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22 Mar 2007 : Column 1070W—continued
The Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are committed to meeting the Better Regulation challenge. The HSE is constantly reviewing what can be done better to ensure that people are protected at work while avoiding unnecessary burdens on business.
(1) All costs are calculated in 2000-01 prices.
(2) All costs are calculated in 2001-02 prices.
Carers: Learning Disability
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what Government-funded support is available for carers of people with profound and multiple learning difficulties. [127939]
Mrs. McGuire: Depending on their personal circumstances, carers have access to the full range of social security benefits, including carer’s allowance. To qualify for carer’s allowance, carers must satisfy a number of eligibility conditions, and the person for whom they provide care has to be receiving either the middle or highest rate care component of the disability living allowance, or attendance allowance.
Departmental Websites
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many user visits were recorded on the National Pensions Debate website in each month in 2006. [118771]
James Purnell: Activity throughout the national pension debate site from January 2006 to May 2006 resulted in 56,648 visits and 23,888 unique visitors.
Activity throughout the pension reform site from June to December 2006 resulted in 187,787 visits and 69,215 unique visitors.
The site received the following visits and unique visitors in each month in 2006.
| Activity | Period | Visits | Unique visitors |
| (1) The content of the national pensions debate site was restructured in June 2006. Background information was retained but main information was absorbed into the pension reform site. (2) To reflect change in site structure figures provided from June 2006, show visits to the pensions reform site. Notes: Visits—Number of times a visitor or visitors came to the site. Each visit is recorded separately for every visit more than thirty minutes apart. Unique Visitors—Individuals who visited your site during the report period. If someone visits more than once, they are counted only the first time they visit | |||
Departments: Renewable Energy
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2007, Official Report, column 1216W, on renewable energy, what plans he has to increase the amount of energy from renewable sources used by his Department. [127120]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions currently sources 53.5 per cent. of its total electricity from renewable sources. This is in excess of the original Government target to source 10 per cent. of electricity from renewable sources by 31 March 2008, which remains mandated within the new targets for Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate.
The Department’s estate partner Land Securities Trillium is required to source electricity using competitive tender. Bids are sought on the basis of maintaining current supplies for the Department, which ensures that the Department maintains its own performance while not compromising the ability of the market to supply to others.
In order to increase the volume of renewable energy available, the Department in partnership with Land Securities Trillium is exploring the potential for on-site renewable generation. There are a number of projects where this may be feasible and scoping work is under way. The Department’s annual Sustainable Development reports will provide details of progress.
Departments: Trade Unions
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many meetings (a) he and (b) his Department's Ministers held with trade union representatives in 2006. [128764]
Mrs. McGuire: Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meeting.
Departments: Work Permits
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work permits were applied for by his Department and its agencies in each of the last five years. [127709]
Mrs. McGuire: This information is not collated in this Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Disability Living Allowance
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the cost to public funds of removing the age cut-off from eligibility for mobility allowance; and if he will make a statement. [128017]
Mrs. McGuire: The requested information is not available. Entitlement to the mobility component of disability living allowance can only be established when a claim is made and the actual mobility needs of the individual are assessed. There are no reliable data available on which estimates could be made of extending entitlement to the mobility component of disability living allowance beyond the age of 65 if people were to make a claim.
Financial Assistance Scheme: EC Law
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals have been excluded from the Financial Assistance Scheme on the basis of their age; what assessment his Department’s legal advisers have made of the extent to which this policy complies with European Union law; and if he will make a statement. [121446]
James Purnell: We estimate that around 50-55,000 members are more than 15 years from scheme pension age and therefore do not qualify for assistance.
We consider that European Directive 2000/78, which includes non-discrimination on grounds of age, does not apply to FAS.
The Government are carefully studying the ruling by the European Court of Justice of 25 January 2007
relating to Article 8 of the European Directive 80/987/EEC, and in so doing we will have in mind compliance with community law generally.
Full Employment Agency: Costs
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) set-up and (b) annual running costs of the new Full Employment Agency in Scotland. [120312]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Full Employment Agency is a matter which we are discussing with the Scottish Executive. No estimate has been made by the Department for Work and Pensions of the (a) set-up and (b) annual running costs for the proposed Agency at this stage.
