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5 May 2004 : Column 1557W—continued
Departmental Stationery
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the Department's main suppliers of (a) copier paper, (b) stationery, (c) envelopes and (d) paper for reports; what the name of each paper used was in each case; and what the (i) recycled and (ii) post-consumer recycled content of each type of paper is. [165642]
Mr. Pond: The main suppliers of copier paper to the Department for Work and Pensions are Guilbert, Banner, Glenmore Lomond, Premier Paper and the Paper Company.
The core recycled paper offered by all suppliers is "Evolve Office" which is made from 100 per cent. post consumer waste, although Guilbert also offer an own brand product "Recycled 3500", which is made from 80 per cent. post consumer waste.
The main suppliers for desk-top stationery are Guilbert and Banner, who also supply envelopes.
Reports that are produced and used internally use copier paper, (suppliers listed above). External reports are produced from papers supplied by Aspect, Astron Group, Belmont Press, British Loose Leaf, Corporate Document Services, Charisma, Cherry Print, COI, Colibri, Deanprint, Horner Brothers, Midland Regional Printers, Newtown Printers, Pickards, Print & design Factory, Print Art and Design, Print Solutions UK, Rosehill Press, Sandy Press, Slater Press and Trafford Press.
Disabled Workers (Oldham, West and Royton)
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on measures introduced to improve the working conditions of disabled workers in Oldham West and Royton in the last seven years. [170949]
Maria Eagle: We have a number of measures in place nationally to help improve conditions for disabled people at work, as well as measures to improve their access to services generally. None of these are specific to Oldham West and Royton, but all are available to disabled people who live and work there.
From 1996, the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act required most employers of 20 or more staff not to discriminate against, and to make reasonable adjustments for, disabled job applicants or employees; in December 1998, we reduced this threshold to 15 employees. From October this year, the small employer exemption will be removed and most currently excluded occupations, such as police officers, fire-fighters, and partners in business partnerships will be brought within the scope of the Disability Discrimination Act employment provisions.
Jobcentre Plus runs a number of specialist programmes providing help for disabled people, including New Deal for Disabled People, Workstep, Access to Work, the Job Introduction Scheme, and Work Preparation. All these programmes provide practical advice and support to disabled people and their employers to help overcome work related obstacles
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resulting from disability. Since 1997–98 there have been year on year increases in both numbers helped and programme spend.
To help people access appropriate help, Jobcentre Plus has established a network of Disability Service Teams. The teams are made up of Disability Employment Advisers, Access to Work Advisers and Occupational Psychologists; their services are accessed through local Jobcentres.
Since April 2003, disabled people in work have been receiving financial support through the working tax credit. This is available if a person is working an average of at least 16 hours per week (self-employed or for an employer); and have a disability which puts them at a disadvantage in getting a job. 70,000 families (including over 32,000 adults without children) are benefiting from the disability element within the working tax credit, compared to 38,000 who benefited from the old disabled person's tax credit.
EU Social Chapter
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the effect of the EU Social Chapter on the residents of Heywood and Middleton. [168530]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
The residents of Heywood and Middleton have benefited from the EU Social Chapter by having their employment rights extended to include:
the right to Parental Leave which gives parents the right to 13 weeks unpaid leave at the birth or adoption of a child;
the entitlement of part-time workers to the same pro-rata terms and conditions of employment as full time workers, thereby removing any discrimination and improving the quality of part-time jobs;
the provision that once a prima facie case has been made in an employment tribunal claim, the burden of proof is placed on the defendant (usually the employer), who will need to demonstrate that sex discrimination has not occurred;
rights under the Fixed Term Work Directive that provide equal treatment and prevent abuse of fixed term contracts;
rights under the European Works Council Directive which requires companies with at least 1000 employees in total and at least 150 workers in each of the two Member States, to establish structures for consulting workers on issues that affect them and;
In addition, the Information and Consultation of Employees Directive to be implemented in the UK by March 2005, establishes a right to new minimum standards for workforce communication and involvement in large firms.
