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25 May 2004 : Column 1582W—continued
Job Seekers
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether clients using Jobseeker Direct services when seeking job-broking advice and assistance by telephone will have access to Language Line if they do not speak English well; and if he will make a statement. [175034]
Jane Kennedy:
The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
25 May 2004 : Column 1583W
Letter from David Anderson to Andrew Dismore dated 25 May 2004:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question, concerning clients of Jobseeker Direct having access to the telephone interpreter services provided by Language Line. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated tome as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
All customers who call Jobseeker Direct or any of our contact centres, and do not speak English, have unrestricted access to the telephone interpreter services provided by Language Line. In addition, Welsh language callers have a specific number to dial and they currently receive a full Welsh language Jobseeker Direct service.
I hope this reply to your question is helpful.
Lung Diseases
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were diagnosed to be suffering from (a) asbestosis and (b) mesothelioma in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) sex and (ii) age. [174796]
Jane Kennedy: Cases of asbestosis identified through the Department for Work and Pensions Industrial Injuries and Disablement Benefit Scheme provide the best indication of the number of asbestosis diagnoses. Provisional figures for Great Britain in 2003 are shown by sex and age group in Table 1.
| Age group | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | 0–44 | 45–54 | 55–64 | 65–74 | 75+ | Total |
| Males | — | 20 | 150 | 260 | 210 | 635 |
| Females | — | — | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| Total | — | 20 | 155 | 265 | 215 | 650 |
(30) Provisional figures.
Reliable figures for the number of diagnoses of mesothelioma are not available. The disease is rapidly fatal in nearly all cases, and a good indication of the number of diagnoses is given by the annual number of deaths. Numbers of deaths in Great Britain in 2001 (the latest year for which figures are available) are given in table 2.
| Age group | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | 0–44 | 45–54 | 55–64 | 65–74 | 75+ | Total |
| Males | 9 | 100 | 365 | 535 | 570 | 1,579 |
| Females | 5 | 20 | 54 | 70 | 120 | 269 |
| Total | 14 | 120 | 419 | 605 | 690 | 1,848 |
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) teachers and (b) office workers were diagnosed to be suffering from (a) asbestosis and (b) mesothelioma in the last year for which figures are available. [174797]
Jane Kennedy:
Substantial exposures to asbestos are required in order for asbestosis to be clinically manifested within the lifetime of an individual. Teachers and office workers are very unlikely to have had such
25 May 2004 : Column 1584W
exposures during the course of their work. In 2003, 10 cases of asbestosis were identified by the Department for Work and Pensions Industrial Injuries and Disablement Benefit Scheme among occupational groups most likely to be predominantly office based. The coding of occupations is not of sufficient detail to specifically identify teachers from this data source.
Reliable figures for the number of diagnoses of mesothelioma are not available. The disease is rapidly fatal in nearly all cases, and a good indication of the number of diagnoses is given by the annual number of deaths. In 2001 (the latest year for which figures are available) there were 14 mesothelioma deaths among teachers and 24 among office workers. However, death certificates record only the last occupation of the deceased. The typically long time between asbestos exposure and the onset of mesothelioma means that the occupation recorded may not be the one in which exposure took place.
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what forecast his Department has made for the diagnosis of cases of (a) asbestosis and (b) mesothelioma cases in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2015; and when they are expected to peak. [174798]
Jane Kennedy: Cases of asbestosis identified through the Department for Work and Pensions Industrial Injuries and Disablement Benefit Scheme provide the best indication of the number of asbestosis diagnoses. The number of cases in the year 2010 and 2015 is projected to be less than 1,000 in each year. No estimate of the peak number of cases is available.
Reliable figures for the number of diagnoses of mesothelioma are not available. The disease is rapidly fatal in nearly all cases, and a good indication of the number of diagnoses is given by the annual number of deaths. The number of mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain is forecast to be between 1,950 and 2,025 in the year 2010 and to be between 1,900 and 2,450 in the year 2015. The annual total number of mesothelioma deaths is expected to peak at around 1,950 to 2,450 deaths some time between the years 2011 and 2015.
New Deal
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost is of each stage of (a) the New Deal for Young People and (b) the New Deal 25 plus using the unit cost model operational from April; and if he will make a statement. [175190]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 21 May 2004]: The information requested is not available.
A unit cost system has been in place from April 2004. This records information on staffing costs across a broad range of activities, including New Deal administrative costs at a summary level. However, this system does not capture the information requested.
A more sophisticated model will be developed as part of the Department's Resource Management System. The Resource Management System project is currently moving into the design and development stage and will be looking at addressing this requirement.
25 May 2004 : Column 1585W
Online Pension Forecasts
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the online national insurance retirement pension forecast to be available. [173242]
Malcolm Wicks: It is intended to make the service available in a controlled go-live environment, following six months of intensive testing, in the fourth calendar quarter of 2004, initially to DWP staff. This will allow DWP to study the impact of the registration and enrolment function of the Government Gateway, which is a pre-requisite of using the service. Previous e-services have made this requirement optional. Access to citizens will be made available one month later incorporating the lessons learned.
The service will be called the State Pension Forecast e-Service and will be primarily accessed via the Pensions Service Web site, but will have links from all DWP websites and the Government Gateway site.
Pension Centre Offices
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proposals he has for the future of pension centre offices; and if he will make a statement. [174042]
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement about the future of Burnley Pension Centre. [174159]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answers 18 May 2004 and 20 May 2004]: The Pension Service structure, including pension centres, is being reviewed as part of a programme of efficiency measures. The next stage of planning is currently being developed and more information will be available within one month.
The programme will allow us to complete the task we set out to achieve when we introduced The Pension Service and to meet the DWP budget challenge. It also supports our commitment to meeting targets and continuing to introduce new and better ways of working, supported by improved technology and smarter processes.
This will enable us to deliver some very real improvements in our service to customers and in job satisfaction for our people.
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