commercials—Disaggregation of Contracts 7 January 2003 2 April 2003 28,883.85 Resource Planning 5 March 2003 27 June 2003 30,599.18 Web Portal and Hosting Agreement 2 July 2003 20 October 2003 14,119.42 Medical services provision project 20 November 2003 20 July 2006 888,370.44 IT commercials—Office Infrastracture 18 December 2003 5 March 2004 9,320.75 IT commercials—accommodating supplier’s equipment 4 December 2003 2 February 2004 10,954.62 Office Services Retender 22 March 2005 5 July 2006 43,475.00 Medical Services Contract Management 18 March 2005 23 June 2006 78,509.99 IT commercials—Operating System Upgrade 7 June 2005 — 2,741.12 Office Services Retender 2 June 2005 — 470,388.77 Logistic Service Integrator—commercials 23 November 2005 6 December 2005 2,255.35 Total — — 1,841,469.34 Note: DWP was created in 2001 and earlier figures relate to the ex-DSS.
Departmental Staff (Bicycles)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) offers employees an interest-free advance if they wish to purchase a bicycle. Cycle racks are provided at sites where we have parking. We also offer lockers and showers where possible and where the building allows.
The Department has no current plans to implement the cycle to work tax incentive scheme. As the Department cannot reclaim VAT, the tax savings are more limited than they would be for other employers, and the scheme is therefore not as attractive to our employees. Based on the low take-up of our existing scheme, we do not believe that the tax incentive scheme would be widely used. We will, however, keep the position under review.
Departmental Telephone Lines
The Department of Work and Pensions has a contract with BT to provide its telephony services. Hold music is provided as part of the standard package provided on all BT switch boards and as such does not incur a discrete identifiable charge to DWP.
Disability Living Allowance
The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Vivien Hopkins:
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Gateshead and Sunderland include a person with a learning disability who receives the care component of disability living allowance at the (a) highest rate, (b) middle rate and (c) lowest rate.
The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service. In his absence, I am replying.
The information available is in the following table:
Rate Local authority All Highest Middle Lowest Gateshead 680 190 340 150 Sunderland 1,080 320 580 180 Notes: 1 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. 3. Where the claimant is eligible for both care and mobility components, the disabling condition associated with the mobility component is shown here Where more than one disability is present only the main disabling condition is recorded. 4. The number of claimants does not equate to the number of households as there may be more than one person in a household with learning difficulties claiming DLA. 5. Figures exclude cases where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 6. Rate of care component refers to rate in payment Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.
EU Accession Countries
No assessment has been made of the effect on sectoral unemployment of recent migration from the new EU accession states.
A DWP assessment of the impact of recent migration from the eight central and eastern European accession states (A8) on claimant unemployment found no discernible statistical evidence of a link between the recent rises in claimant unemployment and inflows of migrants from the A8.
Fibromyalgia
As at February 2006, there were 8,400 people claiming incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance with a primary diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
Hampton Review
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given today by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Housing Allowance
I have had a number of discussions with the Scottish Executive's Minister for Communities about plans to extend local housing allowance to tenants across the private rented sector. In addition, copies of the published evaluation reports on the pathfinder authorities are routinely sent to the Scottish Executive.
While we have no plans to extend the local housing allowance approach to the social sector, we are pressing ahead with plans to encourage more social tenants to take responsibility for managing their own rent payments. However, we recognise the need for adequate safeguards to protect the interests of both tenants and their landlords and we will explore this issue with stakeholders across the social housing sector, including the Scottish Executive, before finalising specific proposals.
The Rent Service in England has targets for quality and accuracy set by the Secretary of State. These are published in The Rent Service Business Plan and reported on in The Rent Service Annual Report. To achieve these targets, the Rent Service provides common guidance to all rent officers across England to ensure a consistent approach to the setting of the local housing allowance, including the regular review of the broad rental market areas.
In Scotland and Wales, the same statutory framework applies to setting local housing allowances. The Rent Registration Service will work to apply this consistently in Scotland. In Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government will provide appropriate guidance and oversee monitoring arrangements to ensure consistency.
