Previous Section Index Home Page

24 Apr 2007 : Column 1089W—continued


Incapacity Benefit

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his assessment is of the principal causes of the trend in the real value of total public spending on incapacity benefits since 1995-96; and if he will make a statement. [122621]

Mrs. McGuire: Real-terms expenditure on working age incapacity benefits has fallen by around 10 per cent. since 1995-96.

A key reason for the decline in expenditure over this period is the continued reduction (since April 1995) in the number of claimants who receive protected and higher amounts of contributory invalidity benefit, the predecessor to incapacity benefit. This is an ongoing and gradual process, occurring as people have flowed off the benefit, for example through retirement.

In 1995-96, 85 per cent. of expenditure on incapacity benefits was on the protected ex-invalidity benefit. This proportion had fallen to around 50 per cent. in 2001-02 and was around a third in 2005-06.

IT Projects

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on (a) information technology projects generally and (b) web-facing projects in each year since 2001, broken down by (i) expenditure on consultants and (ii) other costs. [102135]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions undertakes a large number of projects which deliver business change and policy initiatives. IT changes are an enabling component of many projects. The number of projects in train at any one time will vary and the duration of the project lifecycle is often more than one calendar year.

The following table provides information by financial year of expenditure on IT projects and web-facing projects since 2001 and includes only those projects where the IT element is such that non-delivery of the IT would significantly damage the project’s ability to deliver its intended results.


24 Apr 2007 : Column 1090W

The information required is not readily available for some projects that were implemented a number of years ago or is not available in the format required. This may be the total spend and/or the spending on consultants. The cost of obtaining such information would not be reasonable.

£ million
IT projects Web-facing projects
Spending Consultants spending Spending Consultants spending

2001-02

225.38

23.41

2.60

0.00

2002-03

455.41

84.96

3.50

0.00

2003-04

604.52

156.06

8.92

0.19

2004-05

422.84

123.06

20.08

1.45

2005-06

433.26

127.16

15.18

3.70

Note:
The “spending” represents the investment costs of the project, the “consultants spending” represents the amount of investment spending on consultants.

Jobcentre Plus: Standards

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average time Jobcentre Plus took to process applications for (a) community care grants and (b) budgeting loans in the last 12 months. [125582]

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 24 April 2007:


24 Apr 2007 : Column 1091W
National monthly community care grant average actual clearance times in days
Days

2006

February

7.5

March

7.5

April

9.0

May

10.4

June

9.7

July

8.9

August

9.5

September

10.4

October

10.0

November

8.9

December

9.0

January

9.1


National monthly budgeting loan average actual clearance times in days
Days

2006

February

2.4

March

2.4

April

2.7

May

3.4

June

3.7

July

3.3

August

3.6

September

3.5

October

3.3

November

3.5

December

3.7

January

3.2

Note:
The Average Actual Clearance Time is obtained by dividing the total number of working days from all applications by the number of applications
Source:
The Jobcentre Plus MI Portal

Jobseekers Allowance: Lone Parents

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost would be of implementing the jobseeker’s allowance regime for all lone parents whose youngest child is aged 12 and over. [129576]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The total estimated cost of implementing a jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) regime for lone parents with children aged 12 and over is between £6 million and £10 million. The final figure would be dependent on whether lone parents leave JSA at the same speed as current female JSA claimants, current income support lone parent claimants, or somewhere in between.

New Deal for Long Term Unemployed

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people left the New Deal 25 plus for employment in each month since 1998. [124441]

Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 1 March 2007]: The available information is in the following table.


24 Apr 2007 : Column 1092W

24 Apr 2007 : Column 1093W
New Deal 25 plus
Number of leavers to employment

2001

April

140

May

460

June

1,010

July

990

August

1,490

September

1,710

October

1,780

November

2,220

December

970

2002

January

1,690

February

2,000

March

2,520

April

2,140

May

2,680

June

1,990

July

2,180

August

2,720

September

2,420

October

2,430

November

2,720

December

1,340

2003

January

2,510

February

2,340

March

2,450

April

2,340

May

2,930

June

2,570

July

2,420

August

2,960

September

2,780

October

3,240

November

2,300

December

1,460

2004

January

2,600

February

2,600

March

2,590

April

2,930

May

2,600

June

2,500

July

3,080

August

2,370

September

2,720

October

3,500

November

2,560

December

1,840

2005

January

2,370

February

2,400

March

2,390

April

2,790

May

2,170

June

2,100

July

2,570

August

1,930

September

2,660

October

2,010

November

1,980

December

1,500

2006

January

1,610

February

1,740

March

2,360

April

1,540

May

1,670

June

2,090

July

1,660

August

1,650

Notes: 1. Data on leavers are only available from April 2001. 2. Latest information is to August 2006. 3. Figures are rounded to nearest 10. Source: Information Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions.

Next Section Index Home Page