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9 Jun 2004 : Column 478W—continued
Road Accidents
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on his Department's progress in reviewing the Road Traffic Accident Fixed Costs Scheme in order to consider its extension to the employers' liability insurance market. [176976]
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Jane Kennedy: The Department of Constitutional Affairs leads on the Road Traffic Accident (RTA) Fixed Costs Scheme. The Civil Justice Council will conduct the formal evaluation of this scheme at the end of 2005.
The Government have built on the momentum generated by the RTA Fixed Costs Scheme and has been working towards getting stakeholder agreement on fixed success fees for Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) cases run under Conditional Fee Agreements. It is hoped that this agreement will be implemented by October 2004.
Discussions with stakeholders will continue to consider fixed legal costs for ELCI claims.
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Work-focused Interviews
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claimants have (a) been invited to attend work-focused interviews and (b) attended work-focused interviews in each year for which figures are available, broken down by category of claimant. [177535]
Jane Kennedy: Work-focused interviews are conducted nationally for lone parents as part of the lone parent work-focused interview regime and in integrated offices for all customer groups.
The information requested is in the following tables by calendar year:
| Calendar year | Jobseeker | Lone parent | Sick and disabled | Carers | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 20,450 | 1,310 | 4,090 | 360 | 1,080 |
| 2002 | 131,610 | 10,500 | 28,710 | 3,460 | 6,600 |
| 2003 | 390,880 | 37,960 | 84,380 | 10,110 | 15,370 |
| 2004 | 88,980 | 9,310 | 19,040 | 2,210 | 3,050 |
Source:
Jobcentre Plus Database (to February 2004).
| Calendar year | Jobseeker | Lone parent | Sick and disabled | Carers | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 19,510 | 1,280 | 3,970 | 440 | 1,040 |
| 2002 | 121,570 | 9,730 | 25,620 | 3,210 | 5,950 |
| 2003 | 356,470 | 34,950 | 75,890 | 9,350 | 13,930 |
| 2004 | 79,860 | 8,550 | 17,180 | 1,790 | 2,740 |
Source:
Jobcentre Plus Database (to February 2004).
| Booked | Attended | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calendar year | New/Repeat | Stock | Total | New/Repeat | Stock | Total |
| 2001 | 68,560 | 36,260 | 104,820 | 58,290 | 25,790 | 84,090 |
| 2002 | 130,140 | 100,600 | 230,740 | 117,220 | 76,860 | 194,080 |
| 2003 | 178,410 | 182,930 | 361,340 | 159,610 | 161,300 | 320,910 |
Source:
NDLP evaluation database (data to December 2003).
Lorry Loader Cranes
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what health and safety regulations and guidance are in place governing the operation of lorry loader cranes. [176763]
Jane Kennedy: The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 all apply to the operation of lorry loader cranes. The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 also apply if the crane is being used in a place where construction activities are taking place, and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 apply if the crane is being used in any other workplace. All of these Regulations are supported by guidance and, where relevant, approved codes of practice.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal accidents there were in each of the last five years involving lorry loader cranes. [176764]
Jane Kennedy: Incidents involving lorry loader cranes have only been separately available since 2001–02. The available statistics are set out in the table.
| Employee | Self employed | Public | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fatal injuries | |||
| 2001–02 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 2002–03(44) | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Non-fatal injuries | |||
| 2001–02 | 484 | 7 | 4 |
| 2002–03(44) | 462 | 12 | 3 |
(44) Provisional
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Government plan to increase the current health and safety requirements for those who operate lorry loader cranes; and if he will make a statement. [176765]
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Jane Kennedy: The Government have no plans at present to increase current health and safety requirements for those operating lorry loader cranes.
Ministerial Meetings
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the official meetings his predecessor had with the Mayor of London since July 2000 to discuss pension issues in London; and what the (a) dates and (b) subject of each meeting was. [174349]
Mr. Andrew Smith: There is no record of my predecessor, the right hon. Member for Edinburgh Central (Mr. Darling), holding any official meetings with the Mayor of London between July 2000 and May 2002.
Public Swimming Pools
Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to introduce legislation to improve health and safety standards at public swimming pools. [177123]
Jane Kennedy: There are no plans to introduce additional legislation. The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcement of health and safety legislation in Great Britain. In the autumn of 2003, it revised and republished the guidance on 'Managing health and safety in swimming pools'. The revision brings the guidance up-to-date with changes in health and safety law and new developments in equipment and facilities. This guidance provides practical advice on how to comply with the law relating to health and safety in swimming pools.
Stakeholder Pensions
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of small businesses with more than five employees that are complying with legislation to provide workers with access to a stakeholder pension. [167507]
Malcolm Wicks: Estimates of compliance levels since the introduction of stakeholder pensions have been based on cumulative quarterly data from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) that have now become out of date. More recent data from the 2003 Employers Pension Provision Survey and from the DTI Small Business Service has enabled us to update our estimate of the level of compliance with the requirement for employers with five or more staff to offer their workers access to a stakeholder pension scheme. On the basis of these we estimate the level of compliance as just over 80 per cent.
We will continue to work with employers so they are aware of the important role they play in helping their employees provide for their retirement. The Government believe that everyone should have the best information, support and opportunity to enable them to make informed choices about how they work and save to achieve their desired retirement income. The workplace is an important focal point for such activity. We will therefore work with employers to make it easier for them to promote good schemes in the workplace, to extend the issue of combined forecasts of state and
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private pension entitlement and to establish the best ways of ensuring that their employees have access to a decent standard of pension information.
Vulnerable Customers (Payments by Cheque)
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 11 May 2004, Official Report, columns 6–7WS, on vulnerable customers (payments by cheque), whether claimants who report late or missing payments will automatically be informed that emergency payments can be made to them both inside and outside of post office opening hours. [177436]
Mr. Pond: We will ensure that people get the money they are entitled to. Where a cheque payment does not arrive by the due payday, the customer should initially contact the office, which normally pays their benefit or pension. Arrangements for replacement payments will vary depending upon the individual circumstances and needs of each customer.
Paying by cheque is a well-established method of payment that the Department has used successfully since 1968. We already have procedures in place for dealing with missing payments. We will ensure they continue to meet the needs of those customers paid by cheque.
Customers reporting non-receipt of a cheque will be provided with all information and guidance they need about collection and cashing of replacement payments where this is appropriate.
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