Jenny Willott:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many staff at each of his Department's offices were employed to process (a) crisis loans, (b) budgeting loans and (c) community care grant applications in each month since 2003; and if he will make a statement; [214919]
(2) how many staff were employed in running the Social Fund in each month since April 2003, broken down by site and scheme; and if he will make a statement; [215984]
(3) how many staff were employed to process (a) crisis loan, (b) budgeting loan and (c) community care grant applications in each month since 2003, broken down by location of employment; and if he will make a statement. [216081]
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 Lesley Strathie, dated 17 July 2008:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent questions on staff allocations for social fund application processing 17 July 2008 : Column 647W
asking: how many staff at each of his Department's offices were employed to process (a) crisis loans (b) budgeting loans and (c) community care grant applications in each month since 2003: how many staff were employed in running the Social Fund in each month since April 2003 broken down by site and scheme: how many staff were employed to process (a) a crisis loan (b) a budgeting loan and (c) community care grant applications in each month since 2003 broken down by location of employment. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
17 July 2008 : Column 648W
We began centralising benefit delivery in April 2006. Prior to this staff were working on social fund applications at Jobcentres and Social Security offices throughout the country and we did not keep staffing data specific to these job roles.
The available information is for the total number of staff employed nationally on each Social Fund type and is set out in the following table.
Staff employed to process community care grants, crisis loans and budgeting loans (full-time equivalents)
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
Process SF Community Care Grants
578.73
585.9
600.77
635.11
626.29
614.39
Process SF Crisis Loans
658.69
855.61
847.62
849.55
860.16
848.97
Process SF Budgeting Loans
899.59
960.35
981.1
994.18
988.03
986.72
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
Process SF Community Care Grants
632.6
634.7
634.32
645.43
637.5
635.45
Process SF Crisis Loans
1,018.64
1,042.34
1,076.91
1,041.20
1,014.04
1,017.65
Process SF Budgeting Loans
980.35
970.1
952.6
935.79
947.16
931.5
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
Process SF Community Care Grants
639.18
639.49
653
648.19
611.38
609.07
Process SF Crisis Loans
1,018.04
1,053.50
1,128.56
1,541.62
1,560.06
1,814.32
Process SF Budgeting Loans
890.81
900.05
875.61
800.82
669.16
629.31
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2 0 08
Process SF Community Care Grants
610.43
573.17
559.96
560.99
560.16
553.43
Process SF Crisis Loans
1,814.23
1,833.30
1,823.42
1,825.56
1,799.51
1,754.12
Process SF Budgeting Loans
631.57
555.62
597.05
561.08
558.84
525.17
April 2008
May 2008
Process SF Community Care Grants
561.4
579.97
Process SF Crisis Loans
1,261.68
1,311.28
Process SF Budgeting Loans
470.9
455.44
Source:
Activity Based Management Data.
Social Security Benefits: Greater London
Mr. Evennett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of children under 16 years old in London parliamentary constituencies had at least one parent or guardian who was claiming one or more of incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance, jobseekers allowance, income support and pension credit in each of the last 10 years. [218613]
Mrs. McGuire:
Information is not available prior to 2004; the available information is in the following table.
