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22 Jan 2004 : Column 1410W—continued
Call Centres
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on prospects for employment in Scottish call centres. [148752]
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Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 19 January 2004]: Scotland is home to a significant proportion of the UK's call centres. The Government recognise the important role that call centres play in the Scottish job market and in the wider economy, and will work to ensure the continued development of the industry.
The DTI recently commissioned a study into the competitiveness of the UK call centre industry, and its initial findings will be available from the end of March.
Population Statistics
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the population of Scotland is, broken down by postcode district. [149363]
Mrs. McGuire: Population statistics in Scotland is a matter for the General Register Office for Scotland, an associated department of the Scottish Executive.
Population statistics broken down by postcode district can be obtained from "Scotland's Census Records OnLine" (scrol) which is accessible through the General Register Office for Scotland's website at www.gro-scotland.gov.uk.
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WORK AND PENSIONS
Appeals
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals against decisions made at personal capability assessments were (a) heard and (b) decided in the appellant's favour in the last 12 months, broken down by benefit; what the average length of time between lodging an appeal against a personal capability assessment decision and having that appeal heard was in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [147813]
Maria Eagle: This is a matter for Christina Townsend, Chief Executive of the Appeals Service. She will reply to the hon. Member.
Letter from Christina Townsend to Mr. Paul Holmes, dated 19 January 2004:
- The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question regarding how many appeals against decisions made in personal capability assessments were (a) heard and (b) decided in the appellant's favour in the last 12 months, broken down by benefit; and what the average length of time between lodging an appeal against a personal capability assessment decision and having that appeal heard was in the last 12 months.
- The first table shows the number of personal capability assessment appeals cleared and the number found in the appellant's favour, the second table shows the average clearance time in weeks.
- I hope this reply is helpful.
| Total benefit claimants | Cleared at hearing | Cleared in favour | Percentage cleared in favour | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCA (Incapacity Benefit) | (5)2,400,500 | 41,570 | 20,130 | 48.4 |
| PCA (Not Incapacity Benefit): | ||||
| Income Support | (6)4,016,000 | 435 | 190 | 43.7 |
| Jobseekers Allowance | (7)911,300 | (8)— | (8)— | Not applicable |
| Others | Not available | 90 | 30 | 33.3 |
| Severe Disablement Allowance | (9)315,300 | 35 | 20 | 57.1 |
Appeals Figures Notes:
1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data becomes available. Figures for the latest months may rise significantly as information feeds through to the Appeals Service.
2. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest five and percentages to one decimal place.
Source:
100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System.
Claimant Figures Notes:
(5) As of August 2003; Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
(6) As of August 2003; Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.
(7) As of August 2003; Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
(8) Nil or negligible.
(9) As of August 2003; Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
Note:
Not all claimants of these benefits are subject to the PCA. Therefore comparisons between the claimant numbers and appeals should be taken with caution.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. Samples.
| Clearance time | |
|---|---|
| December 2002 to November 2003 | 23.53 |
Notes:
1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data becomes available. Figures for the latest months may rise significantly as information feeds through to the Appeals Service.
2. Figures are rounded to two decimal places.
Source:
100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System.
Departmental Office (Hebburn)
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many staff will be relocated from his Department's offices in Hebburn; [146993]
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- (2) how many people will be employed at replacement sites for work previously undertaken at his Department's offices in Hebburn; [146994]
(3) where the replacement sites for the Department's offices in Hebburn will be located; and what the cost of relocation will be. [146995]
Maria Eagle: Inland Revenue (IR) is the major occupier of the Reyrolle Building, Hebburn with around 400 staff, and also manages the contract. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) rent space at Hebburn to accommodate around 60 staff from Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (BFI) and The Pension Service.
IR extended the lease on the building until 2006 to provide temporary accommodation for IR and DWP due to the ongoing redevelopment of the Longbenton estate and it will be available for occupation until then.
DWP Estates are looking at alternative accommodation within the area for DWP staff currently working in Hebburn. Staff are being consulted and factors such as accessibility, local facilities and public transport links will be taken into account.
Departmental Relocation
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assessment his Department has made of the benefits of re-location of staff to North Staffordshire; and if he will make a statement; [146873]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals to relocate Government jobs on the Department's ability to meet (a) departmental policy objectives and (b) departmental public service agreements; [146884]
(3) what assessment his Department has made of the effect of possible relocation of staff in his Department to North Staffordshire on (a) job creation, (b) sustainable development, (c) the local economy and (d) tackling regional economic disparities; and if he will make a statement; [146898]
(4) what plans he has to establish procedures for assessing the impact of possible relocation of staff in his Department to the regions; and if he will make a statement. [146929]
Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the my right hon. Friend the Member for Brent, South (Mr. Boateng) on 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 516W.
Local Government Finance (Taunton Deane)
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) rent allowance, (b) council tax benefit and (c) non-housing revenue account rent allowance actual settlement was for Taunton Deane borough council for 2003–04; and what the provisional settlement for each was for 2004–05. [150064]
Maria Eagle: The information is not available.
All funding relating to indirect Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit subsidy will transfer to this Department from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in April 2004. As a result, we have reviewed all current subsidy rates and rules and will pay all Housing
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benefit and Council Tax Benefit subsidy direct to authorities from April. DWP Circular S9/2003 sets out all the changes in detail and explains the transitional protection measures to be put in place to protect local authorities who may receive less funding under the new rules. A copy of the circular is available in the Library.
Pension Payments (Edinburgh)
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in the (a) City of Edinburgh local authority area and (b) Edinburgh West constituency have been written to by his Department regarding direct payment; how many have opted for a Post Office card account; how many have opted to have their money paid into a normal or new basic bank account; and how many have yet to express a preference. [142622]
Mr. Pond: We do not have the information in the format requested. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Key figures on the progress of conversion to Direct Payment are available in the Library, updated every four weeks.
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