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7 Mar 2007 : Column 2069W—continued


Other Notes:

3. Work and Pensions Committee—Jobcentre Plus

The uncorrected evidence from Jobcentre Plus officials at the Work and Pensions Select Committee hearing on 15 January 2007 quoted expenditure on severance packages as being £185.5 million in 2005-06 with a forecast of £116 million in 2006-07. These figures relate to allocated funding for the year whereas the expenditure figures in the tables in the response reflect actual in year expenditure. Provision needs to be set aside from allocated funding for future Annual Compensation Payments even though such costs are not incurred in year. This ongoing provision accounts for the difference between the figures in the tables and the figures quoted in the evidence session held on 15 January.

Departments: Visits Abroad

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost was of visits abroad by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. [120450]

Mrs. McGuire: The total cost of visits abroad by staff in the Department for Work and Pensions in the
7 Mar 2007 : Column 2070W
last 12 months is £961,442. This includes the cost of flights/ferries/Eurostar, accommodation and staff subsistence.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason application forms for disability living allowance are not available on line. [124746]

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 2 March 2007]: Electronic communications enabling on line claiming for Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and State Pensions were introduced on 20 March 2006 and can be located through the Government’s Direct Gov website at: http://www.direct.gov.uk

Housing

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average rent is for shared accommodation in each local authority; and if he will make a statement. [106324]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the ratio of incapacity benefit to median earnings in the UK was in each year from 1975-76 to 2005-06; and if he will make a statement. [124239]

Mrs. McGuire: Information is not available in the format requested. Incapacity benefit, which replaced invalidity benefit and sickness benefit, was introduced in April 1995, and median earnings data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) are only available from 1997.

The National Statistics Annual Surveys of Hours and Earnings indicate that the ratio of long term incapacity benefit to gross weekly earnings for all employees has been broadly constant at about 22 per cent. since 1997.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has undertaken into the proportion of working age people in the UK on incapacity benefit in comparison with figures for other EU countries; and if he will make a statement. [124240]

Mrs. McGuire: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the written answer I gave him on 21 February 2007, Official Report, columns 794-95W.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of recipients of incapacity-related benefit received such benefit for (a) mental illness and (b) back pain in each year since 1979-80. [124241]

Mrs. McGuire: Information on back pain is not available prior to 1995. The available information is in the following table.


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Proportion of invalidity benefit, incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants with a primary diagnosis of back pain or mental and behavioural disorders at the dates shown
Percentage
Back pain Mental and behavioural disorders

May 1980

12.5

May 1981

13.7

May 1982

14.1

April 1983

14.7

March 1984

16.7

March 1985

15.7

April 1986

15.8

April 1987

16.5

April 1988

16.5

April 1989

17.2

March 1990

17.7

March 1991

18.1

April 1992

18.6

April 1993

19.3

April 1994

19.6

August 1995

11.7

21.7

August 1996

12.1

24.0

August 1997

12.3

26.4

August 1998

12.3

28.6

August 1999

12.3

30.6

August 2000

12.2

32.2

August 2001

12.1

33.8

August 2002

11.9

35.4

August 2003

11.6

36.8

August 2004

11.3

38.2

August 2005

11.0

39.4

August 2006

10.8

40.3

Notes:
1. March 1980-April 1994 figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
2. August 1995-August 1998 (inclusive) percentages have been based on 5 per cent. sample figures uprated to 100 per cent. WPLS totals.
3. August 1999-August 2006 (inclusive) percentages are based on 100 per cent. WPLS figures.
4. Incapacity benefit figures include incapacity benefit credits-only cases.
5. Incapacity benefit replaced invalidity benefit and sickness benefit in April 1995.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate 1 per cent. samples, 5 per cent. samples and 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Industrial Injuries

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many injuries were reported to enforcing authorities by industry in the North West in each year since 1997, broken down by region and local authority. [109715]

Mrs. McGuire: I have placed tables in the Library providing the number of injuries reported to enforcing authorities in the North West Government office region for the 10 years from 1996-97 to 2005-06 by local authority.

I am pleased to report that the North West’s total combined number of fatal and major injuries, and combined rate of fatal and major injuries have both shown a decline in the last year. The North West’s rate for all reported injuries has declined in each of the last two years and since 2001-02 overall.


7 Mar 2007 : Column 2072W

I am concerned that both the rate of fatal and major injury and the rate of all reported injuries are higher in the North West than in Great Britain as a whole. However, this is strongly influenced by the composition of employment including the mix of industries and occupations in different regions.

The Health and Safety Commission’s risk-based strategy to improve Great Britain’s health and safety performance aims to concentrate on the highest areas of incidence and the poorest performers.

Jobcentre Plus

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the Jobcentre Plus offices which (a) had their hours of opening to the public reduced and (b) closed in each of the past four years, broken down by Parliamentary constituency. [102425]

Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 23 November 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 hon. Gentleman with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 7 March 2007:

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were employed at each Jobcentre Plus in the most recent year for which figures are available. [109325]

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.

Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 7 March 2007:

Jobcentre Plus: Violence against Staff

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many incidents of violence towards Job Centre Plus staff from clients receiving a decision on Social Fund Crisis funds were recorded in each year since 2003; and how many have been recorded in 2007; [116880]

(2) how many incidents of violence towards Job Centre Plus staff from clients were recorded in each year since 2003; and how many have been recorded in 2007. [116881]

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. Gentleman with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 7 March 2007:

Calendar year Actual assaults—social fund Total actual assaults

2003

6

239

2004

7

341

2005

10

420

2006

10

421

2007 (to date)

0

3


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