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Departmental Staffing (Fylde)

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list his proposed staffing reductions for each of his Department's areas of responsibility in Fylde, for each year from 2004 to 2008. [184575]

Maria Eagle [holding answer 16 July 2004]: Following the announcement in the Budget statement on future departmental staffing levels work has been taking place across the Department to develop detailed business and staffing plans. The first phase of these plans was announced in a statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 29 June 2004, Official Report, columns 8–9WS. Further detailed plans are currently being developed. These plans will enable us to determine how the staffing reductions will be profiled across each part and location of the Department and its businesses.

Green Minister

Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the activities of the Green Minister in the Department in financial year 2003–04. [185128]

Jane Kennedy: The Department's Green Minister is Baroness Hollis of Heigham. Baroness Hollis is a member of ENV(G), the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers. However, it has been established practice under successive Governments not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees.

The Department actively contributes to the UK Strategy for Sustainable Development through its core objectives to combat poverty and social exclusion and to eliminate child poverty. Baroness Hollis' ministerial role on these issues is interwoven with her Green Minister role.

During the past year, Baroness Hollis has also been involved in communications with the Treasury to further develop the integration of qualitative assessment into cost benefit analysis. This will allow analyses to better demonstrate social, economic and environmental balance.

The Department issued its third Sustainable Development Annual Report in the autumn of 2003.

Health and Safety Executive

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Health and Safety Executive (a) regulatory contacts and (b) investigations were carried out in each of the last seven years. [184679]

Jane Kennedy: The numbers of regulatory contacts and investigations carried out by the Health and Safety Executive over the last seven years are as follows.
 
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Report year (April to March)	Regulatory contacts	Investigations
1997–98	186,065	33,585
1998–99	183,292	32,200
1999–2000	185,496	35,551
2000–01	192,693	40,774
2001–02	195,695	37,855
2002–03	218,574	34,724
2003–04	206,460	27,816

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) incidents and (b) complaints were (i) reported to and (ii) investigated by the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last seven years. [184680]

Jane Kennedy: Incidents and complaints, reported to and investigated by the Health and Safety Executive are as follows:

Report year(April to March)	Incidents reported	Complaints reported	Incidents investigated	Complaints investigated
1997–98	n/a	n/a	(16)33,585
1998–99	164,912	29,610	9,400	22,800
1999–2000	160,514	30,901	10,844	24,707
2000–01	164,287	28,933	15,489	25,285
2001–02	156,058	28,021	13,421	24,434
2002–03	142,418	27,554	11,251	23,473
2003–04	(17)n/a	24,404	(18)5,288	22,528

⁽¹⁶⁾ Total.
⁽¹⁷⁾ Data will be available on 18 November 2004.
⁽¹⁸⁾ In 2003–04 HSE's target was to investigate 95 per cent. of reported incidents that met its published investigation criteria. In previous years the HSE target was to investigate a percentage of reported incidents (different targets for each year). In 2003–04, HSE achieved its targets for percentage of complaints followed up (plan—90 per cent.; outturn—94.8 per cent.) and incidents investigated (plan—95 per cent.; outturn—97.66 per cent.).

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of information being laid by the Health and Safety Executive in order to support a prosecution there have been in each of the last seven years. [184682]

Jane Kennedy: Over the last seven years the following number of offences have been prosecuted in Great Britain, following investigation by the Health and Safety Executive. Each offence prosecuted represents one information laid or, in Scotland, charge preferred. The information given is publicly available. The 2003–04 figures will be publicly released in the Offences and Penalties Report, due for release in late October 2004.

Year(19)	Total offences prosecuted
1996–97	1,490
1997–98	1,627
1998–99	1,759
1999–2000	2,115
2000–01	1,973
2001–02	1,986
2002–03	1,659

⁽¹⁹⁾ Year refers to operational year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March.



 
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Housing Benefit

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the 20 councils with the longest times for processing new housing benefit claims, identifying in each case the average time for processing claims. [185706]

Mr. Pond: The information is in the table.
20 local authorities with the longest processing times for new claims for housing benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB)

	Average time for processing new claims (calendar days)
Local authority	HB	CTB	HB and CTB
Bristol	87	90	88
North Ayrshire	79	97	88
Dundee	88	90	89
Flintshire	89	89	89
York	78	108	91
Croydon	83	105	95
East Devon	95	96	96
Mid Suffolk	92	98	96
South Northamptonshire	100	95	97
Torridge	99	96	97
Chelmsford	95	108	101
Lambeth	90	122	104
Renfrewshire	92	115	104
Portsmouth	103	112	107
Leicester	106	122	114
Manchester	137	89	115
Merthyr Tydfil	—	—	118
Hackney	114	134	123
Liverpool	183	152	167
Swale	182	203	193

Notes:
1. Four local authorities did not supply data for 2003–04.
2. It is not possible to differentiate the housing benefit/council tax benefit data from Merthyr Tydfil.
3. The data are taken from un-audited returns by local authorities to DWP, and are the most recent quarterly data they have returned for 2003–04.

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many councils are (a) meeting and (b) not meeting the Government's target for handling new housing benefit claims within 14 days. [185707]

Mr. Pond: The Department for Work and Pensions does not set a target of 14 days for deciding new claims; the regulations require a claim to be decided within 14 days of the relevant information having been received or as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter. The Department launched national Performance Standards in April 2002, which set a standard of 90 per cent. of new housing benefit claims to be decided in 14 days, but these are not mandatory. In the fourth quarter of 2003–04 (the most recent data available) the national average performance was 75 per cent. of new claims decided within 14 days with 23 per cent. of local authorities currently meeting or exceeding the 90 per cent. standard.

In order to improve this performance the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate targets its inspections on those authorities that have the longest processing times. We also provide every local authority chief executive with information as to how they compare against national standards and performance.
 
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Job Centre Plus

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which towns in North Wales have Job Centre Plus offices; and when Job Centre Plus will be rolled out in Rhyl. [186025]

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.

Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 22 July 2004:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the rollout of Jobcentre Plus in North Wales. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

It may be helpful if I explain that the introduction of the Jobcentre Plus model across North Wales is being undertaken in a staged process, which should be completed by March 2006. We have already introduced the new service in our North West Wales and Powys District, and there are Jobcentre Plus Offices in Amlwch, Bangor, Caernarfon, Dolgellau, Holyhead, Llangefni, Porthmadog and Pwllheli.

I am aware that the District Manager for Wrexham and North Wales Coast, which covers Rhyl, wrote to you on 5 April, outlining his initial service delivery plans.

There are presently a mixture of Jobcentres and Social Security Offices in Cefn Mawr, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, Denbigh, Flint, Holywell, Llangollen, Llanrwst, Llandudno, Mold, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Shotton and Wrexham. However, plans for the rollout of the new integrated service have not yet been finalised.

The recent announcement that Wrexham Pension Centre will transfer to Jobcentre Plus, along with our decision to centralise benefit processing into larger units to help deliver our demanding efficiency agenda, are all factors that will need to be taken into account before plans can be finalised.

At this stage, I am therefore unable to give a specific date for the introduction of the integrated Jobcentre Plus service in Rhyl. However, as the position becomes clearer, the District Manager for Wrexham and North Wales Coast, will keep you fully informed of developments.

I hope this is helpful.

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