| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
SOCIAL SECURITY
Correspondence
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when she intends to reply to the letters to her dated 2 April, 15 May and 16 June from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mrs. H. Nasrin, 58 Clitheroe Road. [51463]
Mr. Denham: The delay in responding to my right hon. Friend's letters was very much regretted. Unfortunately, the Department did not receive a copy of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary's reply to the letter regarding Mrs. Nasrin until 16 July 1998.
Mrs. Nasrin's case is a complex one. However, I hope to let my right hon. Friend have a full reply as soon as our investigations are complete.
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Spelthorne, dated 16 May, concerning Mr. R. A. Weedon of Ashford, Middlesex, reference 3/3642/14. [53796]
Mr. Denham:
A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 28 July.
Mr. Peter Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 1998, Official Report, columns 703-05, if she will estimate the respective contributions of (a) price reductions, (b) VAT reductions, (c) winter fuel payments and (d) other changes to the average lowering of pension fuel bills for single and for married pensioners (i) on income support and (ii) not on income support. [52034]
Mr. Denham:
The information requested is set out in the table. Accurate consumption data are not available by type of pensioner.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Fuel bill (combined electricity and gas) | 614.50 |
| Price and competition reductions | 62.50 |
| VAT reductions | 17.00 |
| Winter Fuel Payments (Income Support (IS)) | 50.00 |
| Winter Fuel Payments (non-IS) | 20.00 |
| Total savings--Income Support | 129.50 |
| Total savings--non-Income Support | 99.50 |
Notes:
1. Bills are based on average standard credit and VAT rates in force on 1 April of the financial year
2. Bills are calculated on standard consumption of 3,300 kWh for electricity and 18,000 kWh for gas
3. Price reductions include the new tariffs introduced by electricity companies in April 1998 as part of the new two year price restraints and new British Gas tariffs announced in January 1998
4. Price reductions include an estimate of a typical saving that would accrue to customers switching supplier for the 1998-99 financial year. Estimates of savings from switching supplier will vary case by case depending on when and to which supplier someone switches to
5. All figures are rounded to the nearest 50p
30 Jul 1998 : Column: 472
National Insurance
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of those of working age have never paid national insurance contributions. [52523]
Mr. Denham: The working age population is some 35,036,000. Departmental estimates show that 34,433,000 people, aged between 16 and state pension age in 1995/96, paid National Insurance contributions at some time between 1975/76 and 1995/96. However, an unknown number of these people are no longer included in the working population, because they have left the country.
For years before 1975/76 it is not possible to distinguish between contributions which were paid and those which were credited.
Sources:
Lifetime Labour Market Database
Population Estimates Unit.
Domestic Violence
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will evaluate the cost to her Department arising from violence within families; and if she will make a statement. [52442]
Mr. Denham: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer from my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on Wednesday 29 July 1998, Official Report, column 258.
Common Minimum Pension Age
Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate she has made of the net public expenditure cost for introducing a common minimum pension age of 60 years. [52912]
Mr. Denham: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to him on 1 June 1998, Official Report, column 111.
Welfare Provision
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what role he intends for approved welfare providers in his plans for welfare reform; and if he will make a statement on their relationship to pension providers. [53251]
Mr. Denham: The Welfare Reform Green Paper, "New ambitions for our country: A New Contract for Welfare", proposed that the public and private sectors should work in partnership to make welfare provision. Such private-public partnerships are one of a range of possibilities currently being considered.
Employees Over 60
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) men and (b) women aged over 60 years were employed by (i) his Department and (ii) his Department's agencies on 1 January. [53062]
30 Jul 1998 : Column: 473
| Business Unit | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Benefits Agency | 515 | 605 |
| Contributions Agency | 74 | 63 |
| Child Support Agency | 40 | 28 |
| War Pensions Agency | 17 | 18 |
| ITSA | 10 | 3 |
| ISBs | 14 | 8 |
| DSS HQ | 8 | 10 |
| Total | 678 | 735 |
| Departmental Total | 1,413 | |
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) men and (b) women employed by (1) his Department and (2) his Department's agencies have contracts of employment which permit them to retire after their 60th birthday. [53043]
Mr. Denham: There are no staff currently employed within the Department who have contracts of employment which permit them to retire after their 60th birthday. However, the Permanent Secretary has discretion to retain staff beyond their 60th birthday, if they remain fully efficient and there is a need for their services.
Task Forces
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the task forces and advisory groups composed of independent members which have been set up by his Department since 1 May 1997, indicating in each case (a) their remit, (b) their membership, (c) how many members are (i) scientists, (ii) engineers, (iii) small business people or representatives of small businesses, (d) any remuneration members receive for their services and (e) their budget. [53284]
Mr. Denham: The information requested is as follows:
- Pension Provision Group
- (a) To provide an independent analysis of the current state of pension provision in the United Kingdom and of likely future trends.
- (b) Membership is drawn from pensions experts from outside the Government who come from a wide range of backgrounds and interests.
- (c) None
- (d) None
- (e) None
- Pensions Education Working Group
- (a) To advise on the development of a longer term pensions awareness strategy; to establish and evaluate the telephone helpline experiment; work to develop free-standing initiatives and partnerships to implement their recommendations; to consider how to give consumers basic and comparable information in plain English on pension schemes and products.
- (b) Representatives from the pensions industry, employer and employee organisations, consumer organisations, regulatory authorities and officials from various Government departments.
- (c) None
- (d) None
- (e) None
30 Jul 1998 : Column: 474
- Pension Sharing Consultation Panel
- (a) To enable representatives from the key interest groups to work together with the Government to review proposals for the detailed operation of the policy.
- (b) Representatives of the pensions industry, family lawyers, groups representing divorcing couples and officials from various Government Departments.
- (c) None
- (d) None
- (e) None
- Disability Benefits Forum
- (a) To consider possible options for changes in the gateways to benefits for long-term sick and disabled people and carers, and how to ensure that help is directed to those who need it.
- (b) Representatives from "umbrella" groups representing all areas of the disability lobby and groups representing significant numbers of disabled people. In addition, there are experts from the fields of local government and social policy as well as medical professionals with a range of expertise in the areas of long term illness and disability.
- (c) None
- (d) None
- (e) None.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |