Supplementary note to oral evidence, DWP
1. (Q 220)—
Details of the number of ethnic minority people there are in the
workforce in comparison with the 7.9% quoted in the 2001 census.
What is DWP staff representation rate?
From the 2001 Census:
Ethnic minority population = 4,635,000 (7.9%
of total population)
Ethnic minority working age population (defined
as those aged 16-74 minus retired) = 2,978,000 (8.3% of total
working age population)
From the Labour Force Survey (four quarter average
to Autumn 2004):
Ethnic minority population = 4,918,000 (8.7%
of total population)
Ethnic minority working age population (defined
as men aged 16-65 and females aged 16-60) = 3,187,000 (9.0% of
total working age population)
DWP staff representation rate
The ethnic minority representation rate for
DWP staff is 8.5% (September 2004) Source: DWP Information and
Analysis Directorate Operational Research.
2. (Q230)— How DWP is working with/sharing
information with local authorities about Pension Credit?
As part of our aim to make the welfare state
more coherent at a local level for older people and to help tackle
pensioner poverty, we are developing Joint Teams (as outlined
in the Department's "Link-Age" publication and the DWP
Five Year Strategy). Joint Teams include local authorities, Primary
Care Trusts and the voluntary sector across England, Scotland
and Wales.
These teams have been shown to increase overall
entitlement take-up, are supported by wider Government policy
and have the support of both the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Executive.
They provide a platform that both improves customer service and
ensures a holistic approach to the provision of support and information
about entitlements and services which maximises cross selling
opportunities.
Whether or not a joint team is in place locally,
relevant information in respect of those customers who are in
receipt of both Pension Credit and Housing Benefit or Council
Tax Benefit is normally shared directly between The Pension Service
and Local Authorities via electronic means.
In addition, contact details can be shared for
benefit take-up purposes. If, for example, a person in receipt
of Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit has not claimed Pension
Credit, their name, address and, if known, their telephone number
can be given to The Pension Service by the relevant Local Authority
so the person can be invited to make a claim for Pension Credit.
DWP Ministers are also keen that strategic decisions
in relation to future Pension Service benefit delivery are taken
to maximise the use of legitimate data sharing and data matching
with Local Authorities for the purposes of encouraging Housing
Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Pension Credit take-up.
3. (Q256/257)— Interpreting provision
in DWP
Overall cost of interpreting services
DWP accounting systems do not allow for expenditure
on interpreting to be recorded in a way that enables it to be
separately identified.
Provision in Jobcentre Plus
In Jobcentre Plus, responsibility for local
access to services rests with the District Manager (DM) who meets
the cost of interpretation from within their local budget. DMs
will ensure that appropriate arrangements, including access to
interpreters where needed, are in place to facilitate effective
customer access to Jobcentre Plus services. Arrangements will
consist of a mixture of using multi-lingual staff, use of locally
based face-to-face interpreters, and the telephone interpreting
contract. The way in which these are used will vary from location
to location, as will any associated costs, influenced by factors
such as the diverse mix of customers and availability of interpreters
in the local community.
Provision in other Agencies
Similar arrangements exist to Jobcentre Plus,
but there is more reliance on the telephone interpreting contract—due
to increased centralisation and use of contact centres.
DWP Telephone Interpreting Contract
DWP manages a cross-government telephone interpreting
contract, provided by Language Line. The service is provided on
a call off basis. Costs are £8 for up to 5 minutes, £13
for 6-10 minutes, £17 for 11-15 minutes and £2.25 per
minute thereafter.
FIVE YEAR SPEND BREAKDOWN
| Dept | 2000-01
| 2001-02 | 2002-03
| 2003-04 | 2004-05
| Total |
| DWP | £280,048.48 | £521,380.15
| £1,113,422.75 | £954,125.35
| £1,002,418.50 | £3,871,395.23
|
| | |
| | | |
*Note: Year runs from 1 April to 31 March.
Expenditure by Agency November and December 2004
These figures are the only figures available in this format,
and are provided to give an indication of the break-up of expenditure
across DWP.
| Business | Nov-2004
| Dec-2004 |
| Debt Management | £38.00
| £0 |
| D&CS | £721.70 |
£914.20 |
| Appeals Service | £8.00
| £0 |
| CSA | £5,147.95 | £3,579.25
|
| Pensions Service | £6,346.60
| £4,975.90 |
| Jobcentre Plus | £89,536.75
| £83,986.95 |
| Other | £8,714.70 |
£5,404.05 |
| Face-to-face interpreting costs |
| |
Costs vary across the country; estimated average £25-£35
per hour.
DWP Face-to-face interpreting contract
In an effort to plug gaps in provision, facilitate access
to interpreters, and ensure a quality service, DWP has recently
let a contract with eight providers for face-to-face interpreting
on a "call-off" basis. It is too early to evaluate the
usage of this service.
Future planning for interpreting costs
The need for DWP to achieve efficiency savings, and at the
same time maintain access to services for all customers, means
that each Agency is looking critically at costs and efficiencies;
but there are no plans to alter our policy on interpreting provision.
