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Child Care

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what plans he has to assist with child care arrangements to enable parents to take up employment; [87667]

(2) what plans his Department has to ease the transition from welfare to work for mothers with young children. [87668]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: We believe that work is the best route out of poverty, but recognise that parents can face difficulties moving into work due to the demands of balancing their work, life and family responsibilities. That is why we are providing extra help to reduce these problems and allow parents to successfully move into work.

Help with child care costs for people looking for work is available across Great Britain through our welfare to work initiatives, such as the New Deal. For example, the New Deal for Lone Parents can provide assistance when participants attend training or take up part-time work. We are also enhancing the child care support available through Jobcentre Plus. From April 2003, a Childcare Partnership Manager will be established in every Jobcentre Plus district to ensure that jobseekers with children and their advisers have access to the latest information about child care in their area.

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For lone parents who are moving into work of over 16 hours per week, the Working Families Tax Credit (and from April 2003 the Working Tax Credit) includes the Childcare Tax Credit which can pay for up to 70 per cent. of their child care costs. New Deal Personal Advisers can also use the Adviser Discretion Fund to help pay for advance child care deposits if the lone parent is unable to do so.

We have also recently announced an improved package of financial measures to help people make the transition into work. From October 2004 we will be introducing a new Job Grant to help people moving into a job after at least six months on benefit. Single people and couples without children will receive #100. A higher rate Grant of #250 will be paid to lone parents and to couples with children. This improved Job Grant will make a real difference in helping tide families over until their first wages are received.

In 1998 we launched our National Childcare Strategy for England. This aims to ensure that good quality, affordable child care for children up to age 14 (and 16 for children with special educational needs and disabilities) is available in every neighbourhood.

Since 1997, there has been a major expansion in child care provision. In England over 553,000 new child care places have been created, benefiting more than a million children. A number of Government programmes, including the Neighbourhood Childcare Initiative, are helping to extend provision in the most disadvantaged areas of the country. We are now also encouraging schools to provide and host a range of services, including child care, for the local community through our new Extended Schools programme. The 2002 Spending Review saw a doubling of child care funding to create a further 250,000 places, in new Children's Centres in disadvantaged areas and elsewhere, by 2006. This is on top of the existing target of creating new provision for 1.6 million children by 2004.

Responsibility for policy relating to the development of child care in Scotland and Wales is a matter for the devolved administrations.

Christmas Expenses

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much will be spent on (a) entertaining, (b) Christmas decorations and (c) other festive activities this Christmas season by his Department and Government agencies answerable to his Department; and of this sum, how much will be spent in Ministers' (i) private offices and (ii) official residences. [88137]

Mr. McCartney: Public funds have not been used for entertaining and Christmas decorations in private offices. Christmas cards for Ministers to issue in their official capacity have been purchased at a cost of #1,619.34. Gathering information to answer for the rest of this Department could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, any expenditure incurred on decorations, entertainment and any other festive activities is strictly for official purposes only, and is made in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in XGovernment Accounting". The Department has no official residences.

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Disabled People

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to help disabled people back to work. [87669]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: Disabled people can take part in the mainstream Jobcentre Plus employment and training programmes, and have full access to all its services. In addition, Jobcentre Plus has a range of specialist employment programmes to support disabled people who want to work. The Access to Work programme provides advice and practical help for disabled people with the additional employment costs, for example, in travelling to work, adapting the work place, obtaining special equipment and support workers, which result from disability. WORKSTEP provides job support to disabled people who face more complex barriers to finding and keeping work.

Our 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 nearly 28,000 have registered with job brokers to actively pursue employment. Disabled people can also take part in other Jobcentre Plus employment programmes, and have full access to all its services.

Our Green Paper, XPathways to Work: Helping People into Employment' (Cm 5690), sets out our strategy for enabling people with health problems and disabilities to move into work, and so become and remain independent. From late October 2003, we will offer in pilot areas: early, more frequent support from skilled personal advisers; direct access to a range of comprehensive specialist programmes; and clear financial incentives to work.

Employment (Disability)

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what financial assistance he makes available to specialist employment providers and agencies in the fields of (a) physical disability, (b) learning difficulties and (c) mental illness. [88331]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: Jobcentre Plus has a range of specialist programmes for people with disabilities, providing support in finding, keeping and training for work. In order to deliver this provision, Jobcentre Plus

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contracts with a range of specialist providers through the access to work, work preparation, WORKSTEP and residential training programmes.

These programmes are available to people with all disabilities; however, in some parts of the country there are also programmes designed specifically for people with learning difficulties, brain injuries and muscular skeletal conditions.

Gas Pipes

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of the gas mains network operated by Transco is over (a) 30, (b) 50 and (c) 75 years old. [87485]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: I am informed by the Health and Safety Executive that detailed information is unavailable. However, it was estimated in September 2001, when HSE announced the accelerated iron mains replacement programme that most iron mains—about 60 per cent.—were over 40 years old; and some were over 100 years old.

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Heath and Safety Executive has made of Transco's system of record keeping for the gas mains network; and if he will make a statement. [87487]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: I am informed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that they have met with Transco to discuss their arrangements for data handling, the last occasion being 21 November 2002. Their arrangements have been subject to an internal audit. HSE have asked for an independent review of compliance with and the quality of the arrangements themselves.

Habitual Residence Test

Mr. Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) decisions were made and (b) appeals were submitted in relation to the habitual residence test in respect of the area covered by the Brighton Phoenix, Brighton Pavilion and Hove Jobcentre Plus offices in each year between 1997 and 2001–02; and how many of the people who lost benefit in relation to the habitual residents test were UK citizens. [86119]

Malcolm Wicks: The available information is in the table:

Habitual residency test (HRT) Brighton and Hove social security offices⁽⁴²⁾

	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Total number of HRT decisions made	1,509	1,398	1,272	876	613
Total number of appeals submitted against HRT decisions	67	32	43	12	15
Total number of UK citizens found to have no entitlement to benefit following an HRT decision(43)	74	116	57	44	60

⁽⁴²⁾ These offices make decisions on all HRT cases for claims made through Brighton Phoenix, Brighton Pavilion, Hove, Newhaven, Lewes and Brighton Regent Jobcentres. It is not possible to disaggregate the figures for individual Jobcentres.

⁽⁴³⁾ Figures include cases where the original decision has been upheld on appeal.

Source:

Management Information Statistics Program (MISP) and local office data.

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