The Rent Service ensures transparency in a number of ways, including consultation with stakeholders prior to the publication of The Rent Service Business Plan which includes key targets set by the Secretary of State covering quality and other aspects of service delivery performance. The Rent Service publishes details of performance against the Business Plan in the Annual Report and provides an annual review of the lettings market in the private rented sector in The Rent Service Valuation report.
The agency has an Advisory Board, which provides advice to the Chief Executive, ensures accountability and comments on the strategic direction of the agency. The Advisory Board also advises Ministers of the agency's aims, objectives and performance. The Advisory Board is composed of stakeholder representatives including DWP, Department for Communities and Local Government, the Local Government Association and an external member that chairs the Rent Service Audit Committee.
The work of the Rent Service is also subject to scrutiny by an internal audit and annual scrutiny by the National Audit Office.
In Scotland, setting local housing allowances is the responsibility of the Rent Registration Service, which is part of the Scottish Executive. The Chief Rent Officer is responsible for ensuring that the mechanisms used by the Rent Registration Service are transparent and accountable.
In Wales, similar mechanisms exist as in England to ensure transparency and accountability in the setting of local housing allowance rates as applied by the Welsh Assembly Government.
The local housing allowance, which we plan to roll out from 2008, is at the core of housing benefit reform. We do not intend to implement other major changes to the calculation of a housing benefit claimant's eligible rent at this time.
Logic Integrated Medical Assessment
Logic Integrated Medical Assessment (LiMA) is a tool developed to support healthcare professionals carrying out personal capability assessments (PCA). It uses rules derived from evidence-based medical protocols to guide healthcare professionals into making logical decisions. But it remains the responsibility of the healthcare professional to ensure that all the appropriate data are input into the system, including information about multiple or intermittent conditions.
The available evidence-based medicine protocols cover about 85 per cent. of all disabling conditions being assessed. As part of the ongoing work in relation to the review of the PCA we will be looking at what changes will be required to LiMA, including development of new protocols to cover conditions not yet represented on the system.
The LiMA evidence-based medical protocols are freely available to GPs or others who wish to use them for continuous professional education.
Ministerial Meetings
Ministers have regular dialogues with ministerial colleagues in the Scottish Executive, discussing a wide range of issues of mutual interest. It is not our practice to disclose details of such meetings.
Neurological Conditions
Eleven per cent. of people with neurological conditions who have joined Pathways to Work between October 2003 and February 2006 have progressed into work.
Information on the number of people with neurological conditions who have progressed into work in the last three years without participating in Pathways is not available.
Notes:
1. The statistics quoted in this response are taken from the Pathways to Work Evaluation Database.
2. Data are to the end of February 2006.
3. Data include information for the extension to existing customers.
New Deal
[holding answer 11 September 2006]: Information on the unit costs per first time and repeat participant on each new deal programme in each quarter of the last three calendar years is not available.
The available information on the number of first time and repeat participants on each new deal programme, in each quarter of the last three calendar years, is in the tables.
