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Health and Safety Directorate
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how the Fire Health and Safety Directorate will co-ordinate its work with the Health and Safety Directorate. [63683]
Mr. Raynsford: The Fire Health and Safety Directorate of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Health and Safety Commission and Executive, now sponsored by the Department for Transport, are both working toward the goal of making homes and workplaces healthier, safer and better places to live and work. They continue to work very closely together.
Timber Products
Mr. Sheermen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures his Department has taken to encourage local authorities to procure timber products from sustainable sources. [63060]
Mr. Raynsford: Local authorities are responsible in law for their own decisions on procurement. It is for them to decide whether or not to procure timber products from sustainable sources. In doing so they need to have regard to achieving Best Value and abide by relevant Procurement legislation.
My Department has not issued specific guidance on this issue. Central Government's timber procurement policy statement is widely available and can be adapted or adopted by local authorities if they wish. Officials from my Office, DEFRA and the OGC are working with local government through the Improvement and Development Agency to explore means by which local authorities can pursue sustainable development through their procurement activities.
Cheltenham Borough Council
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to publish (a) his decision
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on the new electoral arrangements for Cheltenham Borough Council and (b) an order implementing his decision. [63640]
Mr. Raynsford: The Borough of Cheltenham (Electoral Changes) Order, made on 30 November 2001, implements these decisions.
WORK AND PENSIONS
New Deal
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people from ethnic minorities in (a) Hackney, (b) Newham and (c) Tower Hamlets have obtained jobs through the New Deal for Young People in each year since it was established. [56999]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The information is in the table.
| People from ethnic minorities moving into jobs through NDYP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit of Delivery | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001—02 1 |
| Hackney & City | 375 | 626 | 636 | 342 |
| Newham | 312 | 426 | 403 | 404 |
| Tower Hamlets | 309 | 393 | 314 | 289 |
Note:
1 Up to the end of January 2002.
Source:
New Deal Evaluation Database.
Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many young people in Glasgow, Cathcart have found full-time work as a result of the New Deal; [58879]
- (2) how many people in Glasgow, Cathcart have found full-time work as a result of the New Deal for the over-50s; [58880]
(3) how many people in Glasgow, Cathcart have found employment as a result of the New Deal for Lone Parents. [58881]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The available information is in the table:
| Programme | Number of people in the Glasgow Cathcart parliamentary constituency helped into jobs (at the end of March 2002) 1 |
|---|---|
| New Deal for Young People | 570 |
| New Deal 50 plus | 80 |
| New Deal for Lone Parents | 250 |
Note:
1 A breakdown by full- and part-time jobs is not available.
Source:
New Deal Evaluation Database.
Mental Health
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is taking to improve the job prospects of those with mental health problems. [60786]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: We have a wide range of programmes that have proved successful in helping people with disabilities, including those with mental health problems, secure work where they are ready and able to do so.
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Over 8,200 people were helped into work through the New Deal for Disabled People pilots and building on that success we have established a national network of Job Brokers. The New Deal enables those with a health condition or disability to find and move into work and to help themselves to become, and remain, independent. And from this April we have introduced new permitted work rules in Incapacity Benefit to make it easier for people to make the first moves into work.
People with mental health problems can also take part in all the main Jobcentre Plus programmes and have full access to its services. Disability Employment Advisers provide specialist support to disabled jobseekers, disabled employees and their employers. The roll-out of integrated Jobcentre Plus offices is providing disabled people with work-focused meetings with a personal adviser to ensure they are aware of all the help and opportunities available to them.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to reform housing benefit; and if he will make a statement. [61154]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove on 15 April 2002, Official Report, column 695W.
Broadband
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the benefits of access to broadband services for the (a) Benefits Agency and (b) Employment Service; and if he will make a statement. [61799]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Department's Modernisation programme as a whole will deliver improved customer-facing services, reduce fraud and error and help it to operate more efficiently and flexibly. A new IT infrastructure, including broadband network services, is being installed to support the Modernisation programme and help achieve its benefits.
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets he has set for the roll out of broadband services in (a) benefits agencies and (b) Jobcentre Plus offices. [61800]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Broadband network services are being installed as part of the Department's new IT infrastructure to support its Modernisation programme. Almost all of the former Employment Service staff and over half of the staff in the rest of the Department already use broadband-class data networks. It is intended to complete the roll out of the Department's broadband network by the end of the 2002–03 financial year.
Carers Allowance
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for carers allowance (formerly invalid care allowance) have been refused in (a) Angus and (b) Scotland in each of the last five years. [62387]
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Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Angus and (b) Scotland were in receipt of (i) carers allowance (formerly invalid care allowance) and (ii) both carers allowance and income support in each of the last five years. [62391]
Maria Eagle: Information on the number of Invalid Care Allowance recipients, broken down by area, is available only from 2001. At 31 December 2001 there were about 37,100 recipients in Scotland and 465 in Angus. The numbers of Income Support recipients who also receive Invalid Care Allowance is in the table.
| Angus Parliamentary Constituency 3 | Scotland Government Office Region | |
|---|---|---|
| February 1998 | 200 | 17,900 |
| February 1999 | 200 | 17,600 |
| February 2000 | 200 | 18,800 |
| February 2001 | 200 | 19,700 |
| February 2002 | 300 | 20,600 |
Notes:
1 Figures include cases where the partner of an Income Support recipient is in receipt of Invalid Care Allowance.
2 Figures are based on a five per cent. sample, which is subject to sampling variation, and rounded to the nearest hundred. Those for Angus are based on a very small sample and provide only a general indication of the numbers of recipients in that area.
3 Parliamentary constituencies are defined using the relevant ONS postcode directory and are based on the May 1997 boundaries.
Source:
Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries, February 1998 to February 2002.
Benefits
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the incentives in the benefits system for young people (a) to marry at an early age and (b) to have children at an early age; and if he will make a statement. [62400]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 19 June 2002]: There are no incentives within the benefits system for young people to marry or have children at an early age. In general, young people under the age of 18 are excluded from receiving income-related benefits. The majority of benefit recipients under the age of 25 are single with no dependents.
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