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17 May 2004 : Column 731W—continued
Benefit Fraud
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a breakdown by local authority of the (a) financial rewards received under the Security Against Fraud and Error Scheme, (b) benefit expenditure and (c) financial rewards received under the Security Against Fraud and Error Scheme as a percentage benefit expenditure for the most recent year available. [172980]
Mr. Pond [holding answer 13 May 2004]: The information has been placed in the Library.
Child Support
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether those in receipt of incapacity benefit are registered by ethnic background; and if he will make a statement. [172856]
Maria Eagle:
Those in receipt of incapacity benefit are not registered by ethnic background. However, Jobcentre Plus has started to collect information, on a voluntary basis, in areas where customers are required to have a work-focused interview in connection with claims for working-age benefits. This will be extended to
17 May 2004 : Column 732W
other areas as Jobcentre Plus offices, and the necessary information management systems, are rolled out nationally over the next few years.
Departmental Expenditure (Entertainment)
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the amount spent by his Department on official entertainment in each year from 1996–97 to 2004–05. [169001]
Jane Kennedy: All expenditure on official hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting. It is typically incurred by the various DWP Businesses to mark the launch of significant initiatives—for example: the introduction of New Deal 50+; the national introduction of New Deal for Partners; launching call centres for jobseekers; implementation of Employment Zones; and launch of ONE pilots in conjunction with local authorities and the private and voluntary sectors.
The information is not available in the format requested. It is not possible to provide expenditure information back to 1996–97 for the Department for Work and Pensions, which has existed only since 1 April 2001. The figures for 2001–02 onwards, therefore, are the only expenditure figures relating to the Department for Work and Pensions. Figures for 2004–05 will not be available until the spring of 2005.
In order to provide figures which are reasonably comparable, information for the earlier years has been provided by combining expenditure on "official hospitality" by the former Department of Social Security (DSS), and on "official entertainment" by the former Employment Service (ES) which, together with relatively small numbers of staff from the Employment Policy Divisions of the former Department for Education and Employment (DFEE), combined to form the new Department for Work and Pensions. However, the expenditure incurred by the Employment Policy Divisions of DFEE is not separately identifiable.
Estimated expenditure 1 on official hospitality on this basis is as follows:
1 Figures rounded to the nearest £000.
| £ | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 147,000 | DSS+ES |
| 1997–98 | 46,000 | DSS+ES |
| 1998–99 | 86,000 | DSS+ES |
| 1999–2000 | 327,000 | DSS+ES |
| 2000–01 | 127,000 | DSS+ES |
| 2001–02 | 155,000 | DWP |
| 2002–03 | 250,000 | DWP |
| 2003–04(7) | 400,000 | DWP |
(7) Expenditure figures for 2003–04 are provisional and may be subject to adjustment.
Disability Benefits
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of women were claiming disability benefits in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) benefit and (b) age; how long the average claim was in each case; and if he will make a statement. [171588]
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Maria Eagle: The information, which is available for all years other than for industrial injuries disablement benefit in 2003, has been placed in the Library.
Health and Safety Inspectors
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Health and Safety Executive health and safety inspectors were working in the field at (a) 1 June 2000 and (b) 1 March 2004. [167498]
Jane Kennedy: We do not have precise figures for the dates requested due to the way HSE collects data on this subject.
| Inspectors in the field | Total |
|---|---|
| 1 April 2000 | 1,306 |
| 1 April 2004 | 1,501 |
Notes:
1. The figures for 1 April 2000 are actual. Those for 1 April 2004 are estimated or subject to confirmation.
2. As far as possible inspector staff undertaking more generalised HQ functions have been eliminated from these figures.
3. All figures are for full-time equivalent staff.
4. Inspectors at senior grades, or working in other parts of HSE are not included.
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inspectors were employed by the Health and Safety Executive (a) in the Factory Inspectorate, (b) in the Nuclear Inspectorate and (c) on other duties in each of the last 10 years, broken down by grade; and if he will make a statement. [170669]
Jane Kennedy: The following table contains the information on the number of inspectors employed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on 1 April for the years 1995 to 2004.
The information requested for the period between 1995–96 and 2003–04 is not maintained within HSE in the format requested by this question, i.e. by grade. This information is only held from the period 2000–01 and is not linked to discipline, and can only be extracted at a disproportionate cost to HSE. The Health and Safety Executive's policy is to retain personnel data for six years in line with the requirements of Treasury. However, we have been able to extract the figures from our Annual Reports and from available archived data within the Directorates in question.
The available information is in the table.
| As at 1 April | FOD | NSD | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | — | — | — | (8)1,478 |
| 1996 | — | — | — | (8)1,466 |
| 1997 | (9)780 | 153 | 509 | 1,442 |
| 1998 | 783 | 147 | 507 | 1,437 |
| 1999 | 853 | 144 | 500 | 1,497 |
| 2000 | (10)898 | 156 | 453 | 1,507 |
| 2001 | (11)954 | 152 | 428 | 1,534 |
| 2002 | (12)955 | 156 | 514 | 1,625 |
| 2003 | 962 | 167 | 522 | 1,651 |
| 2004 | (13)901 | 167 | 537 | 1,605 |
(8) Analysis by Directorate for the years 1995–96 and 1996–97 is not readily available within the timescale for this parliamentary question.
(9) During 1996–97 there were transfers of posts between Safety Policy Directorate, Chemical and Hazardous Installations Divisions, Field Operations Directorate, Nuclear Safety Directorate and Offshore Safety Division following the Review of Senior Management.
(10) Reorganisation of HSE 1 April 2000
(11) Field Operations Directorate and HM Railway Inspectorate brigaded May 2000.
(12) Field Operations Directorate and HM Railway Inspectorate de-brigaded April 2002.
(13) During 2003–04 there were transfers of posts between Field Operations Directorate, Hazardous Installations Division and Technology Division due to re-organisation.
17 May 2004 : Column 734W
Incapacity Benefit
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans there are to review the success of work focused interviews for partners of incapacity benefit recipients in finding them employment. [170195]
Jane Kennedy: Work Focused Interviews for Partners (WFIP) were implemented on 12 April 2004. They will be fully evaluated along with the enhanced New Deal for Partners (NDP). WFIP and NDP are separate but complementary policy initiatives aimed at broadly the same client group (partners of those receiving jobseeker's allowance, incapacity benefit, income support, severe disablement allowance or carer's allowance). The evaluation will look at the effect of WFIP and NDP on individuals and households.
It will provide us with information to improve the delivery of these initiatives, where necessary, and also to inform future policy decisions—including partners of incapacity benefit recipients.
The first phase of the evaluation findings is expected to be published in summer 2005.
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have found (a) full-time and (b) part-time work as a result of attendance at work focused interviews for partners of incapacity benefit recipients since the scheme was introduced. [170196]
Jane Kennedy: Work Focused Interviews for Partners (WFIP) were introduced in Jobcentre Plus areas on 12 April 2004. It is too soon to provide information about job placings.
The Work Focused Interview provides an important platform for us to talk to partners about opportunities to work and about sources of help and advice. We expect most job outcomes will be achieved as a result of participation in New Deal for Partners, following the Work Focused Interview.
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefits claimants there are in (a) each region and (b) each of the 30 areas with the poorest labour market position; and if he will make a statement. [172533]
Maria Eagle: The information has been placed in the Library.
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