Participants in each quarter Total First-time Repeat January to March 2003 104,110 65,690 38,420 April to June 2003 104,440 65,010 39,430 July to September 2003 104,590 65,000 39,590 October to December 2003 96,230 59,410 36,820 January to March 2004 101,220 63,760 37,460 April to June 2004 97,770 61,600 36,170 July to September 2004 92,900 58,500 34,400 October to December 2004 84,550 53,080 31,470 January to March 2005 90,860 58,200 32,660 April to June 2005 92,010 58,640 33,370 July to September 2005 93,220 59,350 33,870 October to December 2005 89,040 55,880 33,160
Participants in each quarter Total First-time Repeat January to March 2003 70,130 46,240 23,890 April to June 2003 68,780 46,230 22,550 July to September 2003 65,070 44,080 20,990 October to December 2003 62,160 41,410 20,750 January to March 2004 59,940 39,260 20,680 April to June 2004 58,770 37,930 20,840 July to September 2004 59,730 38,320 21,410 October to December 2004 58,880 37,230 21,650 January to March 2005 58,280 36,790 21,490 April to June 2005 55,730 34,830 20,900 July to September 2005 52,280 32,350 19,930 October to December 2005 50,470 30,810 19,660
Participants in each quarter Total First-time Repeat January to March 2003 89,160 64,550 24,610 April to June 2003 90,360 63,860 26,500 July to September 2003 95,890 66,650 29,240 October to December 2003 94,390 64,750 29,640 January to March 2004 100,170 66,750 33,420 April to June 2004 94,160 61,730 32,430 July to September 2004 89,720 57,400 32,320 October to December 2004 83,850 52,410 31,440 January to March 2005 83,830 50,350 33,480 April to June 2005 78,720 46,360 32,360 July to September 2005 76,480 43,970 32,510 October to December 2005 71,370 40,810 30,560
Participants in each quarter Total First-time Repeat January to March 2004 11,290 11,290 0 April to June 2004 18,360 18,330 30 July to September 2004 26,340 26,270 70 October to December 2004 32,540 32,420 120 January to March 2005 38,280 38,060 220 April to June 2005 42,970 42,620 350 July to September 2005 46,820 46,350 470 October to December 2005 50,250 49,640 610
Participants in each quarter Total First-time Repeat January to March 2003 39,570 37,510 2,060 April to June 2003 45,040 42,630 2,410 July to September 2003 51,780 48,880 2,900 October to December 2003 55,890 52,630 3,260 January to March 2004 62,810 58,930 3,880 April to June 2004 72,110 67,110 5,000 July to September 2004 82,780 76,660 6,120 October to December 2004 89,830 82,720 7,110 January to March 2005 98,450 90,220 8,230 April to June 2005 106,970 97,640 9,330 July to September 2005 116,120 105,700 10,420 October to December 2005 123,490 112,110 11,380
Participants in each quarter Total First-time Repeat April to June 2004 530 530 0 July to September 2004 1,140 1,140 0 October to December 2004 1,600 1,590 10 January to March 2005 2,110 2,100 10 April to June 2005 2,510 2,480 30 July to September 2005 2,640 2,610 30 October to December 2005 2,720 2,700 20 Notes 1. Latest complete calendar year data are to December 2005. 2. People are included in the tables as participating in a particular quarter if they are recorded as participating at any point in that quarter. People participating on the programme in more than one quarter are included in the tables in each relevant quarter. 3. Earliest available data for new deal for partners is April 2004. 4. Earliest available data for new deal 50 plus is January 2004. Source: DWP Information Directorate.
Office Closures
The Department continually evaluates the services it provides and the offices that are required to meet its changing structure in order to deliver a better and more efficient service to customers. As part of the rationalisation of accommodation over the last three years, there has been one DWP Head Office closure in London, two in the Yorkshire and the Humber Government office region and one in the north-east Government office region. One closure is planned in London, five in the Yorkshire and the Humber Government office region, two in the north- west Government office region and three in the north- east Government region. Details have been placed in the Library.
Both Jobcentre Plus and the Pension Service are transforming and modernising the services they offer, making them more readily available through the telephone and the internet. Details of Jobcentre Plus and the Pension Service office closures have also been placed in the Library.
The Child Support Agency closed its Basingstoke Satellite Processing Centre in December 2005. The agency also intends to relinquish the Clitheroe and Blackburn Filestores on 1 October 2006.
The Disability and Carers’ Service closed the Sutton Disability Benefit Centre on 31 December 2005 and will also withdraw from the Disability Benefits Centre at Arden House, Newcastle, by 31 December 2006, with work from both offices being transferred to other existing Disability and Carers’ Service units.
Pension Credit
The number of households in receipt of pension credit in East Dumbartonshire at February in each of the years requested is in the following table.
Date Household Recipients February 2004 2,000 February 2005 2,320 February 2006 2.470 Notes: 1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the 2005 postcode directory and are therefore based on the 2005 parliamentary boundaries. 3. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. Source: DWP 100 per cent. Department for Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
The most recent number of households receiving pension credit in the East Dunbartonshire constituency are in the following table.
