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28 Mar 2003 : Column 436W—continued
British Sign Language
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his written statement of 18 March 2003, Official Report, column 41WS, on British Sign Language, what the discrete programme of initiatives to promote British Sign Language will consist of. [104638]
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the statement on British Sign Language, 18 March 2003, Official Report, column 41WS, what initiatives are planned to support this statement. [104639]
Maria Eagle: We have said that we will be working with organisations of and for deaf people to progress the programme of initiatives to support the statement, and will be inviting their input on some of the detail. Among our priorities are to raise awareness, particularly among employers and service providers, of the communication needs of deaf people who use BSL and to increase opportunities for people to learn BSL to a professional level and become interpreters.
Child Support
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of
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cases being assessed under the existing Child Support Agency formula where his proposed arrangements for phasing to assessment under the new formula, when implemented, will involve a transitional period of (a) one year, (b) two years, (c) three years, (d) four years and (e) five years or more; and if he will estimate the number of cases where the transition is likely to be immediate. [99729]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is contained in the following table.
| Year | Percentage of cases due to pay full new scheme liability |
|---|---|
| Immediate effect | 18 |
| By start of year 2 | 69 |
| By start of year 3 | 78 |
| By start of year 4 | 84 |
| By start of year 5 | 89 |
| By start of year 6 | (7)100 |
(7) This figure will include a small group of cases where the final step in the move to the new scheme liability will be greater than any of the steps in earlier years.
Notes:
1. These figures are based on data from August 2001, and represent the position on the day of the scan.
2. Based on a 5 per cent. scan of CSCS, and therefore may be subject to sampling error.
3. The figures are for open and live cases with a full maintenance assessment.
4. This table includes all cases which will be phased. This may be for amounts higher or lower than they are already paying.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the (a) prevalence and (b) causes of occupational stress in the (i) Child Support Agency and (ii) Benefits Agency. [93664]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Our information identifies that between April 2003 and December 2003:
- (i) 9 per cent. of absenteeism was caused by stress syndrome in the Child Support agency; and
(ii) 10 per cent. of absenteeism was caused by stress syndrome in Jobcentre Plus.
Departmental Catering Services
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by the Department in 2002. [104266]
Mr. McCartney: Subsidies of various sizes for canteen facilities are provided in around 150 of our 1,800 offices at a cost of £3.6 million in the financial year 2002–03.
Disabled Job Seekers (Computer Access)
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action is being taken to ensure that software for audio transcription on computers is available to disabled persons preparing to seek work but for whom English is not a mother tongue in a range of suitable vernacular languages. [104791]
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Mr. McCartney: Jobcentre Plus takes all appropriate steps to ensure that its services are accessible for everyone, including people with health problems and disabilities and those with English as a second language.
It is not always possible to provide access to electronic services requested by a jobseeker. However, where this is the case, Jobcentre Plus Advisers will work with the individual to find an alternative means of providing the same or better level of service.
Disablement Awards
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to amend the medical examination criteria for disablement awards for chronic bronchitis and emphysema and for vibration white finger. [103468]
Maria Eagle: We have no current plans to change the medical examination process for Prescribed Disease D12, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council are currently carrying out a review of Prescribed Disease A11 (commonly known as vibration white finger) and a report is expected later this year. We will consider carefully any recommendations made in that report.
Domestic Violence
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid to victims of domestic violence in social fund grants in each year since 1997 for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [105046]
Malcolm Wicks: The discretionary Social Fund provides help with unexpected or occasional costs which vary widely in their nature, to a wide range of client groups, including in some cases, the victims of domestic violence.
The available information is in the table.
| Year | Amount awarded (£) |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 6,200,000 |
| 1999–2000 | 5,900,000 |
| 2000–01 | 5,300,000 |
| 2001–02 | 5,400,000 |
Notes:
1. Reliable information is not available for 1997–98
2. The information relates only to those people who have been awarded community care grants specifically as a result of domestic violence. Community care grants may also have been awarded for other reasons to other people who have been the victims of domestic violence.
3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000.
Source:
DWP Social Fund Policy Budget Management Information System.
File Stores
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's files went missing temporarily or were lost in (a) his Department's file stores and (b) private sector contractors in each year since 1997. [98846]
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Mr. McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested.
Health and Safety (Work Place)
Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he is making to ensure a healthy work environment for employees. [98639]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are responsible for ensuring that risks to people's health and safety from work activities are properly controlled. However, the duty to ensure a healthy working environment for employees lies with employers, as set out in the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974.
HSC/E has developed a cross-governmental long-term occupational health strategy, Securing Health Together. The strategy will raise workplace standards in occupational health, both preventing risk and promoting retention and rehabilitation. The strategy includes targets to cut the number of days lost due to work related-ill health and to improve the opportunities for rehabilitation. A key aspect of Securing Health Together is its focus on partnership working between HSE, other Government Departments, the devolved Administrations, local groups, trade unions, industry groups and professional bodies. More detailed information can be found in HSC's Strategic Plan 2001–04 and HSC's Business Plan 2002–03.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people had their housing benefit restricted as a result of (a) single room rent and (b) local reference rent in each London borough in each year since 1998. [105093]
Malcolm Wicks: Housing Benefit Management Information System data provided by local authorities show the numbers of tenants in the deregulated private rented sector whose claims to housing benefit are assessed under the local reference rent and single room rent schemes. These data do not distinguish between cases where rent is restricted following a rent officer determination and those where it is not (for example because the actual rent is sufficiently low, or the person claiming has transitional protection).
However, using information from rent officer statistics, it is possible to estimate the proportion of deregulated private rented sector cases referred by local authorities where housing benefit would be restricted if the overall claim was successful. The latest available estimates for the years 1997–98 to 2000–01 have been placed in the Library.
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 30 January 2003, Official Report, column 1009W, on housing benefit, if he will commission research into the impact of the July 2001 changes to the single room rent restriction to housing benefit in those areas that will not be used as pathfinders for the new standard local housing allowance. [105149]
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Malcolm Wicks: The Department has commissioned research in the current wave of the Local Authority Omnibus Survey on the impact of the July 2001 changes to the single room rent restriction to Housing Benefit. The results of the research are expected to be available in the Autumn. The Local Authority Omnibus Survey covers all local authorities that administer Housing Benefit in England, Scotland and Wales.
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