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Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the change in the number of incapacity benefit customers moving into work in the pathways to work pilot areas. [67860]
Mrs. McGuire: Our successful Pathways to Work pilots have been acknowledged internationally as the best way of helping people on incapacity benefits back into work quickly. There have been 21,400 job entries in Pathways to Work areas, including over 3,360 from voluntary customers. The number of recorded job entries for people with a health condition or disability has almost doubled since before Pathways started.
The specific information requested is not available.
Information on Jobcentre Plus Job Entry Target (JET) job entries is in the table.
| Jobcentre Plus Job Entry Target (JET) job entries in the 12 months prior to, and in the 12 months after, the roll-out of Pathways | |||
| 12 months prior to Pathways roll-out | 12 months after Pathways rollout | Percentage change | |
| (1) The first phase of the Pathways to Work Pilots commenced on 27
October 2003 in Bridgend Rhondda Cynon and Taf, Derbyshire and
Renfrewshire Inverclyde Argyll and
Bute. (2 )The second phase of the Pathways to Work Pilots commenced on 5 April 2004 in Essex, Gateshead and South Tyneside, Lancashire East and Somerset. Notes 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Jobcentre Plus' JET data does not account for all job entries that occur when somebody leaves Incapacity Benefit, the JET jobs are only jobs that occur following a significant intervention from JCP (such as a job submission or the award of a financial incentive). | |||
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals are claiming (a) short-term and (b) long-term incapacity benefit in (i) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and (ii) Lewisham borough. [79151]
Mrs. McGuire: The information is in the following table.
| Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants in London borough of Lewisham and Lewisham Deptford parliamentary constituency, November 2005 | ||
| London borough of Lewisham | Lewisham Deptford constituency | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. 'Claimant' figures include all incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance, including incapacity benefit credits only cases. Source: DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data. | ||
Industrial Relations
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the state of industrial relations with staff of his Department and its agencies. [76522]
Mrs.
McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) seeks
an effective and constructive engagement with its three recognised
trade unions. We provide allowances of 0.2 per cent. over staffing
costs (equating to around £5.5 million of public money) to fund
the cost of employee trade union representatives,
in order to ensure proper engagement. Recent evidence of constructive
consultative relationships include: a three-year pay deal negotiated
and agreed with the unions; a “seeking to avoid compulsory
redundancies” agreement signed in November 2004 which has the
confidence of all parties and has enabled us to make significant
staffing reductions without dispute; and a re-launch of our attendance
management policy inJuly 2005 with a joint statement with the
unions.
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) is currently in dispute with DWP over our efficiency programme. This is a matter of regret to the Department but talks are currently in progress to seek to resolve this dispute.
Job Vacancies (Hartlepool)
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies were listed at Jobcentre Plus in Hartlepool constituency in each year since 1997. [77176]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Information on Jobcentre Plus vacancy data at parliamentary constituency level is only available from April 2004 and is set out in the following table.
| Hartlepool Parliamentary Constituency | ||
| Period | Vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus | Average number of 'live' unfilled vacancies on any given day |
| Source: Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System | ||
Jobcentre Plus
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many telephone calls to the Jobcentre Plus 0845 603 6347 telephone number were received each month from April 2005 to April 2006; [71195]
(2) whether there has been an unusually heavy demand placed upon the Jobcentre Plus 0845 603 6347 telephone number in recent months; and if he will make a statement; [71196]
(3) what alternative contact points can provide assistance regarding benefits claimed by an individual who cannot get through to the Jobcentre Plus 0845 603 6347 telephone number; [71197]
(4) what recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of callers to Jobcentre Plus on 0845 603 6347 who encounter the engaged dial tone. [71198]
Mr. Jim Murphy: 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 questions asking about the use of the 0845 603 6347 telephone number. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Since 17 April 2006, we have been piloting the handling of claims and enquiries from customers in central London by our Glasgow Benefit Delivery Centre (BDC). Customers can contact the Glasgow BDC using the 0845 603 6347 telephone number. The number was not in use before 17 April. As part of this pilot we are paying particular attention to customer service issues, and local managers are reviewing the resources currently deployed handling telephone calls. A full evaluation of the pilot is planned for September and therefore at this early stage the information you have requested is not available.
