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17 Jun 2008 : Column 904W—continued
Work and Pensions
Child Support Agency: Finance
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how much the Child Support Agency paid Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs for referrals for income disclosure information in the last year for which figures are available; [209975]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the service level agreement between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the Child Support Agency on their data sharing arrangements. [209977]
Mr. Plaskitt: [holding answer 10 June 2008]: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Mark Grimshaw, dated 17 June 2008:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As the Chief Executive is currently out of the office on business, I am responding, with his authority, on his behalf.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Child Support Agency paid Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs for referrals for income disclosure information in the last year for which figures are available. [209975]; and
If he will place in the Library a copy of the service level agreement between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the Child Support Agency on their data sharing arrangements. [209977]
The Child Support Agency paid a total of £627,000 to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in 2007/08 to cover the costs associated with information requests relating to the location of a non-resident parent as well as information relating to income. The Agency is unable to identify the costs relating solely to income disclosure.
It is worth noting that the transfer of funds from the Agency ensures both that cross-departmental service is provided at full economic costs in order for value for money to be demonstrated and that all costs associated with administering child maintenance are captured.
There are three service level agreements which relate to data sharing between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the Child Support Agency. These provide for information to be shared in respect of Tax Credits, National Insurance Contributions, and by the Debt Management and Banking Division. The latter replaces an earlier agreement with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and is currently in the process of being finalised.
These agreements are reviewed and revised regularly and therefore are liable to significant change over the course of the year. I have therefore arranged for copies of the service level agreements to be forwarded direct to you under separate cover.
Children: Day Care
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people on the minimum wage use electronic childcare vouchers. [210023]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available.
Departmental Advertising
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department's ‘No Ifs, No Buts’ advertising campaign has cost to date. [210268]
Mrs. McGuire: The Targeting Benefit Thieves campaign, ‘No Ifs, No Buts’, was launched in October 2006. The following table details spend on the ‘No Ifs, No Buts’ campaign costs since its inception in 2006.
| £000 | |
| Campaign spend | |
| Notes: 1. Figures given are for actual spend for the Targeting Benefit Thieves (October 2006 to March 2008) campaign. 2. All figures are exclusive of VAT. 3. The figures in this table refer to media spend, design, PR,, production, research and any other associated costs. 4. All figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand. | |
European Skills Assessment
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on working towards the European skills assessment. [211268]
Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
We welcome the 2008 Spring European Council’s invitation to the European Commission to conduct a European Skills Review to present a comprehensive assessment of the future skills requirements in Europe up to 2020. We hope the review will help all member states examine and address their future skills challenges and develop their own responses to likely demands. To date, the work with the Commission and other member states to establish the European Skills Review has been carried out during our normal dialogue with these partners, and so has not occurred additional costs.
Jobcentre Plus: Dorset
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what annual savings will result from the withdrawal from 12 May 2008 of access to the week day evening out-of-hours service operated by Jobcentre Plus for his Department's customers in Dorset and Somerset. [206538]
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 Mel Groves, dated 17 June 2008:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what annual savings will result from the withdrawal from the 12th May 2008 of access to the week-day evening Out of Hours Service operated by Jobcentre Plus for his Department's customers in Dorset and Somerset This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Ms Strathie as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. I am replying in her absence as Acting Chief Executive.
If the level of access to our weekend Out of Hours Service (Saturday and Sunday) in Dorset and Somerset continues at 2007/08 levels, we anticipate a reduction in administrative costs of 28%, amounting to 5,855 per annum.
Jobseekers Allowance: Students
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time students responsible for a child aged under 16 or a young person aged under 20 claimed jobseeker’s allowance or income support during the summer vacation from a full-time course of non-advanced education in the last three years for which figures are available. [209530]
Mr. Plaskitt: [holding answer 9 June 2008]: The information requested is not available.
Post Office Card Account
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2008, Official Report, columns 1845-46W, on the Post Office card account, what the maximum number of outlets where the card account is to be operated is; and if he will make a statement. [208819]
Mr. Plaskitt: [holding answer 5 June 2008]: There will be no maximum number of outlets at which the successor to the Post Office card account will be available.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people hold a Post Office card account, broken down by parliamentary constituency. [211006]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the precise format requested.
Information showing the number of DWP benefit and pension payment accounts paid into a Post Office card account for each parliamentary constituency has been placed in the Library.
Social Security Benefits
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) training and (b) support options are offered to (i) those in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance, (ii) those in receipt of incapacity benefit, (iii) those on the new deal for lone parents and (iv) partners of new deal claimants; and for what reasons distinctions are made between the options available to those in each category. [206081]
Mr. Timms: Jobcentre Plus advisers give support and advice to all their customers. This includes, but is not limited to, advice about benefits, vacancies, training possibilities and child care.
Training is provided to Jobcentre Plus customers from a variety of sources including private and voluntary sector providers. The specific training needs of the individual are identified during an interview between the personal adviser and the customer.
Although the route to training may vary between the various client groups (for example new deal 25 plus, pathways to work, new deal for lone parents) the broad range of training is available to all. Advisers will tailor training towards the particular needs of the individual to ensure that they maximise their chances of returning to employment.
The support available to each client group is tailored towards the type of specialist help and support they need based upon available resources. This support has been developed over time, either as a result of the evaluation of what individuals need, or by the evaluation of the effectiveness of programmes and pilots, in helping these client groups to enter, remain in and progress in work.
Further information can be found at the Jobcentre Plus website,
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value of unclaimed means-tested (a) benefits, (b) pension credit, (c) disability related allowances and (d) attendance allowance was in each of the last three years. [209755]
Mr. Plaskitt: Estimates of the value of unclaimed means-tested benefits in Great Britain, covering income support, pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and jobseeker’s allowance (income-based), are published in the report “Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2006-07”. A copy of this report, along with past reports, has been placed in the Library.
Estimates for means-tested disability related allowances and attendance allowance are not available.
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