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8 Oct 2007 : Column 139W—continued

Caroline Flint: The Government have no plans to allow courts to impose child maintenance orders on parents. We want to promote a collaborative process that encourages parents to reach agreement about maintenance wherever possible. Where parents are
8 Oct 2007 : Column 140W
unable to agree they may apply to the Child Support Agency for a maintenance calculation.

Children: Poverty

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) people and (b) people in families with children live in households with below 40 per cent. of median income. [153426]

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not available.

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will introduce a system in his Department for the collection of information on child poverty at county level. [154766]

Mr. Plaskitt: The official measure of child poverty is derived from an annual survey, the Family Resources Survey. While this gives an accurate picture of the national position, the survey sample is too small to allow for disaggregation to county level. However, I recognise the importance of measuring child poverty at a more local level and have asked analysts in my Department to investigate the feasibility of producing an alternative measure that will give an indication of progress locally.

Crisis Loans: Telephone Services

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether the Government plan to increase the number of staff manning the Jobcentre Crisis Loan helpline; and if he will make a statement; [154181]

(2) what the average time was that a caller to the Jobcentre Crisis Loan helpline had to wait before the call was answered in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [154182]

Mr. Plaskitt: 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 Mel Groves:


8 Oct 2007 : Column 141W

Departments: Cabinet Committees

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Cabinet Committee meetings he has attended in the last 12 months. [154876]

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 10 September 2007]: A full list of all Cabinet Committees, including their membership and terms of reference, can be found in the Library of the House. It is Government practice to place such a list in the Library approximately every six months. Previous lists contain the membership information requested. Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, including the number of meetings held and attendance, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Departments: Cornwall

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) meetings and (b) correspondence has taken place between his
8 Oct 2007 : Column 142W
Department and Cornwall county council on joint delivery of services at a local level. [154769]

Mrs. McGuire: The Pension Service and Jobcentre Plus have had and continue to have regular communication with Cornwall county council.

There has been dialogue between Pension Service Local Service staff and Cornwall county council through meetings and correspondence since January 2004. The last meeting which took place on 11 September 2007, resulted in an agreement being reached on the joint delivery of services at a local level and a pilot is scheduled to take place from 1 January 2008 to 30 June 2008.

Jobcentre Plus (JCP) has also had regular meetings and correspondence with Cornwall county council. The external relations managers and partnership managers of JCP Devon and Cornwall district work closely with a variety of groups and boards from Cornwall county council to achieve joint delivery of services.

The information which is available on meetings and correspondence is presented in the following tables.

Correspondence and meetings between the Pension Service Local Service and Cornwall county council since January 2004
Meetings Correspondence Joint workshops Job shadowing Joint fact finding visit

22 April 2004

14 January 2004

21 July 2005

Over several days in July 2005

22 February 2005

May 2004

16 September 2004

6 December 2005

23 February 2007

0

21 September 2004

6 February 2006

0

0

0

October 2004

15 February 2006

0

0

0

6 January 2005

28 June 2006

0

0

0

4 May 2005

5 July 2006

0

0

0

4 July 2005

21 July 2006

0

0

0

8 August 2005

29 June 2007

0

0

0

16 December 2005

6 August 2007

0

0

0

22 September 2006

0

0

0

0

20 November 2006

0

0

0

0

2 March 2007

0

0

0

0

11 September 2007

0

0

0

0

Notes:
1. It has not been possible to identify every contact made.
2. Listed are the known dates of correspondence and meetings.
Source:
Cornwall Pension Service Local Service

Correspondence and meetings between Jobcentre Plus and Cornwall county council since January 2007
Meetings Correspondence

Eight meetings with local partnership managers in early 2007

0

30 April 2007

0

1 June 2007

0

13 July 2007

0

30 July 2007

0

Source:
Devon and Cornwall Jobcentre Plus.

Departments: Flowers

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department on flowers in the last 12 months. [153182]

Mrs. McGuire: The information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Junior Ministers

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total estimated annual cost is of (a) expenses, (b) salary, (c) office space, (d) administrative support and (e) special advisers for the new Under-Secretary of State in his Department. [154629]

Mrs. McGuire: The information requested would be available only at disproportionate costs. A list of special advisors by department and pay band will be published in due course. Details of ministerial salaries are available in the House Library and at:

Departments: Taxis

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department on taxis in the last 12 months. [153178]


8 Oct 2007 : Column 143W

Mrs. McGuire: The information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Telephone Services

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were employed by call centres used by his Department in each year since 1997. [152790]

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's staff were employed in call centres in each of the last 10 years. [152658]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 26 July 2007]: The information available is recorded in the following table and provides the number of staff, expressed as ‘full time equivalents' (FTE)(1), employed in call centres as at 1( )April for each year.

(1) Many contact centre staff work part time, FTE is a means of expressing staff numbers in a consistent way (for example two staff working 0.5 x standard working hours is equivalent to one FTE).

Jobcentre Plus( 1) The Pension Service( 2) Disability and Carers Service( 3) Child Support Agency Debt Management

1998

108.27

1999

125.31

2000

128.84

2001

446.63

2002

459.44

2003

456.22

2004

2,118.39

529.25

562.36

2005

3,992.56

10,216

582.87

481.96

475.13

2006

6,075.73

8,566

511.95

541.75

387.37

2007

6,382.54

8,175

515.88

508.04

440.63

(1) Jobcentre Plus information details the position at March in each year. (2) The Pension Service operates an integrated business model, where Pension Centres perform both contact centre and claims processing functions. It is not possible to make precise allocations between the functions. Information provided includes telephony, processing, support and management. (3) Disability and Carers information up to 20000-01 is for Benefit Enquiry Line only. Information from 2001-02 includes the Disability Helpline and Benefit Enquiry Line.

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