| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
27 Mar 2006 : Column 735W—continued
Lone Parents
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of lone parents in West Lancashire moved from income support to (a) incapacity benefit, (b) jobseeker's allowance, (c) other out-of-work benefits and (d) employment when their youngest child reached 16 years old in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [58434]
(2) what proportion of lone parents in Coventry South have moved from income support to (a) incapacity benefit and (b) jobseeker's allowance since 1997. [58909]
Mr. Plaskitt
[holding answer 13 March 2006]: Due to the very small numbers of claimants involved it is not possible to estimate accurately the information below national level.
27 Mar 2006 : Column 736W
For the available national figures, I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 16 March 2006, Official Report, columns 2458W-59W.
Mental Health
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Workand Pensions what steps he is taking to support people with mental health problems in finding employment. [58910]
Margaret Hodge: Our Welfare Reform Green Paper sets out proposals that will build on the success of Pathways to Work. To ensure our reforms are successful and that we deliver the best services possible, we are working with customers and their representatives, employers and medical professionals to increase awareness of the needs of all groups, including those with mental health conditions. We know that nearly four out of 10 people who claim incapacity benefit have a mental health condition and the longer people remain on the benefit; the more likely they are to develop mental health conditions.
One of the key principles of Pathways to Work is inclusion and support for all, and it is important that claimants attend and participate in their scheduled work-focused interviews to maintain contact and take advantage of the support that is on offer. Everyone who wants to work, whatever their health condition or disability, should get the appropriate help and support to enable them to work as soon as they are able to do so. With that support the prospects for the majority of people are good. To provide this advice and support we have invested heavily in training for personal advisers and in condition management programmes in Pathways to Work areas.
We intend to develop our work with health service providers to meet the particular needs of those with mental health conditions, many of whom are likely to require ongoing support, whether they return to work or remain in receipt of benefits.
National Insurance Numbers
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average waiting time is for an overseas national to obtain a national insurance number (a) in-country and (b) from abroad. [58522]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. The average clearance time for national insurance number applications in Great Britain between April 2005 and February 2006 is 20 days. national insurance numbers can only be applied for by persons resident in the UK.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many national insurance numbers have been issued to overseas nationals resident in each local authority in the south-west in each of the last four years; [58523]
(2) how many overseas nationals resident in each local authority in Gloucestershire obtained national insurance numbers in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by country of origin; [58524]
27 Mar 2006 : Column 737W
(3) how many overseas nationals in each local authority in the south-west were refused a national insurance number in the last year for which figures are available. [58537]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. The information is not available broken down by country of origin, nor is it available broken down below regional level.
National Pensions Day
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of staging each of the National Pensions Day events held on 18 March. [61165]
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost was to the Government of the Pensions Day events and activities on 18 March, including his Department's website survey. [61412]
Mr. Timms: The information is not available in the format requested.
Opinion Leader Research is contracted to this Department to deliver the National Pensions Day events, the regional events, the website survey, the stakeholder toolkit and analysis of all of the National Pensions Debate feedback. This work is not yet concluded.
The total costs invoiced to date are £794,130. The total cost is expected to be just under £1 million.
New Deal for Lone Parents
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Workand Pensions what the average (a) duration and
27 Mar 2006 : Column 738W
(b) cost was of a work-focused interview under the New Deal for Lone Parents in the latest period for which figures are available. [57290]
Margaret Hodge: On average, an adviser spends up to an hour on a lone parent work-focused interview. This time covers any preparatory work connected to the interview such as the in work benefit calculation as well as the interview itself. The average cost of a lone parent work-focused interview is currently £34.
Office Equipment
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual expenditure on (a) fixtures and fittings, (b) general office expenses and (c) office equipment was of his (i) Department and (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) executive agency and (C) other public body for which his Department is responsible in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3)each English region and (4) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06 in each case. [40090]
Mrs. McGuire: A full response is not available from standard information system in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. A partial response can be provided using the closest categories used by the department to those requested.
The Department's estate has been sold under a PFI partnership deal to Land Securities Trillium and payments are as a whole for fully serviced accommodation facilities. A breakdown in the format requested could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
With regard to each non-departmental public body, those listed operate separate accounting systems.
n/a=Not available.
(40)Likely to be small.
27 Mar 2006 : Column 739W
Jobcentre Plus, The Pension Service, The Child Support Agency, The Disability and Carers Service and The Appeals Service are all included within the Department's contract with Land Securities Trillium. Details below relate to those agencies which are not covered by the contract with Land Securities Trillium.
(41)The figures show the total position for HSE (including the Health & Safety Laboratory which is an agency of HSE). This information is not held in a national/regionalised form. The figures for Fixtures and fittings and Office equipment relate only to capital expenditure, Office equipment includes IT General office expenses figures includes all general administrative expenditure (GAE) eg: communications, IT services, consultancy, office consumables, miscellaneous staff costs, utilities, rent, rates facilities management etc.
27 Mar 2006 : Column 740W
Other public body for which his Department is responsible.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |