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18 Nov 2004 : Column 1893W—continued
New Deal for Young People
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the latest figures are for (a) the number of starts on each of the New Deal for Young People options and (b) the number of the starts that have led to sustained unsubsidised employment. [194839]
Jane Kennedy: Young people starting the New Deal for Young People programme face significant disadvantage in the workplace as they will already have been unemployed for six months. Participants enter a "Gateway" lasting up to four months in which a personal adviser gives them intensive job search to improve their job prospects. Of the 595,270 people who have already left the Gateway, 254,610 (43 per cent.) have entered unsubsidised, sustained work.
Those who haven't found work at the end of the Gateway period enter the New Deal for Young People Options. These customers often have the most difficult barriers to work of the 18 to 24 age group. The Options help young people by giving them the skills, work experience and confidence they need to make them more job ready. Young people can access more than one option during a spell on New Deal for Young People, allowing them to find the support that is most likely to lead them to employment.
Information on starts to the Options, and jobs gained, is in the table.
(31) Includes people who may have started more than one Option during a single spell on New Deal for Young People.
(32) For the purposes of New Deal for Young People, employment is regarded as sustained if no new claim is made for jobseeker's allowance within 13 weeks of leaving New Deal.
(33) Includes jobs gained directly from the option, and from the Follow-Through stage of New Deal for Young People after completing the option.
Notes:
1. Data is from the national launch of New Deal for Young People in January 1998 to the end of June 2004.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
Information and Analysis Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer from the Secretary of State for Home Department dated 29 June, ref 173275, when he will respond to the Question asked by the hon. Member dated 29 January, ref 152147; and if he will explain the reasons for the delay. [192166]
Maria Eagle:
A reply has been given today. I regret the delay, which was caused by a number of administrative errors.
18 Nov 2004 : Column 1894W
Pathways to Work Pilots
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the Pathways to Work pilot scheme evaluation referred to on page 17 of his Department's publication UK National Action Plan for Employment. [194695]
Maria Eagle: A report on interviews carried out with Personal Advisers and Incapacity Benefit customers in the first three Pathways to Work pilots was published in September 2004. A copy has been placed in the Library. [W202 'Incapacity Benefit reforms: Early Findings from Qualitative Research'.]
A further report, which looks in detail at the role and practices of Personal Advisers across all seven pilot districts, will be published in late November. These studies are part of a wide-ranging evaluation of all aspects of the Pathways pilots. Reports on different elements of the evaluation will be placed in the Library as they are published.
Part of the UK National Action Plan for Employment also referred to the improved job entry performance in pilot areas. This was derived from early internal analysis of Jobcentre Plus recorded job entries in the pilot areas. Since that report was written, there is now further emerging evidence showing that Pathways areas are achieving double the level of improvement in the number of recorded job entries compared to other areas. They are also getting about six times as many people to take up further help to get back to work, and there are positive and encouraging indications of an increase in flows off incapacity benefit in comparison to both last year and to non-pilot areas.
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people eligible for support under the Pathways to Work pilots are aged (a) 16 to 49 and (b) over 50 years; and how many people who have found work under the Pathways to Work pilots are aged (i) 16 to 49 and (ii) over 50 years. [197380]
Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
Notes:
1. Includes those identified as new incapacity benefit customers for whom pilot participation is mandatory; new customers for whom a work focused interview is not mandatory because of their age (males aged 60 to 65) and may or may not have volunteered to participate; and existing customers who have volunteered to take part.
2. Includes all recorded job entries plus return to work credit (RTWC) awards for which no Jobcentre Plus job entry is yet recorded (by definition, an RTWC award means that a job entry has occurred).
3. Figures for job entries include New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) job starts.
4. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
5. Information is up to the end of August 2004.
Source:
DWP Family and Disability Division, Incapacity Benefit Reforms Database.
18 Nov 2004 : Column 1895W
Pensioner Poverty
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners were living in poverty in the London borough of Wandsworth in each of the last three years. [197125]
Mr. Pond: Poverty and social exclusion are complex and multi-dimensional issues, affecting many aspects of peoples' lives—including their living standards, health, housing, the quality of their environment and not just low income. The sixth annual 'Opportunity for all' report (Cm 6239) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and reports progress against a range of measures.
8,500 pensioner households in Wandsworth were benefiting from the pension credit in May 2004.
Information on the number of pensioners in low incomes in individual local authorities is not available.
Pensioners
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners received council tax benefit in 1997–98; what the council tax benefit take-up rate was; and what the figures are for 2004–05. [195266]
Mr. Pond: The available information is in the table. Information is not available for 2004–05.
| Thousand | |
|---|---|
| May 1998 | 3,169,000 |
| May 2003 | 2,815,000 |
Notes:
1. The figure is based on a 1 per cent. sample and subject to a degree of sampling variation.
2. Council tax benefit totals exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.
3. "Beneficiaries" are all claimants and partners aged 60 or over.
4. The figure is rounded to the nearest thousand.
5. No information is available after May 2003.
Source:
1. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 1998 and May 2003.
Estimates of the number of pensioners in receipt of council tax benefit—averaged over 1997–98—along with revised estimates of the rate of take-up are published in the DSS report entitled "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-up in 1998/99" (December 2000). Copies of the report can be found in the Library.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners are in receipt of (a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit; what the total cost of the benefit is; and if he will make a statement. [198167]
Mr. Pond:
The number of pensioners in receipt of housing benefit and council tax benefit, and the total cost of the benefits to pensioners are in the following tables.
18 Nov 2004 : Column 1896W
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Housing benefit | 1,873 |
| Council tax benefit | 2,815 |
Notes:
1. Caseload figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and subject to a degree of sampling variation.
2. Caseloads are in millions and rounded to the nearest thousand.
3. Council tax benefit totals exclude any second adult rebate cases.
4. "Beneficiaries" are all claimants and partners aged 60 or over.
5. Housing benefit totals exclude any extended payments.
Source:
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2003.
| Nominal terms | 2004–05 prices | |
|---|---|---|
| Housing benefit | 4,596 | 4,702 |
| Council tax benefit | 1,684 | 1,723 |
Notes:
1. All figures are in millions and have been rounded to the nearest million pounds.
2. The costs shown are the estimated outturn for 2003–04 and are consistent with data published at Spending Review 2004.
3. This information is also published in the Medium Term Forecast (table 7) on the Internet at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp
Source:
Department for Work and Pensions Information and Analysis Division.
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