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22 May 2008 : Column 404W—continued
Waste Management: Licensing
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which golf courses have been granted paragraph 19A exemptions from waste management licensing. [205611]
Joan Ruddock: It has not been possible to indicate which paragraph 19 exemptions are for golf course developments. Identifying the exemptions relating to golf courses could only be achieved if a significant administrative exercise were to be undertaken by the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency currently has over 2,700 registered paragraph 19 exemptions, in addition to over 37,000 such exemptions for agricultural waste, across England and Wales.
This exemption is provided for the use of waste in ‘relevant work’, such as in the construction of recreational facilities or highway improvements. At the point of registration there is no requirement to specify what type of facility the waste will be used in.
Work and Pensions
Children
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what percentage of children reached a good level of development by scoring six points on all the assessment scales for personal, social and emotional development and communication, language and literacy scales of the Foundation Stage Profile; and what progress has been made towards meeting this part of his Department's Public Service Agreement target; [200811]
(2) with reference to his Department's Public Service Agreement for 2005-2008 (Technical Note), page 9, what the agreed Public Service Agreement target is for the proportion of children to reach a good level of development at the end of the Foundation Stage by 2008; [200812]
(3) what proportion of children have achieved a good level of development by scoring six points on all the assessment scales for personal, social and emotional development and communication, language and literacy scales of the Foundation Stage Profile in (a) the 30 per cent. most disadvantaged super output areas and (b) the rest of England in each year since 2003; [200846]
(4) what progress has been made towards meeting his Department's Public Service Agreement target 2. [200848]
Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Children Schools and Families and the Department for Work and Pensions have joint responsibility for this public service agreement target, (which is PSA target 2 for DWP and PSA1 for DCSF). The target, set in 2005, is to improve children's levels of
development in the communication language and literacy and personal, social and emotional development scales of the foundation stage profile so that by 2008 53 per cent. of children reach a good level of development and inequalities between the level of development achieved by children in the 30 per cent. most disadvantaged super output areas and the rest of England are reduced by four percentage points from 16 per cent. to 12 per cent. A good level of development is defined as scoring at least six points on all seven of the personal, social and emotional development and communication, language and literacy assessment scales at the end of the foundation stage.
The foundation stage profile was introduced in the academic year 2002-03 and was expected to take a number of years to bed in. Overall national summary data for FSP was first published in 2003 as ‘Experimental Statistics’ and in 2004 as ‘National Statistics’. However, a background of ongoing improvements to teacher assessment and moderation mean it is difficult to draw meaningful statistical judgments about the progress made, particularly in super output areas, between 2003 and 2004. For this reason information on levels of good development has only been published since 2005. The figures are shown in the table.
Figures for 2005 and 2006 are based on sample data and are subject to sampling error. Figures for the gap between the most disadvantaged areas and the rest include only those children for whom postcode information was available. Improvements to moderation mentioned above have affected the reliability of 2005, 2006 and 2007 data; we expect 2008 results (due to be published in autumn 2008) to form a secure baseline and the PSA targets on early years foundation stage results for 2011 are to improve from this baseline.
The final figures on the foundation stage profile in England were published in Statistical First Release 32/2007 “Foundation Stage Profile 2006/2007: National Results (Final)” on 11 October 2007, a copy of which is available on my Department’s website
Children: Disabled
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children with a disability were categorised as materially deprived in each year since 1997; and what proportion of children in each age group this represented in each such year. [204650]
Mr. Timms: Being in material deprivation and low income is defined as being in a household with a household income of less than 70 per cent. of contemporary median income and a material deprivation score of greater than 25. Full details of the way scores are constructed are available in the public service agreement document ‘Halve the number of children in poverty by 2010-11, on the way to eradicating child poverty by 2020’ which can be found at
The available data are shown in the following tables.
| Table 1: Number of children with a disability and material deprivation, UK in households in low income | |
| Million | |
| Number of children | |
| Source: Households Below Average Income , 2004-05 to 2005-06 | |
Children: Maintenance
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when parents who are making child support agency payments calculated under the framework in force prior to March 2003 will have their payments recalculated under the formula which now applies. [207085]
Mr. Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown), on 18 February 2008, Official Report, column 226W.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many receptions he has hosted and funded in his capacity as Secretary of State in the last 12 months; which individuals and organisations (a) were invited to and (b) attended each reception; and what the cost was of each reception. [203856]
Mrs. McGuire: We will publish, in due course, an annual list relating to official receptions hosted by Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions during the course of the previous financial year.
