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8 Mar 2004 : Column 1289W—continued
Disabled People
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many projects in Greater London received funding to promote participation by disabled people in the workplace in each year since 1997. [158450]
Maria Eagle: Jobcentre Plus run a number of national programmes to help disabled people overcome barriers to employment; all of these are available in London.
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The New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) supports the Government's commitment to "work for those who can and support for those who cannot" and is designed to help people with disabilities and health conditions in finding and sustaining paid employment. NDDP is the first programme specifically designed to support people on disability and health-related benefits into employment. Participation in NDDP is entirely voluntary.
The Access to Work programme is open to disabled people already in employment (including self-employment), people changing jobs and unemployed people about to start work. It helps towards the additional employment costs resulting from disability.
In April 2001, the former Supported Employment Programme was modernised and renamed Workstep; it places greater emphasis on developing disabled people and helping them move into mainstream employment where possible.
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Work Preparation is an individually tailored programme that enables people to overcome barriers to work associated with their disability, and prepares them to join the labour market with the necessary confidence to find and keep work.
The Job Introduction Scheme provides a weekly grant of £75 towards the employment costs incurred during the first few weeks of employment. This is usually paid for six weeks but may be extended to a total of 13 weeks. The scheme is for use at the discretion of Jobcentre Plus staff in situations where a disabled applicant is considered suitable, but the employer has genuine doubts about the individual's ability to cope with the proposed job or place of work.
Ethnic Minority Outreach Programme
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to announce the extension of the Ethnic Minority Outreach Programme. [156122]
Mr. Browne: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the extension of the Ethnic Minority Outreach Programme in July 2002 as part of the 2002 Spending Review 'Opportunity and Security for All'.
The additional £14 million funding will be available from April 2004 for two years. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to make a further announcement at this time.
Ministerial Visits
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Leicester; [156123]
- (2) if he will make a statement on his visit to open the outreach centre provided by Business-to-Business (UK) Ltd. [156126]
Mr. Browne: My right hon. Friend has not visited Leicester recently. However, I was pleased to be able to visit the two Jobcentre Plus Offices in Charles street and Wellington street, Leicester on 4 February 2004, where I met staff, employers and partners who work in or use the offices. Jobcentre Plus in Leicester now offers a truly modern service, offering a range of job and benefit help to its customers—including access to more than 400,000 vacancies Europe-wide.
I also visited Leicester on 25 November 2003 to open the Business-to-Business service, awarded a contract by Jobcentre Plus to deliver Outreach services to the local ethnic minority population. I look forward to seeing the results generated by this innovative provision.
New Deal
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding has been allocated to advertising for each of the New Deal programmes in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [153462]
Mr. Browne: The available information on advertising media spend for the New Deal programme since 1997 is in the table.
(18) Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and exclude VAT.
(19) Allocated budget.
Notes:
1. Unless otherwise specified, spend is for generic New Deal advertising.
2. Figures exclude provision to advertise some local New Deal activities. This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Source:
COI Communications.
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Students
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what joint projects his Department is conducting with the Department for Education and Skills to increase the number of students entering (a) access courses and (b) further education; and what progress has been made to date. [156803]
Mr. Browne: This Department is not conducting any joint projects with the Department for Education and Skills to increase the number of students entering access courses and further education.
However, through Work Based Learning for Adults, this Department does offer people access to a range of occupational skills training and gives them the opportunity to work towards a recognised qualification that will increase their chances of finding work.
We also contribute to the Department for Education and Skills' target on Basic Skills by screening clients for basic skills needs, making referrals for assessment and then offering training to those who need it.
Trust Beneficiaries
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) for what reason distributions from trusts are disregarded by the Department for the purposes of assessing care and means tested benefits, with particular reference to beneficiaries of the Macfarlane and Eileen trusts; and if he will make a statement. [154979]
- (2) for what reasons the Department does not permit beneficiaries of the Thalidomide Trust to discount their distributions when being assessed for care and means tested benefits; and if he will make a statement. [154981]
Maria Eagle: The purpose of means tested benefits is to safeguard against anyone falling below a standard set by Parliament as being the minimum subsistence level. They are paid out of public funds and do not require
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National Insurance contributions to have been paid by the beneficiaries. The rules on the treatment of income and capital strike a balance between protecting people who are less well off and protecting the taxpayer by ensuring that help is directed towards people who need it most.
The Macfarlane and Eileen Trusts exist to help people who have been infected with HIV from contaminated blood products received as part of NHS treatment and are government funded. At the time the trusts were set up, there was considerable stigma attached to HIV and AIDS and it was considered inappropriate that people should have to disclose their condition to benefits staff. As such, it was decided that there should be no need to disclose payment from the Macfarlane or Eileen trusts.
The Thalidomide Trust is a private scheme funded by pharmaceutical companies responsible for producing thalidomide. It is treated in the same way as other personal injury payments; capital that is placed in trust for an individual can be disregarded. Income from an individual's trust can also be disregarded as long as the income is used for other than day to day living expenses. We have no plans to change these arrangements.
The financial assessment for residential accommodation is assessed by the Department for Health. Payments from the Eileen and Macfarlane trusts are disregarded; payments from the Thalidomide Trust are taken into account in the same way as they are for assessing means tested benefits. For Home Care charges, councils have a minimum requirement to follow the capital rules for residential care; however, councils can be more generous if they wish.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Sporting Opportunities (Children)
10. Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her Department's progress on her Public Service Agreement target to enhance the take-up of sporting opportunities by five to 16-year-olds. [158925]
Mr. Caborn: Data on the number of pupils who choose to take up the entitlement to two hours each week of high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum are currently being collected for the first time. The results will be published in April.
Initial findings from Phase 1 School Sport Partnerships, published last week, provide compelling evidence of the difference that School Sport Partnerships are making.
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