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17 Jul 2003 : Column 560W—continued
Public Appointments
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the appointees to the (a) Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board, (b) Industrial Injuries Advisory Council, (c) Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority and (d) Social Security Advisory Committee and which of the appointees from each body are from ethnic minorities. [122993]
Maria Eagle: The information requested is in the table.
Notes:
The table contains the names of chairs and members of the groups requested. The appointees noted as being from an ethnic background have given their consent for this information to be released.
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Seasonal Unemployment
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proposals he has for addressing seasonal unemployment fluctuations in seaside towns; and if he will make a statement. [124772]
Mr. Browne: In a dynamic economy, like the UK, jobs begin and end frequently and we cannot legislate to prevent change. Seaside towns suffer more seasonal fluctuation, but this can be reduced over time as broader employment bases are established. However, where there are job losses, the people affected need help and support to find a new job as quickly as possible—whatever part of the economy they work in.
Jobcentre Plus is providing everyone of working age with advice and guidance on the full range of support available to help them move into work, including where this need is as a result of seasonal fluctuations. For those who need more help, we have introduced a wide range of programmes and initiatives designed to tackle the barriers that can prevent individuals from returning to work. We are making sure that people who become unemployed get back into employment as soon as possible.
These policies have contributed to a reduction in unemployment across the country. For example, in Torbay, 2,277 people have been helped into work through the New Deals and the percentage of the working-age population in Torbay who were unemployed and claiming benefit has fallen from 5.8 per cent. in May 1997 to 2.9 per cent. in May 2003.
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003 (a) departmental and (b) non-departmental special advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [126671]
Maria Eagle: Departmental special advisers travelled abroad on one occasion to Boston and Washington, USA at a cost of £4,900.00.
Sickness Absence
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many staff in his Department were on long-term sick leave in each of the last five years; [109244]
(2) how many staff in the Department have been on long-term sick leave in each of the last two years. [115866]
Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested.
The Department for Work and Pensions was created in June 2001 but statistics for the new Department as a whole have only been available since April 2002. Statistics for the former Department of Social Security are also not available.
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Such information is available as follows:
13,853 people out of 166,286 (8.3 per cent.) in the Department have taken one spell of long-term sickness absence between 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2003.
A further 2,504 people in the Department have taken at least two spells of long-term sickness absence between 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2003.
| Number of spells | Number of people |
|---|---|
| 1 | 13,853 |
| 2 | 2,154 |
| 3 | 303 |
| 4 | 35 |
| 5 | 9 |
| 6 | 3 |
Standard Local Housing Allowance
Mr. Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what size of geographical area he will determine as appropriate in setting the standard local housing allowance to ensure that it properly reflects the local market; [118488]
(2) what plans he has to ensure that tenants' views are taken into account in the level set in their locality for the standard local housing allowance. [118491]
Malcolm Wicks: Standard local housing allowances in the 10 Pathfinder authorities will be calculated across a Broad Rental Market Area. This will be based on the current concept of a locality, which is used to determine Local Reference Rents and Single Room Rents.
As with localities, a Broad Rental Market Area will reflect a rent officer's judgment about the area in which someone could reasonably be expected to live while having access to amenities of a similar standard. Therefore, the area covered will depend on local conditions rather than pre-determined geographical size.
The information on which rent officers' decisions are based is collected from a wide range of sources. Although they are under no duty to formally consult with anyone when setting localities and calculating Local Reference Rents (or Single Room Rents), rent officers welcome discussion and information from any interested party. They currently do this by holding regular meetings with local landlords' forums and tenants' groups. Similarly, although there will be no duty for rent officers to consult with tenants or other third parties when setting Broad Rental Market Areas and calculating Standard Local Housing Allowances, they will continue to welcome discussion.
Tax Credits
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he and his Department have (a) made and (b) put into action to extend entitlement for application to budgeting and crisis loans to those in receipt of tax credits; and if he will make a statement. [126108]
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Mr. Pond: Social fund budgeting loans target help on the neediest people in our society who qualify for income-related benefits.
All families who move from income support or jobseeker's allowance to child tax credit only will be entitled to the maximum amount of child tax credit up to an annual household income of £13,230. These families can therefore gain considerably from the introduction of the child tax credit.
Crisis loans will continue to be available to anyone in an emergency, or as a consequence of a disaster where there is no other means of preventing serious damage or serious risk to their health or safety or that of their family. There is no requirement for a crisis loan applicant to be receiving an income-related benefit, but any income or capital they have will be taken into account.
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