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To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many former students have outstanding loan accounts; how many of these are being repaid; how many are not being repaid because of the low income of the borrower; and what factors, apart from income, are taken into account when...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Education and Skills

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

4 February 2004

For answer on

23 February 2004

Answered on

23 February 2004

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many former students have outstanding loan accounts; how many of these are being repaid; how many are not being repaid because of the low income of the borrower; and what factors, apart from income, are taken into account when repayment is demanded. [153825] Alan Johnson: Most borrowers who started their course from the 1998/99 academic year will repay income-contingent loans. Loans for those who started their course before 1998/99 are repayable on a mortgage-style basis. There are differences in the repayment terms for the two types of loan. Borrowers enter repayment status in the April following graduation or otherwise upon leaving their course. There were 1,492,000 student loan borrowers in the United Kingdom in repayment status at the end of the end of the financial year 2002-03. Of these, some 815,000 borrowers had mortgage-style accounts that were up to date with repayments, or income-contingent accounts which are repaid through the tax system. Some 559,000 borrowers who had mortgage-style loan accounts which they were liable to repay had been granted deferment because their income was below the threshold (£21,022 per annum from 1 September 2002, £21,364 from 1 September 2003). No repayments are collected from income-contingent borrowers whose income falls below £10,000 per annum. Repayments of income-contingent loans are collected through the tax system and are notified to the Student Loans Company after the end of the tax year for reconciliation with their records. Therefore the data on the number of borrowers with income-contingent loans, where repayments have not been deducted because the borrower's income is below the repayment threshold, are not yet available. The income-contingent loan repayment system takes into account whether the borrower is in receipt of disability related benefits, and whether they are covered by the Repayment of Teacher Loans scheme. Loans are cancelled: when the borrower reaches 65 years of age; if the borrower is in receipt of a disability related benefit and is permanently unfit for work; or if the borrower dies. The mortgage-style loan repayment system takes into account whether the borrower is in receipt of disability related benefits; whether they are covered by the Repayment of Teacher Loans scheme; and the number of loans taken out. Loans are cancelled: after 25 years or when the borrower reaches the age of 50 (60 if the borrower was aged over 40 when he/she last borrowed), whichever is the earlier; if the borrower is in receipt of a disability related benefit and is permanently unfit for work; or if the borrower dies.

Date

23 February 2004

Reference

418 c209-10W; 153825

House

House of Commons

Adjournment debate on childhood poverty

Adjournment debate on childhood poverty.

Lead member

Patsy Calton

Answering member

Chris Pond

Department

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Adjournment debates

Date

9 December 2003

Reference

415 c1032-40

House

House of Commons

Dept of Health

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the administrative costs of the Welfare Foods Scheme; what assessment he has made of the take-up of the Welfare Foods Scheme; what assessment has been made of the likely take-up of schemes to provide Welfare Foods...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department of Health

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

25 June 2003

Reference

407 c835W;407 c839W; 120259;120260;120262;120263

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made in meeting his Department's targets on eliminating child poverty. - Including ref to Opportunity for all - Fourth Annual Report (Cm 5598) and Measuring child poverty: a consultation document.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

5 June 2003

Reference

116383; 406 c543-4W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) discretionary payments on account and (b) crisis loan alignment payments were made to applicants for benefit who faced hardship while their benefit application was being considered in the last four years for which figures are available; and...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