4. (Q 252)— Where did the figure for the £500
pa Language Allowance come from for staff using a language not
indigenous to the British Isles for at least 25% of their time,
or using British Sign Language in the course of their normal duties?
The current DWP-wide Language Allowance was introduced in
May 2004 to replace the arrangements which existed in the legacy
organisations (eg the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency).
This was a new allowance in the sense that it was the first
time that a single policy, and a single set of rates, had applied
to everyone in every part of DWP. The arrangements were harmonised
to reflect the most favourable of the legacy arrangements. Following
the creation of DWP, a large number of pay arrangements had to
be harmonised, and we are only now moving to more stable arrangements,
which we will then have to keep under review.
The Language Allowance was set at £500 pa. It is paid
at a pro-rata rate for part time staff and there is a Reserve
Rate Language Allowance (£250 pa) for those required to provide
cover for leave etc.
In terms of the rates in payment previously, the answers
given to the Committee require further clarification. In the
Benefits Agency the full rate had been £500 pa for a number
of years, with £250 for those on the retainer list. For people
on Employment Service terms, the full rate was £484 before
the DWP allowance was introduced.
The rate has now been increased to £520 pa (Reserve
Rate £260 pa) from July 2004 in the current pay deal, in
line with the increases to most other allowances. There has been
no pressure in the business for a significant increase to the
rate of Language Allowance, and no arguments from the unions for
treating this allowance differently from others. One of the issues
we need to take into account in setting the rate of this allowance
is the availability of Language Line which provides us with a
flexible and affordable service.
The Department's reward package is designed to ensure that
we can recruit and retain staff with the right skills. When particular
issues arise in the business, they are fed into the pay team to
decide how best to deal with them. There is then an annual process
of negotiation with the unions about the changes we and they would
like to make to the pay system.
We are currently conducting a review of all of our allowances
to ensure that they are all still fit for purpose and to remove
a number of inconsistencies which still exist as a result of the
merger of the legacy organisations. We will consider the arguments
for further increases to this allowance as part of that review.
5. (Q260)— Information about whether DWP has produced
any videos in sign language?
General
In March 2003, British Sign Language (BSL) was officially
recognised as a language in its own right. Since that time, the
Government has pledged £1.5 million of funding to raise awareness
and put BSL into practice.
A BSL working group was established which advised on priorities
for allocating the additional funding and DWP tendered for bids
for work which would either:
— contribute to establishing a GB wide framework
to support the recruitment, training and deployment of BSL tutors
which will enhance their numbers, status and levels of qualification;
or
— promote access for BSL users through awareness
raising amongst employers, amongst service providers and in the
wider community.
DWP went ahead and invited organisations to apply.
During National Deaf Week, on Tuesday 4 May 2004, Maria Eagle,
Minister for Disabled People, announced the 10 funding winners.
Contracts have since been awarded to:
— British Deaf Association.
— Centre for Deaf People Leicester.
— Centre for Deaf Studies—University of Bristol.
— Consortium of Assessment and Training Providers.
— National Deaf Children's Society.
— UK Council on Deafness Consortium.
Maria Eagle, Minister for Disabled People said, "I am
confident that the projects we intend to fund will leave a legacy
of improved access to learning for BSL tutors and increased awareness
of the language."
"In addition to providing training for BSL tutors, the
projects we intend to fund include real innovation. On-line training
materials, a family sign language curriculum and an interactive
awareness-raising DVD, for example, will all increase opportunities
for people to access the language."
Disability and Carers Directorate
The Disability Rights Division has produced a range of British
Sign Language (BSL) videos in the last 18 months. They are as
follows:
— August 2003: New laws for Disabled People (Amendment
Regulations 2003).
— January 2004: Draft Disability Discrimination
Bill.
— July 2004: The Government's response to the Report
of the Joint Committee on the Draft Disability Discrimination
Bill.
— July 2004: Delivering Equality for Disabled People.
— November 2004: Disability Discrimination Bill:
A guide to the Government's Amended Bill.
— December 2004: Disability Discrimination Bill:
Consultation on Private Clubs, premises; the definition of disability
and the questions procedure.
A BSL video has also been produced for customer representative
groups and customer service managers. This covers the Disability
and Carers Service (DCS) and what they hope to achieve for customers.
Jobcentre Plus
The Disability and Rehabilitation Division of Jobcentre Plus
has produced various BSL videos over the years. They are at present
producing a DVD about disability programmes which will include
BSL, audio description and "dubbing" into a number of
community languages, with possible sub-titling in those languages
as appropriate. This is due to be released April/May 2005. The
DVD will include a short introduction about Jobcentre Plus which
will also have all the language/signing options.
Communications Directorate
"Open i" is a magazine programme that brings together
information on the latest Government services and initiatives
in accessible formats. "Open i" comes out four times
a year on video in BSL with subtitles and speech on VHS and in
audio on audiocassette.
