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Disability Employment Advisers
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the (a) turnover rate and (b) average caseload has been for disability employment advisers in each of the last 10 years; [214629]
(2) how many disability employment advisers there have been in each of the last 10 years, broken down by region. [214630]
Jane Kennedy: The table shows how many disability employment advisers there were per region for the period April 2003 to March 2004.
The remaining requested information is not available.
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European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the activity of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training in the UK in the last 12 months; and if he will list the publications and newsletters published by the centre over that period. [215276]
Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.
The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training is usually known as Cedefop" from its French title. Its activities in the UK in 2004 focused on two key areas:
(i) Cedefop study visits for vocational training policy makers and practitioners included six visits to the UK by practitioners and policy makers from other EU member states, during 2004, each lasting around five days. 74 visitors from 23 European countries visited England, Scotland and Wales during the period and 57 people from here studied vocational training systems in 21 countries across the EU.
(ii) Cedefop's Refer" network provides information on developments in vocational education and training across the European Union. It comprises exchange of information between national consortia in each EU country. The network encourages and facilitates mutual exchanges of information; promotes the creation of partnerships; and provides consortium members with an opportunity to broaden their contacts with other international organisations in Europe.
A list of the publications and newsletters produced by Cedefop in 2004 can be obtained by accessing its website at www.cedefop.eu.int/publications and going to publications catalogue".
Financial Assistance Scheme
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if the Financial Assistance Scheme will cover circumstances where an employer was solvent prior to their pension scheme being wound up; and if he will make a statement. [216320]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer my hon. Friend to the written statement I gave on 2 December 2004, Official Report, columns 64–66WS.
Five-year Strategy
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the evidential basis was in terms of absolute figures for spending on (a) benefits, (b) tax credits and (c) gross domestic product in each year since 1997 for the statement on page 14 of the Five Year Plan (Cm 6447) that welfare spending has declined from 12.3 per cent. to 11.6 per cent. of gross domestic product since 1997. [215546]
Mr. Pond:
The figures are given in the table. This shows that spending has declined from 12.3 per cent. to 11.6 per cent. of GDP since 1997.
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(35)Includes DWP benefit spending, non-DWP housing and council tax benefits, Northern Ireland benefit spending, War Pensions both before and after the transfer from DWP to the Veterans Agency in 2002 and child benefit both before and after the transfer from DWP to the Inland Revenue in 2003.
(36)Figures provided by HM Treasury at pre-Budget report 2004 and earlier spending rounds, less DWP spending on child amounts in income support and jobseeker's allowance (which is included in the Benefits line).
(37)GDP figures are those published on 2 December 2004.
Free Television Licences
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners are in receipt of free television licences in Warrington, North. [214968]
Estelle Morris: I have been asked to reply.
TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the Warrington, North constituency in 2003–04 was 4,815, according to Department for Work and Pensions records.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 13 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1384–86W, and of 24 January 2005, on incapacity benefit, when he expects to complete his exploration of ways of allowing people with progressive conditions to be able to continue permitted work beyond the initial 52 weeks without being limited to earnings of £20. [211428]
Maria Eagle: We have completed our consideration of this issue. In deciding to whom this new arrangement should apply, we have adopted exemption from the personal capability assessment (PCA) as the criterion. This is in line with the approach adopted for other purposes, for example, in the Pathways to Work Initiative, where the full mandatory provisions are not applied to clients who are exempt from the PCA. We are planning to bring these changes into effect in 2006.
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason incapacity benefit claimants have to register within one month of moving into a job for the 52 week linking rule to apply. [214627]
Maria Eagle:
The 52 week linking protection applies to people who have started work or training within seven days of leaving benefit. In order that the reasons for leaving benefit are correctly identified people are
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required to provide this information within one month. This is considered a reasonable time for the information to be supplied particularly as such a change of circumstances needs to be reported to local Jobcentre Plus and Social Security offices promptly so that benefit is not overpaid. On receipt of the information the incapacity benefit computer system is noted so that the protection is applied when a further claim is received within 52 weeks.
We are currently reviewing the linking rules with a view to improving their effectiveness.
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new incapacity benefit claimants had claimed incapacity benefit in the previous 12 months, broken down by the reason for which they previously left incapacity benefit, with particular reference to those who (a) failed the personal capability assessment, (b) failed to attend a medical and (c) failed to provide information. [215777]
Maria Eagle: The information is not available.
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people left incapacity benefit to return to work in each year since 1997. [215778]
Maria Eagle: National data are available only for benefit leavers returning to work who report this to the Department. Research suggests the numbers actually returning to work is significantly higher. In Pathways areas we are getting double the level of improvement in the number of recorded job entries compared to other areas. Between October 2003 and October 2004, 8,300 people were helped into work in the Pathways areas.
The available information is in the table.
(38)Figures are based on very few sample cases and therefore subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be used as a guide to the current situation only.
(39)Nil or negligible.
Notes:
1.Figures are not available prior to February 1999.
2.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
Source:
Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample.
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