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29 Mar 2004 : Column 1247W—continued
Habitual Residence Test
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what way the habitual residence test for the purposes of claiming benefits on the part of citizens of EU accession states working in the UK from 1 May onwards will differ from the habitual residence test for the purposes of the income tax regime applicable to such workers. [161400]
Mr. Pond: The habitual residence test that is used to determine eligibility for benefits by this Department is unrelated to measures used by the Inland Revenue to determine liability for income tax. There is no habitual residence test for income tax.
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Health and Safety at Work
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will contribute to activities in relation to Workers Memorial Day on 28 April to help raise awareness of health and safety issues within the workplace. [161234]
Mr. Browne: I agree that as Minister for Work it is important I give my support for International Workers Memorial Day on 28 April.
We must remember and pay tribute to the men and women who have been killed, injured or made ill by work. We should not forget them and the Memorial Day is an opportunity for many people to think about those they have lost. For those of us who are engaged with keeping workers safe and healthy the Workers Memorial Day reminds us of the need to continue improving workplace health and safety.
I will be writing to Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC, in support of the many activities trade unions are organising for the day. The TUC's online 'Book of Remembrance' is an innovative and moving initiative and I commend everybody to read it.
Our continuing aim is, of course, to reduce the number of workers that we remember with sadness.
Incapacity Benefit
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria he will apply to determine whether incapacity benefit needs to be reviewed as part of the Pathway to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement. [162868]
Maria Eagle: The Pathways to Work pilots are intended to provide much greater levels of encouragement and assistance to claimants of incapacity benefits in order to enable greater numbers to realise their aspirations of getting back to work. As part of these pilots we are ensuring the initial Personal Capability Assessment (PCA) is completed in a more timely manner than at present, to fit more appropriately with the work-related support we are offering. However, there are no changes to the nature of the PCA assessment for benefit purposes, the threshold for satisfying the PCA, or the way in which PCA review dates are set.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people from whom incapacity benefit will be removed during the next year; and if he will make a statement. [163553]
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Maria Eagle: People may cease to receive Incapacity Benefit (IB) for a number of reasons, including an improvement in their condition or a return to work.
We have made no estimate of the number of people who will cease to be entitled to IB during the next year.
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list in relation to incapacity benefit the sub-categories of payment made on mental health grounds. [163692]
Maria Eagle: Entitlement to Incapacity Benefit (IB) is not based on any particular diagnosis; instead, it is based on a functional assessment of how a person's medical condition or disability affects their ability to perform day-to-day activities related to work. There are no sub-categories of IB payment that are related to the claimant's condition.
Jobcentre Plus
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Jobcentre Plus has an incentive payments system to encourage senior managers to employ more people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [163696]
Maria Eagle: Jobcentre Plus is positive about employing disabled people. The Agency, as part of the Department for Work and Pensions, operates a guaranteed interview scheme, and has aspirational targets for the number of disabled people it employs in middle and senior management. Later this year, the Department intends to improve its data on the number of disabled people it employs by re-surveying all our staff. There is no incentive payment system to encourage senior managers to employ more disabled people.
Jobcentre Plus
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed by (a) Jobcentres and (b) Jobcentre Plus in each year since 1997; and how many unemployed people were served by those jobcentres in each year since 1997. [162976]
Mr. Browne: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Hugh Bayley, dated 29 March 2004:
- As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed by jobcentres and subsequently Jobcentre Plus in each year since 1997; and how many unemployed people were served by those jobcentres in each year since 1997. This is something, which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
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| Year | Staff (FTE)at 30 April | Unemployedat May |
|---|---|---|
| Employment Service | ||
| 1997 | 31,550 | 1,562,400 |
| 1998 | 30,796 | 1,295,800 |
| 1999 | 32,675 | 1,224,500 |
| 2000 | 32,620 | 1,067,300 |
| 2001 | 34,110 | 942,000 |
| Jobcentre Plus | ||
| 2002 | 85,020 | 918,500 |
| 2003 | 80,170 | 924,000 |
| 2004 | 81,781(as at 31 January 2004) | — |
Source:
Civil Service Statistics and Nomis
It may be helpful if I explain that Jobcentre Plus came into existence in April 2002, bringing together staff from the Employment Service and part of the Benefits Agency. It deals with both claims and payments of all working age benefits as well as job-finding activities. Data on staff is collected by grade rather than job role and it is not possible to identify accurately the number of staff working in front facing customer service posts from this information.
Partnerships Against Poverty
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Partnership against Poverty Scotland in relation to its aims; and if he will make a statement. [163698]
Mr. Pond: The Partnerships Against Poverty Forum for Scotland was established in 2000 with the following terms of reference:
- to draw together the DWP Pension Service, local authorities, major voluntary organisations and organisations representing ethnic minority pensioners to evaluate existing work on the take-up of social security benefits;
- to consider new initiatives and to help inform the development of a co-ordinated approach to benefit take-up;
- to contribute to the development of new business processes, training, forms and leaflets to encourage take-up;
- to identify and address barriers to take-up;
- to consider which organisations are best placed to lead on take-up initiatives and to consider resourcing of initiatives.
The group normally meets four times a year and has taken an active role in the review and development of claim forms and information leaflets for Minimum Income Guarantee, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit and, most recently, Pension Credit. The group has also been influential in the development of short version application forms and simplified customer service and business processes for older people's services; and in the development of new initiatives to promote benefit take-up. The group have also been positively involved in research into the delivery of services to ethnic minority communities and supportive in the development of policies and strategies to address the issues raised.
All parties involved value the opportunity to work in partnership to develop the most effective solutions to the issue of poverty among older people.
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Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding his Department granted to Partnership against Poverty Scotland in each year since 1997; and how many people it employed in each year. [163704]
Mr. Pond: The Partnerships Against Poverty Forum for Scotland was established in 2000 and does not receive any funding from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), neither does the group employ any staff.
Administrative support for the group is provided by DWP which also provides refreshments and a location for meetings.
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the aims are of Partnerships Against Poverty England and Wales; what assessment he has made of its effectiveness against those aims; and if he will make a statement. [163702]
Mr. Pond: The Partnerships Against Poverty Forum for England and Wales was established in 2000 with the following terms of reference:
- to draw together the DWP Pension Service, local authorities, major voluntary organisations and organisations representing ethnic minority pensioners to evaluate existing work on the take-up of social security benefits;
- to consider new initiatives and to help inform the development of a co-ordinated approach to benefit take-up;
- to contribute to the development of new business processes, training, forms and leaflets to encourage take-up;
- to identify and address barriers to take-up;
- to consider which organisations are best placed to lead on take-up initiatives and to consider resourcing of initiatives.
The group normally meets four times a year and has taken an active role in the review and development of claim forms and information leaflets for Minimum Income Guarantee, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit and, most recently, Pension Credit. The group has also been influential in the development of short version application forms and simplified customer service and business processes for older people's services; and in the development of new initiatives to promote benefit take-up.
The group has also been positively involved in research into the delivery of services to ethnic minority communities and supportive in the development of policies and strategies to address the issues raised.
All parties involved value the opportunity to work in partnership to develop the most effective solutions to the issue of poverty among older people.
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding his Department granted to Partnerships Against Poverty England and Wales in each year since 1997; and how many people it employed in each year. [163705]
Mr. Pond: The Partnerships Against Poverty Forum for England and Wales was established in 2000 and does not receive any funding from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), neither does the group employ any staff.
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Administrative support for the group is provided by DWP which also provides refreshments and a location for meetings.
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