| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Recycling
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of waste produced in his Department was (a) recycled, (b) composted, and (c) re-used, broken down into (i) paper, (ii) plastics, (iii) aluminium cans and (iv) other in each year since 1997; what plans there are to increase these proportions; and if he will make a statement. [65699]
Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. In 2001, the former Department of Social Security produced 24,000 tonnes of waste, of which 37 per cent. was recycled. The vast majority of recycled waste was paper. No waste was composted. Details are not available prior to 2001.
For 2002, figures show that paper recycling has risen to 55 per cent. of the total waste produced, amounting to 16,172 tonnes. We plan to extend our paper-recycling scheme across the whole Department in the coming year.
Redundant office furniture is recycled by DWP's estates partners wherever possible. Metal components are reused and desktops are pulped and recycled where possible. Volume figures are not available for this.
Surplus IT equipment is refurbished and reused wherever possible. This is facilitated by the Disposal Service Agency, and the refurbished equipment is then distributed through the Computers Within Reach initiative.
DWP as a whole does not currently separate plastics and aluminium cans from the general waste stream, although local schemes to recycle waste are encouraged and are in place at a number of locations. We plan to examine the potential for a national scheme to recycle these waste streams.
In addition to the recycling initiatives in place, staff are also actively encouraged to reduce the amount of waste that they generate.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of (a) paper and (b) other goods purchased by his Department was recycled paper in each year since 1997; what the annual total cost of these purchases was; what plans there are to increase these proportions; and if he will make a statement. [65770]
Maria Eagle: 2.12 per cent. of the 1,824,682 reams of paper purchased by DWP in 2001–02 was recycled paper. Of this 1,330,392 reams were purchased from the joint OGC/DWP contract at a cost of £4,913,629. Costs for the remaining 494,290 reams are not available.
In 2001–02 DWP also purchased 8,434 tonnes of pre- printed paper (leaflets and forms), of which 16 per cent. was recycled. 721 tonnes of card and board were also purchased of which 68 per cent. was recycled. Costs are not currently available.
Information is not available prior to 2001–02.
We are currently reviewing the measures we have in place to reduce the overall amount of paper used within the Department at the same time as increasing the percentage of recycled paper used.
Departmental Energy Use
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated (a) level and (b) cost of
23 Jul 2002 : Column 1024W
energy use in his Department and associated agencies was in each year since 1997; what proportion of energy was generated from renewable sources; and if he will make a statement. [65955]
Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Rural Affairs on 3 July 2002, Official Report, columns 385–86W.
Statistics
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the statistics that are collected by his Department by English parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement. [67097]
Mr. McCartney [holding answer 8 July 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Ruth Kelly) on 8 July 2002, Official Report, column 769W.
Sanctions
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what sanctions have been applied against claimants over 24 on the Government's New Deal programme; and if he will make a statement. [67725]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Up to March 2002, we estimate that around 17,979 sanctions 1 had been applied to people aged over 24 on the New Deal programme. This represents the number of sanctions applied, not the number of people sanctioned as some people will have been sanctioned more than once.
1 This information has been collected by undertaking a special exercise and is based on a combination of IT-generated statistics and information supplied clerically. The figure is therefore an estimate and should be treated as a guide to the number of sanctions applied only.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many claimants there were to whom deductions in their income support or income based jobseeker's allowance would have been made on their refusal to co-operate with the Department but where the sanctions were not applied because (a) their application would put the claimant or their children at risk of harm and (b) the claimant was in receipt of the disabled premium, disability premium, or a higher pensioner premium, in the latest year for which figures are available; [67727]
- (2) how many claimants there were have had deductions of benefit on the grounds of their refusal to co-operate with the Child Support Agency; what sanctions have been applied; and for what average length of time the sanctions have been applied. [67726]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 4 July 2002]: Every child has a right to a decent start in life whether their parents live together or apart. Children are entitled to care and support and both parents are responsible for providing it. It is reasonable to expect that the parent with care should co-operate with the Child Support Agency unless there are reasonable grounds for believing there would be a risk of harm or undue distress to the parent or any child living with them. If a parent with care refuses, without
23 Jul 2002 : Column 1025W
good cause, to co-operate with the agency, their benefit may be reduced by up to 40 per cent. of the income support personal allowance for a person aged 25 or over.
The available information is in the tables. Following the introduction in April 1998 of face-to-face interviews with parents with care claiming benefits, there has been a sharp rise in compliance and a corresponding fall in the number of reduced benefit directions issued. These interviews provide the opportunity to explain to parents with care the advantages of co-operating with the agency as well as the good cause rules.
| Income support/ jobseeker's allowance | Family credit | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 55,115 | 19,165 |
| 1998–99 | 36,251 | 13,437 |
| 1999–2000 | 22,115 | 6,164 |
| 2000–01 | 13,338 | 84 |
| 2001–02 | 8,163 | 6 |
Notes:
1. Figures are not available before April 1997.
2. Family credit was superseded by working families tax credit in October 1999. Decisions were made on a few residual cases after this date.
3. Data are not held on the average length of time the directions are in place.
Source:
Child Support agency Performance Monitoring Team.
| Reason good cause accepted | Number |
|---|---|
| Risk of physical or mental harm to the parent with care or child | 14,393 |
| Other | 3,118 |
Note:
Other reasons include risk of sexual abuse, rape or incest.
Source:
Child Support Agency Performance Monitoring Team.
| Benefit | Number |
|---|---|
| Income support/jobseeker's allowance | 2,028 |
| Family credit | 403 |
Notes:
1. A parent with care receiving a disability premium, disabled child's premium or higher pensioner premium is exempt from a reduced benefit direction.
2. Figures have not been collated centrally since 1999–2000.
Source:
Child Support Agency Performance Monitoring Team.
Mr. Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many people in each of the last five years in (a) the UK, and (b) the (i) Brighton Pavilion, (ii) Brighton Kemptown and (iii) Hove constituencies (A) the sanction of loss of benefits for up to 26 weeks has been applied and (B) benefit has been restored following a review or an appeal. [63527]
Malcolm Wicks: The available information is in the tables.
23 Jul 2002 : Column 1026W
| Year | Sanctions applied |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 195,343 |
| 1998–99 | 153,420 |
| 1999–2000 | 158,531 |
| 2000–01 | 164,516 |
| 2001–02 | 160,200 |
Notes:
1. Figures for 1997–98 include 93 sanctions applied against residual Unemployment Benefit cases.
2. Data on the number of cases where benefit was reinstated following review or appeal are not available.
3. Social Security matters in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Source:
Employment Service Labour Market Statistics, Analysis of Adjudication Officers' Decisions/Sector Decision Making, for years ending 31 March 1998 to 31 March 2002
| Year | Sanctions applied |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 1,160 |
Notes:
1. Information is not available by parliamentary constituency.
2. The Brighton and Hove area comprises the area covered by the Brighton Phonenix, Brighton Pavilion, Brighton Regent and Hove Jobcentre Plus offices.
3. Due to a computer failure local information is limited to 2000–01.
4. Data on the number of cases where benefit was reinstated following review or appeal are not available.
Source:
Employment Service Labour Market Statistics for year ending 31 March 2001.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |