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6 Jan 2004 : Column 335W—continued
Public Transport
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicles in the (a) Ulsterbus fleet and (b) Citybus fleet are (i) in operation and (ii) undergoing repair and maintenance. [144224]
Mr. Spellar: Translink has advised that routinely 1025 buses in the Ulsterbus fleet are operational and 114 are undergoing repair and maintenance and 226 buses in the Citybus fleet are operational and 40 are undergoing repair and maintenance.
Roads
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to amend the criteria used to determine the need for road dualling on major trunk roads; and if he will make a statement. [144240]
Mr. Spellar: The Chief Executive of Roads Service has written to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
Sexual Health Services
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he will take to increase funding for sexual health services in Northern Ireland. [145428]
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Angela Smith: The Department, through its Regional Advisory Committee on Communicable Disease Control, commissioned a local review of sexual health issues. The resulting comprehensive report on "Sexually Transmitted Infections and Genito-urinary Medicine Services" was issued to Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts for implementation on 14 April 2003.
This was followed by the Department's "Sexual Health Promotion Strategy and Action Plan", which has been issued for a period of consultation finishing on 19 March 2004. The aim of the Strategy is to improve, protect and promote the sexual health and well-being of the population in Northern Ireland, along with addressing issues relating to education, access to information and services. It also addresses issues such as reducing rates of sexually transmitted infections and Aids.
In the meantime, my Department, in conjunction with Boards and Trusts, is identifying opportunities to improve Genito-urinary Medicine services, along with the necessary resources to sustain service development.
University Students
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of students attending university in each of the last five years came from families where (a) one or more of the parents also attended university and (b) neither parent attended university. [145305]
Jane Kennedy: The Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) does not collect information on the past educational participation of current students' parents.
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students who enrolled at university in Northern Ireland failed to complete their course in each of the last five years. [145309]
Jane Kennedy: The following table (published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England) details the number of full-time, first degree, entrants to university in Northern Ireland who neither continued into the following year of their course nor successfully completed their programme of study, over the period 1996–97 to 2000–01.
| Year of entry | Number of non-completers |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 694 |
| 1999–2000 | 625 |
| 1998–99 | 931 |
| 1997–98 | 566 |
| 1996–97 | 513 |
WORK AND PENSIONS
Draft Disability Discrimination Bill
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons it is proposed to extend the definition of disability in the Draft Disability Discrimination Bill to include people infected by HIV. [145729]
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Maria Eagle: People with progressive conditions, such as HIV infection, are already covered by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 from the point at which the condition gives rise to an impairment which has some effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities, and which will be likely to have a substantial adverse effect. The Government are proposing to cover people with HIV infection before symptoms develop because it is concerned that discrimination can arise at a much earlier stage.
Assaults on Staff
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) physical and (b) non-physical assaults there have been on staff in the (i) Employment Service, (ii) Benefits Agency and
6 Jan 2004 : Column 338W
(iii) Jobcentre Plus in each year since 2001; how many prosecutions resulted; what penalties were handed down; and if he will make a statement. [141504]
Mr. Browne: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 15 December 2003:
As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply direct to your question on the number of physical and non-physical assaults there have been on staff in the Employment Service, Benefits Agency and Jobcentre Plus in each year since 2001 and how many prosecutions and penalties resulted. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
Information on the number of incidents occurring in our offices since 2001 is in the table:
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003(24) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical contact | Verbal abuse | Physical contact | Verbal abuse | Physical contact | Verbal abuse | |
| ES Offices | 222 | 3,637 | 44 | 1,026 | — | — |
| BA Offices | 135 | 4,910 | 34 | 1,128 | — | — |
| Pathfinder Offices(22) | 1 | 108 | 2 | 171 | — | — |
| Jobcentre Plus(23) | — | — | 207 | 4,299 | 188 | 5,648 |
(22) Pathfinder Offices commenced on 1 October 2001.
(23) Jobcentre Plus was launched April 2002. All sites were Jobcentre Plus sites from that date.
(24) Data reported for 2003 is up to and including 28 November.
Source:
Occupational Health and Safety Division
Physical contact is when a customer directly touches a member of staff with or without an object. It includes striking, pushing, spitting and throwing of objects—large or small. Non-physical contact mainly involves verbal abuse but can include throwing of objects that miss or hit screens.
Historically there has been under-reporting of incidents. Increased awareness of Health and Safety and encouragement by management and trade unions to report incidents have contributed to the increased number of incidents being notified.
Information on prosecutions and penalties since Jobcentre Plus came into existence is shown in the table below. We do not have information available for 2001. Data on penalties indicates the number of banning orders imposed on customers who have a history of behaving in an unacceptable manner. Banning orders prevent these customers from entering any Jobcentre Plus premises.
| Prosecutions | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1 | 430 |
| 2003 | 1 | 600 |
Source:
Occupational Health and Safety Division
I hope this is helpful.
Fareham Jobcentre
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many staff are located at the former jobcentre premises at 187–199 West Street, Fareham; [143697]
- (2) what the (a) annual rental and (b) unexpired lease period is of the former jobcentre premises at 187–199 West Street, Fareham; [143698]
(3) if he will make a statement on the future use by the Department of the former jobcentre premises at 187–199 West Street, Fareham. [143699]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 11 December 2003]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Mark Hoban, dated 15 December 2003:
- As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply direct to your questions about the use by Jobcentre Plus of the former Jobcentre premises at 187–199 West Street, Fareham. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
- Jobcentre Plus has been established to deliver a radical change in the way that benefits and employment services are provided to people of working age. By 2006, we plan to introduce a network of around 1000 fully integrated Jobcentre Plus offices.
- The Jobcentre Plus Implementation Programme for Hampshire commenced in June 2002. Following a period of consultation, the former Social Security Office at Civic Way, Fareham, was identified as being suitable for use as a new Jobcentre Plus site. Following adaptations to the premises, the new office opened on 22 April 2003.
- It was clear throughout this process that the site, though suitable for the delivery of the new Jobcentre Plus services, would not be big enough to house all of the staff currently working in Fareham. Therefore, the premises at 187–199 West Street, formerly the Jobcentre, was retained as an "overspill" site. Further acquisitions, together with other new Jobcentre Plus sites that open during the coming months, may influence space requirements across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. This in turn, may impact upon the need to retain the use of this particular building.
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- Currently, the office accommodates a total of 35 staff, transferred following the opening of our new Jobcentre Plus site. Of this total, eleven are engaged in the processing of Jobseeker's Allowance claims; twelve are staff from the Pensions Service and twelve from the Counter Fraud Investigation Service. The present complement of Counter Fraud Investigation Service staff will be joined by a further fourteen members of staff from our Employer Collusion Team with effect from 14 January 2004.
- The premises at West Street, with effect from 15 December 2003, will be controlled by TRILLIUM, under the Private Sector Resource Initiative for the Management of Estate. For this reason, information about annual rental and lease agreement is classed as commercial in confidence and so cannot be provided.
- I hope this is helpful.
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