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Departmental Documentation
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the Department's compliance with accessibility targets for its public documentation. [56334]
Mrs. McGuire: My Department takes the issue of accessibility very seriously—both as an employer and a provider of services to the public.
Internal guidance and standards are in place to ensure that there is a consistent approach to meeting the communication needs of members of the public. This includes the provision of material in alternative formats (such as audio tape, easy read, Braille and large print) and a commitment to the use of plain English. Information translated into other languages is also available (such as bilingual leaflets, audio and video tape). Our websites are working towards the highest standards of accessibility.
We will as a matter of course further review accessibility of documents as we develop our Disability Equality Scheme.
Departmental Estate (Parklands Building)
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what total liability arose through the reconstruction of his Department's Parklands building; and if he will make a statement. [52579]
Mrs. McGuire:
Legal actions were raised in the Court of Session by the Department against the original builders of this estate and their design team in early 2001. These actions were settled out of court and the
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Department has been compensated. The Department's total liability is to rectify the defects on this estate as defined by the Building Investigation Corporation investigative reports, by 2008, to the satisfaction of our Facilities Management contractor. It is estimated that the total costs associated with any reconstruction works will be £2.9 million.
Financial Assistance Scheme
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in (a) bonus payments and (b) performance related pay to senior civil servants administering the Financial Assistance Scheme in the last 12 months. [66482]
Mr. Timms: The operational unit of the Financial Assistance Scheme was set up on 1 April 2005 and opened for business to the public on 1 September 2005. Any senior civil servant's performance related pay and bonus related to the work of the unit would be payable in the senior civil service pay round for 2006. Pay increases and bonuses in the Department for Work and Pensions for the year ending 31 March 2006 will be awarded in June 2006 and paid in July 2006.
Jobcentres
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance and incapacity benefit claimants were dealt with in the Putney jobcentre in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06; and if he will make a statement. [64398]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 18 April 2006]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many Jobseeker's Allowance and Incapacity Benefit claimants were dealt with in the Putney Jobcentre in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06. This is something which fall within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Information on the total number of claimants dealt with in Putney Jobcentre during 2004–05 and 2005–06 is not available. However, Putney Jobcentre had on average 1649 claimants to Jobseeker's Allowance during each day of 2004–05 and 1700 during each day of 2005–06.
Incapacity Benefit claimants could have used Wandsworth Social Security office (now the site of Wandsworth Jobcentre Plus) for any enquiries, or they could have contacted a processing centre by telephone. They would not have used the Putney office.
Link Age Plus Scheme
Ed Balls:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether he plans to pilot the Link Age Plus Scheme in West Yorkshire; [66021]
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(2) what progress has been made in the Link Age Plus Scheme and Steering Group; and if he will make a statement. [66022]
Mr. Timms: We announced in "Opportunity Age" our intention to pilot a LinkAge Plus service, providing a fully integrated service for older people. The Social Exclusion Unit Report 'A Sure Start to Later Life' also proposed a new approach to delivering services to and for older people, building on the principles of the Sure Start model for children and families, LinkAge Plus will deliver this service.
The programme will test ways of delivering fully integrated services for older people—from employment, health and benefits to leisure and learning. This will involve working with older people to identify effective models that meet their needs and aspirations and involving them in the design.
The whole programme is overseen by a steering group drawn from a range of central government, voluntary sector and local government organisations. In fact, the whole programme is based on partnership working—with older people, national key stakeholder organisations and agencies, local authorities and Government Departments, all playing a crucial role.
The programme plans to run up to eight pilots in England and a number of local authorities are currently helping to develop the 'LinkAge Plus' concept further and advise on how it can be delivered practically on the ground. One of these local authorities is Leeds City Council. Final announcements on the programme will be made shortly, including details of final pilot selection. We anticipate that the first pilot will start in July.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will answer Question 47250 tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth South on 26 January on learning disability. [62666]
Mrs. McGuire: I answered question 47250 on 30 March 2006.
Winter Fuel Allowance
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what would the annual winter fuel allowance now be if it had changed in line with (a) the retail price index and (b) domestic fuel costs since 2000–01. [65974]
Mr. Timms: The annual winter fuel payment was £20 in winter 1997–98, rising to £200 from winter 2000–01. If the winter fuel payment had been increased in line with the retail price index from 2000–01, the value of the payment in 2005–06 would have been £225. If it had been increased in line with the increase in domestic fuel costs, the value of the payment would have been £258. From 2003–04, an extra £100 has been paid to households which include a person aged 80 or over.
For 'domestic fuel' we have used the ONS' Fuel and Light index which incorporates: coal and solid fuels, electricity, gas and oil, and other fuels.
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Electoral Registration
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will give line performance indicators for electoral registration, at each stage of registration, for each local authority area in each of the last 10 years. [65899]
Bridget Prentice: Electoral services are delivered by local electoral registration officers and returning officers. No uniform line performance indicators have been required of local authorities in respect of these areas in the past and so the information sought is not available from central government but may be held by individual local authorities. The Electoral Administration Bill currently under consideration in Parliament contains provisions that will in future allow the independent Electoral Commission to set performance standards for elections in order to promote best practice and consistency in the delivery of electoral services.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the current guidelines are for staffing levels of local authority registration departments. [65901]
Bridget Prentice: Electoral services are delivered by local electoral registration officers and returning officers. No guidelines have been issued centrally to local authorities in the past on staffing levels in registration departments and so the information sought is not available from central Government. The Electoral Administration Bill currently under consideration in Parliament contains provisions that will in future allow the independent Electoral Commission to set performance standards for elections in order to promote best practice and consistency in the delivery of electoral services.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will consider introducing a carry forward policy for voter registration of one general election cycle. [65902]
Bridget Prentice: In Great Britain, the Representation of the People Regulations 2001 currently provide for entries on the register to be retained for one year where no form is returned relating to a particular property at an annual canvass.
Within the system of electoral registration in place in Great Britain, the Government believes that a carry-forward period of a General Election cycle would be likely to increase levels of inaccuracy in the register to unacceptable levels. However, we will keep this policy under review, particularly in the light of changes to the registration system in Northern Ireland which are proposed in the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, currently before Parliament.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the local authorities electoral registration departments that (a) do and (b) do not use bar coding on their electoral registration forms. [65903]
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Bridget Prentice: A number of local authorities print a barcode on electoral registration forms to aid with the administration of the annual canvass. A list of which local authorities do and do not operate this system is not held centrally.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which local authorities have reduced their electoral budgets over the past 10 years. [65906]
Bridget Prentice: As electoral services are delivered and funded at local level this information would be held by individual local authorities, and is not something that is held centrally by Government. The Electoral Administration Bill currently under consideration in Parliament contains provisions that will in future allow the independent Electoral Commission to ask electoral officers for information about expenditure in connection with the performance of their functions, including registration. This will enable more detailed information to be made available on the funding of electoral registration.
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