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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to provide support to Citizens Advice in North Staffordshire.

Asked by

Adam Jogee (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

16 June 2026

Reference

7655

House

House of Commons

Equal Pay: Disabilty

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help tackle pay disparities for disabled people living in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

Asked by

Adam Jogee (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

9 February 2026

Reference

109876

House

House of Commons

Community Care Grants

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many community care grants were awarded in the (a) Staffordshire county council area and (b) Tamworth borough council area in each year since 2001.

Asked by

Brian Jenkins (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

5 December 2005

For answer on

7 December 2005

Answered on

20 December 2005

Data is not available by county council area or borough council area but only by Jobcentre Plus district (and previously by social fund district). The available information is in the following tables.

Community care grants for the Staffordshire social fund district
	Initial awards
2001–02	3,108
2002–03 (to October)	1,859

Community care grants for the area covered by the Staffordshire Jobcentre Plus district
	Initial awards
2002–03 (from November)	1,433
2003–04	3,572
2004–05	3,567
2005–06 (to November)	2,701

Community care grants for the Derwent and Trentsocial fund district
	Initial awards
2001–02	2,157
2002–03(to October)	1,278
Notes: 1. Staffordshire county council area was not included in a single social fund district, but used to be part of the area covered by Staffordshire and Derwent and Trent social fund districts. It is now part of Staffordshire Jobcentre Plus district. The latter was formed in November 2002 by combining Burton-on-Trent (from Derwent and Trent social fund district) with Staffordshire social fund district. Tamworth borough council area used to be part of Staffordshire social fund district and is now part of Staffordshire Jobcentre Plus district. The three areas for which data is given above are thus different, so the data is not comparable. 2. Initial awards do not include awards made after review. Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Date

20 December 2005

Reference

440 c2861-2W; 35677

House

House of Commons

Revised Jobseekers Agreement (Staffordshire)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evaluation has been carried out of the revised jobseeker's agreement piloted in North Staffordshire.

Asked by

Joan Walley (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

20 December 2005

Reference

37723; 440 c2872-3W

House

House of Commons

Winter Fuel Payments

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received winter fuel payments in (a) Tamworth constituency, (b) Staffordshire, (c) the West Midlands and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Asked by

Brian Jenkins (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

14 November 2005

Reference

22152; 439 c1012W;439 c1012W

House

House of Commons

Treasury;Office for National Statistics

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for how many deaths in (a) North Staffordshire and (b) Stoke on Trent alcohol was the primary cause in each of the past five years. - Inc text of letter from Len Cook of the Office for National Statistics.

Asked by

Mark Fisher (Labour)

Answering body

Treasury

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

17 January 2005

For answer on

24 January 2005

Answered on

24 January 2005

Mr. Fisher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how many deaths in (a) North Staffordshire and (b) Stoke on Trent alcohol was the primary cause in each of the past five years. [209906] Mr. Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply. Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Fisher, dated 24 January 2005: As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for how many deaths in (a) North Staffordshire and (b) Stoke on Trent, alcohol was the primary cause in each of the past five years. (209906) The latest year for which figures are available is 2003. Figures in the attached table show number of deaths where the underlying cause of death indicated a condition directly related to alcohol use, in the years 1999 to 2003 among residents in the former Health Authority of North Staffordshire and the Unitary Authority of Stoke on Trent. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) definition of alcohol- related deaths only includes those causes regarded as being most directly due to alcohol consumption. Apart from deaths due to accidental poisoning with alcohol, this definition excludes external causes of death, such as road traffic deaths and other accidents, and alcohol-related suicides and homicides. Estimates of the annual total number of deaths in which alcohol has played a role can therefore vary widely depending on the criteria used. The definition used by ONS allows for consistent comparisons over time for those deaths where a clear association with alcohol consumption can generally be assumed. Alcohol-related deaths1 in the former health authority of North Staffordshire (which comprises the four primary care trusts of: Staffordshire Moorlands, Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Stoke and South Stoke) and Stoke on Trent unitary authority2, 1999 to 2003 3 Number of deaths _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Former North Staffordshire health Stoke on Trent unitary authority authority 1999 61 35 2000 60 39 2001 62 39 2002 69 40 2003 90 50 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 For the years 1999-2000 the cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9). The codes used by ONS to define alcohol-related deaths are listed below: 291(Alcoholic psychoses 303(Alcohol dependence syndrome 305.0(Non-dependent abuse of alcohol 425.5(Alcoholic cardiomyopathy 571(Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis E860(Accidental poisoning by alcohol. For the years 2001-2003 the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) was used. To maintain comparability with earlier years the following codes were used: F10(Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol I42.6(Alcoholic cardiomyopathy K70(Alcoholic liver disease K73(Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified K74(Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver X45(Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol. The selection of codes to define alcohol-related deaths is described in: Baker A and Rooney C (2003). Recent trends in alcohol-related mortality, and the impact of ICD-10 on the monitoring of these deaths in England and Wales. Health Statistics Quarterly 17, pp 5-14. 2 Usual residents of these areas. 3 Deaths occurring in each calendar year.

