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2 Apr 2008 : Column 929W—continued


Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place
2 Apr 2008 : Column 930W
in the Library a copy of each report on the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund prepared by each of the Government Offices for the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit. [193774]

John Healey: Government Offices do not systematically prepare such reports, although information on the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund may form part of Local Strategic Partnership reporting.

Work and Pensions

Departmental Contracts

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contracts were awarded by his Department to (a) KPMG, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) McKinsey, (e) Deloitte and (f) other consultancy firms in each of the last 12 months; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) value was of each of these contracts. [196578]

Mr. Timms: Contracts awarded to the suppliers (a) to (e) are listed in the following table. Details of contracts awarded to other consultancy firms (f) can be provided only at disproportionate cost.


2 Apr 2008 : Column 931W

2 Apr 2008 : Column 932W
Month Supplier Purpose Value (£)

2007

April

PWC

Analysis, evaluation and advice on CSA debt

139,334

May

PWC

NEP—focus groups on the quality of ESOL training to unemployed immigrants

23,070

May

PWC

Management support to ‘Tell us Once’ project

61,230

May

McKinsey

Assurance review of CSA computer system

135,000

May

PWC

Measurement of admin costs

42,000

June

PWC

NEP—City strategy review

36,045

June

PWC

Departmental financial advisors

900,000

July

Deloitte

Investment advice to the enabling retirement savings programme

193,133

July

Deloitte

Child maintenance redesign

308,083

July

Deloitte

Child maintenance redesign

478,386

July

Deloitte

HR operating model

417,348

August

PWC

Support on resilience of the Pensions Protection Fund

20,000

August

KPMG

Financial support on Remploy/TU negotiations

87,000

August

Deloitte

PADA design and implementation

2,000,000

August

Deloitte

Child maintenance redesign

478,386

August

Deloitte

Business design and design capability

850,000

September

PWC

Analysis of costs and benefits of ‘Tell us Once’

970,000

September

Ernst and Young

Data protection advice

49,563

October

None

November

PWC

Support to CPS programme

514,560

November

Deloitte

Support to CPS programme

1,637,981

November

Deloitte

Application Delivery Centre

342,900

December

None

2008

January

Deloitte

Child maintenance redesign—debt provisions

105,705

January

Deloitte

New ways of working implementation

189,510

February

PWC

Review to improve DWP’s performance and development system PDS diversity and equality performance

26,696

February

PWC

Development of a framework and toolkit for corporate, cohesive and capable boards at DWP

39,183

February

Deloitte

Risk management support to RAD

50,000

March

PWC

Support to conduct equal pay audit

21,100


Incapacity Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received incapacity benefits or severe disablement allowance on the grounds of dependency on (a) drugs and (b) alcohol in each year since 1997 for which information is available. [185923]

Mrs. McGuire: The Government’s drugs strategy was published on 27 February 2008. It stresses the need for the benefit system to support re-integration and personalisation. We will ensure that it provides the right level of support, and also creates incentives for people with drug problems to move towards treatment.

We will put in place arrangements which require drugs misusers on benefits who are not already in treatment to attend a discussion with an appropriate specialist treatment provider or partner organisation.

Entitlement to incapacity benefit is not linked to any specific diagnosis or condition. Entitlement, which is assessed by the personal capability assessment, depends on the effect that a person’s condition has on their ability to carry out a number of activities relevant to work. Most people with drug or alcohol dependency also have other conditions, such as mental illness; and it is these other conditions which result in entitlement to benefits.

We do record the diagnosis of incapacity that is written on a claimant’s medical certificate. The table shows the number of people receiving incapacity benefits whose recorded diagnosis includes drug or alcohol dependency.

Working age incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claims which includes a recorded diagnosis of alcoholism or drug abuse from the claimant s medical certificate.
Number as of May: Alcoholism Drug abuse Alcoholism as proportion of caseload Drug Abuse as proportion of caseload

1997

26,800

21,900

1.03

0.84

1998

29,800

25,300

1.13

0.96

1999

32,500

27,900

1.23

1.05

2000

35,580

30,950

1.32

1.15

2001

38,660

36,230

1.40

1.32

2002

41,040

40,690

1.48

1.47

2003

43,420

43,890

1.57

1.58

2004

45,940

46,120

1.66

1.66

2005

47,740

47,980

1.74

1.75

2006

49,200

48,550

1.83

1.81

2007

51,410

49,890

1.94

1.89

Notes:
1. May 1997 to May 1999 (inclusive) numbers are uprated to WPLS totals and rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. May 2000 to May 2007 (inclusive) numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
3. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
4. May 1997 to May 1999 (inclusive) numbers are based on a 5 per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
5. These figures should be used as a guide to the current situation only.
6. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10(th) Revision, published by the World Health Organisation.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample and 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Medical Examinations: Sight Impaired

Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether all registered blind people are required to undertake a personal capability assessment. [195534]

Mr. Timms: Registered blind people are treated as meeting the threshold of incapacity for benefit purposes and are exempt from the personal capability assessment process.

New arrangements will apply when the work capability assessment for the Employment and Support Allowance is introduced in October this year.

Mineral Waters

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many litres of bottled water were purchased by his Department in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [191249]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions currently has a single contract to supply DWP offices with water coolers, bottled water and associated services and equipment. Bottled water may also be provided for business meetings but is sourced from a variety of contracts and is not accounted for separately.

From April 2006 to March 2007, DWP purchased 3.4 million litres of bottled water. So far this year, from April 2007 to January 2008, DWP has purchased 2.9 million litres. Information prior to these dates is not available.

DWP is committed to phase out the use of bottled water for all business meetings and replace it with tap water. We are aiming to have this process in place by the summer of 2008.


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