28 November 2002

For answer on

14 January 2003

Answered on

14 January 2003

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) discretionary payments on account and (b) Crisis Loan alignment payments were made to applicants for benefit who faced hardship while their benefit application was being considered in the last four years for which figures are available; and what the total expenditure was on these payments. [85152] Malcolm Wicks: We recognise that many people making a claim to benefit will be in need of immediate financial support. To avoid unnecessary hardship, discretionary payments on account of benefit (interim payments) can be made where a claim has not been determined but the Decision Maker is satisfied that the basic conditions of entitlement for the benefit are likely to be met. The amount of any interim payment is automatically recoverable from the main benefit when it is awarded. No record is kept of the number or value of interim payments made. Crisis Loan alignment payments can be made to people awaiting their first payment of benefit which is paid in arrears, or their first payment of wages. Crisis Loans made to people awaiting benefit payments will cover their needs until their first benefit pay-day, following which full or interim payments of benefit can be made. In the main, these payments are made to people of working age (as pensioners are generally paid in advance). Information is not collected separately on the number or value of alignment payments made to people awaiting a first payment of benefit. The available information is in the table. The figures show the total number and value of Crisis Loan alignment payments made, including those made to people awaiting payment of their first wage. Social Fund Crisis Loan alignment payments _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Year Number of payments Expenditure (£ million) 1998-99 433,851 20 1999-2000 474,076 23 2000-01 476,936 24 2001-02 486,031 27 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Notes: 1. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £ million. 2. Awards including alignment payments may include other items. 3. Technical problems with the Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System mean that figures for 1998-99 may be subject to a margin of error of 5 per cent. to 10 per cent. and should therefore be treated as a guide only. Sources: Annual Reports by the Secretary of State on the Social Fund 1998-99 to 2001-02; and the Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Date

14 January 2003

Reference

85152; 397 c604-5W;397 c602-3W

House

House of Commons

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has (a) to increase the supply of affordable housing in areas of shortage and (b) to make changes to reduce the loss of housing stock through the Right to Buy. - Inc ref to 18 July 2002, 389 c438.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

9 January 2003

Reference

88546; 397 c345-6W;397 c346W

House

House of Commons

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has to reform the planning system in such a way as to promote the supply of good quality affordable housing.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 January 2003

Reference

88547; 397 c111-2W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what change in real terms spending power was provided by the cash rise in the community care grant budget from 1997-1998 to 2002-03; and if he will make a statement. - Inc figures.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

85157; 396 c1004W;396 c1002W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will change the rules and guidance for community care grants and crisis loans to ensure that applicants without (a) a cooker and (b) a bed are given a grant or loan. - Inc figures.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

85167; 396 c1005W;396 c1003W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the standard of decision-making on community care grant applications.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

28 November 2002

For answer on

19 December 2002

Answered on

19 December 2002

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the standard of decision-making on community care grant applications. [85164] Malcolm Wicks: We announced in the PBR that we will be working with the Treasury to improve Social Fund administration and delivery. We already have procedures in place which aim to drive though a continuous programme of improvement in all benefit decision making. As part of the Department's national Decision Making and Appeals quality checking programme, a specialist Social Fund team monitors the quality of decision making on all elements of the Social Fund. The programme is complemented by local quality checks. The primary function of these procedures is to identify trends in decision making which require remedial action and inform staff training and guidance needs. The Independent Review Service for the Social Fund (IRS) provides an impartial review for customers who are dissatisfied with the outcome of their application to the discretionary Social Fund, following an internal review by a DWP reviewing officer. Around 1 per cent. of decisions are referred to the IRS for review. In November 2001, the IRS published a report "Grants Budgets and Decision Making" which sought to explain the relatively high number of community care grant decisions which it was substituting. In response to the report, the Department has made further improvements to the Social Fund guidance for decision makers on prioritisation and budgetary control. The IRS also provides valuable feedback to local offices on the standard of decision making in every case it sees.

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

85164; 396 c1004-5W;396 c1002-3W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will extend the eligibility for community care grants and budgeting loans from the Social Fund to people (a) whose sole income is (i) incapacity benefit and (ii) contribution based jobseekers allowance and (b) who are receiving the maximum...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

85168; 396 c1005W;396 c1003W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will increase the amount of money available to (a) the Community Care Grant and (b) the Budgeting Loan budget. - Inc figures.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

396 c919-20W;396 c917-8W; 85289

House

House of Commons

Treasury

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will increase the Social Fund budget, with particular reference to (a) the Community Care Grant and (b) the Budgeting Loan budgets.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Treasury

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 November 2002

Reference

79214; 392 c751W;392 c781W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on his policy on the future availability of Social Fund loans and their extension to a wider group of people on low incomes, with particular reference to (a) providing support to families with children...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 November 2002

Reference

392 c662-3W;392 c676-7W; 79221;79206;79208;79213;79215

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will (a) review the operation of community care grants; and (b) introduce a system of grants for particular life events and needs, available to anyone on a low income. - Includes figures.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

5 November 2002

Reference

79216; 392 c186W;392 c198W

House

House of Commons

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