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Children's Rights (Disabilities Convention)

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action the Government are taking to ensure children's rights are fully and appropriately addressed in the final text of the forthcoming UN convention on the rights of people with disabilities. [29958]

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 21 November 2005]: The UK, with our EU partners, is committed to ensuring that the rights of disabled children are effectively addressed in the UN convention, taking into account the fact that there is an existing convention on the rights of children. At the most recent meeting of the UN Committee tasked with drafting the convention, the UK acting as EU President proposed text regarding the general obligations of states in respect of disabled children. We believe that the proposed text will ensure that the rights of disabled children are recognised across the convention in relation to all the obligations on states. The UK is working to ensure that this wording is included in the final text.

Civil Service

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many departmental civil service jobs are located in Coventry. [33511]

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 5 December 2005]: As at 30 October 2005 a total of 483 departmental staff (full-time equivalent, including temporary staff) were located in Coventry.

Corporate Pension Liabilities

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of whether corporate pension liabilities are overstated under FRS17. [32457]

Mr. Timms: No such assessment has now been made

There are a number of ways of estimating pension fund deficits. Estimates of deficits calculated using FRS17 are considered (although there is no consensus) to represent approximately 80 per cent. of the estimated costs of securing a pension scheme's accrued liabilities through the purchase of annuities and deferred annuities from an insurance company (often referred to as the full buy-out" cost).
 
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Data Control

Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what part of his Department has overall responsibility for data control. [36327]

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 12 December 2005]: The Department's chief information officer has overall responsibility for any risk to the Department's data.

Data Protection Act

Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints concerning his Department have been made to the Information Commissioner with regard to the Data Protection Act 1998 since it came into force. [36329]

Mrs. McGuire: Since the Data Protection Act came into force on 1 March 2000, 220 letters have been received from the Information Commissioner following complaints.

Departmental Expenditure

Sir Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Department's expenditure on research activities was in each year since 2000. [30849]

Mr. Plaskitt: The Department's expenditure on research is given in the following table. The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001, therefore figures have been provided from the financial year 2001–02 onwards.
£ million

Financial year	Expenditure
2001–02	11 .8
2002–03	10.2
2003–04	12.5
2004–05	14.2

Departmental Targets

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he expects to be able to draw the data required to measure 2004 public service agreement target 5 from consistent data sources. [30288]

Mrs. McGuire: Yes, the data will come from sources which provide a basis for consistent comparisons. For health and safety outcomes, these will include reports from employers and others under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and other sources, supported by data on risk control from workplace surveys and assessments by inspectors.

For the major hazard industries, they will be based on reports of precursor incidents (occurrences which do not in general result in death or injury but have the potential to be far more serious) in the nuclear industry, offshore oil and gas sectors and onshore hazardous installations.

Further details are given in a technical note published on the HSE website, http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/plans/sr2004.htm.
 
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Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he uses (a) income before housing costs and (b) income after housing costs when measuring the number of children in relative low income households for the purposes of measuring performance against 2004 public service agreement target 1. [30289]

Margaret Hodge: To ease international comparisons, the 2004 PSA child poverty target will be measured on a before housing costs basis. However, figures after housing costs will continue to be given equal prominence in the households below average income series.

Disability Handbook

Mr. Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether medical representatives from patient organisations will be included in the panel re-writing the draft entry on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis for the Disability Handbook. [23820]

Mrs. McGuire: As with the other new medical guidance for the Disability Handbook the draft chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalitis (CFS/ME) guidance was prepared in conjunction with medical experts. The guidance is evidence-based and represents our current understanding of this condition. Officials have met with groups representing people with CFS/ME on two occasions and sought their views. Many of their helpful comments have already been incorporated in the guidance and we are still considering comments made at the second meeting.

Economically Inactive People

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Beverley and Holderness are economically inactive. [37436]

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 14 December 2005:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question concerning economic inactivity. I am replying in her absence. (37436)

Annual Population Survey data, for the 12 months ending March 2005, shows that the number of people of working age resident in the Beverley and Holderness constituency who were economically inactive was estimated to be 14,000. This corresponds to 23 per cent. of the resident working age population.

These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Education and Training

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is provided to Jobcentre Plus advisers to assist them in working with young people living independently who wish to pursue further education. [33441]

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to my hon. Friend.
 
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Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 14 December 2005:

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your question concerning what training is provided to Jobcentre Plus advisers to assist them in working with young people living independently who wish to pursue further education. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

Jobcentre Plus has in place a comprehensive programme of blended learning solutions to build adviser capability. The learning materials have been designed in such a way as to equip the adviser with the full range of knowledge and skills required to support the customer's jobsearch activity and successful movement into employment, or further education.

Advisers assist young people to receive training via the New Deal for Young People learning package. The primary focus of this learning is to help staff establish customers' eligibility to claim Jobseekers Allowance. However, as part of the learning process, Personal Advisers are instructed on the appropriate procedure when a young person is interested in undertaking further education.

This is usually instigated by referral to the Connexions" service in England, or the relevant careers service elsewhere in the UK (for example Careers Scotland). These organisations are the typical gateway into learning for young people.

The Jobcentre Plus Adviser training focuses on supporting and allowing the relevant careers service to support the training needs and aspirations of this specific customer group.

I hope this is helpful.

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