Date Household Recipients May 2006 2,460 Notes: 1. These figures are early estimates. The preferred data source for figures supplied by DWP is the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). However, the figures provided are the latest available figures which are taken from the GMS scan at 26th May 2006. These are adjusted using the historical relationship between WPLS and GMS data to give an estimate of the final WPLS figure. 2. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10. 3 Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. 4. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. Source: DWP 100 per cent. data from the Generalised Matching Service (CMS) Pension Credit scan taken as at 26th May 2006.
The average time taken to process applications for pension credit in each year since its introduction is detailed in the following table.
Year end Average actual clearance time 2003-04 12.31 days 2004-05 10.30 days 2005-06 8.74 days
The information requested is not available.
I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 431W.
Pensioners
The information is not available from administrative data and therefore needs to be collected by specific surveys. The cost of developing and conducting a survey where all local areas are adequately represented would be prohibitive.
Pensions
The White Paper endorsed the Pensions Commission's view that it is vital that communication with members of the new scheme is designed to enable them, as best as possible, to make informed decisions about their saving. However, it did not specifically identify a need for independent professional financial advice.
Recognising the importance of information, the White Paper consultation asks for comments on what individuals would need in each proposed approach. The responses will inform the work we are doing in the period before implementation of the new system, when we are actively pursuing three distinct strands of work: developing the information and communications strategy to support the introduction of personal accounts; continuing our work on improving public understanding of pensions, and working with the FSA and others on the broader financial capability strategy. This work includes testing the workplace as a delivery mechanism for financial information, in particular information about pensions.
(2) how many active members there were in defined benefit schemes which have closed to new members since 1997 in (a) 1997 and (b) 2005;
(3) how many defined benefit schemes have closed to new members in each year since 1995; and how many active members there were in aggregate in these schemes at the time that they closed to new members;
(4) how many people who joined a private sector workplace pension scheme during the latest 12 month period for which figures are available will receive (a) a defined benefit pension linked to final salary, (b) any other pension with a defined benefit component, (c) a defined contribution pension with no employer contribution, (d) a defined contribution pension with an employer contribution worth less than 3 per cent. of gross salary, excluding contracted-out rebates, (e) a defined contribution pension with an employer contribution at least 3 per cent. of gross salary but no more than 6 per cent. of gross salary, excluding contracted-out rebates and (f) an employer contribution worth more than 6 per cent. of gross salary, excluding contracted-out rebates;
(5) how many individuals aged 22 years or over and earning at least £5,000 a year are employed by organisations outside the public sector, including the BBC and Post Office, which operate workplace pension schemes with employer contributions worth (a) at least 2.5 per cent. of gross salary and (b) at least 3 per cent. of gross salary.
This information is not available.
(2) how many people joined a private sector workplace pension scheme during the latest 12 month period for which figures are available.
This information is not available.
The answer is given in the following table:
Financial year Total 2007-08 714,000 2008-09 702,000 2009-10 691,000 2010-11 504,000 2011-12 557,000 2012-13 556,000 2013-14 530,000 2014-15 515,000 2015-16 505,000 2016-17 500,000 2017-18 502,000 2018-19 503,000 2019-20 500,000 2020-21 686,000 2021-22 708,000 2022-23 732,000 2023-24 745,000 2024-25 377,000 2025-26 379,000 2026-27 777,000 2027-28 801,000 2028-29 821,000 2029-30 838,000 2030-31 848,000 2031-32 846,000 2032-33 845,000 2033-34 832,000 2034-35 412,000 2035-36 409,000 2036-37 803,000 2037-38 805,000 2038-39 791,000 2039-40 757,000 2040-41 719,000 2041-42 698,000 2042-43 680,000 2043-44 664,000 2044-45 332,000 2045-46 334,000 2046-47 697,000 2047-48 736,000 2048-49 750,000 2049-50 737,000 2050-51 743,000 2051-52 763,000 2052-53 793,000 2053-54 801,000 2054-55 806,000 2055-56 823,000 2056-57 819,000 2057-58 819,000 2058-59 830,000 2059-60 827,000 2060-61 808,000 2061-62 797,000 2062-63 785,000 2063-64 780,000 2064-65 785,000 2065-66 774,000 2066-67 763,000 2067-68 748,000 Notes: 1. These estimates were calculated using data from 2004-based national population projections for the United Kingdom made by the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD). 2. Numbers for males and females may not add to total number because of rounding. 3. These estimates are of people resident in the UK at the time of reaching state pension age (SPA). They Include those migrating to the UK before SPA and who are resident in the UK on reaching SPA, some of whom may have no entitlement to UK state pension. The estimates do not include those who emigrate from the UK before SPA and reach SPA outside the UK, some of whom may have entitlement to UK state pension benefits.