Each edition is around 30 minutes long and features short
stories on issues that benefit viewers of all ages, "All
you need to make the most of public services". "Open
i" is available to societies, organisations and groups free
of charge.
"Open i" is produced by the Central Office of Information
and the video is produced in partnership with BBC Broadcast.
DWP make contributions on relevant issues, for instance, a recent
article on Direct Payments.
For corporate reporting, DWP has a policy of producing alternative
formats on request, because the demand is minimal, and the quantities
produced are so low.
The Disability Marketing Team has produced "ACT now"—a
video for Small to Medium Enterprises in BSL. This is a video
to raise awareness amongst small businesses of the new duties
under the Disability Discrimination Act from 1 October 2004.
The Pensions Service
Following a successful pilot, The Pension Service are holding
deaf "surgeries" in Hampshire. BSL interpreters and
a deaf advocate—someone who is a BSL user and is specially
trained to help deaf customers make informed choices—took
part in the pilot. Surgeries are now continuing to be held in
a Centre for the Deaf, and 80% of customers taking part have gone
on to receive extra benefits as a result.
The Pension Service staff have attended a Deaf Awareness
training day, and some staff are considering attending a course
in stage one British Sign Language.
Looking ahead
The Department's Diversity and Equality Division are discussing
with the DWP corporate communications team proposals to include
in our production of DVDs and videos, a standard for all productions
to contain a BSL signer insert.
6. (Q271)— Whether it is a legal requirement for
letters from the Department to be written in English?
Legal requirement
There is no legal requirement for claim forms, notices, and
other communications used by the Department to be in English.
The relevant provisions in primary and secondary legislation do
not mandate English. For example, the legislative provisions may
sometimes require claims and notices be in writing, but not that
they be in English.
Section 2 of the Social Security Act 1998, which permits
decisions to be made by computer, says nothing about the language
to be used in computer generated material.
There is a tradition that things are done in English—in
the first instance—not just because the vast majority of
the inhabitants in the UK use English as their first language,
but because English is the language of the legislation, and the
modern social security system is a creature of statute.
The tradition of using English has been modified in two ways,
but not altered fundamentally:
— There is a legal obligation under the Welsh Language
Act 1993 for public bodies to produce information in Welsh where
requested.
— The Department also in fact routinely translates
into other languages used by ethnic minorities.
However, there is no direct legal requirement to use languages
other than English or Welsh. It is a matter of best practice,
and a desire to communicate with customers in a meaningful way
(similar in a way to the wish to communicate in plain English,
when English is used).
The Pension Service Transformation Programme
The Pension Service Transformation Programme will improve
service to customers with language needs by asking them what their
written and spoken language needs are. From August 2005 Transformation
Site (telephone) customers (Dundee; London Pension Centre (Newcastle)
and Swansea) who seem to have a language difficulty will be asked
if they are comfortable to continue in English. If they are not,
they will be either be transferred to a member of staff with that
language skill or called back using Language Line. A three way
conversation will then occur in order to complete the application
for State Pension.
The customer's record will be updated to show that they have
a spoken language need in a specific language. If future telephone
contact is required with that customer an interpreter will be
used. The Pension Service will ensure that the appropriate leaflet
will be sent to the customer in their chosen language, (within
DWP Corporate standards for the agreed translated language). Work
is in hand to investigate how we can further improve delivery
of written translated material.
At the three sites mentioned above, The Pension Service will
collect and retain customers' language needs for teleclaim customers.
It is envisaged that the collection and retention of this information
for postal customers will be delivered in April 2006.
The table below shows the latest progress on our aspirational
targets for 2005.
Table shows progress over time in achieving our target
for staff
| Representation Rates | |
| | | |
| | |
| | |
| | | |
| |
| Grade | Target | 30 September 2001
| 30 June 2002 | 31 December 2002
| 31 March 2003 | 30 September 2003
| 31 March 2004 | 30 September 2004
|
| | |
| | | |
| |
| SCS | 4.0% | 2.2%
| 2.2% | 1.8% | 1.8%
| 2.2% | 3.0% | 3.3%
|
| UG6/UG7 | 3.0% | 1.2%
| 1.3% | 2.0% | 1.9%
| 2.0% | 2.4% | 2.8%
|
| SEO | 3.0% | 2.1%
| 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1%
| 2.0% | 2.9% | 3.2%
|
| HEO | 4.0% | 2.5%
| 2.8% | 2.9% | 2.9%
| 3.2% | 4.0% | 4.4%
|
| EO | 6.0% | 5.3%
| 5.0% | 5.1% | 5.1%
| 5.2% | 6.9% | 7.9%
|
| AO | | 7.4% |
7.5% | 7.3% | 7.3%
| 7.3% | 8.7% | 9.6%
|
| AA | | 7.5% |
10.2% | 9.5% | 8.8%
| 9.0% | 9.4% | 10.0%
|
| Total | | 6.4%
| 6.6% | 6.5% | 6.4%
| 6.3% | 7.7% | 8.5%
|
| 