Date

24 January 2005

Reference

209906; 430 c152-3W

House

House of Commons

Adjournment debate on post office closures

Adjournment debate on post office closures.

Lead member

Joan Walley

Answering member

Stephen Timms

Department

Department of Trade and Industry

Type

Adjournment debates

Date

19 January 2004

Reference

416 c1186-94;416 c1185-94

House

House of Commons

Dept for Education and Skills

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the average pay is for teachers in (a) Staffordshire and (b) inner London. - Inc table.

Asked by

Brian Jenkins (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Education and Skills

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

10 April 2002

Reference

383 c213W; 47965

House

House of Commons

Dept for Education and Skills

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much (a) Staffordshire and (b) Hertfordshire spent on education as a percentage of SSA in each of the past five years. - Including table.

Asked by

Brian Jenkins (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Education and Skills

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

16 January 2002

For answer on

22 January 2002

Answered on

22 January 2002

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much (a) Staffordshire and (b) Hertfordshire spent on education as a percentage of SSA in each of the past five years. [29076] Mr. Timms: The information requested is given in the following table: Education as a percentage of SSA _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Year £ Staffordshire 1996-97 102.0 1997-98 102.3 1998-99 101.3 1999-2000 101.1 2000-01 100.5 Hertfordshire 1996-97 102.7 1997-98 101.8 1998-199 100.8 1999-2000 99.7 2001-01 100.1 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Note: 1. Information is taken from data published in the 2001 and previous years' Departmental Annual Reports. Budget figures up to 1999-2000 were taken from local authorities' latest Revenue Account returns submitted to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and for 2000-01, from LEAs s52 Budget statements. 2. From 1997-98 Staffordshire does not include Stoke-on-Trent

Date

22 January 2002

Reference

29076; 378 c828W;378 c824W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Education and Skills

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans she has to ensure a percentage of teacher training places are available to schools and graduates in North Staffordshire.

Asked by

Joan Walley (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Education and Skills

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

16 January 2002

Reference

27380; 378 c289W;378 c303W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Education and Skills

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the total amount of revenue funding per pupil available for children in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Staffordshire, (ii) Hertfordshire and (iii) England has been in each of the last five years. - Inc table.

Asked by

Janet Dean (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Education and Skills