Health and Safety Executive
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) paid Star Alliance consultants to advise on the restructure and refocusing of the Health and Safety Commission and HSE. [166862]
Jane Kennedy
[holding answer 26 April 2004]: The Health and Safety Executive employed the Star Alliance to assist with its change and modernisation programme at a cost of £1.088 million. This included the design and implementation of workshops for all staff to embed new values and behaviours; a leadership development and
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training programme for all senior staff; advice on a new communications function and strategy; research on stakeholder and public attitudes; and developing and strengthening the organisation's change management capabilities.
Incapacity Care Allowance
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the incentives to work for those in receipt of incapacity care allowance and seeking part-time work with earnings over £4,000 per annum. [167177]
Maria Eagle [holding answer 22 April 2004]: Since April 2000, people who participate in work trials and placements approved and arranged through Jobcentres can retain their incapacity benefits. Under the new Permitted Work rules for incapacity benefit, introduced from April 2002, recipients can earn up to £20 a week for an unlimited period, or work for less than 16 hours a week and earn up to £72 a week for 26 weeks. This can be extended for a further 26 weeks if progress is being made towards work of 16 hours a week or more. Those doing supported permitted work can earn up to and including £72 a week for an indefinite period. This earnings limit has been increased to its current level from £48 per week in 1998 to keep pace with increases in the National Minimum Wage.
Recipients of carer's allowance are not required to be available for, and actively seeking, work as a condition of entitlement to the allowance. However, working age carers living in Jobcentre Plus areas are required to attend, where possible, a work focussed interview, and are encouraged to keep in touch with the labour market.
Incentives to work for carer's allowance recipients who are seeking part-time work with earnings of over £4,000 per year are provided by the earnings rule which enables them to retain the allowance if their net earnings do not exceed £79 a week after deduction of allowable expenses. These include income tax, national insurance contributions, half of their superannuation contributions and some of the cost of providing care for the disabled person the recipient cares for and/or for the recipient's children whilst the recipient is at work. The earnings limit is set at the same amount as the lower earnings limit for national insurance contributions and is increased each year.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of recipients of incapacity care allowance who are (a) in employment, (b) of working age but not employed and (c) of working age, not employed but seeking work. [167178]
Maria Eagle
[holding answer 22 April 2004]: Incapacity benefits provide a source of income for people of working age with health conditions or disabilities. There are around 2.7 million people with such conditions claiming incapacity benefit, severe disability allowance, income support or national insurance credits. More than 37,000 recipients of incapacity benefit and SDA currently do some permitted work whilst receiving the benefit. In addition,
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the Labour Force Survey suggests around 3 per cent. of those receiving these benefits have looked for work within the last four weeks.
As at 30 November 2003, some 32,500 recipients of carer's allowance were in employment and a further 365,000 working age recipients of the allowance were not employed. Although recipients of the allowance are not required to be available for, and actively seeking, work as a condition of entitlement to it, around 1,000 recipients were also claiming jobseeker's allowance and, hence, actively seeking work. There may be others who are actively seeking work, but do not use the services of Jobcentre Plus.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of incapacity care allowance there were in each of the last five years. [167179]
Maria Eagle [holding answer 22 April 2004]: The information is in the table.
| Thousands | ||
|---|---|---|
| Incapacity benefit | Carer's allowance | |
| 1999 | 2,637.5 | 379.8 |
| 2000 | 2,677.9 | 397.6 |
| 2001 | 2,705.1 | 376.2 |
| 2002 | 2,710.1 | 402.7 |
| 2003 | 2,720.5 | 418.7 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and are expressed in thousands.
2. Incapacity benefit figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample taken at the end of November each year.
3. Carer's allowance figures for 1999, 2001 and 2002 are based on a 5 per cent. sample taken at the end of December each year, figures for 2000 are estimated and figures for 2003 are based on a 5 per cent. sample taken at the end of November.
4. Figures include people receiving incapacity benefit, credits only cases and people in receipt of severe disablement allowance.
Source:
DWP information centre
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