| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
19 Jun 2006 : Column 1689W—continued
Consultants
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the companies which were paid consultancy fees by his Department in 2005-06; how much each was paid; and what each of the companies was used to accomplish. [69702]
Mr. Jim Murphy: A list of companies and the total expenditure on consultancy fees paid by the Department in 2005-06 will be available in July 2006. However, the Department is unable to provide details of each individual engagement the company was used for without a clerical examination of all records and this would incur disproportionate costs.
Correspondence
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department will respond to the letter of 12 August 2005 to the office at Cotlands Road, Bournemouth about Mrs. M. Hind. [67702]
Mr. Plaskitt: A reply was given to the hon. Member on 15 May 2006.
Departmental Computer Security
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the security of chip and PIN access to his Department's computer systems; and how many breaches of that security there have been since its introduction. [75028]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Department does not offer a “Chip and PIN” service for access to the Department's computer systems. The term “Chip and PIN” is normally used in the context of high street retail purchases.
Payments made to citizens via post offices can be made using a “Chip and PIN” capability, but this is managed by a third party.
Access to internal departmental systems is controlled using a desktop smartcard infrastructure which is a completely separate device to that used to enable citizen payments. The DWP security incident recording database records details of incidents investigated by DWP. There are no incidents recorded where the “Chip and PIN” security has been compromised.
Disabled Job Seekers
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what help is available to disabled job seekers from disability employment advisers and other Jobcentre Plus staff relating to job application forms. [75479]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what help is available to disabled job seekers from disability employment advisers and other Jobcentre Plus staff relating to job application forms. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Any disabled customer having difficulties in filling in an application form can ask their adviser for assistance. If the adviser is unavailable someone else will be found to assist the customer.
If appropriate, advisers can refer customers to New Deal for Disabled People Job Brokers or to Programme Centres which offer help tailored to participants' individual needs. Programme Centre provision is designed to help participants improve their jobsearch skills and increase their chances of finding a job. This can include help with letters of application, application forms, CV preparation, preparation for interviews and mock interviews. Job Brokers can provide similar assistance.
I hope this is helpful.
Free Television Licences
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on the provision of free television licences for over 75-year-olds in each of the last five years. [77532]
James Purnell: The information is in the following table.
| Expenditure (£ million) | |
| Notes: 1. These are UK figures. 2. Figures are the amounts paid to the BBC and exclude administration costs. 3. Figures rounded to the nearest million pounds. Source: DWP Resource Account. | |
Job Outcome Targeting
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the introduction of job outcome targeting. [76516]
Mr. Jim Murphy: A new Job Outcome Target was introduced for Jobcentre Plus from 10 April 2006 replacing the previous Job Entry Target.
This target was announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 30 March 2006 and detail of the new Job Outcome Target is contained in the Jobcentre Plus Business Plan which was placed in the House of Commons Library on 30 March 2006.
Jobcentre Plus
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what audits have been conducted to evaluate the accessibility of JobCentre Plus premises for disabled people at (a) Burslem and (b) Hanley offices; and when such audits were undertaken. [68314]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to my hon. Friend.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what audits have been conducted to evaluate the accessibility of Jobcentre Plus premises for disabled people at Burslem and Hanley offices; and when such audits were undertaken. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
As part of the process to convert Jobcentres to Jobcentre Plus offices an 'accessibility evaluation' is carried out when we consider the design of the office. When planning a new office or new layout, we take full account of the Disability Discrimination Act and ensure any recommendations, such as ramps or automatic doors, are built into the final design of the office. All of our new, purpose built offices comply with building regulations that cover all access issues.
We carried out audits at Cannon Street, Hanley and Burslem Jobcentres in December 2003 following the creation of Jobcentre Plus, Any adjustments recommended at that time were considered alongside our roll out plans for conversion to Jobcentre Plus offices, taking into account the Disability Discrimination Act requirements. We completed an audit at our office in Stafford Street, Hanley in June 1999 and all resulting recommendations were implemented.
As you know, our office in Stafford Street, Hanley is to become a Benefit Delivery Centre and will not be open to the public. The Jobcentres in Cannon Street, Hanley and Burslem are due to close when our new purpose built Jobcentre Plus office in Huntbach Street, Hanley opens in 2007.
