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31 Jan 2005 : Column 599W—continued
WORK AND PENSIONS
Access to Work
Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to adopt changes to the Access to Work scheme similar to those recently introduced in Northern Ireland. [208508]
Maria Eagle: There are no plans to adopt changes to the Access to Work programme similar to those introduced in Northern Ireland.
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to promote the Access to Work programme; and if he will make a statement. [209715]
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Maria Eagle: Jobcentre Plus invests around £300,000 a year marketing and publicising its disability services and programmes, including Access to Work.
Leaflets and information about Access to Work are freely available in Jobcentres and Jobcentre Plus offices. Disability Employment Advisers regularly meet local employers to promote the full range of disability services, including Access to Work.
Information on all disability services, including Access to Work, is available on the Jobcentre Plus website. The web address www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk is included on Jobcentre Plus publicity material and can be accessed through most internet search engines.
Many disability organisations actively promote Access to Work to their members and some have information about Access to Work on their web pages which is regularly quality-assured by Jobcentre Plus.
Details of Access to Work are available to all Jobcentre Plus Account Managers to draw upon, as part of their Employer Services Portfolio—a marketing folder containing details of all the services Jobcentre Plus can offer to employers.
Benefit Payments (Cleethorpes)
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each electoral ward in Cleethorpes constituency are claiming disability living allowance. [211139]
Maria Eagle: The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Vivien Hopkins to Shona McIsaac, dated 27 January 2005:
The Secretary of State has asked Mr. Terry Moran, the Chief Executive, to reply to your question concerning how many people in each electoral ward in Cleethorpes constituency claim Disability Living Allowance (DLA). In Mr Moran's absence and as his deputy, I am replying on his behalf.
The number of people in each ward of the Cleethorpes constituency in receipt of Disability Living Allowance is as follows.
1.All wards based on census wards—those current as at April 2003.
2.DLA figures are taken at August 2004, and include all DLA claimants including children, working age and pensioners claiming DLA.
3.All benefit counts at ward level are rounded to a multiple of five to protect the confidentiality of individual claimants.
Source:
Information Directorate, Information Centre, Department for Work and Pensions.
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each electoral ward in Cleethorpes constituency claimed winter fuel allowance in 2003–04; and how many have claimed the allowance in 2004–05. [211140]
Malcolm Wicks: The number of people in each electoral ward of Cleethorpes who received a winter fuel payment in winter 2003–04 is in the table. Figures are not yet available for winter 2004–05 but we expect the numbers to be similar.
| Ward name | Winter fuel payment recipients |
|---|---|
| Barton | 2,195 |
| Croft Baker | 2,250 |
| Ferry | 2,210 |
| Haverstoe | 2,255 |
| Humberston and New Waltham | 2,215 |
| Immingham | 2,180 |
| Sidney Sussex | 2,240 |
| Waltham | 2,300 |
| Wolds | 2,295 |
Notes:
1.All Wards based on Census Wards—those current as at April 2003.
2.WFP Data is the latest currently available, Winter 2003–04.
3.All benefit counts at ward level are rounded to a multiple of 5.
Source:
IAD Information Centre
Benefits Offices (Scotland)
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are employed at the benefits offices earmarked for closure in Scotland. [212003]
Maria Eagle: The total number of staff currently employed by the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies in offices in Scotland which are earmarked for closure is 1,823.
Call Centre Operatives
Chris Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what rules govern responses to requests by
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clients for the names of the call centre operatives working for his Department and its associated public bodies who are giving them advice. [210434]
Maria Eagle: The DWP Identification Framework requires that all customers must be given a named contact who will be able to deal with their enquiry.
Carers
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many carers are in receiptof both the carers premium and the basic state pension. [211827]
Malcolm Wicks: At 31 August 2004, the most recent date for which figures are available, approximately 100,900 recipients of pension credit who were in receipt of the extra amount payable to carers were also in receipt of basic state pension.
The figure, rounded to the nearest 100, is based on a 5 per cent. sample and is subject to a high degree of sampling variation.
IAD Information Centre, Department for Work and Pensions
Child Support Agency
Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects Child Support Agency (CSA) cases at the Dudley CSA office that concern people living in Stoke-on-Trent to be transferred to the new system. [210857]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr.Green), on 8 December 2004, Official Report, column 568W.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the letter of the Secretary of State to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead dated 16 December 2004, what the results have been of the discussions with EDS for delivering a working IT scheme for the Child Support Agency; and on what date he expects such a scheme to come into operation. [212068]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Frank Field, dated 31 January 2005:
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the letter of the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Birkenhead dated 16th December 2004 what the results have been of the discussions with EDS for delivering a working IT scheme for the Child Support Agency; and on what date he expects such a scheme to come into operation.
Discussions with EDS are still continuing and a meeting with senior executives is scheduled for early February. They remain on track for delivering the software and telephony upgrade needed to remedy the most serious defects with the system. Beyond that we are working with them on a longer term plan intended to support the recovery of the Agency's work position. Ministers have been clear that they will not decide on when to extend the arrangements to existing clients until they are satisfied that is working well for new clients.
Citizens Pensions
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what cost-benefit analysis his Department has undertaken in the last five months of the introduction of citizens pensions; [212006]
(2) what cross-departmental meetings involving his Department have been held in the last five months in the introduction of citizens pensions. [212007]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department is examining a range of pensions proposals, including options for broader-based State provision. We keep policy proposals under constant review and are engaged in discussions across Government on such matters on a continual basis.
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