The example given as follows is for illustrative purposes only. It is not intended to cover all the details of the calculation and the figures are indicative only. The results of any Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) conversion will depend on the precise characteristics of the specific scheme and the members involved.
Example
A contracted-out, defined benefit scheme increases deferred pensions in line with the minimum statutory requirements (including the requirements on the GMP). They decide to convert the GMP of a deferred member who left the scheme on 1 July 1995. On leaving he had a total deferred pension of £1,000 a year, of which £150 was underpinned by the GMP.
Step 1
The pension scheme’s actuary, based on a set of assumptions about the future, calculates that the current actuarial value of all the existing benefits (including the GMP) is £20,000.
Step 2
Using the same actuarial assumptions, the actuary calculates that, for £20,000, a pension of £1,200 a year could be provided based on scheme rules.
Step 3
This member’s entitlement is increased to £1,200. He no longer has a GMP underpin and the new pension entitlement is governed by the rules of the scheme and any legislation that applies to scheme benefits.
The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
We intend to outline further proposals for personal accounts later this year.
During the oral statement I said that both the stock market fall of the late 1990s and rising longevity had cost UK pension funds £250 billion. To clarify, between 1999 and 2002 the market value of occupational pension scheme assets reduced by a total of around £250 billion. We believe this reduction was largely a result of the impact of the stock market fall. Rising longevity would have increased pension fund liabilities during this period, also leading to increases in scheme costs.
Our proposals for increasing state pension age are based on the current available evidence which, as we have said in the White Paper, we plan to review periodically. Whether the timetable for increasing state pension age remains appropriate will be a decision for the Government of the day when considering the evidence available at that time.
The Pensions Commission, in its second report, recommended an annual cap on contributions to personal accounts of around £3,000, so that any scheme complemented, rather than replaced, existing pension provision. As stated in the White Paper, the Government share that objective, and the proposal for a contribution cap is being analysed very carefully and discussed in detail with external stakeholders. We will bring forward our proposals later in the year.
This research was published on 1 August 2006 in the Department's research report series (Review of research relevant to assessing the impact of the proposed National Pension Savings Scheme on household savings by John Hawksworth, PricewaterhouseCoopers, DWP research report No. 373).
The results of qualitative research into employer attitudes to personal accounts, undertaken by BMRB Ltd. on behalf of the Department, were published on 1 August 2006 in “Employer attitudes to personal accounts: report of a qualitative study by Helen Marshall and Andrew Thomas, DWP Research Report No. 371”. Preliminary findings from the quantitative research into employer attitudes to personal accounts were published in the Government’s White Paper on pension reform, “Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system, May 2006”. The full results of this research will be published later in the year.
The Secretary of State does not have any responsibilities in respect of public service pension reform.
Personal Capability Assessment
The review of the personal capability assessment is ongoing. We are still considering the recommendations made in the report by the working groups reviewing the personal capability assessment process.
Post Office Card Account
The benefits and pensions administered by Department for Work and Pensions that can be paid into a Post Office card account are listed:
Attendance Allowance
Bereavement Benefit
Carer's Allowance
Child Maintenance
Christmas Bonus Payments
Cold Weather Payments
Disability Living Allowance
Incapacity Benefit
Income Support
Industrial Death Benefit
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
Jobseeker's Allowance
Jobcentre Plus New Deal Payments
Jobcentre Plus Training Payments
Maternity Allowance
Pension Credit
Reduced Earnings Allowance
Severe Disablement Allowance
State Retirement Pension
Social Fund Payments
Widows Benefit
Winter Fuel Payments
Benefits and tax credits administered by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, Northern Ireland Social Security Agency (NISSA) and the Veteran’s Agency can also be paid into a Post Office card account.