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

10 January 2002

For answer on

16 January 2002

Answered on

16 January 2002

Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total amount of revenue funding per pupil available for children in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Staffordshire, (ii) Hertfordshire and (iii) England has been in each of the last five years. [27259] Mr. Timms: The information requested is contained in the table. £ per pupil _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Primary Secondary Cash SSA Grants Total SSA Grants Total Staffordshire 1997-98 1,930 30 1,970 2,530 30 2,560 1998-99 2,040 40 2,070 2,650 30 2,680 1999-2000 2,150 90 2,250 2,760 60 2,820 2000-01 2,240 250 2,490 2,880 200 3,080 2001-02 2,330 410 2,740 3,000 310 3,310 Change{1} 390 380 770 470 280 750 Real 1997-98 2,070 30 2,110 2,710 30 2,740 1998-99 2,120 40 2,160 2,760 30 2,800 1999-2000 2,190 100 2,290 2,810 60 2,870 2000-01 2,240 250 2,490 2,880 200 3,080 2001-02 2,270 400 2,670 2,930 300 3,230 Change{1} 200 370 570 210 270 480 Hertfordshire 1997-98 2,130 30 2,170 2,790 30 2,810 1998-99 2,260 40 2,300 2,930 30 2,960 1999-2000 2,370 100 2,470 3,020 70 3,090 2000-01 2,240 250 2,720 3,170 190 3,360 2001-02 2,610 430 3,030 3,330 310 3,640 Change{1} 470 390 860 540 280 830 Real 1997-98 2,290 30 2,320 2,990 30 3,010 1998-99 2,350 40 2,390 3,050 40 3,090 1999-2000 2,410 100 2,510 3,080 70 3,140 2000-01 2,470 250 2,720 3,170 190 3,360 2001-02 2,540 420 2,960 3,250 300 3,550 Change{1} 250 380 640 260 270 540 England 1997-98 2,130 30 2,160 2,780 30 2,810 1998-99 2,250 40 2,290 2,920 40 2,960 1999-2000 2,370 110 2,490 3,030 80 3,110 2000-01 2,470 290 2,760 3,180 230 3,410 2001-02 2,590 500 3,090 3,310 380 2,690 Change{1} 460 470 930 530 350 880 Real 1997-98 2,280 30 2,320 2,980 30 3,010 1998-99 2,340 50 2,390 3,040 40 3,080 1999-2000 2,410 120 2,530 3,080 80 3,170 2000-01 2,470 290 2,760 3,180 230 3,410 2001-02 2,520 490 3,010 3,230 370 3,600 Change{1} 240 450 700 250 340 590 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} Change since 1997-98 Notes: 1. The figures reflect Education SSA (primary and secondary blocks respectively) plus all school related revenue grants in DfES's DEL relevant to pupils aged 5-10 (primary) and 11-15 (secondary). 2. The primary and secondary grant figures include notional allocations for those grants in support of more than one sector. 3. Pupil numbers underlying the £ per pupil figures are those underlying the SSA calculations (primary and secondary sub- blocks respectively). 4. Real terms figures are calculated using GDP deflators published by the Treasury 20 December 2001. 5. 2001-02 figures are provisional as decisions on some funding allocations have yet to be finalised. The figures are thus liable to be revised later on in the year. 6. Figures rounded to the £10. Difference figures may not sum due to funding.

Date

16 January 2002

Reference

27259; 378 c288-9W;378 c302-3W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Education and Skills

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) primary and secondary teachers, and (b) school support staff there were per 1,000 of population in (i) Staffordshire (ii) other shire authorities in each year since 1995. - Includes tables.

Asked by

Brian Jenkins (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Education and Skills

