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4 Apr 2003 : Column 910W—continued
Child Support Agency
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents were permitted by the Child Support Agency not to name the father of their child because of fear of violence in each year for which the concession has been available. [100048]
Malcolm Wicks: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 2 April 2003:
- The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
- You ask how many lone parents were permitted by the Child Support Agency not to name the father of their child because of fear of violence in each year for which the concession has been available.
- I do not have the information to answer this fully. I do however have some relevant information in relation to sole parents who are in receipt of "prescribed benefits". They are obliged to provide information to the Agency. Some parents may not wish to provide this because they have a genuine fear of violence or intimidation from the other parent, or where there are child welfare issues, which would mean that it would not be prudent to contact the other parent. We do not press the parent with care to provide information about the alleged other parent if there are reasonable grounds to believe that to do so may harm or distress the parent with care or any child living with him or her—this is known as "good cause".
- I do not have figures relating to periods before April 1997. Since then approximately 120,000 applications were on the grounds of a genuine fear of violence or intimidation. My best estimate is that around 100,000 of those cases were lone parents.
Fraud Prevention Board
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who is on the Fraud Prevention Board. [99066]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department and the Post Office work closely together through a number of forums to improve instruments of payment security and combat fraud. One such forum is the Fraud Prevention Board
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which is jointly chaired by the Deputy Divisional Head of the Department's Fraud Strategy Unit and the Head of Security, Post Office Corporate Clients.
Fraud Prevention Board members are drawn from areas of the Department and Post Office responsible for fraud and security; contracts; service delivery and operational analysis.
Housing Benefit
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received Housing Benefit in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage of British households claimed Housing Benefit. [103935]
Malcolm Wicks: The available information is in the table.
| British households receiving Housing Benefit in 2002 | |
|---|---|
| Number of Housing Benefit recipients | 3,806,000 |
| Housing Benefit recipients as a proportion of all British households (percentage) | 15.8 |
Notes:
1. The data refer to households claiming Housing Benefit which may be a single person, a couple or a family. More than one benefit household can live in one property, for example two or more adults in a flat or house share arrangement.
2. Figures includes estimates for local authorities that have not responded. This estimate is based on historical and regional data. These types of estimates are standard practice in reporting totals where there have been non-respondents.
3. The figures exclude any Extended Payment cases.
4. Caseload figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand, and percentages rounded to one decimal place.
5. Information on the number or proportion of British households who claimed Housing Benefit during 2002 is not available.
Sources:
1. Average of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload counts taken in February, May, August and November 2002.
2. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister household estimates mid 2001.
Independent Schools (Health and Safety)
Mr. Burnett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inspections have been made of independent schools by the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last ten years; and of those inspections, how many of the schools (a) have subsequently had an asbestos survey carried out by an expert and (b) have followed HSE guidance on asbestos. [94381]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Asbestos is one of a number of risks considered when a school is inspected. The number of independent schools which have been inspected, had asbestos surveys or followed HSE guidance on asbestos is not separately identified. However, the information that is available is as follows:
| Number of inspections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| LA controlled Schools | Other Schools(13) | ||
| 1995–96 | 197 | 116 | |
| 1996–97 | 538 | 340 | |
| 1997–98 | 542 | 271 | |
| 1998–99 | 306 | 269 | |
| 1999–2000 | 319 | 198 | |
| 2000–2001 | 368 | 147 | |
| 2001–2002 | 283 | 156 | |
| 2002–2003(14) | 133 | 130 | |
(13) Other schools Volutary Aided, Foundation and Independent Schools
(14) Provisional
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Jobcentre Plus
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the development and roll out of Jobcentre Plus. [105496]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Jobcentre Plus was launched in April 2002 with the merging of the Employment Service and those parts of the Benefits Agency providing services to working age people. Through our expanding network of modern, welcoming offices and the introduction of modern technology we are providing a better service to customers, employers and the local community.
The roll-out of the new integrated offices is progressing well and we currently have more than 160 offices delivering the new service. On 10 December 2002 we announced the order of roll-out for the rest of the country to take place over the next three years.
We are also investing in modern technology to improve access to our services. The introduction of new contact centres, touch-screen Jobpoints and improved internet services are enabling our customers to enquire about benefits and job vacancies at a time and place convenient to them.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the procedures are for consultation with (a) staff, (b) local communities and (c) local hon. Members over a proposal to reduce the services of or to close a local jobcentre. [105478]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: From its introduction in April 2002, Jobcentre Plus inherited two large networks of offices from the former Employment Service and those parts of the Benefits Agency that provided services to people of working age. This estate has around 1,100 Jobcentres and 400 social security offices.
This formation of Jobcentre Plus allows us to bring our services together into integrated offices providing help with both claiming benefits and moving into work. In locations where we currently, for example, have both a Jobcentre and a Social Security office providing separate services it may make sense to replace them with just one integrated Jobcentre Plus office to provijde all of our services.
We are making sure that our plans for the rollout of Jobcentre Plus services are communicated widely. In June 2002 a letter was sent to MPs whose constituencies may have been affected by the rollout in 2002–03. District Managers also wrote to their local MPs, staff, trade unions and other local stakeholders to share their early" plans for the provision of services within the
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district and to invite comments. District Managers responded to the comments they received and wrote again in September 2002 with details of the agreed plans.
On 10 December 2002 I gave a written statement, Official Report, columns 8–9 WS giving details of the rollout of Jobcentre Plus for 2003–2006 and, in January 2003, a letter was sent to those MPs whose constituencies would be affected. District Managers will be contacting MPs and local stakeholders as planning begins in each new district.
Medical Services
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to amend the grading system used in audits of medical assessments of claimants to allow for a specific grade for those reports which are not fit for purpose. [103103]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Medical Services and doctors in the Department's Corporate Medical Group regularly review the effectiveness of medical quality audit systems. Medical Services' aim is to maintain the highest standards of medical quality. The Department's decision makers judge whether a report is fit for purpose. Reports that are not fit for purpose are identified and returned to Medical services to be reworked.
New Deal
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many participants in the New Deal for (a) Young People, (b) 50 Plus, (c) Lone Parents and (d) Long-term Unemployed have accepted permanent employment with the Department for Work and Pensions, broken down by year. [95227]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The information is not available for all of the Department and its agencies.
The following table provides information on the number of people who, having been taken on under the subsidised employment option of the New Deal in the former Employment Service (ES) and Jobcentre Plus, have gained permanent employment in Jobcentre Plus. Information broken down by each New Deal is not available.
| Number of people who have gained permanent employment with ES/Jobcentre Plus(15) | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 18 |
| 1999–2000 | 88 |
| 2000–01 | 123 |
| 2001–02 | 63 |
| 2002–03(16) | 21 |
(15) Jobcentre Plus was launched in April 2002. The Employment Service and Benefits Agency ceased to exist at the same time.
(16) Up to end December 2002.
Source:
Jobcentre Plus
In addition, up to July 2002 a further 3,556 people have been taken on across the Department from the New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus. These people have come through the Department's normal recruitment processes. Information on how many of these have secured permanent jobs is not available.
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