Psychotherapeutic Counsellors
The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 9 October 2006:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what estimate he has made of the number of trained psychotherapeutic counsellors working in or in partnership with Jobcentres. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus does not directly employ staff to provide psychotherapeutic counselling. In Pathways to Work areas, Personal Advisers are able to refer their customers to a Condition Management Programme which can include access to psychological therapies. Although these services are funded by Jobcentre Plus, they are commissioned, and supplied, by local Primary Care Trusts. We are therefore not able to provide details of the number of staff involved.
In addition, Jobcentres have many local (non-contractual) partnerships with a variety of voluntary and community organisations that offer support to individuals on issues such as coping with life and substance or alcohol abuse. Although counselling is used by some of these organisations, we have no data on whether or not they specifically use trained psychotherapeutic counsellors.
Public Service Agreements
The Department publishes full details of its Public Service Agreement targets, including how they are measured, twice a year in the Departmental Report and Autumn Performance Report, using the latest out-turn information. In many cases monitoring information is available with a lag of three months or less. For others, particularly where complex analysis is involved or firm data on outcomes may be delayed (for example, in areas involving medical events), reporting may take a year or longer. I am always seeking to improve timeliness but must balance this with the need for accuracy and to avoid significant revisions.
Rent Officers
The information is in the following table:
Financial Year (1 April to 31 March) Number of rent officer training days Cost to DWP (£) 2003-041 1,447.0 229,116 2004-05 1,169.0 338,264 2005-06 612.5 168,514 1 The costs for 2003-04 fell to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as the Rent Service did not transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) until 1 April 2004.
The Rent Officer Service in Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly. The Rent Registration Service in Scotland is part of the Scottish Executive. As such, no training costs would have been met by DWP.
Samuel Jones Pension Scheme
The financial assistance scheme, which was introduced through the Pensions Act 2004 to help some members of defined benefit pension schemes which wind up underfunded, is providing assistance to qualifying members of the Samuel Jones pension scheme.
The Samuel Jones pension scheme is already a qualifying scheme for the financial assistance scheme. Following the review of the financial assistance scheme in May, assistance has been extended to qualifying members who were within 15 years of their scheme’s normal retirement age, or above, on 14 May 2004.
The Government do not accept the ombudsman’s recommendation that the Government should consider restoring full pensions to everyone who was a member of a scheme which wound up under-funded between January 1997 and April 2005. Given that the financial assistance scheme is funded by taxpayers, most of whom do not benefit from a defined benefit pension, we do not believe it would be appropriate or fair to extend the scheme to such an extent.
However, when reviewing the financial assistance scheme we naturally took account of the issues raised by the ombudsman. That review led to the extension of the financial assistance scheme and will give additional certainty to a large number of those who are facing significant loss as the result of the failure of theirpension scheme.
Social Fund
The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many social fund applications from each county were processed in each of the six months before the centralisation in Bristol, and how many have been processed in each month since centralisation. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
As part of the national programme to centralise the processing of Social Fund applications, we are moving all the Social Fund processing work for the South West region to Bristol. The work is being moved in phases and different counties are at different stages of this process. It is envisaged that this work will be completed in 2007.
Social Fund payments encompass a variety of different types of payment, including Crisis Loans, Budgeting Loans, Community Care Grants, Funeral Payments and Sure Start Maternity Grants.
The following tables illustrate the movement of work to date and the number of claims processed in the months either side of the transfer to Bristol.
Whilst the tables show that the numbers of claims being processed initially fell immediately following the transfer of work, which has meant that some customers have experienced delays in receiving payments, I am pleased to report that this position has now recovered.
I hope this is helpful.
Number of Social Fund applications processed by county in the South West Region.
Cornwall
Number November 2005 1,836 December 2005 1,486 January 2006 1,491 February 2006 1,473 March 2006 1,637 April 2006 1,275 May 2006 1,118 June 2006 1,515 July 2006 1,474 Note: Social Fund work for Cornwall was transferred to Bristol from the end of April 2006. Bulk transfer of cases took place in August 2006 so no data available by county after the end of July as it is not possible to differentiate how many of these cases originated from Cornwall.