I hope this is helpful.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how Jobcentre Plus handles the requirements of jobseekers who have difficulty in using the telephone. [76316]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how Jobcentre Plus handles the requirements of jobseekers who have difficulty in using the telephone. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
As part of our service modernisation we encourage all new claims to be made over the telephone. However we recognise this is not suitable for everyone. We have put alternative arrangements in place, including a face-to-face interview at the local Jobcentre, or a home visit if this is more appropriate.
Additionally, we can arrange for a third party/nominated advocate to represent the customer on the telephone. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, a Textphone/Minicom service is available, or we can arrange for a British sign language interpreter to be present at a face to face interview.
These alternative arrangements are set out in our leaflet, ‘Jobcentre Plus?Our Service Standards’, a copy of which is enclosed.
All Jobcentre Plus staff should receive diversity and equality training and this ensures that they are aware of these options.
Jobcentre Plus is about to commission a programme of research to look at whether certain groups, such as customers with specific physical and/or learning difficulties have problems making contact. The results of this research will be available by early summer 2007.
I hope this is helpful.
New Deal for 50 Plus
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on recent changes in the financing of the New Deal for 50 Plus scheme; and what assessment he has made of levels of participation in the scheme since the changes were introduced. [69277]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Since its introduction in April 2000, the only significant change that has occurred to New Deal 50 plus funding was in April 2003 when the New Deal 50 plus Employment Credit, paid by Jobcentre Plus, was replaced by the 50 plus element of the Working Tax Credit, paid by H.M. Revenue and Customs. Incorporating the in-work incentive for over- 50s into the tax credit system ensured that those households on the lowest income received the most support, rather than flat-rate payments being made regardless of personal circumstances.
Until March 2003, Employment Credit payments formed the bulk of the New Deal 50 plus programme spend, together with the New Deal 50 plus in-work Training Grant. In 2003-04 the programme spend for New Deal 50 plus still included the remaining Employment Credit payments but, by the 2004-05 financial year, all the New Deal 50 plus Employment Credit starts had completed and all that remained was the spend on the training grant.
Centrally recorded data on starts to the New Deal 50 plus programme are only available from January 2004 onwards. Information before this is not available as the data were not centrally held.
From the start of the programme to February 2006, New Deal 50 plus has been successful in helping more than 150,000 people into jobs.
Parental Support
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the potential cost savings which would result from reducing the maximum age of the youngest child entitling lone parents to receive income support to (a) 15, (b) 14, (c) 13, (d) 12 and (e) 11 years in each financial year from 2005-06 to 2009-10. [75429]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Information is not available from which to make such an estimate.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to Question 63316 from the hon. Member for Portsmouth South, tabled on 29 March 2006, on Post Office Card Accounts. [78095]
Mr. Plaskitt: A reply was given to the hon. Member on 12 June 2006, Official Report, column 922W.
Pathways to Work
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average size of the caseload for personal advisers will be once Pathways to Work is fully rolled out. [77241]
Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 13 June 2006]: The information requested is not available.
Personal adviser caseloads vary according to the adviser’s knowledge and experience of advisory work and the client group. Therefore decisions about an indicial Adviser’s caseload can only be decided at local level.
We want to ensure Pathways to Work advisers focus their efforts on helping and supporting people on incapacity benefits into work. Managers in current Pathways to Work pilot areas regularly monitor adviser caseloads to ensure they are manageable and enable customers to maximise their work opportunities. This will continue when Pathways is rolled out nationally.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will break down by main budget heading the £360 million annual cost to roll-out Pathways to Work. [77242]
Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 13 June 2006]: The £360 million is to cover a range of welfare reforms as set out in the Green Paper, primarily Pathways to Work. We are committed to rolling out Pathways to Work across the country by 2008. We will also seek to ensure our proposals deliver the service in innovative and more cost-effective ways as we roll out to the rest of the country, learning from the experience of Jobcentre Plus and the private and voluntary sector. We are currently working through the specific detail of the funding plans for Pathways, which we will share more widely in due course.
Pension Credit
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners he estimates were entitled to pension credit in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06; how many were receiving the pension credit in each year; how many (i) are entitled to and (ii) are receiving the credit in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement. [70284]
James Purnell: The information is not available in the format requested. Information that is available is as follows.
Table 1 contains estimates of eligibility in 2003-04 and 2004-05 and projected estimates of eligibility in 2005-06 and 2006-07.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |