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Health and Safety (Work Place)
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of failures in health and safety in the workplace in each year since 1997. [83869]
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Mr. Nicholas Brown: The overall cost to the British economy of all workplace injuries and work-related ill health in the most recent year for which detailed information is available (year 1995–96) is estimated to be between #2.9 billion and #4.2 billion. When the costs of avoidable non-injury safety failures are included, the cost rises to between #4.4—#8.6 billion.
The total costs in 1995–96 to society as a whole, including our estimates for the loss of welfare resulting from pain, grief and suffering of individual victims and their families, is estimated to be between #14.5 billion—#18.1 billion.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was to the Exchequer of workplace accidents and illnesses in each year since 1995–96. [85417]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: .The overall cost to the British economy of all workplace injuries and work-related ill health in the most recent year for which detailed information is available (year 1995/96) is estimated to be between #2.9 billion and #4.2 billion. When the costs of avoidable non-injury safety failures are included, the cost rises to between #4.4 to #8.6 billion.
Health and Safety Executive
Andrew Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many health and safety executive staff are pursuing cases against the executive on equal pay grounds. [84780]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: HSE currently has three cases—two are for individual members of staff and the other is for a group of three staff.
Andrew Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many HSE staff are suffering from (a) stress and (b) RSI; and what estimate has been made of the cost of meeting claims by staff in future years. [84781]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: In 2001–02, there were 198 members of HSE staff that recorded stress or depressive disorder as the cause of the absence. This resulted in 6,522 days absence from work. Included in this number are 11 cases that reported the cause of stress as work related through the internal HSE ill health reporting system.
In 2001–02, three cases of work related upper limb disorder were reported by HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995.
HSE has not made an estimate of the cost of meeting claims in future years.
Health and Safety Legislation (Breaches)
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the Crown censures which have been issued in respect of breaches of health and safety legislation in the last five years. [85221]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 3 December 2002]: The Crown censures issued by the Health and Safety Executive during the period 1997–2002 are as follows:
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1. MOD Army (TA), Northampton Balloon Fair—April 1997;
2. Home Office, Fire Service College, Moreton in Marsh—July 1997;
3. MOD Royal Hospital Haslar, Gosport—November 1997;
4. Prison Service Agency, HM Young Offenders Institution Portland—February 1998;
5. MOD Defence Testing and Evaluation Organisation (DTEO), Shoeburyness—May 1998;
6. Court Services—December 1998;
7. MAFF Central Science Laboratory, Weybridge—April 1999;
8. MOD Army Base Repair Organisation (ABRO), Warminster—February 1999;
9. MAFF Central Veterinary Laboratory—February 1999;
10. MOD Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), Porton Down—May 1999;
11. MOD Central Ammunition Depot, Longtown—October 1999;
12. MOD Army, Army Cadet Force, Longmoor Camp—July 2000;
13. MOD Navy, HMS Raleigh—November 2000;
14. Prison Service Agency, HMP Bristol—July 2001;
15. MOD Army, Sennybridge Training Area—August 2001; and
16. Royal Mint, Cardiff—September 2002.
Jobcentre Plus
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will list, by region, incidents of assault in Benefits Agency, Employment Service and Jobcentre Plus offices for 2002; [80791]
- (2) if he will list by office, incidents of assaults on staff using the Home Office British Crime Survey definition, which have occurred in Jobcentre Plus Pathfinder offices in the year to 22nd October. [80792]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Home Office British Crime Survey definitions are set out in legislation and are based on victims' perceptions of an incident. Jobcentre Plus does not use these definitions. Instead, assaults are categorised by what happened in the incident, as follows:
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Actual Assault | Physical contact has been made |
| Attempted Assault | An attempt has been made to touch a member of staff but this was unsuccessful |
| Verbal Assault | Threats of verbal abuse |
| Other | No member of staff has been involved, for example, an assault by one client on another, or property was damaged. |
The available information on incidents of assault has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answers of 27 November, Refs 82508, 82511 and 82513, if he will place in the Library the written information about job entry and additional points scores and priorities sent to Jobcentre Plus managers and staff; and if he will list the key
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stakeholders who were consulted in respect of the selection of the local authority areas attracting additional points scores. [85294]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 4 December 2002]: Managers and staff were informed about job entry and additional point scores and priorities in Jobcentre Plus Targets 2002–03 Achieving the Best: A Handbook for Staff, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Details of the key stakeholders consulted on the criteria for selecting the local authority areas attracting additional point scores have been placed in the Library.