Devon
Number May 2005 1,896 June 2005 1,736 July 2005 1,864 August 2005 1,321 September 2005 1,363 October 2005 2,306 November 2005 1,608 December 2005 2,152 January 2006 1,343 February 2006 1,432 March 2006 1,549 April 2006 1,418 May 2006 1,676 June 2006 1,860 July 2006 1,943 Note: The processing of Budgeting Loans for Devon customers transferred to Bristol South at the end of October 2005. Bulk transfer of cases took place in August 2006 so no data available by county after the end of July as it is not possible to differentiate how many of these cases originated from Devon.
Number May 2005 2,915 June 2005 3,020 July 2005 2,892 August 2005 2,735 September 2005 2,893 October 2005 2,955 November 2005 3,095 December 2005 2,879 January 2006 3,347 February 2006 2,952 March 2006 3,515 April 2006 2,477 May 2006 2,899 June 2006 3,138 July 2006 2,805 Note: The processing of other (Crisis Loans, Community Care Grants, Funeral Payments and Sure Start Maternity Grants) Social Fund payments transferred to Bristol on 5 June 2006. Bulk transfer of cases took place in August 2006 so no data available by county after the end of July as it is not possible to differentiate how many of these cases originated from Devon.
Gloucestershire
Number August 2005 1,585 September 2005 1,638 October 2005 1,600 November 2005 2,006 December 2005 1,661 January 2006 1,486 February 2006 1,228 March 2006 1,703 April 2006 1,313 May 2006 1,602 June 2006 1,725 July 2006 1,963 Note: The processing of social fund applications for Gloucestershire customers transferred to Bristol from the end of January 2006. Bulk transfer of cases took place in August 2006 so no data available by county after the end of July as it is not possible to differentiate how many of these cases originated from Gloucestershire.
Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire (including Swindon)
Social Fund applications for people living in Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire (including Swindon) have yet to be transferred to Bristol (exact dates are yet to be finalised). The numbers of claims processed in the last six months are as follows:
Somerset Dorset Swindon and Wiltshire March 2006 1,799 3,179 1,839 April 2006 1,493 2,891 1,546 May 2006 1,694 3,264 1,901 June 2006 2,072 3,319 1,784 July 2006 1,789 3,067 1,943 August 2006 1,942 2,901 1,844
West of England (Bristol and South Gloucestershire)
Number October 2005 3,940 November 2005 4,334 December 2005 4,425 January 2006 3,841 February 2006 3,613 March 2006 4,684 April 2006 3,715 May 2006 3,885 June 2006 4,236 July 2006 4,404 August 2006 10,027 Note: From August 2006—figure shown also includes all work from Cornwall, Devon and the remainder of Gloucestershire.
Stakeholder Pensions
As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 24 July 2006, Official Report, column 901W, we will continue to provide public information in order to help individuals make informed choices about saving for a pension, including information about stakeholder pensions. Stakeholder pensions are sold and marketed by the financial services industry. The suitability of a stakeholder pension for any individual will depend on their particular circumstances. Figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show that around 2,880,000 stakeholder pension policies have been sold since their introduction in April 2001.
Volunteering
(2) how many of those receiving benefits claimed expenses incurred whilst volunteering in each of the last five years; and what total amount of expenses was paid.
The information is not available.
Welfare Modernisation Fund
[holding answer 11 September 2006]: Funds allocated to the Welfare Modernisation Fund (WMF) and draw-downs made by the Department are detailed in the following table:
Funding Draw-down 2001-02 672 636 2002-03 786 822 2003-041 900 1,040 2004-05 946 946 2005-06 601 461 Total 3,905 3,905 1 Draw-down in excess of funding made with Treasury approval in order to support in-year spending plans.
The Welfare Modernisation Fund ceased to exist at the end of 2005-06, at which point all available funds had been drawn down. There are, therefore, no allocations relating to the WMF for 2006-07.
Although specific WMF funding has been exhausted, the Department’s modernisation programme continues, funded from other available departmental budgets.
