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15 Nov 2004 : Column 1203W—continued
Interim Benefit Payments
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of (a) the number of interim benefit payments and (b) gross public expenditure on those payments in each year since 1997 to cover delays in payments of social security benefits and tax credits. [194845]
Mr. Pond: Information on interim benefit payments to cover delays is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Interim payments are not benefit as such but are converted into benefit when a substantive benefit decision is made.
With regard to tax credits, interim payments are made when the usual payment methods have broken down and are part of the annual entitlement. Interim payments to tax credit claimants are explained more fully in the Comptroller and Auditor General's Standard Report 2003–04 [at paragraph 2.14] which was published on 26 October 2004
Jobcentre Plus Offices
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans there are to increase the number of services available to people from Jobcentre Plus offices. [194500]
Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from David Anderson to David Taylor, dated 15 November 2004:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the number of services available to people from Jobcentre Plus offices. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus is continuously modernising and improving the services it provides to its customers. In the course of a four year programme, social security offices and Jobcentres are being replaced by Jobcentre Plus offices in which customers can make enquiries about their benefits and job opportunities in one place. The programme has currently rolled out a total of 537 sites, which is over half the eventual total.
In terms of office design and customer service, our emphasis has been on reducing waiting times and eliminating referrals between offices. New measures include increased telephone contact
- facilities, a new appointments system and nominated Personal Advisers offering advice and support on job readiness and benefit matters. As part of our modernisation programme, we are reinvesting in front line, customer facing services.
We are also providing improved customer access through telephone contact centres and the Internet. The staff at telephone contact centres are able to take applications for benefit over the telephone and deal with customer enquiries.
Natural Gas Infrastructure
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets have been set for the Health and Safety Executive in respect of time elapsing from application for approval of large scale natural gas infrastructure to the completion of assessment; what the performance against target has been in each of the last five years; and what steps he is taking to ensure timely assessments are carried out. [197637]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 11 November 2004]: A large scale natural gas infrastructure project would be subject to the Control of Major Accident Hazard Regulations 1999 (COMAH) which are enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency acting jointly as the competent authority. These regulations require the operator to submit a "pre-construction safety report" to the competent authority for assessment three to six months before construction starts. Construction cannot begin until the competent authority has advised the operator of its conclusions and the operator is then required to produce a pre-operational safety report.
The competent authority's publicly available safety report assessment manual gives the timescale for completion of the assessment of the pre-operational safety reports as twelve months, but notes that there may be reasons where this cannot be achieved. There are no timescales for pre-construction safety reports.
The competent authority can confirm that no large scale natural gas infrastructure projects have been delayed, in the last five years, due to a failure to make timely assessments.
New Deal
John Barrett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what targets have been set for the
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numbers of lone parents taking advantage of the (a) lone parent work premium and (b) in work credit (i) in each of the pilot areas and (ii) as a whole; [194991]
(2) for how long the proposed pilots of (a) lone parent work premium and (b) in work credit will last; [194992]
(3) what estimate he has made of the number of lone parents who will benefit from the (a) lone parent work premium and (b) in work credit in each of the pilot areas; [194993]
(4) what steps he will be taking to make those lone parents living in selected pilot areas aware of the (a) lone parent work premium and (b) in work credit; [194994]
(5) in which districts the (a) lone parent work premium and (b) in work credit will be piloted. [194995]
Jane Kennedy: On 25 October 2004, the Department launched pilots of two new financial incentives to help lone parents. The incentives are a Work Search Premium (WSP) of £20 a week, on top of benefits, to assist lone parents during the search for work, and an In Work Credit (IWC) of £40 a week, on top of wages and tax credits, helping work pay during their first year back in full-time work.
The pilots are testing the effectiveness of the IWC in twelve districts across the country. In eight of these areas the credit is being tested alongside the WSP.
The aim of the pilot is to gather evidence about the proportion of lone parents taking up the credit and premium and the impact in terms of supporting more lone parents to move off benefit and into work. There is strong evidence, from the evaluation of New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP), that nearly all lone parents would be more positive about considering work if the gains were over £40 per week. We have, therefore, not made prior assumptions about the impact of the IWC or WSP and have not set targets for take up of either the IWC or WSP in the pilot areas.
The table provides estimates of the number of lone parents in the pilot districts who meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the pilot.
Notes:
1. Lone parents who have claimed income support for 12 months or longer are eligible for the pilot.
2. Lone parents who have claimed jobseeker's allowance for 12 months or longer are also eligible for the pilot, though there are very few lone parents with children under 16 on jobseeker's allowance in relation to those on income support.
Source:
Estimates based on DWP administrative data from the Working Age Statistical Database (Benefits), April 2004
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Whilst we anticipate that many lone parents will take up the offer of this new financial help, we recognise that not all eligible lone parents will choose to do so. Payment of the work search premium is dependent upon them working closely with NDLP personal advisers and adhering to an action plan. Currently less than nine per cent. of lone parents claiming income support are on NDLP. Whilst our expectation is that the new incentives will encourage greater participation in NDLP, this will remain a voluntary programme and we accept that many lone parents will not yet feel that worksearch or full time employment are the right options for them.
The level of improved job entries as a result of the new incentives will not be measurable until the pilots have been running for some time. Independent experts will carefully evaluate detailed management information from the pilots and their findings will be published.
In all districts the pilots are planned to continue until October 2006 but payments to lone parents who join the pilot before that date will continue for some time beyond that, until the end of the payment period (26 weeks for WSP, 12 months for IWC).
Eligible lone parents will be made aware of these measures at interviews with NDLP personal advisors. The entire eligible population will be invited for interview at least once during the length of the pilot. In addition leaflets, posters and local publicity will be available from the selected pilot areas.
Mr. Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents in Manchester, Withington have gained work through the New Deal Programme. [197883]
Jane Kennedy: 500 lone parents in Manchester Withington have gained work through the New Deal for lone parents since the start of the programme in October 1998. Figures for lone parents who have gained work through other New Deal Programmes are not available.
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