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Unemployment

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the change in the level of unemployment has been in the Jarrow constituency in each year since 1997; [96358]

(2) what action the Government have taken to help reduce unemployment in the Jarrow constituency since 1997. [96375]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: Information on the change in the level of unemployment in Jarrow is in the table.

Change in claimant unemployment in the Jarrow constituency 1997 to 2003

	As at January
	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total unemployment	3,428	3,130	3,170	2,879	2,592	2,598	2,334
Change from previous year	—	-298	40	-291	-287	6	-264
(Percentage)	—	(-8.7%)	(1.3%)	(-9.2%)	(-10.0%)	(0.2%)	(-10.2%)
Change from 1997	—	-298	-258	-549	-836	-830	-1,094
(Percentage)	—	(-8.7%)	(-7.5%)	(-16.0%)	(-24.4%)	(-24.2%)	(-31.9%)

Latest figure available is for January 2003. Information is provided for January of preceding years as figures are seasonally unadjusted.

Our policies have created a strong economy geared to delivering stability, low inflation and sound public finances. Building on this foundation, our labour

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market policies have helped to deliver record levels of employment across the country, and unemployment at its lowest level since the 1970s.

As the table shows, my hon. Friend's constituency has shared in this success. As well as the reductions in claimant unemployment in Jarrow since 1997, long-term unemployment (over 12 months) has been cut by over 70 per cent. The local Jobcentre has played an important part in these achievements, helping their clients move into work and working closely with employers to fill their vacancies. It is not only unemployed people that have been helped, across the New Deals in Jarrow over 2,000 people have been helped into work.

We have also introduced Action Teams for Jobs to help disadvantaged people in the most employment deprived areas move into jobs. Be the end of 2002, the Action Team operating in my hon. Friend's constituency had helped 820 people move into work. The Team has developed innovative ways to help jobless people overcome the barriers to work they may face. For example, they have secured funding from the Transport Projects Fund we introduced last year to provide a bus service from South Shields to the Metro Centre and Team Valley, running through Jarrow, to help their clients overcome their transport barriers to work. The Team are also taking their services into the communities they help in Jarrow using a Mobile Unit.

We are building on the services we provide in Jarrow. The new Jobcentre Plus office in Jarrow will open later this year, delivering a single, integrated service to benefit claimants of working age, with a clear focus on work. Jarrow will also be part of a progress2work-LinkUP pilot starting in the autumn. This new initiative will provide further support for those facing the greatest disadvantages in the labour market, including ex-offenders, homeless people and recovering alcohol misusers.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of trends in the rate of unemployment in Portsmouth; and if he will make a statement. [98346]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Government's policies have created a strong economy geared to delivering stability, low inflation and have helped deliver a high and stable level of employment benefiting every part of the country. Alongside this, through Jobcentre Plus and programmes such as the New Deal, our labour market policies are helping more people move into work.

The number of people out of work and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in Portsmouth has fallen by over 60 per cent. since 1997. Between January 2001 and January 2002 the number of claimant unemployed people in Portsmouth, as a percentage of the resident population of working age, fell from 2.7 per cent. to 2.4 per cent. However, in the last 12 months unemployment has levelled out and is 2.4 per cent. in January 2003. But, with unemployment at levels not seen since the 1970s and inflation and interest rates low, we believe that the UK is better placed than for many years to weather the current uncertainties in the world economy.

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War Pensions

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many war pensioners with a diagnosed relevant psychiatric disorder have had their Incapacity Benefit terminated in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many had benefit restored on appeal. [96951]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: Information on appeals is temporarily unavailable. I will write to my hon. Friend when the data requested become available and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

The available information is in the table.

Incapacity Benefit (IB) claims ceasing for people also claiming War Pension because of a psychiatric disorder
1 September 1999 to 31 August 2000	200
1 September 2000 to 31 August 2001	100
1 September 2001 to 31 August 2002	200

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

2. Figures exclude a small number of cases held clerically.

3. Numbers are based on a very few sample cases and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be used as a guide to the current situation only.

4. Figures exclude IB claims ceasing due to award of Retirement Pension.

Source:

Merges of 5 per cent. samples of the Incapacity Benefit and War Pensions computer systems.

HEALTH

Home Care

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many domiciliary carers seeking employment in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002 were found to have a criminal record preventing them from work. [98552]

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not available.

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of how many people suffer from Impingement Syndrome of the shoulder; and what representations he has made to his Department about the recognition of the syndrome as a prescribed disease for the purpose of industrial injuries disablement benefit. [98599]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: I have been asked to reply.

Representations concerning Impingement Syndrome of the shoulder were brought to the attention of the research working group of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) at its meeting on 13 February 2003. Work related upper limb disorders are part of IIAC's programme of work for 2003–04 and the Council will consider the scientific evidence on Impingement Syndrome in its review.

Information is not collected centrally on the number of people affected by Impingement Syndrome of the shoulder. We have received no representations from the Department of Health on this issue.

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999 Calls

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average time it took an ambulance to reach an emergency after the initial 999 call was made in (a) England and (b) Greater London over the last 12 months. [97817]

Mr. Lammy: Information about the average time it takes an ambulance to reach an emergency after the initial 999 call is not available. The latest information about the proportion of emergency calls resulting in an ambulance arriving at the scene of the reported incident within the Government's target response times for the London Ambulance National Health Service Trust, and all other ambulance trusts in England, is contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin "Ambulance Services, England 2001–02". A copy of the bulletin is available in the Library and available at www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0213.htm.

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many 999 calls were made to the Greater London Ambulance Service between 20 December 2002 and 3 January 2003 for which it was decided an ambulance was not necessary; and what proportion of calls over this period such calls represented. [97834]

Mr. Hutton: The London Ambulance Service received 36,114 emergency calls between 20 December 2002 and 3 January 2003. After receiving clinical telephone advice, 699, or 1.9 per cent. of callers, did not subsequently require an ambulance.

Accident and Emergency Services

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients admitted to accident and emergency departments waited more than 12 hours before being treated in each of the last two quarters for which figures are available; and what the national average waiting time is for patients waiting more than 12 hours. [97737]

Mr. Lammy: The NHS Plan set a new target for accident and emergency (A&E), to reduce the maximum wait in A&E from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge to four hours by 2004.

In line with this target from August 2001, the Department has collected data on total time spent in A&E from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. In Quarter 2, 2002–03, 3,095,650, or 77 per cent. of, patients spent less than four hours total time in A&E.

In addition, the Department collects data on waiting times in A&E post decision to admit patients to a hospital ward. In Quarter 2, 2002–03, 56,581, or 10 per cent. of, patients were not placed in a bed in a ward within four hours of a decision to admit. In Quarter 1, 2002–03, 54,546, or 9.7 per cent. of, patients were not placed in a bed in a ward within four hours of a decision to admit.

The Department does not collect information on how long patients wait in A&E before being treated or the average waiting time for patients in A&E.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of accident and emergency clinical staff, by category, which will need to be recruited to achieve the four hour waiting time target by the end of 2004. [97704]

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Mr. Lammy: The NHS Plan set a new target for accident and emergency (A&E), to reduce the maximum wait in A&E from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge to four hours by 2004.

The Reforming Emergency Strategy was launched in October 2001 to help achieve the NHS Plan target. The NHS Plan included a commitment to increase the numbers of National Health Service consultants. For A&E, as set out in the strategy, this will result in the recruitment of an additional 183 A&E consultants by 2004.

In addition, new investment of 40 million was made available to recruit 600 additional A&E nurses to help to deliver the streaming system in A&E. At 31 December 2002, 692 additional A&E nurses had been recruited and were in post.

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