New Deal
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people have taken up a place on the Environmental Task Force option of the New Deal to date; what has been the (a) total and (b) annual cost of the option to date; and if he will make a statement. [84440]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 2 December 2002]: The Environment Task Force option of the New Deal is successfully improving the employability of young people through work experience and training. Up to the end of September 2002, 62,800 young people had participated in the option, many of whom faced significant disadvantages in the labour market. This year we have further improved the option by introducing work placements with private sector employers and enhancing jobsearch help. All Environment Task Force projects seek to improve the local environment and are well received.
The available information on the annual and total expenditure by the Department on the option is in the table.
| Expenditure on the Environment Task Force | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 15 |
| 1999–2000 | 43 |
| 2000–01 | 43 |
| Total | 101 |
Note:
Information for 2001–02 is not yet available.
Source: Jobcentre Plus Finance.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of persons on the New Deal have left the New Deal and returned to benefits in each year since its establishment. [85972]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 9 December 2002]: The number of leavers from the New Deals for Young People, 25 Plus and Lone Parents who remain on benefits is published in the respective quarterly Statistical First Releases, copies of which are available in the Library.
Evaluation of the New Deal programmes includes work looking at how many participants return to benefits and how many remain in work over the longer term. Evaluation reports are placed in the Library as they are published.
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Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information is available in the New Deal Evaluation Database; and if he will make a statement. [85986]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 9 December 2002]: The New Deal Evaluation Database contains information on the characteristics (e.g. gender, age, ethnic group) of participants on the New Deal programme, together with details of their activity while on the programme. Full details can be found in an article entitled XNew Deal Statistics and the New Deal Evaluation Database" in the April 1999 edition of Labour Market Trends, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of (a) subsidised and (b) unsubsidised sustained employment starts under the New Deal have been in the construction industry in each month since the establishment of the New Deal; and if he will make a statement about the impact of the New Deal on employment in the construction industry. [85993]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 26 November 2002]: We estimate that since April 1998 around 9 per cent. (6,800) of subsidised employment starts in the New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus have been in the construction industry. However, the underlying data are not sufficiently robust for a realistic monthly breakdown to be given. Subsidised employment is not an option in the other New Deals.
Information on the industry sector of unsubsidised sustained employment starts obtained through the New Deal is not routinely collected.
In addition to filling construction industry jobs through the New Deal, we have introduced Ambition: Construction, an employer-led initiative which is designed to help unemployed and disadvantaged people gain the specific skills which construction employers require. Ambition: Construction aims to deliver sustainable employment and an NVQ Level 2 qualification in one of the construction trades to 1,000 New Deal participants. Pilot programmes are now running in West London, West Yorkshire, Nottingham, the North West and Coventry.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evaluation has been made of the New Deal for Disabled People; and if he will make a statement. [85990]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 9 December 2002]: New Deal for Disabled People is the first national programme designed specifically to support people with health conditions and disabilities move into and keep jobs. Since the national extension of the programme began, it has helped over 6,000 people into jobs and almost 28,000 have registered with Job Brokers to actively pursue employment.
Comprehensive evaluation is under way to measure the effectiveness of the programme. This will include qualitative and quantitative research with all key stakeholders. We will be publishing reports on different elements of the evaluation as they become available from early in the new year.
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