Customers experiencing difficulties getting through on the 0845 603 6347 number can still access our services in person at Central London Jobcentres.
Customers in the Leicester area are not included in this pilot.
I hope this is helpful.
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of how Jobcentre Plus in Yorkshire and the Humber measured against their performance indicators in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2004-05. [71552]
Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 18 May 2006]: 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 assessment he has made of how Jobcentre Plus in Yorkshire and the Humber Region measured against their performance indicators in 2005-06 and 2004-05. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The targets and achievements for 2004-05 and 2005-06 are listed in the table. The Yorkshire and Humber Region achieved all its targets in 2004/2005 and 4 out of 5 in 2005/2006. The Region as a whole did not meet its job entry target in 2005/06 but has maintained the number of Priority Group One customers (lone parents/sick and disabled people) moving into work. However, I should add that the job entry target for Selby and North Yorkshire District for 2005/2006 was exceeded.
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |||
| Target | Achieved | Target | Achieved | |
I hope this is helpful.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what total headcount reductions in Jobcentre Plus staff are expected as a result of the Efficiencies Savings Programme, broken down by job title; how many personal advisers there are; and how many personal advisers there were when the agency was established. [77243]
Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 13 June 2006]: 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 what total headcount reductions in Jobcentre Plus staff are expected as a result of the Efficiencies Savings Programme, broken down by Job Title; how many personal advisers there are; and how many personal advisers there were when the agency was established. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The efficiency challenge is measured against the baseline position at 1 March 2004. The table below shows the position at 1 March 2004 and the planned position at 31 March 2008. Figures are Full Time Equivalent (FTE) and comply with the Office of National Statistics definitions.
| Total (FTE) | |
Information on reductions broken down by job title is not available.
The earliest data we hold on the number of Personal Advisors working in Jobcentre Plus is for April 2003. The table below shows the number of Personal Advisers at April 2003, and at March 2006. This is the latest information available.
| Total personal advisers (FTE) | |
I hope this is helpful.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of people who successfully secured a job directly through using the Job Centre Plus website in each year since its creation. [73921]
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 hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking if he will estimate the number of people who have successfully secured a job directly through using the Job Centre Plus website in each year since its creation. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk is our Internet service for jobseekers and is currently the United Kingdom's number one recruitment site. The website provides job hunting advice, information on programmes, such as New Deal, and allows users to search our extensive database of some 400,000 vacancies.
The website provides a self-service job search facility that does not require users to register personal details. Therefore, whilst we know how many visits the website receives, information on the number of people who have found jobs using the website is not available.
In 2004, the Jobcentre Plus website received 27,219,880 visits (this figure excludes figures for August because of a problem with the statistics package). This increased to 41,325,452 the following year (2005). The number of visits in the 5 months between 1 January and 31 May 2006 stands at 30,484,516. Figures are not available for 2001-03.
I hope this is helpful.
Jobseekers Allowance
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the main causes for delay in applications for Jobseeker's Allowance were in the last month for which information is available; how many delays fell into each main category; and if he will make a statement. [67628]
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 hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 26 June 2006:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what the main causes for delay in applications for Jobseeker's Allowance were in the last month for which information is available; how many delays fell into each main category; and if he will make a statement. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus is transforming the service it provides by making it available via the telephone, via the internet and through the personal service offered to people in Jobcentre Plus offices. We are also committed to implementing a major efficiency programme to deliver headcount savings.
The precise nature and extent of the issues which can cause delay varies between locations and stage of roll-out, and as some of these issues are inter-related and overlap, it is not possible to provide the specific information requested. However, we have put action in hand to address the delays, including the launch of a National Action Plan on 30 January. Senior operational managers provided a formal assurance at the end of February that they were complying with all elements of the National Action Plan.
We have also undertaken the considerable task of moving a large number of staff into new posts in our contact centres, and delivering the training necessary to operate the new processes.
The chief operating officer is monitoring performance very closely and is addressing performance variations in benefit clearance times in specific locations and the actions required to clear backlogs. It should be acknowledged that concentrating on backlogs of work may initially cause average clearance times to rise. In order to focus management attention on this issue, the actual average clearance times measure of 12 days for Jobseeker's Allowance claims, has been added to the suite of Jobcentre Plus Targets for 2006-07
I hope this is helpful
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