Industrial Health and Safety: Asbestos
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) one-off and (b) recurring cost of implementing the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 to (i) businesses and (ii) the regulators. [125590]
Mrs. McGuire: The answer is as follows:
(i) The cost to business, in present value terms, of complying with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 was estimated to be some £1.4 billion in the first year. Recurring costs were estimated to be in the region of £13 million a year over 50 years.
These figures should be balanced against the estimated £3 billion benefits of the regulations. These arise from reducing the risks from asbestos and so preventing an estimated 4,700 asbestos related deaths over 50 years.
(ii) Combining the costs to HSE and local authorities of enforcing the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002, the cost in the first year in which the regulations came into force was estimated to be in the region of £8 million in present value terms. Over a 10-year period, enforcement costs were estimated at £34 million. The information in this reply was drawn from the final Regulatory Impact Assessment for the legislation that is available in the Library or on the HSE website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/ria/index.htm.
The Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are committed to meeting the Better Regulation challenge. The HSE is constantly reviewing what can be done better to ensure that the right balance is struck between protecting people at work and avoiding unnecessary burdens on business.
Industrial Health and Safety: Hazardous Substances
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) one-off and (b) recurring cost of implementing the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 to (i) businesses and (ii) the regulators. [125588]
Mrs. McGuire:
The cost to business of implementing the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres
Regulations 2002 was estimated to be £350 million over a 10-year period, of which £150 million was initial costs.
Costs, over the same period, to the health and safety regulators were estimated to be in the region of £6.62 million, of which £75,000 were initial costs.
These figures should be considered against the total losses associated with incidents involving dangerous substances.
The Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are committed to meeting the Better Regulation challenge. The HSE is constantly reviewing what can be done better to ensure that people are protected at work whilst avoiding unnecessary burdens on business.
National Insurance: Jobcentres
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what criteria were used to decide which jobcentres will offer interviews for applicants for national insurance numbers; and for what reason some jobcentres cannot conduct such interviews; [123407]
(2) what his policy is on the maximum (a) time and (b) distance that applicants for a national insurance number are expected to travel in order to attend an interview at a jobcentre. [123409]
Mr. Plaskitt: Customers wishing to obtain a new national insurance number are required to attend an interview. The jobcentres providing these services were selected on the basis of historical information on where the largest volumes of applications were made, also taking into account the suitability of premises available. Not all jobcentres have suitable premises to conduct these interviews or have had sufficient demand in the past for this specialist service.
Our policy on travelling time and distance is that a customer should be offered an appointment at the nearest location to their requested postcode (place of abode or place of work). In practice Jobcentre Plus specifically advises the customer if the interview is likely to be more than one hour travelling time each way, or if they are likely to be absent from home for over four hours. To assist the customer in these instances, Jobcentre Plus can offer special interview arrangements at a more suitable Jobcentre Plus site. Customers have the option, and some do choose, to travel for longer than one hour to attend an interview. Travelling time rather than distance is the measure on which the suitability of the appointment is determined as this takes into account local transport arrangements. Jobcentre Plus does have a facility to carry out home visits if customers have mobility problems.
New Deal
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of individuals participating in the new deal for young people are participating in the programme for the (a) first, (b) second and (c) third time. [102157]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The information is in the following table.
| Participants on new deal for young people | ||
| Totals | Percentage of total | |
| Notes: 1. Latest participant data is to August 2006. 2. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Totals may not sum due to rounding. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate. | ||
Parliamentary Questions
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many written parliamentary questions to his Department (a) in the 2005-06 session were and (b) so far this session have been colour- coded (i) red, (ii) amber/yellow and (iii) green since the introduction of the colour coding system; [113303]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of internal department guidance on the system of colour-coding for management of written parliamentary questions in operation in his Department. [113304]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department aims to answer parliamentary questions within the timescales set by Parliament. For the early part of the 2006-07 session, the Department trialled an informal system of colour- coding parliamentary questions to help improve internal processes for answering parliamentary questions. No formal guidance was issued on the operation of the system, nor was any information systematically collected on the number of questions colour-coded as a result. The Department has subsequently decided to discontinue the trial.
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