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Access to Work scheme
Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will publish the guidance notes issued by the Employment Service to disability employment advisers following the implementation of changes made to the access to work scheme. [8146]
Mr. Paice: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Mike Fogden to Mr. Tom Clarke, dated 9 January 1996:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about publishing Employment Service guidance notes issued to Disability Employment Advisers.
Mr. Paice:
Some 10,023 disabled people were successfully helped by the access to work programme in its first operational year--6 June 1994 to 31 May 1995. Of these, 1,652 were unemployed when they applied. This represents less than 20 per cent. Access to work was launched with the specific aim of helping disabled people into work.
Mr. Clarke:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action is being undertaken by her Department to monitor the effect of changes in the access to work scheme on disabled people. [8144]
Mr. Paice:
The Employment Service will continue to monitor the access to work programme.
Mr. Clarke:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if a disabled person reassessed for support under new arrangements for the access to work scheme will be entitled to retain existing equipment if it is of continued usefulness. [8143]
Mr. Paice:
Each case will need to be individually considered. It is likely though that a disabled person who has been reassessed for support will be able to retain existing equipment if it is of continued usefulness.
9 Jan 1996 : Column: 154
Mr. Clarke:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate she has made of the level of cost saving which will result from the introduction of changes to the access to work scheme for the period between 18 December 1995 and April 1996. [8147]
Mr. Paice:
We have to ensure that expenditure remains within the resources available and is equitably shared. Additional funds have, however, already been allocated to the access to work budget for 1995-96 to ensure that we can keep helping disabled people until the end of the year.
Mr. Clarke:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on what grounds unemployed people can be supported through the access to work scheme. [8150]
Mr. Paice:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment announced on 14 December 1995, Official Report, column 738, that, from 18 December 1995, help from access to work would be targeted on unemployed disabled people. Applications for assistance will be considered from disabled people who have not been in paid work for at least four weeks.
Mr. Clarke:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will make a statement on the eligibility for support under the access to work scheme between 18 December 1995 and April 1996 of (a) people who become disabled and wish to retain their present employment, but who have new needs, (b) disabled persons whose circumstances change due to changes in their present employment or to internal promotion, (c) disabled people in employment who apply for support under the access to work scheme for the first time, (d) disabled people who become self-employed, (e) disabled people in supported employment who develop new needs and (f) disabled people who have new needs stemming from changes to office systems and practices. [8145]
Mr. Paice:
Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange a reply to be given.
Letter from Mike Fogden to Mr. Tom Clarke, dated 9 January 1996:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about eligibility conditions for Access to Work.
9 Jan 1996 : Column: 155
through the access to work scheme between 18 December 1995 and April 1996. [8148]
Mr. Paice:
Any reduction in the number of applications may be in line with research findings into access to work, which indicate that over 80 per cent. of all applications are from people already in paid employment.
Mr. Chidgey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what are her Department's guidelines for taking into account the environmental impact of the increased distances pupils must be driven to school when their local schools are closed. [8110]
Mr. Robin Squire:
The Department's circular on the supply of school places, 23/94 says that proposals for school closure should include details of the schools to receive displaced pupils and the arrangements that will be made for pupil transport.
Mr. Keen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what extra resources the Government will be allocating to local authorities which already provide nursery education for four-year-olds to assist their transition to the nursery vouchers. [8278]
Mr. Robin Squire:
The transitional costs for local authorities will be minimal because most of the voucher administration will be handled by a private company specifically appointed for the purpose.
Mr. Keen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is her latest estimate of the cost of introducing nursery vouchers. [8276]
Mr. Squire:
Based on current data, the total cost of the nursery education voucher scheme in 1997-98 is estimated at £750 million, of which £185 million will be new money made available by the Government.
Mr. Keen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many qualified nursery teachers and nursery nurses are required to provide nursery education to all those in receipt of vouchers; and if she will make a statement. [8280]
Mr. Squire:
The number of qualified nursery teachers and nursery nurses that will be required will depend on the way in which parents exercise the choice which nursery vouchers gives them.
Mr. Rooker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will make a statement on the extent to which governors of educational institutions may become personally liable for acts of their institutions, making any required distinctions between governors of (a) schools, (b) sixth form colleges, (c) colleges of further education institutions and (d) universities. [8217]
Mr. Robin Squire:
The governing bodies of all these institutions are statutory corporations and there is no significant distinction between the different categories of governor. The exception to this is the small number of designated further and higher education institutions
9 Jan 1996 : Column: 156
conducted by unincorporated governing bodies. With this exception, the liability falls on the corporate governing body rather than on the individual members of the governing body. In practice, members of governing bodies will seldom incur individual personal liability. Provided individual governors act honestly and without ulterior motive, showing reasonable care and common sense within the scope of their functions and procedures, they will in practice be protected against any risk to their own assets as a result of the governing body's decisions.
Mr. Clarke:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people have benefited from support through the access to work scheme during its first year of operation; and how many and what proportion of these have been unemployed (a) at the point of making a request for support and (b) when receiving support. [8149]
We do not as a matter of course publish our guidance notes. However, all guidance notes, including those issued to Disability Employment Advisers, are available to those who request them.
I hope this is helpful.
Mr. Clarke:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate she has made of the number of unemployed people who will be assisted
The Secretary of State announced on 14 December that from 18 December Access to Work would be targeted on meeting existing commitments; to applications to renew arrangements which fully satisfied the programme's rules and criteria prior to 18 December and which would otherwise have lapsed; and to people with disabilities who have been unemployed for at least four weeks.
Disability Employment Advisers in Placing Assessment and Counselling Teams assess the work needs of disabled people and decide according to their individual needs and circumstances whether support can be given under Access to Work.
Whenever possible they agree the decision with the disabled person and their employer or potential employer.
I hope this is helpful.
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