Disabled
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with a (a) disability and (b) learning disability are employed by his Department. [206509]
Mr. Timms: The latest figures based on the position at 31 March 2008 are that 5,982 staff across the Department have declared that they are disabled. The figures are based on the numbers of staff who have voluntarily declared themselves as being disabled. However, we are aware that not all disabled staff declare their disability for departmental records, and the true figure may be higher than the figures shown. For example, the 2008 DWP Staff Survey (which is completed anonymously), showed that 9,977 of respondents considered themselves to have a long standing health condition or disability.
The Department does not collect data on the number of people with a learning disability it employs, and to provide information on this could only be at a disproportionate cost. Staff are encouraged to declare whether they consider themselves disabled, but are not asked to state the nature of the disability.
Health and Safety Executive: Manpower
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library copies of the Health and Safety Executive’s retention and recruitment plans covering policy capacity when it moves to a single headquarters. [207273]
Mrs. McGuire: Through recruitment of new staff to the single headquarters in Bootle, retention of key London staff through the transition period, flexibility to adapt the pace of change to any emerging pressures and continual senior management oversight, HSE will continue to maintain business continuity and deliver the major benefits that the single HQ will bring. The HSE chief executive regularly reports on progress to the HSE board and this information is available on the HSE website.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff at the Health and Safety Executive office at Rose Court, London have expressed a firm interest in relocating to a single headquarters in Bootle. [207274]
Mrs. McGuire: 10 members of staff initially expressed an interest in relocating to Bootle. A firmer number will be available in the summer after the final preference exercise has been conducted.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether an equality impact assessment was carried out prior to the Health and Safety Executive’s proposal to move to a single headquarters. [207275]
Mrs. McGuire: An equality impact assessment was carried out as part of the business case developed for the proposal to move to a single headquarters.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the changes in the number of posts which will result from the Health and Safety Executive's establishment of a single headquarters. [207276]
Mrs. McGuire:
We do not envisage the move to a single headquarters in Bootle resulting in any reduction in the overall total of HSE posts. We shall however be
filling posts in Bootle on the basis of establishing initially a sufficient number of qualified staff to undertake core and essential work rather than seeking immediately to fill every potentially vacant post. This will allow us to staff up more effectively the requirements of the new health and safety strategy as progressively become clear.
Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide hon. Members with the telephone number for the out-of-hours service operated by Jobcentre Plus on behalf of his Department. [206539]
Mr. Timms: 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 22 May 2008:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking if he will provide hon. Members with the telephone number for the Out Of Hours Service operated by Jobcentre Plus on behalf of his Department. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The Out Of Hours Service telephone numbers are already made available to “referring agencies” such as social services and the police. If any hon. Members themselves offer out of hours access in their surgeries over the weekend and wish to become known as a referring agency then we are happy to make local arrangements for access to the out of hours service telephone number.
Jobseeker’s Allowance
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a person with (a) a mental health condition and (b) a drug or alcohol addiction claiming jobseekers allowance has access to (i) the Pathways to Work scheme and (ii) condition management programmes through the Pathways to Work scheme. [203272]
Mr. Timms: Pathways to Work is specifically designed to encourage recipients of incapacity benefits to consider opportunities for starting or returning to work. Jobseeker’s allowance customers are, therefore, not eligible for Pathways to Work.
Instead, jobseeker’s allowance and other benefit customers with drug-related problems have access to the voluntary Progress2Work programme. Progress2Work provides, through specialist contractors, additional help for customers disadvantaged by their drug misuse. These specialists aim to support customers through provision, training and employment.
Under the flexible new deal, beginning in October 2009, service providers can decide to offer condition management programmes as part of the tailored back-to-work action plans drawn up for longer-term jobseeker’s allowance customers. Customers with a history of drug and alcohol misuse can currently also volunteer for early access to the New Deal Gateway and this arrangement will continue under the flexible new deal.
Personal Accounts Delivery Authority: Finance
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the (a) budgeted and (b) current projected (i) running and (ii) set up costs of the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority are in its first year of operation; [205492]
(2) how much has been spent on establishing and running the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority; [205493]
(3) whether he expects the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority to meet its objectives without exceeding its budget; [205494]
(4) what the (a) original budget, (b) current projected cost and (c) cost to date of setting up personal accounts is. [205498]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the report from the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority, a report on the Personal Accounts delivery authority’s plan for delivery . I am placing a copy of the report in the House Library
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