Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 8 October 2008
Work and Pensions
Industrial Diseases
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) representations have been received and (b) discussions have been held by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials from his Department on insurance and liability arrangements with regard to asbestos-related deaths and ill health due to industrial activity in the last five years; what requests to change those arrangements have been made of the Government; and what the outcome of these representations and discussions has been. [223711]
James Purnell: Ministers and officials in the Department for Work and Pensions have met and received representations on numerous occasions in the last five years from a wide range of stakeholders on insurance and liability arrangements with regard to asbestos-related deaths and ill health due to industrial activity.
Among the changes made as a result of these representations the Government provided more information and guidance to claimants and practitioners. More precisely, we published improved guidance on mesothelioma explaining the help available and where to find it, we provided best practice advice to industrial injuries disablement benefits claims handlers and we undertook public awareness activity to encourage claimants to use qualified, experienced legal practitioners when making a claim.
We also introduced standardised approaches to claiming civil damages by introducing a Standard Claim Letter. To facilitate the speeding up of payment of claims to people with mesothelioma, changes were introduced in the Compensation Act 2006 to enable defendant employers/insurers to claim money back from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
We have worked extensively with partners. We have conducted annual reviews of the Code of Practice for tracing Employers’ Liability Insurance policies to ensure the Code is comprehensive and has user confidence. HM Revenue and Customs now trace employer records for people with mesothelioma within 10 working days (previously 25-30 days). The Association of British Insurers (ABI ) has issued a claims handling best practice guide within the industry, and has introduced a Code of Practice phone enquiries helpline and issued guidance on getting the best out of the Code. Working with the Department for Business, we have now removed the need to resurrect insolvent companies in order to access ELCI policies, and working with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, we have helped make it easier for them to compensate people with mesothelioma more quickly.
We have introduced a new scheme for making payments to people with diffuse mesothelioma. The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 introduced a lump-sum payment scheme for people with diffuse mesothelioma who can receive a payment of an average of £10,000 within 6 weeks of claiming (the payment is recovered if any subsequent civil damages are awarded). The scheme started on 1 October 2008.
We have reduced the compliance costs of regulations relating to the display of Employers’ Liability Compulsory Insurance certificates. The Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 (which came into force on 1 October 2008) allowed companies to display certificates electronically when employees have reasonable access to the certificate in that form, and removed the requirement for employers to retain certificates for 40 years.
We have asked questions about the possible reform of the current Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) scheme in the consultation document, “No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility”. The consultation asks questions on IIDB: How might we reform Bereavement Benefit and IIDB to provide better support to help people adjust to their new circumstances while maintaining the work focus of the modern welfare state? Are lump sum payments a good way of meeting people’s needs? Do they give people more choice and control? Could we make more use of them? The consultation ends on 22 October 2008.
We continue to have discussions with insurers, employers, trades unions, lawyers and other interested parties.
Jobseeker’s Allowance
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of those on jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) have previously been recipients of JSA without an intervening period of employment; and if he will make a statement. [223790]
James Purnell: The information requested is not available.
Maternity Benefits
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average processing time for maternity allowance claims was in each quarter in each of the last five years. [223490]
James Purnell [holding answer 15 September 2008]: 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. The letter will be placed in the Library.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the average processing time for Maternity Allowance claims in each quarter in each of the last five years. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The time it takes to process Maternity Allowance applications is measured by counting the average length of time taken to clear all claims processed within a set time period. The measure is referred to as the Average Actual Clearance Time.
The average processing time for Maternity Allowance claims in each quarter in each of the last five years is contained in the table below.
| Maternity allowance average actual clearance time (AACT) | |
| Period | AACT(days) |
Over the last few months increases in the number of births in the general population have led through to an increase in Maternity Allowance applications by a fifth. This increase coincided with centralisation into the four units and a temporary dip in productivity associated with retraining existing members of staff. This has led to a backlog of around 7000 claims.
We are responding to these difficulties by increasing the staffing in the centralised sites by a fifth, so they can cope with the increase in new applications. The 7000 backlog cases are being dealt with separately by sharing the cases across our wider network of Benefit Delivery Centres. We are making progress now on clearing these cases. This action has seen immediate improvements in clearance numbers and we expect to have fully cleared the backlog by this autumn.
New Deal Schemes: Lancashire
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of West Lancashire constituency have found employment, work experience or training through the New Deal since its inception, broken down by New Deal programme. [221744]
James Purnell: Information regarding work experience and training is only available for new deal for young people and new deal 25 plus. The available information is in the following tables.
| Number of people who have found jobs by each new deal programme from their inception to February 2008 in West Lancashire parliamentary constituency | |
| Number | |
| (1) Figures for new deal 50 plus are not available prior to April 2003 and for new deal for partners figures are not available prior to April 2004. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Those people who have participated on subsidised employment option are included in the above figures for the relevant new deal programmes. 3. Figures for new deal for young people, new deal 25 plus, new deal for lone parents, new deal 50 plus and new deal for partners are available at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/tabtool_nd.asp Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate | |
| Number of people who have participated in subsidised employment option or full time education option on the new deal for young people in West Lancashire parliamentary constituency to February 2008 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures include those who have left the New Deal programme and current participants. 3. These figures are published at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/tabtool_nd.asp 4. Immediate destination on leaving is measured within two weeks of leaving new deal, using information from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate | |
| Number of people who have participated in subsidised employment option or full time education option on the new deal for 25 plus in West Lancashire parliamentary constituency to February 2008 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Immediate destination on leaving is measured within two weeks of leaving new deal, using information from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). 3. Employment includes those in employment and self employment. 4. Figures include those who have left the New Deal programme and current participants. 5. Figures do not include current participants on the follow-through stage of the programme. 6. These figures are published at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/tabtool_nd.asp Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate | |
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Post Office
Justine Greening:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the costs incurred by the Post Office, broken down by (a) staff costs, (b) distribution and conveyance,
(c) other operating costs and (d) (i) voluntary and (ii) involuntary redundancy costs in each of the last five years. [225155]
Mr. McFadden: The Department regularly and closely monitors the financial performance of Post Office Ltd. through the financial year because it is both a publicly owned company and it receives very substantial public funding to support the post office network. As part of this the Department reviews the company’s business case forecasts and the annual out-turn with regard to costs and to revenues.
Prime Minister
Cabinet
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 30 June 2008, Official Report, column 541W, whether he has any plans for the Cabinet to meet outside London in the next six months. [223008]
The Prime Minister: The Cabinet met in Birmingham on Monday 8 September 2008.
Chequers
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2007, Official Report, column 825W, whether the reference to civil servants includes Number 10 political staff. [221159]
The Prime Minister: The answer of 13 December 2007, Official Report, column 825W, is also true of special advisers.
China
Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what meetings he plans to have with Chinese government officials while in China attending the Olympic closing ceremony; and whether he will meet Hu Jintao and Wen Jibao; [220554]
(2) whether he discussed progress in talks between the envoys of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government with the Chinese President at the G8 summit in Japan. [220601]
Mr. Drew: To ask the Prime Minister what meetings he (a) held and (b) attended when in Beijing to attend the Olympic closing ceremony with the Chinese government; and whether he discussed (i) human rights and (ii) animal welfare with that government. [225422]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave on 14 July 2008, Official Report, column 20W.
In addition, I refer my hon. Friends to the press briefing I gave en route to Beijing on 21 August 2008. A transcript is available on the No. 10 website:
and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
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