| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
27 Oct 2008 : Column 694W—continued
Students: Initiation Rites
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what representations have been made to his Department about university initiation rites in each of the last three years. [229043]
Mr. Lammy: There have been no representations made on this subject in the last three years.
Teachers: Training
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the average (a) training and (b) student support cost of training a primary school teacher was in the most recent period for which figures are available. [229019]
Mr. Lammy: Training costs for primary teacher trainees vary depending on the training route, the location of the training and the type of course. Full details for the academic year 2008-09 are available in the Training and Development Agency for Schools funding manuals, copies of which are available at
http://www.tda.gov.uk/upload/resources/pdf/m/minastream fundmanua10809.pdf
http://www.tda.gov.uk.upload/resources/pdf/e/ebittfunding manual0809.pdf
for employment-based initial teacher training.
Since 2006-07, students entering undergraduate teacher training courses PGCE courses have been required to pay their tuition fees (up to £3,145 in 2008-09). They are eligible for a tuition fee loan to cover the fee charged, and are also eligible for a partially means-tested maintenance grant (up to £2,835 in 2008-09) and a partially means-tested maintenance loan (up to £4,625 for students living away from home and studying outside London). £4,000 training bursaries are also payable to eligible trainees following primary postgraduate mainstream courses. The bursary is not payable to trainees on undergraduate or employment-based training routes.
Work and Pensions
Apprentices: North Staffordshire
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what plans Jobcentre Plus has to (a) advertise, (b) promote and (c) fill apprenticeships in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (ii) North Staffordshire; [226595]
(2) what apprenticeships in the construction sector which Jobcentre Plus helped to (a) advertise, (b) promote and (c) fill in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (ii) North Staffordshire in 2007-08; [226596]
(3) what apprenticeships Jobcentre Plus helped to (a) advertise, (b) promote and (c) fill in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (ii) North Staffordshire in 2007-08 [226597]
(4) how many apprenticeships Jobcentre Plus helped to (a) advertise, (b) promote and (c) fill in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (ii) North Staffordshire in 2007-08; [226598]
(5) what co-ordination takes place between Jobcentre Plus, local further education colleges and the Learning and Skills Councils to (a) advertise, (b) promote and (c) fill apprenticeships in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (ii) North Staffordshire. [226599]
Mr. McNulty: 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 21 October 2008:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning the advertising, promotion and filling of apprenticeships in Newcastle-under-Lyme and North Staffordshire. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The Learning and Skills Council have lead responsibility for managing apprenticeships. They hold details of employers interested in offering apprenticeships and provide the information to further education establishments and the local authority Connexions services to promote the opportunities available. They do not advertise the availability of apprenticeships through Jobcentre Plus.
We direct customers who are interested in apprenticeships to the Learning and Skills Council and the local authority Connexions service for young people who hold information on all apprenticeships available. We make this referral through our network of advisers within Jobcentres. Our website www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk also directs customers to the apprenticeships website www.apprenticeships.gov.uk, hosted by the Learning and Skills Council.
We do accept vacancies offering an apprenticeship direct from the employer. Labour Market Recruitment Advisers in local Jobcentres are on hand to offer advice to those employers and direct them to the Connexions Service and the Learning and Skills Council for more information and support regarding apprenticeships.
We do not collect formal data on vacancies we have advertised that have offered an apprenticeship. However, we understand that very few employers offering an apprenticeship have contacted Newcastle-under-Lyme Jobcentre or the other Jobcentres in North Staffordshire. Generally, employers are aware that apprenticeships are handled through Connexions and the Learning and Skills Council and approach them directly.
We are working very closely with North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership to tackle worklessness. In Newcastle-under-Lyme, we hold regular liaison meetings with the local Connexions service,
the Learning and Skills Council and other partner organisations; sharing information on modern apprenticeships available is something we are looking at to address worklessness in North Staffordshire.
Christmas
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Christmas functions (a) he, (b) officials from his Department and (c) officials from its executive agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2007-08; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement. [226957]
James Purnell: The Department does not have any account codes or categories specifically identifying spend on Christmas functions. While the policy is not to incur this type of expense in hosting events or for attendance at events by staff, there may be a small number of occasions when senior civil servants and departmental Ministers hosted and attended Christmas functions during 2007-08. However, to try and identify any such expenditure would incur a disproportionate amount of time and cost.
Council Tax Benefits
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was claimed in council tax benefits in each constituency in England in each of the last three years. [226762]
Kitty Ussher: A holding reply was sent on 14 October 2008.
