| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
26 Jun 2003 : Column 956W—continued
SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Automatic Punishment
Mr. Allen: To ask the Solicitor-General what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the introduction of a pilot scheme to confer an automatic punishment on those found to have breached (a) bail orders and (b) other orders; and if she will make a statement. [121690]
The Solicitor-General: I meet regularly with ministerial colleagues in the Home Office and the Department of Constitutional Affairs to discuss Criminal Justice System issues.
Bail is a standing item on the agenda because we want to do more to ensure that defendants on bail (a) turn up when their case comes to court and (b) don't commit further offences while on bail.
Fly Tipping
Andrew Selous: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on her policy on prosecuting offences relating to fly tipping. [121691]
The Solicitor-General: The Environment Agencies and local authorities are responsible for these prosecutions. There is no specific offence of fly tipping and offences are usually prosecuted as illegal disposal of waste contrary to Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
There are challenges in prosecuting offences of fly tipping as, for example, it can be difficult to obtain the evidence necessary to prosecute. However, the government positively encourages prosecuting agencies to take strong enforcement action and prosecute offenders because fly-tipping is a serious environmental crime.
Exclusion Orders
Ms Drown: To ask the Solicitor-General what representations she has received on introducing the powers allowing for exclusion orders under section 40A of the Criminal Court (Sentencing) Act 2000. [121692]
The Solicitor-General: I am aware that my hon. Friend raised this in debate following the Home Secretary's statement on the publication of the domestic violence consultation paper on the 18 June 2003 and that the Home Secretary undertook to write to her. I have received no representations on introducing the powers allowing for exclusion orders under Section 40A of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Ambition:Construction Programme
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have (a) been
26 Jun 2003 : Column 957W
funded, (b) been trained and (c) started work having been trained by the Ambition:Construction programme since it was launched in 2001. [119949]
Mr. Browne: In 2001 we launched the Ambition initiative to help unemployed and disadvantaged people gain the right skills to meet the needs of employers in key sectors such as construction.
Ambition:Construction has been operational since June 2002 with pilots currently running in six locations. Training is provided across the full range of building skills including bricklaying, roofing, plastering, joinery, glazing and painting and decorating. The aim of this training is to provide participants with the skills they need for a wide variety of jobs in the construction industry, including house building.
By the end of May 2003, 775 people had been funded by Ambition:Construction. Most of the training courses on this programme last 6 months and so only 184 have so far completed training. Of those, 171 have obtained jobs.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria determine the award of advance payments by the Child Support Agency in respect of arrears due to a parent with care. [118027]
Maria Eagle: 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. Huw Edwards, dated June 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 what criteria determine the award of advance payments by the Child Support Agency in respect of arrears due to a parent with care.
- In essence there are six criteria;
- The arrears owed to the parent with care for the period of maladministration must be over 100 and the non resident parent must be making payments of regular maintenance at the current liable amount. He must also have made and be paying an arrears agreement and it would take longer than 26 weeks to clear these arrears. An interest payment will be made if the interest totals 10.00 or more
- There must be clear evidence that Agency maladministration resulted in a delay, which caused the arrears to accrue. Any delay in part or whole caused by the parent with care or non resident parent will not qualify for an advance payment.
- The Agency must, on the balance of probabilities, be satisfied that the non resident parent would have complied with the maintenance assessment had it not been for Agency maladministration
- The parent with care must have shown an interest in the progression of the case during the period of delay
- An allowance will be made for normal processing times in the calculation of the advance payment. Only time lapsed beyond this point will be considered as delay for payment purposes
- The parent with care must sign a declaration slip agreeing to the Agency retaining any arrears payments received from the non resident parent relating to the advance payment, or to refund any relevant direct payments.
26 Jun 2003 : Column 958W
Disabled People
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on recent charges in the management of advisory and support services offered by his Department to disabled people seeking employment. [118545]
Mr. Browne: Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) have a key role under Jobcentre Plus, both in providing direct support for those disabled people and employers who need their specialist expertise and in supporting other advisers. To ensure better integration with other services, DEAs are now the responsibility of Jobcentre Plus District Managers.
In addition, our Green Paper "Pathways to Work" (CM 5690) outlined proposals to pilot new teams of specialist advisers to support those on incapacity benefits, building upon best practice within Jobcentre Plus. Existing DEAs will form the core the new teams, which will be able to maintain good contact with clients through a series of early and on-going work-focused interviews, and facilitate better referrals to new and existing provision.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to increase funding by social enterprises to help more disabled people obtain labour market placements and longer term employment; and if he will make a statement. [119159]
Maria Eagle: The Department does not give any direct funding to social enterprises. However, social enterprises can act as Providers of Jobcentre Plus programmes.
The Social Enterprise Unit, which is based in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), provides the focal point for strategic decision-making on social enterprise across Government. The Unit is in DTI in recognition of the contribution that social enterprises can make to the business landscape in the UK, and to the nation's economy, through their enterprise, innovation, competitiveness and social inclusivity.
Job Creation
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has commissioned analyses to ascertain what kinds of jobs are being created in the United Kingdom. [120286]
Mr. Browne: We have not commissioned analyses to ascertain what kinds of jobs are being created in the United Kingdom. However, information from the Workforce Jobs series shows that the number of jobs has increased across a wide range of sectors since 1997. These increases are shown in the table.
Source:
Workforce Jobs
26 Jun 2003 : Column 959W
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobs created in the UK in the past 12 months can be characterised as enduring for longer than one year. [120291]
Mr. Browne: The number of jobs created in the UK in the past 12 months which can be characterised as enduring for longer than one year is not available. However, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) shows that 94 per cent. of people in work are in permanent jobs. In the last year the number of people in permanent jobs rose by 105,000, while the number of people in temporary jobs fell by 23,000. The LFS also shows that 81 per cent. of those currently in work have been continuously employed for more than one year, up 1 per cent. from the same quarter last year.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the jobs created in the UK in the last five years are characterised as (a) skilled and (b) semi-skilled. [120293]
Mr. Browne: The information requested is not available. However, changes in the level of employment over time by skill level are collected as part of the Labour Force Survey. Latest figures are in the table. The definition of occupational classifications was changed in 2001 so it not possible to provide comparable data for earlier years.
| Major occupation group(main job) | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|
| Higher skilled employment | 10,821,051 | 11,187,179 |
| Mid skilled employment | 8,858,373 | 8,784,692 |
| Lower skilled employment | 7,723,923 | 7,673,457 |
Source:
Labour Force Survey
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |