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19 Dec 2005 : Column 2442W—continued
Burslem Job Centre
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what discussions he has had on the future use of the Burslem Job Centre; [37716]
(2) what assessment he has made of the (a) cost and (b) ease of access for people using the Burslem Job Centre of using other centres; and if he will make a statement. [37733]
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.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 19 December 2005:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning what discussions he has had on the future use of the Burslem Job Centre; and what assessment he has made of the (a)cost and (b) ease of access for people using the Burslem Job Centre of using other centres. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Once Burslem Jobcentre has closed, full responsibility for the property rests with the owners Land Securities Trillium.
Prior to the decision to close Burslem Jobcentre, a full feasibility study was conducted which mapped customers by postcode against existing public transport routes. Burslem and the surrounding area are well served by public transport. The longest journey time for current Burslem Jobcentre customers to one of the other surrounding Jobcentre Plus offices is 20 minutes, costing £2 return.
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many staff are based at Burslem Job Centre; and what plans there are to transfer them; [37717]
(2) how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time workers are employed at Burslem Job Centre. [37720]
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.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 19 December 2005:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking how many staff are based at Burslem Job Centre and what plans there are to transfer them; and how many (a) full and (b)part time workers are employed at Burslem Job Centre. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
There are currently twenty-three staff based at Burslem Jobcentre. These staff will be redeployed to other Jobcentre Plus sites, by means of preference exercises. A preference exercise allows an individual to select a location that is most suitable to them to travel to or a job role they are particularly interested in. Staff are also able to apply for vacancies in other offices in the Department for Work and Pensions as they become available.
Of the twenty-three staff currently based at Burslem Jobcentre, twenty are full time workers and three are part time.
Carers Allowance
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he takes to ascertain whether persons claiming carers' allowance (a) as live-in carers are carers or cohabitees and (b) are capable of and competent to act as carers, and are acting as such. [38059]
Mrs. McGuire: The administration of carer's 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 Terry Moran, dated 19 December 2005:
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he takes to ascertain whether persons claiming carers allowance (a) as live-in carers are carers or cohabitees and (b) are capable of and competent to act as carers and are acting as such.
The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
To be entitled to Carer's Allowance (CA) a customer must be regularly and substantially" caring for a severely disabled person for at least 35 hours a week. All customers who claim CA are required to sign a statement confirming that they do that.
The conditions of entitlement for CA do not specify that the carer must live with the disabled person therefore no checks are carried out on this when claims for CA are received.
From 5th December 2005, CA claim packs contain a statement that allows the disabled person, or someone acting on their behalf, to acknowledge that someone is claiming CA for caring for them, to confirm whether 35 hours caring is taking place, to acknowledge that their benefits may be affected by the CA claim, and to understand that their Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance records will be checked in order to process the CA claim.
The disabled person, or someone acting on their behalf, must sign the statement before the claim to CA is processed.
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Leeds West constituency have been in receipt of the carer's allowance in each year since it was introduced. [35124]
Mrs. McGuire: The administration of carer's 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 Terry Moran, dated 19 December 2005:
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in the Leeds West constituency have been in receipt of the carer's allowance in each year since it was introduced.
The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
| May | Cases in payment |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 0.6 |
| 2004 | 0.6 |
| 2003 | 0.6 |
| 2002 | 0.5 |
Notes:
1.Definitions and conventions: -" nil or negligible; ." not applicable; caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and displayed in thousands; Totals may not sum due to rounding.
2.Caseloads at parliamentary constituency level are not available previous to the dates shown.
3.Caseload (thousands): Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and DWP 100 per cent. Data.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Tamworth constituency have been in receipt of the carer's allowance in each year since it was introduced. [35655]
Mrs. McGuire: The administration of carer's 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 Terry Moran, dated 19 December 2005:
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in the Tamworth constituency have been in receipt of the carer's allowance in each year since it was introduced.
The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
| Cases in payment | |
|---|---|
| May | |
| 2005 | 0.8 |
| 2004 | 0.8 |
| 2003 | 0.8 |
| 2002 | 0.8 |
Notes:
1.Definitions and Conventions: -" Nil or Negligible; ." Not applicable; Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and displayed in thousands; Totals may not sum due to rounding.
2.Caseloads at parliamentary constituency level are not available previous to the dates shown.
3.Caseload (Thousand): Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and DWP 100 per cent. Data.
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