§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of working-age(a) adults, (b) men and (c) women in the UK are members of a stakeholder pension plan. [111158]
§ Maria EagleSpecific data on the number of individuals contributing to a stakeholder pension will not be available until the middle of the year. However, latest figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) state that 1.25 million stakeholder pensions had been sold up to the end of December 2002, of which an estimated 97 per cent. had been bought for individuals of working age, (56 per cent. men and 44 per cent. women). ABI figures show the number of stakeholder pension policies sold, not the number of individuals who have taken out a stakeholder pension. People are allowed to hold more than one stakeholder pension.
301W
§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2003,Official Report, columns 687–88W, on pension schemes, what checks he has carried out on the data given for the number of pension schemes that have completed winding-up and the number of members of those schemes, between 1997 and 2002. [112639]
§ Maria EagleThe data used for the answer of 11 February 2003,Official Report, columns 687–88W, were supplied by the Pension Schemes Registry (PSR). The PSR ensured that the data provided in answer to this question were correct at that time and within the limitations that the PSR have when providing data, as explained in the answer.
The PSR analysed the data scripts produced to ensure that the relevant schemes had been counted. They also compared the revised figures against previous figures supplied in response to requests for pension scheme wind up statistics. This comparison allowed for the time difference since previous figures.
Data supplied by the PSR are not designed or intended to provide a statistical record of the number of schemes which wind up. The PSR registers schemes for tracing purposes and collects the levy from pension schemes, including those in the process of winding up. New scheme data are being reported to the PSR on a continuous basis, so the figures are subject to daily revision. Any figures provided are a snapshot of a particular time.
The figures provided in the answer of 11 February 2003, Official Report, columns 687–88W, replaced those issued in the answer of 18 December 2002, Official
Customers sent home unseen from Medical Services Examination Centres between 1 May 2002 and 28 February 2003, broken down by reason Type May 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 Doctor productivity 77 66 40 40 47 81 90 38 56 52 Doctor cancelled 116 109 194 171 116 168 177 109 181 168 Doctor ill 91 20 20 214 231 80 101 113 86 111 More claimants attended than doctors could manage to see 760 597 651 872 1120 1,236 1,180 585 827 705 Case mix problem (some cases take longer than others) 14 11 14 20 18 15 28 8 19 27 No interpreter available 31 32 32 20 44 40 53 30 45 45 File not at Medical Services Examination Centre 73 55 108 80 113 110 76 79 79 51 Doctor mismatch (not specialised in required medical area) 35 46 41 35 37 40 33 32 27 29 Claimant called in error (didn't require examination) 44 29 45 41 46 53 40 31 34 56 Doctor booked but not informed 7 3 3 11 40 14 22 6 11 6 Claimant requested same-gender doctor 8 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 Claimant unfit to be seen 22 17 12 19 22 27 26 15 34 80 Claimant arrived too late for appointment (greater than 30 minutes) 63 61 49 58 67 94 89 68 54 116 Claimant would not wait (less than 30 minutes) 26 40 17 24 36 45 33 25 65 98 Claimant would not wait (greater than 30 minutes) 176 111 168 155 159 308 289 189 180 216 Inadequate information provided to Medical Services. 5 8 7 5 12 8 7 14 7 16 Accommodation problem (eg power failure at site) 2 10 11 24 2 5 188 9 12 13 Total not seen 1,550 1,218 1,412 1,789 2,110 2,324 2,432 1,352 1,719 1,789 Total seen 51,510 40,742 49,616 47,673 52,815 59,792 55,449 41,047 51,704 49,763 Total seen as proportion of those who attended (percentage) 97.08 97.10 97.23 96.38 96.16 96.26 95.80 96.81 96.78 96.53 Source:
Medical Provision and Contracting Team management information.
302WReport, column 859. Additional procedures were introduced to prevent a recurrence of the problem with the reply of 18 December 2002, Official Report, column 859. These procedures ensure that confirmation is received from the IT contractor that the data supplied reflect the data requested, data request is attached to the data script, comparisons are made with previous data, an additional manual check is made of the information and a control record is completed.
A long-term objective is to introduce a new system to provide data which the new kind of regulator will use to discharge its new functions. The specification for this new system will emerge from work to develop the new kind of regulator.