| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Disability Benefits
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has (a) to introduce a one-stop shop service for access to disability benefits and services provided by his Department and (b) to encourage local authorities to adopt a similar approach in relation to their services. [35575]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: This Government are committed to transform public services to make them more convenient and accessible. From April this year, JobCentre Plus and the Pension Service will take over from the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency. JobCentre Plus will provide work related and benefit related services to customers of working age through a national network of integrated JobCentre Plus offices. Customers will be able to access the full range of disability benefits through JobCentre Plus offices. The Pension Service will provide a national network, working with local authorities, voluntary organisations and others to provide a service for today's and tomorrow's pensioners.
An important initiative, which will help improve access to services including disability benefits for people over 60, is Care Direct, which is being piloted jointly by the Department of Health, Department for Work and Pensions and six local authorities. A key aim of Care Direct is to provide older people with a single gateway to get information about, and access to social care, health, housing and benefits, including disability benefits. The pilots are examining in a practical way, how central government, local government and the voluntary sector can work together to improve access to services.
The six local authorities piloting Care Direct are now operational and will be evaluated later this year.
Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people aged 0 to 16 are in receipt of a disability benefit; and what percentage of households in which a young person is in receipt of such a benefit have an income of less than 60 per cent. of the median household income. [33010]
Maria Eagle: Such information as is available is as follows:
At 31 August 2001, about 243,300 people aged 16 or under in Great Britain were receiving disability living allowance. The latest available estimates, which relate to 1999–00, indicate that the proportion of this group of young people who were living in households with below 60 per cent. of median income was 11 per cent. on a 'Before Housing Costs' basis, or 14 per cent. 'After Housing Costs'.
The Government have introduced several measures from April 2001 to help families with disabled children. The higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance has been extended to severely disabled children aged three or four, providing extra help to their families
13 Feb 2002 : Column 507W
of £38.65 a week. In addition, the disabled child premium in the income-related benefits has been increased to £30 a week—£7.40 more than the normal uprating. Finally, the new disability income guarantee helps 33,000 families with severely disabled children, providing an extra £11.05 a week for each disabled child.
- Notes:
- 1. The number of young people aged 0 to 16 in receipt of DLA is the latest information available, and is based on a 5 per cent. sample of disability living allowance (DLA) administrative records. The figure given is rounded to the nearest hundred.
- 2. Estimates relating to the percentage of individuals living in households with below 60 per cent. of median income have been taken from the "Households Below Average Income" (HBAI) series which is derived from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) data set. The FRS does not include Northern Ireland, and 1999–00 is the latest year for which data is available.
- 3. HBAI estimates are sample counts that have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors that control for region, council tax band and a number of other demographic variables. Estimates are subject to both sampling error and variability in non-response. Percentages are given to the nearest whole percent.
- 4. HBAI estimates have been presented on both a before and after housing costs basis to take into account variations in housing costs as is standard HBAI practice. No adjustment has been to household disposable income as used in HBAI to take into account any additional costs that may be incurred due to the illness or disability in question.
Benefit Downrating (Hospital Patients)
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual costs to his Department were in each of the last three years of administering the downrating of benefits during hospital stays. [35580]
Mr. McCartney: The Benefit Agency's administration costs are published in the Benefits Agency annual report and accounts 2000–01, copies of which are available in the Library. The costs are not broken down to the detail required, but the current estimated staff costs for administering these rules is around £0.5 million. The information is not available for previous years.
Job Trials
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the new rules for job trials effective from 8 April. [35577]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 8 January 2002, Official Report, columns 685–86W.
Winter Fuel Allowance
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each of the last two years who were in receipt of the (a) middle and (b) higher care component of the disability living allowance in the (i) UK and (ii) London borough of Hillingdon were also eligible for the winter fuel allowance. [34525]
Mr. McCartney: The number of disability living allowance recipients receiving the higher or middle rate care component who are aged 60 or over in Great Britain and Hillingdon are given in the tables. Such people will be eligible for a winter fuel payment unless one of the exclusions applies.
13 Feb 2002 : Column 508W
| Year | Higher rate care | Middle rate care |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 132.4 | 183.6 |
| 2001 | 147.7 | 199.6 |
| Year | Higher rate care | Middle rate care |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | *0.3 | 0.6 |
| 2001 | *0.4 | 0.6 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred
2. Figures are at 31 August each year
3. Figures under 500 marked '*' are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be used only as a guide to the current situation
Source:
ASD Information Centre: 5 per cent. data
Disability Discrimination Act
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the impact of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [34659]
Maria Eagle: The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) has not yet been fully implemented but indications are that those parts of the DDA that are in force are proving to be effective and that disabled people are making use of it. Research indicates that awareness levels are increasing and changes are being made to employers' and service providers' policies and practices.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to provide an answer to the question from the hon. Member for Isle of Wight of 19 November 2001 [Ref 16113]. [35516]
Mr. McCartney: I provided an answer to hon. Member's question on 28 January 2002, Official Report, column 47W.
Minimum Income Guarantee
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases have been dealt with in each year by the Minimum Income Guarantee helpline; and if he will make a statement. [33924]
Mr. McCartney: The information requested can be found in the table.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2000(32) | 630,083 |
| 2001(32) | 190,231 |
| 2002(33) | 15,453 |
(32) January to December
(33) January only
The MIG claim line has also processed a total of 408,508 freepost requests for a clerical MIG claim form since 29 March 2000.
13 Feb 2002 : Column 509W
Fair Trade
Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to encourage participation by his Department in Fair Trade Fortnight from 4 to 17 March. [33548]
Mr. McCartney: The Department obtains the majority of fair trade goods from outsourced services, for example catering. The Department does not require its suppliers to take part in specific events. However, we expect them to be ethical in their business dealings and would expect them to support fair trade events of this sort.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |