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19 Dec 2002 : Column 1001W—continued

Christmas Expenses

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many departmental Christmas cards he and his Ministers intend to send in 2002; how much these cards will cost (a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if he will place in the Library a sample copy of the official Christmas card he has sent this year. [88112]

Mr. McCartney : A total of 1,230 Christmas cards were purchased for our Ministers at a total cost of #1,619.34. All expenditure incurred in the purchase and despatch of official Christmas cards is made in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting. As it is Christmas, I have sent the hon. Member a Christmas card.

Civil Servants

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants are employed by his Department; and how much money was spent by his Department in the last 12 months, broken down by local authority area. [87179]

Mr. McCartney : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 17 December 2002, Official Report, column 608W.

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Community Care Grant

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what change in real terms spending power was provided by the cash rise in the community care grant budget from 1997–1998 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [85157]

Malcolm Wicks: The community care grant budget, previously frozen since 1994, has been increased four times since 1997. In 1997–98 the community care grant budget was #97 ² million, which in 2002–03 prices is equivalent to #109.2 ¹ million. The 2002–03 community care grant budget is #108 ² million, a drop of #1.2 million, or 1.1 per cent.

At the same time there has been a drop in the number of people receiving income-related benefits which give access to community care grants (Income Support, the Minimum Income Guarantee and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance. Between 1997–98 and 2000–01 the reduction was 9.9 per cent. ³ and a further fall in the numbers is forecast with an expected drop of 10.8 per cent. between 1997–98 and 2002–03 ³ . As a result, the per capita amount available to people eligible for community care grants has risen by 10.8 per cent. in real terms.

¹ 'Real terms' refers to 2002–03 prices, calculated using HM Treasury's GDP deflator series, published on 27 November 2002. The GDP deflator for 2002–03 is a working assumption.

Sources:

² Secretary of State's Annual Reports on the Social Fund 1997–98 and 2001–02.

³ Benefit Forecasting and Model Development Division's latest expenditure and case load tables.

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the standard of decision-making on community care grant applications. [85164]

Malcolm Wicks: We announced in the PBR that we will be working with the Treasury to improve Social Fund administration and delivery. We already have procedures in place which aim to drive though a continuous programme of improvement in all benefit decision making.

As part of the Department's national Decision Making and Appeals quality checking programme, a specialist Social Fund team monitors the quality of decision making on all elements of the Social Fund. The programme is complemented by local quality checks. The primary function of these procedures is to identify trends in decision making which require remedial action and inform staff training and guidance needs.

The Independent Review Service for the Social Fund (IRS) provides an impartial review for customers who are dissatisfied with the outcome of their application to the discretionary Social Fund, following an internal review by a DWP reviewing officer. Around 1 per cent. of decisions are referred to the IRS for review. In November 2001, the IRS published a report XGrants Budgets and Decision Making" which sought to explain the relatively high number of community care grant decisions which it was substituting. In response to the report, the Department has made further improvements to the Social Fund guidance for decision makers on

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prioritisation and budgetary control. The IRS also provides valuable feedback to local offices on the standard of decision making in every case it sees.

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will change the rules and guidance for community care grants and crisis loans to ensure that applicants without (a) a cooker and (b) a bed are given a grant or loan. [85167]

Malcolm Wicks: The discretionary Social Fund provides people on low incomes with grants and loans to help them manage a wide range of unexpected or occasional costs, including the purchase of beds and cookers, depending on their individual circumstances.

On 27 November, we announced that from April 2003, #90 million will be added to the discretionary fund over the three years to 2005–06. This extra investment will enhance the fund's ability to help those on low incomes manage their finances.

We have already introduced a number of important changes to the Social Fund. We have simplified the budgeting loan scheme so that all applicants who satisfy the qualifying conditions, and have no outstanding Social Fund debt, will be offered a loan. We have also extended the qualifying conditions for community care grants to help people setting up home in the community who have been without a settled way of life.

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will extend the eligibility for community care grants and budgeting loans from the Social Fund to people (a) whose sole income is (i) incapacity benefit and (ii) contribution based jobseekers allowance and (b) who are receiving the maximum child tax credit. [85168]

Malcolm Wicks: The discretionary Social Fund provides grants and loans to help some of the neediest people in our society manage a wide range of unexpected or occasional costs. Around 1.5 million community care grants and budgeting loans were made last year to people with the lowest incomes, receiving Income Support or income-based Jobseekers Allowance. We have taken the view that access to the discretionary Fund should not be extended to people with higher incomes as such help would be poorly targeted and potentially very costly.

We continue to keep all aspects of the Fund under review.

Crisis Loans

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the arrangements are for customers to apply for and receive a crisis loan when they live a long way from the office that decides upon crisis loan applications. [85290]

Malcolm Wicks: We recognise that crisis loan applicants normally require a same day service. Individual managers understand local problems and geography and are responsible for making suitable arrangements for the delivery of, and access to, all locally-administered benefits including the Social Fund.

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Exceptionally, where a customer is unable to visit their local office, for example an elderly or disabled person with restricted mobility, or a person who lives a long way from the office and who has no access to suitable transport, they may contact the office by telephone to request a home visit. If the information given by the applicant indicates that a crisis loan is likely to be awarded, a visit may be made for the application to be completed and, where appropriate, the loan to be paid.

We believe that the current arrangements are sufficiently flexible to support a good standard of delivery to customers, regardless of their location.

Departmental Training

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's staff have been sent on (a) training days and (b) training weekends in the last 12 months; and what the total cost of this training has been. [88207]

Mr. McCartney: During the 12 month period ending March 2002, the most recent year for which these data are available, the Department spent #97.3 million on staff training and development. This equates to an average of just under #800 for each member of Staff in the Department.

The information on training undertaken at weekends is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Drug Addicts

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former drug addicts are in paid employment. [86697]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: The information requested is not available.

We are committed to helping unemployed people who are taking positive steps to overcome their drug problem to move into work. Earlier this year, we introduced the Progress2work initiative to give recovering drug misusers the extra help they need to get into employment.

Progress2work provides specialist support to help recovering drug misusers also to make the best use of our welfare to work initiatives and move into jobs. It equips Jobcentre Plus staff with the skills and knowledge they need to better identify people whose drug misuse puts them at a disadvantage in the labour market, and refer them to appropriate provision.

We launched the first Progress2work projects in the spring, in 27 pathfinder areas throughout the country, including one in my hon. Friend's constituency. We are now extending the initiative to a further 36 areas and plan to roll out the programme nationally from next year.

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