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

18 December 2001

For answer on

15 January 2002

Answered on

15 January 2002

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and secondary teachers, and (b) school support staff there were per thousand of population in (i) Staffordshire (ii) other shire authorities in each year since 1995. [24933] Mr. Timms: Full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained primary and secondary schools in existing and former non-metropolitan local authorities{1}, per thousand of population{2}, in January of each year, were as follows: _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Isles of Scilly 13.3 13.4 10.6 11.5 11.1 8.8 10.0 Former Avon 7.3 7.3 7.3 7.1 7.0 7.0 7.2 Former Cleveland 8.8 8.8 8.8 8.6 8.5 8.7 8.7 Former Humberside 7.9 7.9 7.7 7.6 7.7 8.0 8.0 Former North Yorkshire 7.7 7.8 7.7 7.6 7.8 8.0 8.1 Former Bedfordshire 8.8 8.6 8.6 8.5 8.4 8.4 8.2 Former Buckinghamshire 7.9 7.8 7.5 7.7 7.6 7.7 7.8 Former Derbyshire 7.6 7.6 7.4 7.2 7.2 7.3 7.6 Former Dorset 6.3 6.2 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.7 6.9 Former Durham 7.9 7.9 7.7 7.7 7.8 7.8 7.8 Former East Sussex 6.6 6.6 6.5 6.4 6.3 6.5 6.6 Former Hampshire 7.1 7.0 7.0 6.9 7.0 6.9 6.9 Former Leicestershire 8.2 8.1 8.0 7.9 8.1 8.0 8.3 Former Staffordshire 7.4 7.6 7.6 7.5 7.7 7.7 7.8 Former Wiltshire 7.8 7.6 7.5 7.4 7.3 7.2 7.5 Former Berkshire 7.6 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.4 7.5 7.5 Former Cambridgeshire 7.8 7.6 7.3 7.2 7.2 7.3 7.3 Former Cheshire 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.1 8.1 8.2 8.2 Former Devon 6.9 6.9 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.1 7.2 Former Essex 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.5 7.7 7.6 7.8 Former Hereford and 7.5 7.3 7.3 7.3 7.3 7.4 7.5 Worcester Former Kent 7.9 8.0 8.1 8.0 7.9 8.1 8.1 Former Lancashire 8.0 7.8 7.7 7.8 7.9 8.0 7.9 Former Nottinghamshire 7.6 7.4 7.2 7.3 7.3 7.5 7.5 Former Shropshire 7.7 7.6 7.6 7.5 7.4 7.5 7.8 Cornwall 7.4 7.3 7.3 7.2 7.1 7.3 7.4 Cumbria 8.0 7.9 8.0 8.0 8.2 8.4 8.3 Gloucestershire 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.6 7.6 7.7 7.8 Hertfordshire 8.5 8.5 8.4 8.2 8.3 8.2 8.3 Isle of Wight 7.8 7.7 7.8 7.7 7.8 7.9 8.2 Lincolnshire 7.7 7.9 7.9 7.8 7.6 7.6 8.0 Norfolk 7.4 7.3 7.3 7.3 7.2 7.1 7.2 Northamptonshire 9.2 8.8 8.6 8.3 8.3 8.5 8.2 Northumberland 8.4 8.2 8.3 8.0 8.1 8.0 8.2 Oxfordshire 7.1 6.7 6.6 6.5 6.5 6.9 7.1 Somerset 7.3 7.0 6.9 6.9 6.6 6.9 7.3 Suffolk 7.9 7.8 7.8 7.8 7.9 7.8 7.9 Surrey 6.1 6.5 6.5 6.4 6.3 6.5 6.4 Warwickshire 7.8 7.5 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.8 West Sussex 7.0 7.0 6.9 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 England 7.8 7.7 7.7 7.6 7.7 7.7 7.8 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} To give consistent time series, data for new authorities created by local government re-organisation in 1996, 1997 and 1998 have been added together to produce data for the former authority areas. {2} Estimated population data provided by the Office for National Statistics. Full-time equivalent non-teaching staff{1} in maintained primary and secondary schools in existing and former non-metropolitan local authorities{2}, per thousand of population{3}, in January of each year, were as follows: _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Isles of Scilly 2.7 3.2 2.9 3.2 2.9 3.2 4.5 Former Avon 2.0 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.8 Former Cleveland 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.4 2.6 3.4 Former Humberside 2.1 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.8 3.0 3.7 Former North Yorkshire 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.6 Former Bedfordshire 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.4 4.0 Former Buckinghamshire 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.7 3.1 Former Derbyshire 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.3 2.4 2.6 3.1 Former Dorset 1.6 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.4 2.7 3.2 Former Durham 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.3 Former East Sussex 1.7 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.6 3.0 Former Hampshire 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.4 Former Leicestershire 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.6 Former Staffordshire 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.3 2.5 2.7 3.1 Former Wiltshire 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.8 3.2 Former Berkshire 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.7 2.9 3.4 Former Cambridgeshire 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.8 Former Cheshire 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.7 Former Devon 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.5 2.7 2.9 3.4 Former Essex 2.3 2.5 2.7 2.8 3.0 3.2 3.7 Former Hereford and 1.5 1.7 1.8 2.0 2.1 2.4 2.6 Worcester Former Kent 2.3 2.6 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.3 3.7 Former Lancashire 1.7 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.6 3.0 Former Nottinghamshire 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.6 3.1 Former Shropshire 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.2 Cornwall 2.7 3.0 3.1 3.3 3.4 3.7 3.9 Cumbria 1.9 1.9 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.8 Gloucestershire 1.8 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.7 Hertfordshire 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 3.0 3.3 Isle of Wight 2.6 2.8 2.9 3.3 3.8 4.1 5.1 Lincolnshire 2.0 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.6 3.1 Norfolk 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.7 3.3 Northamptonshire 2.3 2.6 2.7 2.9 3.0 3.5 4.1 Northumberland 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.5 2.9 Oxfordshire 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.8 3.1 Somerset 2.7 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.7 Suffolk 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.8 Surrey 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.8 Warwickshire 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.8 3.2 West Sussex 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.8 3.1 England 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.8 3.3 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} Non-teaching staff includes teaching assistants, administrative staff, technicians and other education support staff. {2} To give consistent time series, data for new authorities created by local government re-organisation in 1996,1997 and 1998 have been added together to produce data for the former authorities areas. {3} Estimated population data provided by the Office for National Statistics.

Date

15 January 2002

Reference

378 c218-20W;378 c216-8W; 24933

House

House of Commons

Dept for Education and Skills

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many exclusions from schools relating to drug-related incidents there were in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Staffordshire in the last three years. - Includes fact that information requested on drug related exclusions in respect of England...

