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Unemployment (Jarrow)
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what further measures are being taken to reduce youth unemployment in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear and (d) the United Kingdom; [159507]
- (2) what action the Government have taken to help reduce unemployment in the Jarrow constituency since 1997. [159509]
Mr. Browne: Through a combination of economic stability and radical labour market reforms, more than 1.7 million more people are in work now than in 1997 and unemployment is at its lowest level since 1975. Despite a period of global economic insecurity the UK has prospered so that both the UK employment rate and ILO unemployment rate are the best of the major industrialised (G7) countries.
Through Jobcentre Plus, we are providing everyone of working age—the unemployed, lone parents, sick and disabled people—with advice, guidance and a full range of support to help them move into work.
Jarrow has shared in this success. As well as the reductions in claimant unemployment in Jarrow since 1997, long term youth unemployment has been cut by 85 per cent. The local Jobcentre has played an important part in these achievements, helping clients move into work and working closely with employers. By the end of December 2003, the New Deal, had helped over 479,500 young people move from welfare into work in the UK, including over 7,500 in the South Tyneside and Gateshead District and over 1,200 in Jarrow.
From April 2004 New Deal for Partners will be re-introduced throughout the South Tyneside and Gateshead district running alongside Work Focused Interviews for Partners as part of the Government's initiative to encourage partners of benefit claimants to become economically active and thereby reduce the number of households where currently no-one works.
We have now introduced Progress 2 Work/LinkUp, a support programme to help the most disadvantaged take up training provision and ultimately move into
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employment. These client groups include people with drugs and alcohol problems, homeless people and ex-offenders.
Winter Fuel Allowance
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many senior citizens in Crosby have benefited from the winter fuel allowance since 1997. [160583]
Malcolm Wicks: The requested information is only available from 1999–2000.This is in the following table. Details for this winter are not yet available because applications can be made up to 30 March.
| Payments made | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 14,965 |
| 2000–01 | 16,615 |
| 2001–02 | 16,835 |
| 2002–03 | 17,020 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
2. Figures taken from the Matching Intelligence Data Analysis Service Winter Fuel Payments exercise.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. samples.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many eligible Scottish pensioners had applied for and had not received winter fuel payments by (a) 1 December 2003, (b) 1 January and (c) 1 February. [159852]
Malcolm Wicks: It is not possible to say how many pensioners living in Scotland are eligible for a winter fuel payment this winter. The great majority of pensioners who were eligible were paid before Christmas without having to apply. It is not possible at present to say how many payments have been made to pensioners in Scotland but the information will be placed in the Library later in the year.
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria are used to decide claims by (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers for winter fuel payment. [161820]
Malcolm Wicks: The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 excludes persons subject to immigration control (mainly asylum seekers) from income-related and other non-contributory social security benefits, from 3 April 2000 the Home Office is responsible for supporting and accommodating asylum seekers awaiting a determination of their case. Therefore, asylum seekers would not be eligible for a Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment. However, those asylum seekers in receipt of income-related benefits prior to 3 April 2000 continue to be entitled to social security benefits, including a Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment provided they have attained the age of 60 in the qualifying week.
Asylum seekers granted refugee status are no longer subject to immigration control and are entitled to social security benefits on the same basis as UK nationals. A person granted refugee status would therefore qualify for a winter fuel payment in the same way as other UK residents aged 60 or over.
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CABINET OFFICE
Regulatory Impact Assessments
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the monitoring of the (a) quality and (b) thoroughness of regulatory impact assessments. [160135]
Mr. Alexander: Cabinet Office Regulatory Impact Unit (CORIU) continues to work with departments to ensure that Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) are consistent with the most recent guidance. From April this year departments will have to provide information on better regulation, including their compliance with the RIA process and their use of RIAs, as part of their annual reporting requirements,
The National Audit Office (NAO) has undertaken an ongoing role to evaluate the quality and thoroughness of a sample of RIAs each year. The recently published NAO Compendium Report on the Evaluation of RIAs for 2003–04 noted that the CORIU has achieved significant progress in increasing the quality of RIAs.
Telephones
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the annual telephone costs of (a) his Department, (b) their agencies and (c) the Government Information and Communication Service in (i) 1996–97 and (ii) the latest period for which figures are available. [159336]
Mr. Alexander: Annual telephone costs for the year ended 31 March 2003 for the Cabinet Office were £3,881,192.
Government Information and Communication Service costs were £19,168 for 2002–03.
Government Car and Despatch Agency costs were £76,100 for 2002–03.
Information for 1996–97 is not readily available andcould only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the hon. Member for West Worcestershire will receive a response to his letter of 4 February to the Minister of State. [161659]
Phil Hope: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 9 March 2004.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Prosser: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many sick days were taken on average in 2003 by staff in (a) his Department's headquarters and (b) each agency for which his Department is responsible. [161478]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established following the machinery of Government changes in May 2002.
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The most recent "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service" was published by the Cabinet Office on 1 December 2003. This covered the calendar year 2002 for the Cabinet Office, the predecessor Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions and its executive agencies.
Figures for 2003 will be announced in due course.
Housing
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Crosby since 1997. [160567]
Keith Hill: Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per cent. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister introduced in 2001–02 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Sefton's allocations in the period 1997 to 2003–04 have risen by over 200 per cent.. In addition to this welcome increase there is support through the Community Housing Task Force and Government Office for the North West to help the Local Authority and its tenants to choose the best strategy for long term improvement.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on how the (a) Starter Homes Initiative and (b) Abandoned Homes Initiative have affected the residents of Buckingham. [161321]
Keith Hill: Since September 2001, the Starter Home Initiative has been helping key workers into home ownership in areas where the high cost of housing is undermining the recruitment and retention of skilled staff in our key public services. By the end of February 2004, 86 key workers employed in the Aylesbury Vale District Council area, in which Buckingham is located, had bought homes under the Starter Home Initiative.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not aware of an "Abandoned Homes Initiative". The Market Renewal Pathfinders programme tackles low demand and abandonment in a number of areas where this is a significant problem. This programme is not providing funding in Buckingham.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assistance his Department provides for people wishing to get onto the property ladder in Chorley. [161399]
Keith Hill: The Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme provides funding for schemes, such as shared ownership (part buy/part rent), to assist people into home ownership in line with regional strategies and investment priorities.
In the current financial year (2003–04) £0.9 million of Housing Corporation funding has been allocated to provide 30 shared ownership dwellings in Chorley, and to date 107 social housing tenants in Chorley have purchased their rented home under the Right to Buy scheme.
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