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12 Feb 2003 : Column 800W—continued
Minimum Income Guarantee
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many minimum income guarantee claimants are aged (a) 75 and above and (b) 80 and above. [97381]
Mr. McCartney: The information is shown in the table.
| Age | Number of MIG claimants |
|---|---|
| 75 and over | 930,400 |
| 80 and over | 659,000 |
Minimum Wage
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the impact of increasing the minimum wage (a) in line with average earnings, (b) to £4.17 per hour, (c) to £4.87 per hour, (d) to £5.00 per hour and (e) to £5.30 per hour, on the cost of salaries of departmental employees (i) in total and (ii) for each nation of the United Kingdom in the next financial year. [90594]
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Mr. McCartney: The information is in the table.
| ProposedNMW (£) | England(18) | Scotland(18) | Wales(18) | Total(18) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) 4.26 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| (b) 4.17 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| (c) 4.87 | 6.990 | 0.949 | 0.496 | 8.435 |
| (d) 5.00 | 9.863 | 1.342 | 0.694 | 11.899 |
| (e) 5.30 | 16.952 | 2.340 | 1.194 | 20.486 |
(18) Figures are in £ millions
Notes:
1. Total costs include Employers National Insurance Contributions (ERNIC) and superannuation charges.
2. Average earnings have increased by 3.8 per cent. over the 12 months to November 2002 (Source: Office of National Statistics, "Average Earnings" published 15 January 2003). When applied to the 2002 NMW this would increase the rate to £4.26. All DWP staff are paid hourly rates above this level.
NIRS2
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people received (a) compensation under the existing rules and (b) flat rate £10 payments for incorrect payments triggered by the NIRS2 computer system; [83211]
- (2) how much was paid in (a) compensation under the existing rules and (b) flat rate £10 payments for incorrect payments triggered by the NIRS2 computer system. [83212]
Malcolm Wicks: Precise numbers of people who received compensation under the existing rules is not available but, in total, compensation amounting to £4,604,282 has been paid to our customers and of that amount £1,650,122 was in respect of compensation under the existing Departmental scheme; and £2,954,160 was in respect of the £10 special scheme.
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Absenteeism
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the rate of staff (a) absenteeism and (b) sickness was in his Department, its predecessors and each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year from 1990–91 to 2002–03; what the target set is for his Department; and if he will make a statement. [93498]
Mr. McCartney: Between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2001 there were 31,296 recorded instances of unauthorised absence (i.e. incidences of strike action and people absent without leave only) for the Department and each of its constituent agencies. The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to working in partnership as a means of eliminating industrial action.
Between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2002 there were 25,024 instances of unauthorised absences (absenteeism) in the Department and each of its constituent agencies.
The number of instances of unauthorised absences for the Department, its predecessors and its agencies between 1990 and 2000 is not available.
The number of instances of unauthorised absence for the Department and each of its agencies for January 2003 is not available yet.
The rate of staff sickness in the Department, its predecessors and each of its agencies between 1990 and 1993 is not available. ITSA was privatised during 1998/1999, therefore consistent staff sickness rate figures for ITSA are not available between 2000 and 2003. The Appeals Service became a departmental agency in April 2000.
The rate of staff sickness for The Appeals Service prior to April 2000 is therefore not available. The Contributions Agency was transferred to the Inland Revenue in 1999.
The rate of staff sickness in the Department's remaining constituent agencies between 1994 and 2001 is summarised below. The figures represent the average number of working days lost per staff year.
| Year(19) | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES | 11.3 | 12.4 | 12.1 | 13.0 | 11.0 | 11.5 | 11.8 | 12.8 |
| CSA | 11.6 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.9 | 11.1 | 12.1 | 11.1 | 11.0 |
| BA | 12.4 | 12.7 | 12.3 | 12.5 | 11.1 | 11.0 | 11.1 | 10.6 |
| DSS | 12.7 | 10.5 | 9.0 | 9.9 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 9.4 |
| CA | 11.3 | 12.5 | 12.0 | 11.1 | 9.2 | — | — | — |
| TAS | — | — | — | — | — | — | (20)10.4 | 9.6 |
| ITSA | 8.4 | 9.7 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 11.1 | — |
| HSE | 8.6 | 9.1 | 8.7 | 10.0 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 8.6 | 7.9 |
(19) Calendar Years
(20) Staff sickness rate for the period April 2000—December 2000.
ES = Employment Service
CSA = Child Support Agency
BA = Benefits Agency
DSS = Department for Social Security
CA = Contributions Agency
TAS = The Appeals Service
ITSA = Information Technology Services Agency
HSE = Health and Safety Executive
Figures for 2002 are currently being collected and will be published later this year. In 1998 the Cabinet Office set targets to reduce sickness absenteeism by 20 per cent. at the end of 2001 and by 30 per cent. at the end of 2003.
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This equated to a target for all agencies of 9.5 days by December 2001 and 8 days for the Department by December 2003. The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to meeting this target by continuing to manage sickness absence effectively.
Pension Schemes
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many workers are in (a) defined contribution and (b) final salary occupational schemes; and how many and what proportion of those workers are contracted out of the state scheme. [96178]
Mr. McCartney: Partial preliminary results from the GAD 2000 survey have been published but have not yet ybeen fully validated and do not give details of public sector scheme membership.
The figures show active membership of occupational pension schemes at the time the survey was carried out, rather than the total membership throughout the 1995–96 tax year.
| Type of scheme | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1995 totals | Final salary | Defined contribution |
| All occupational schemes | 8,950 | 1,060 |
| Numbers contracted out | 8,305 | 460 |
| Proportion contracted out (percentage) | 93 | 43 |
Source:
The GAD 1995 Survey of Occupational Pension Schemes.
Textile Industry (Redundant Staff)
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what retraining programme his Department supports for redundant staff of the textile industry. [92158]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Jobcentre Plus offers assistance to help companies handle any significant reduction in staffing they may have to make, and help to those employees who are affected in identifying alternative jobs or any training they require.
We have introduced the Rapid Response Service to provide support for people affected by redundancies including those in the textile industries and help them make the transition into sustainable new jobs. The nature of the help provided by the service is tailored to the needs of the individuals, the employer and the local labour market. This can include offering information, advice and guidance to those affected, help with job search, facilitating retraining where necessary or developing customised retraining programmes. People affected by redundancy can also have early access to Jobcentre Plus programmes such as the new deals and work-based learning for adults.
We offer a range of training opportunities to ensure that unemployed people, including those made redundant from the textile industry, have the skills and experience they need to find and remain at work. Work Based Learning for Adults provides people with real work experience and the opportunity to develop job-related skills. We have developed Ambition programmes to help unemployed and disadvantaged
12 Feb 2003 : Column 804W
people gain the right skills to meet the needs of employers in key sectors such as construction, retail, information technology and energy.
We, along with colleagues in the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Trade and Industry, have asked the regional development agencies to lead in the development of the frameworks for regional employment and skills action (FRESAs). This strategic partnership of organisations includes Jobcentre Plus, the CBI, the TUC, the Learning and Skills Council and local authorities. The work of the FRESAs will provide a co-ordinated strategy for skills in each region, ensuring a more efficient and co-ordinated service for employers and individuals alike. Each region has had a Framework in place since October 2002.
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