Asked by

Joan Walley (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Education and Skills

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

16 October 2001

Reference

7343; 372 c1187W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Education and Skills

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what her timetable is for extending free nursery places to all three-year-olds in (a) Staffordshire and (b) England. - Including figures.

Asked by

David Kidney (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Education and Skills

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 July 2001

Reference

4983; 372 c407-8W;372 c408W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Education and Skills

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the SSA per primary and secondary pupil is for (a) Staffordshire and (b) Hertfordshire; what the percentage variation was of (a) Staffordshire and (b) Hertfordshire from the shire county average in terms of SSA per primary pupil and secondary...

Asked by

Tony Wright (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Education and Skills

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

18 July 2001

Reference

372 c250W; 4549;4550

House

House of Commons

Dept for Education and Skills

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many new posts of teaching assistant she plans to fund during the current financial year; how such funding will be distributed; and what Staffordshire's share will be. - Includes figures.

Asked by

David Kidney (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Education and Skills

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

2 July 2001

Reference

1337; 371 c35-6W

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, if he will estimate for each constituency in Staffordshire the number of people who will benefit from the reduction in national insurance scheduled for April 1999; and if he will make a statement. - Inc figs and fact that information is...

Asked by

Brian Jenkins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

9 March 1999

Reference

75658; 327 c186W

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, in relation to North Staffordshire Benefits Agency, how many persons pension contributions have not been processed due to delays arising from the changeover of the computer dealing with retirement pension rights; what the reason is for the further projected delay in...

Asked by

Joan Walley (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

7 January 1999

For answer on

18 January 1999

Answered on

18 January 1999

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, in relation to North Staffordshire Benefits Agency, how many persons pension contributions have not been processed due to delays arising from the changeover of the computer dealing with retirement pension rights; what the reason is for the further projected delay in the changeover of the computer; what is the new projected date for the new computer to be in full working order; and what arrangements he has put in place to cover the period during which the computer is inoperative; how these arrangements have worked; and if he will make a statement. [65371] Mr. Timms: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Social Security, in his Written Answer on 4 November 1998, Official Report, columns 603-06, advised the House that the Contributions Agency had introduced a new National Insurance Recording Computer System. During the first year of operation the system is being introduced through a series of pilots leading to national implementation. Progress has been made against plans to move pilots into national operation. The NIRS2 link to the Jobseeker's Allowance computer system was implemented nationally on 9 November 1998 and new claims are now being dealt with through the normal interface between the two systems. The NIRS2 reports used for Incapacity Benefit were implemented nationally on 18 November 1998. Reports are being carefully screened before released to Benefit Agency local offices. Retirement Pensions and Widows Benefit calculation facilities became nationally available on 6 January 1999. The Benefits Agency is continuing to make initial awards of Retirement Pension and emergency payments to widows and those claiming Retirement Pension where no record of the contribution history is available. The Benefits Agency has continued to identify and distribute claim packs automatically to those individuals approaching pension age using information from the previous National Insurance Recording system (NIRS). All initial awards of Retirement Pension have been calculated using the information from the old NIRS system. This contingency arrangement has worked well since the conversion to the new NIRS2 system began on the 19 June 1998. 97 per cent. of all claims to Retirement Pension have been processed using information from NIRS. Initial awards made since April 1998 will be reviewed when the 1997/98 National Insurance Contribution information has been posted to account. The Benefits Agency hopes to begin reviewing these claims from April 1999. The Benefits Agency has increased the capacity to calculate clerically entitlement to State Earnings Related Pension Scheme for people who request it. 3,500 such calculations have been completed. In November I reported that over 14 million National Insurance contributions for 1997/98 had been recorded on individual accounts. On 11 January the number of contribution items posted has risen to 31 million. We normally expect to record about 47 million contributions each year by the end of December. We hope to have recorded the balance by March 1999. On 4 January 1999 the cumulative total of age-related rebate payments, paid to Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes in respect of individual scheme members in this financial year, increased from £630 million to £1,411 million, nearly 60 per cent. of the expected total for the year. This includes the December payment of £385.57 million and the January payment of £392 million. The figure includes a compensation element to compensate individual scheme members for any loss of investment income because of delayed payments. By 31 December 1998, the cumulative total of contributions collected from the self-employed through Direct Debit and Quarterly Billing facilities in this financial year had increased to £342.5 million. In December £34.25 million was collected from 1.34 million self-employed contributors who pay contributions by Direct Debit and in January a further £42.3 million has been requested. Scottish Juvenile registrations, for issuing National Insurance numbers, were processed and the plastic National Insurance Number (NINO) cards are currently being issued. Adult registrations are currently being processed using the NIRS2 on-line facility and plastic NINO cards are being issued. New registration facilities for self-employed people, who want to pay their contributions by monthly Direct Debit, are being piloted. New registrations facilities for self-employed people who pay contributions quarterly became available to specialist staff in Contributions Agency from 14 December 1998. From the first Monday of the new benefit year, 4 January 1999, new claims to Incapacity Benefit and Jobseeker's Allowance are being based on contributions paid during the 1996/97 and 1997/98 tax years. It is estimated that 65 per cent. of the relevant 1997/98 contributions have been posted to NIRS2. Whilst the remaining 1997/98 contributions are still being recorded in NIRS2, information to pay some new claims will need to be obtained from other sources. The expected number of claims in January 1999 where contribution information will need to be obtained from other sources for Jobseeker's Allowance will be approximately 75,000 and for Incapacity Benefit approximately 21,000. These figures will be lower in February and March because additional National Insurance contribution information will be available on NIRS2, and by April 1999 all the National Insurance contributions needed should be available on the system. Claims will be automatically reviewed when 1997/98 National Insurance Contributions are posted. There are long-standing contingency instructions in place to deal with these cases, and the Benefits Agency will advise customers if any additional information is required to deal with their claims. Both Jobseeker's Allowance and Incapacity Benefit contingency arrangements are in place from 4 January 1999. Considerable effort has been jointly made by DSS Agencies, pensions industry and Andersen Consulting to maintain service levels. Staff from the Contributions Agency, Benefits Agency and Andersen Consulting were working together throughout the Christmas period to resolve the outstanding problems. All the work involved is being taken forward through a co-ordinated plan agreed between the DSS Agencies involved and Andersen Consulting. Within the plan, priority is being given to those aspects of the NIRS2 system, which most directly affect benefit claims. I continue to expect that it will take until the end of this financial year to resume normal operations in full, and it will take longer to catch up on all backlogs. I shall keep the House informed of progress.

