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5 Jul 2004 : Column 528W—continued
Residence Orders
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what financial support his Department makes available to grandparents who obtain a residence order in respect of a grandchild. [181810]
Mr. Pond: Subject to the usual rules of entitlement, the full range of social security benefits and tax credits is available to grandparents who are responsible for a grandchild living with them.
Additionally, a grandparent who provides day-to-day care for a child can choose to use the services of the Child Support Agency.
Student Loans
Dr. Cable: If he will make a statement on the treatment of student loans by the benefit system. [181903]
Mr. Pond: Full-time students are not generally entitled to receive income-related benefits while studying unless they are in a vulnerable group such as disabled people or lone parents. Where a student is eligible for a loan, it is taken into account as income when deciding entitlement with an amount disregarded for books, equipment and travel. We will be laying regulations this week to increase these disregards for the next academic year.
Sure Start Maternity Grant
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mothers in Tamworth have taken up the Sure Start maternity grant. [179966]
Mr. Pond: The information is in the tables.
| Applications | Awards | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 2,830 | 2,498 |
| 2001–02 | 3,502 | 3,024 |
| 2002–03 to October | 2,659 | 2,221 |
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| Applications | Awards | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 from November | 2,142 | 1,648 |
| 2003–04 | 5,504 | 4,199 |
| 2004–05 to May | 961 | 680 |
Notes:
1. Tamworth parliamentary constituency was part of the Staffordshire Social Fund District. In November 2002, Staffordshire Social Fund District was combined with parts of Burton Social Fund District to form Staffordshire Jobcentre Plus District. The two areas for which data is given are different, therefore the data is not comparable.
2. A very small area of Tamworth parliamentary constituency falls into another Jobcentre Plus District for which data is not separately available.
3. Sure Start Maternity Grants were introduced on 27 March 2000. There were no applications recorded in the Staffordshire district during 1999–2000.
4. Data is given for all applications and awards, irrespective of whether the application was made by the mother or her partner.
Source:
DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.
Winter Fuel Allowance
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cut-off date is this year beyond which those turning 70 years will not qualify for the extra £100 winter fuel allowance. [181161]
Malcolm Wicks: It is intended that the one-off 70-plus payment will be made to someone who is aged 70 on or before 26 September 2004 and who is ordinarily resident in Great Britain for at least one day in the week of 20 to 26 September 2004.
The intention is for the payments to be made automatically with the 2004–05 winter fuel payment, to those who are eligible and who do not need to claim it, before the end of the year. People who do not get a winter fuel payment will need to claim the one-off payment from the Department for Work and Pensions before 31 March 2005.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Absent Ballot Papers
Mr. Gregory Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many absent ballot papers
5 Jul 2004 : Column 530W
were applied for in each constituency in Northern Ireland at the recent European parliamentary elections; and what percentage of the total electorate this represented in each case. [180976]
Mr. Spellar: The number of absent votes cast as a percentage of the electorate, and the total number of applications, is detailed as follows:
| Constituency | Absent vote applications (Total) | Absent votes accepted | Percentage of eligible electorate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast East | 475 | 454 | 0.912 |
| Belfast North | 584 | 552 | 1.116 |
| Belfast South | 591 | 561 | 1.137 |
| Belfast West | 814 | 735 | 1.506 |
| East Antrim | 432 | 426 | 0.781 |
| E. Londonderry | 1,496 | 1,377 | 2.503 |
| Fermanagh and South Tyrone | 4,913 | 4,506 | 7.076 |
| Foyle | 1,739 | 1,587 | 2.512 |
| Lagan Valley | 922 | 863 | 1.319 |
| Mid Ulster | 2,796 | 2,610 | 4.410 |
| Newry and Armagh | 2,090 | 1,834 | 2.703 |
| North Antrim | 1,235 | 1,177 | 1.684 |
| North Down | 537 | 527 | 0.943 |
| South Antrim | 532 | 516 | 0.819 |
| South Down | 1,664 | 1,595 | 2.326 |
| Strangford | 645 | 623 | 0.964 |
| Upper Bann | 1,149 | 1,082 | 1.603 |
| West Tyrone | 3,200 | 2,840 | 4.990 |
| Total | 25,814 | 23,865 | 2.225 |
Andersonstown Newspaper Group
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public funding has been given to the Andersonstown Newspaper Group; from which departments it originated; and how much each has contributed. [179708]
Mr. Gardiner: The Andersonstown News Group publishes the Andersonstown News, the North Belfast News and the South Belfast News. It also has management responsibility for the publication of the Irish language daily newspaper "Lá" on behalf of Preas an Phobail Ltd.
Set out are details of the funding made available by the Northern Ireland Administration during the period 1999–2004.
Company | Funder | Amount funded (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Andersonstown News | Department of Finance and Personnel | 5,095 |
| Andersonstown News | Department of Social Development | 347,375 |
| Andersonstown News | Local Enterprise Development Unit | 7,500 |
| Preas an Phobail Ltd. | (13)Department of Finance and Personnel/Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister | 33,500 |
| Preas an Phobail Ltd. | Local Enterprise Development Unit | 30,026 |
| Preas an Phobail Ltd. | (14)Foras na Gaeilge | 128,139 |
(13) The Department of Finance and Personnel was responsible for funding until December 1999 when responsibility for funding transferred to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister under Devolution.
(14) Foras na Gaeilge (the Irish Language Agency of the North/South Language Implementation Body) is funded jointly by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) in Northern Ireland and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (DCRGA) in the Republic of Ireland. DCAL contributes 25 per cent. and DCGRA contributes 75 per cent. of the funding. The total contribution from Foras na Gaeilge to Preas an Phobail for the publication of Lá during the period 1999 to 29 June 2004 was £512,558. DCAL contributed 25 per cent. of this amount—£128,139.
5 Jul 2004 : Column 531W
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to ensure the full implementation of antisocial behaviour orders in Northern Ireland; and when the draft Anti-social Behaviour (Northern Ireland) Order will come into effect. [178384]
Mr. Spellar: The draft Anti-social Behaviour (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 was laid before Parliament on 28 June 2004. Subject to parliamentary consideration, the aim is for legislation to be made by the end of July.
Autism
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to improve respite services for autism sufferers. [181534]
Angela Smith: Although there are no specific plans in respect of respite services for autism sufferers, "Priorities for Action 2004/05" requires that boards and trusts should develop the range of community learning disability services, with particular emphasis on community support teams, community placements and day and respite care provision to support those living in the community. This action, which will include services relating to autism, has been allocated additional funding.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consideration has been given to creating a regional facility for autism respite. [181535]
Angela Smith: The development of services for children with autism is a departmental priority and £0.5 million has been made available for this purpose in 2004–05. It is important, however, that services are locally accessible and there are no plans to provide a specialist province wide centre for autism respite.
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