Proportion of children aged 0-15 dependent on a parent or guardian claiming one or more of income support, jobseekers allowance, incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance or pension credit, by parliamentary constituency in London
Percentage
Parliamentary constituency
April 2004
April 2005
April 2006
April 2007
Barking
38.9
38.0
38.1
35.3
Battersea
27.1
25.8
25.8
25.0
Beckenham
18.5
18.0
17.9
16.1
Bethnal Green and Bow
48.9
46.4
45.7
44.7
Bexleyheath and Crayford
17.4
17.4
17.4
16.8
17 July 2008 : Column 649W
Brent East
35.2
34.6
34.1
32.2
Brent North
23.7
23.5
23.8
22.9
Brent South
37.4
36.8
36.1
34.0
Brentford and Isleworth
23.0
22.9
22.7
22.0
Bromley and Chislehurst
16.1
15.6
15.2
14.6
Camberwell and Peckham
41.8
40.1
38.7
37.2
Carshalton and Wallington
21.2
20.4
20.3
20.2
Chingford and Woodford Green
19.9
19.8
20.6
21.4
Chipping Barnet
17.2
17.3
17.1
16.7
Cities of London and Westminster
24.0
23.9
23.9
22.8
Croydon Central
31.3
31.2
31.0
29.4
Croydon North
29.2
29.5
29.3
27.8
Croydon South
15.1
14.9
14.9
14.7
Dagenham
35.5
35.7
35.5
34.0
Dulwich and West Norwood
29.0
27.4
27.2
25.3
Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush
35.8
35.3
35.0
33.6
Ealing North
27.9
27.7
27.6
25.8
Ealing Southall
27.3
27.1
26.6
25.7
East Ham
36.9
35.7
35.4
33.1
Edmonton
35.9
37.0
38.0
37.1
Eltham
28.9
28.5
28.0
27.6
Enfield North
31.7
32.9
33.6
33.8
Enfield Southgate
17.4
18.1
17.5
17.3
Erith and Thamesmead
34.0
33.3
33.3
31.8
Feltham and Heston
29.8
29.4
29.1
28.4
Finchley and Golders Green
18.5
18.3
18.0
16.3
Greenwich and Woolwich
40.5
38.9
38.4
36.4
Hackney North and Stoke Newington
34.2
32.7
31.5
30.2
Hackney South and Shoreditch
48.9
47.3
47.3
44.9
Hammersmith and Fulham
31.4
30.5
29.9
29.1
Hampstead and Highgate
32.5
31.9
30.9
29.1
Harrow East
22.3
22.6
22.6
23.0
Harrow West
18.8
18.8
18.1
17.9
Hayes and Harlington
31.2
30.8
30.8
30.4
Hendon
27.1
27.0
26.9
25.6
Holborn and St. Pancras
45.2
44.6
44.0
41.2
Hornchurch
16.3
16.5
17.1
17.2
Hornsey and Wood Green
29.7
29.0
28.3
26.9
Ilford North
21.5
21.6
21.3
21.4
Ilford South
28.0
28.6
29.3
29.6
17 July 2008 : Column 650W
Islington North
43.7
42.8
42.6
41.4
Islington South and Finsbury
47.7
47.1
46.8
45.8
Kensington and Chelsea
17.7
16.2
15.6
15.1
Kingston and Surbiton
15.6
15.5
15.4
14.5
Lewisham Deptford
36.2
34.9
34.7
33.9
Lewisham East
32.5
32.8
33.2
33.6
Lewisham West
30.9
30.0
30.6
30.3
Leyton and Wanstead
32.1
31.5
30.1
28.4
Mitcham and Morden
26.6
26.3
26.2
24.5
North Southwark and Bermondsey
42.6
41.0
39.3
37.4
Old Bexley and Sidcup
11.8
11.3
10.9
10.8
Orpington
18.0
17.9
17.7
17.5
Poplar and Canning Town
51.2
48.7
48.2
46.8
Putney
26.3
25.2
24.3
23.9
Regent's Park and Kensington North
45.4
44.5
44.1
43.0
Richmond Park
11.2
11.2
10.6
10.0
Romford
17.8
17.9
17.6
17.6
Ruislip-Northwood
15.0
14.7
13.6
12.9
Streatham
33.8
32.8
32.9
31.3
Sutton and Cheam
11.0
11.6
11.8
11.6
Tooting
22.6
21.9
21.8
20.8
Tottenham
48.8
48.0
46.6
43.5
Twickenham
11.2
11.2
11.1
10.7
Upminster
20.6
20.1
19.1
18.8
Uxbridge
23.3
22.9
22.4
22.9
Vauxhall
40.0
39.1
39.1
37.7
Walthamstow
34.2
34.2
33.1
32.9
West Ham
41.1
39.4
38.1
36.1
Wimbledon
10.5
10.0
9.4
8.5
Notes:
1. All data represent a snapshot in time of claimants on the computer system, and therefore exclude a very small number of cases that are held clerically.
2. Due to the introduction of child tax credits in April 2003, information on child dependents is not reliably completed on the benefit computer system. Children have been merged onto income support/jobseeker's allowance/incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance/pension credit claims from child benefit records with permission from HMRC.
3. The total number of children aged 0-15 on child benefit in each parliamentary constituency at the relevant year has been used as the denominator for the percentages given. Source:
DWP Information Directorate