Date

18 January 1999

Reference

65371; 323 c368-70W

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security;Social Security Benefits Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, how many people in North Staffordshire are in receipt of Invalid Care Allowance. - Includes figures and text of letter from Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of Benefits Agency.

Asked by

Joan Walley (Labour)

Answering body

Social Security Benefits Agency

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

2 December 1998

Reference

321 c215W; 61189

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security;Social Security Benefits Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, how many people have (a) applied for and (b) been awarded incapacity benefit in each year since April 1995 in (i) Staffordshire and (ii) the West Midlands. - Includes text of letter from Peter Mathison of Benefits Agency and table and...

Asked by

Brian Jenkins (Labour)

Answering body

Social Security Benefits Agency

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

30 October 1998

For answer on

9 November 1998

Answered on

9 November 1998

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have (a) applied for and (b) been awarded incapacity benefit in each year since April 1995 in (i) Staffordshire and (ii) the West Midlands. [58275] Mr. Timms: The administration of Incapacity Benefit is a matter for Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Friend. Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Brian Jenkins, dated 5 November 1998: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for the number of people in the Staffordshire and West Midlands areas who have applied for, and been awarded, Incapacity Benefit (IB) in each year since April 1995. Information on the number of IB claims received is only available by each of the Agency's district, which do not match county boundaries. To obtain this information in the format requested would involve disproportionate cost. Information on the number of awards of IB broken down by geographical areas has only been available since November 1996. Information from that date is shown in the attached table. I hope the information is helpful. Incapacity benefit awards _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 West Midlands 24,516 36,945 5,053 Staffordshire 9,091 15,809 2,318 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Notes: Figures provided by Analytical Services Division. Figures are provisional and subject to change.

Date

9 November 1998

Reference

319 c97-8W;319 c97W; 58275

House

House of Commons

Constituency/region	Payments made
	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05
Tamworth	12,515	14,475	14,845	15,225	15,710	15,940
Staffordshire	138,255	157,750	161,340	165,620	169,930	170,975
West Midlands	935,060	1,033,555	1,043,580	1,059,210	1,073,350	1,065,460
Great Britain	10,084,130	11,105,745	11,201,895	11,348,040	11,468,235	11,401,170
Notes: 1. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest five. 3. Local authorities and parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. Source: Information Directorate, 100 per cent. sample.

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