[holding answer 11 September 2006]: The Welfare Modernisation Fund ceased to exist at the end of 2005-06 at which time all available funding had been drawn down by the Department. However, the Department’s modernisation programme continues, being funded from other available departmental budgets.
Welfare Reform
[holding answer 18 September 2006]: We are still developing criteria for entry into the support group. We anticipate that details will be available for the Commons Committee stage of the Welfare Reform Bill.
(2) whether all the regulations provided for in the Welfare Reform Bill will fall within the remit of the Social Security Advisory Committee and receive its scrutiny.
[holding answers 11 September 2006]: With Ministers’ agreement, officials have met the Committee on a number of occasions throughout the development of the social security policy in relation to parts 1, 2 and 3 of the Welfare Reform Bill. Our intention is to liaise informally with the Committee about the content of the key regulations under powers in the Welfare Reform Bill, where the Committee may have a future interest in those legislative areas.
Under section 173 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 there is no requirement to refer regulations to the Social Security Advisory Committee when regulations are made within six months of the coming into force of an enactment. Any initial regulations associated with the Welfare Reform Bill that are not made within six months of the coming into force of their relevant provisions, and that fall within the Committee’s functions, will be subject to referral.
(2) how many regulation-making powers are contained in the Welfare Reform Bill.
[holding answer 11 September 2006]: We calculate that there are 180 regulation- making powers in the Welfare Reform Bill.
Part 1 of the Bill and its associated schedules contain proposed regulation-making powers in the clauses shown in the following tables.
Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause 2(1)(a) and (c) 4(3) 8(5) 12(3) 16(2) 19(4) 2(2)(c) 4(4)(c) 9(1) 13(1) 16(3) 19(5) 2(3)(c) 4(5)(c) 10(1) 13(2) 16(4) 21(1) in: “period of limited capability” and “week” 2(4)(a), (b) and (c) 4(6)(a), (b) and (c) 10(3) 13(4) 17(1) 21(2) 3(1)(c) 5(2)(a) and (b) 11(1) 14(1) 17(3) 21(3) 3(2)(a), (b), (c) and (d) 5(3) 11(3) 14(4) 18(1) 25(2) 3(3) 7 11(7) 15(2) 19(2) — 4(2)(a) 8(1) 12(1) 16(1) 19(3) —
Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph 1(4)(a) and (b) 4(1)(a) and (c) 6(1)(b) 6(4)(a) and (b) 6(7) 3(1)(a) 4(3) 6(2) 6(5) in (b) and (d) in “couple” 6(8) 3(2) 4(4) 6(3) 6(5) in “education” and “remunerative work” —
Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph 1(a), (b) and (c) 4(2) 8(1) 11 15(2) 2 5 8(2) 12 3 6 9 14 4(1) 7(1)(a), (b) and (c) 10 15(1)
Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph 1 (section 6(9) of the Child Support Act 1991) 4(6) (s.71 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) s.5(3) (s.3 of the Jobseeker’s Act 1995) 2 (s.24(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991) 4(7) (s.73 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 6(4) (s.11 of the Social Security Act 1998) 3(2) (s.22(5) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992) 4(14) (s. 124 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 6(5) (s.27 of the Social Security Act 1998) 4(2) (s.1 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 4(15) (s.125 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 6(6) (s.28 of the Social Security Act 1998) 4(3) (s.2AA of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 4(17) (s.132 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 7 (s.72 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999) 4(4) (s.5 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 4(18) (s.150(7) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) — 4(5) (s.15A of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) 5(2) (s.1 of the Jobseeker’s Act 1995) —
Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph 1(a)and (b) 4(2) 7(a),(b), (c), (d) and (e) 2(a), (b), (c) and (d) 5(2) 8(1) 3 6(1)(a) and (b) 9
In addition, there are a number of provisions which are intended to specify what must be included in the regulations or which illustrate the potential use of the powers.
Winter Fuel Payments
A total of £11.9 million was paid as winter fuel payments in the London borough of Ealing in 2005-06.
Note: This figure is rounded to the nearest £100,000.
A total of £4.2 million was paid as winter fuel payments to people over 60 in Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush constituency in 2005-06.
(This figure is rounded to the nearest £100,000).