The information is not available. Information on council tax benefit expenditure at a local authority level is available on the Department's website at:
Departmental Civil Service Agencies
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many agencies were sponsored by his Department or its predecessor in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 1997-98. [228503]
Jonathan Shaw: The ‘Next Steps Report 1997' (Cm3889) provides information on all Executive agencies as at 31 December 1997. Copies are available from the Library of the House. The most up-to-date list of Executive agencies is published in the Cabinet Office publication “The List of Ministerial Responsibilities”. The latest version, incorporating recent ministerial changes, will be published shortly. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Departmental Consultants
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research has been commissioned on behalf of his Department by external consultants in the last 10 years; and what the cost was of this research. [226976]
Jonathan Shaw:
The Department commissions social and economic research with external consultants to help inform, develop and evaluate policy initiatives.
Communications research is also commissioned to assist the development of campaign strategies and future communications activities.
As the Department was established in 2001, it is not possible to provide details for the 10 years. Information on individual departmental research projects commissioned since 2001 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Communications research is commissioned through a number of framework agreements and the Central Office of Information. Communications research is often included within campaign development costs and the specific costs are not held separately and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
The Department's expenditure on social and economic research for the last seven financial years is given in the following table:
| Financial year | Social and economic research expenditure (£ million) |
| (1 )Estimated outturn for DEL taken from table 5 of the annual Departmental Report. | |
Departmental Public Participation
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many citizens’ juries his Department has held since 1 July 2007; what the cost was of each; what issues were discussed at each event; and how many (a) Ministers and (b) members of the public attended each event. [227472]
Jonathan Shaw: DWP ran a series of deliberative workshops in July 2008 using some of the principles of citizens juries to find out how people thought the working age benefit budget should be spent. Seven workshops, including one pilot were conducted around the UK with a total of 147 members of the public participating. No Members of Parliament took part. The research cost £164,185 in total, which includes recruitment of participants, operational costs in running the workshops, analysis of the data and a full analytical report. The report is due to be published shortly as part of the DWP research series.
Departmental Written Questions
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date. [226887]
James Purnell: My Department has replied to a total of 621 named day questions in the current parliamentary session, of which 246 (39.6 per cent.) had substantive replies on the named day and 375 (60.4 per cent.) received holding replies.
Disability Living Allowance: Scotland
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency receive the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance. [229890]
Jonathan Shaw: At February 2008, 2,370 people in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency were receiving the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance.
Notes:
1. The figure is rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Figure shows the number of people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of (a) the lower rate and (b) the higher rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance in (i) each constituency in Scotland and (ii) Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [230445]
Jonathan Shaw: The available information has been placed in the Library.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much in housing benefit has been paid to tenants of (a) housing associations and (b) local authorities, including arm's length management organisations, since 1997; and what estimate he has made of the effect on housing benefit costs of tenants transferring from council management to registered social landlords as part of stock transfers in each of those years. [229403]
Kitty Ussher: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer given on 14 May 2008, Official Report, column 613W.
Housing Benefit: Complaints
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been brought to the attention of his Department or the Rent Service on the operation of local housing allowance; and from which broad rental market areas these have come in the last 12 months. [229581]
Kitty Ussher: A holding reply was sent on 23 October 2008.
The Rent Service has received six complaints on the operation of the local housing allowance for the broad rental market areas of: Bournemouth; Central Greater Manchester; Chichester and Sussex Downs; Devon South; Hull and Inner North and West London.
No official record of complaints regarding the operation of local housing allowance is held by the Department for Work and Pensions as this is the responsibility of local authorities. However, since national rollout on 7 April 2008 we have received a total of 76 letters from Members and 47 letters directly from members of the public regarding the local housing allowance. There are no central records held indicating from which broad rental market areas these inquiries originate.
Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many failed telephone calls were made to the Jobcentre Plus helpline (a) in each region and (b) nationally (i) in each quarter of 2008-09 and (ii) in each month of 2008-09 to date; and if he will make a statement. [227950]
Mr. McNulty: A holding reply was sent on 20 October 2008.
The information is not available.
Members: Correspondence
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West’s correspondence of 22 August on his constituent Mr. Sandy Horn and the Financial Assistance Scheme. [228834]
Mr. McNulty: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 17 September 2008.
Post Office Card Account
Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the access criteria laid down in the tender documents for the successor to the Post Office Card Account. [229479]
Mr. McNulty: A holding reply was sent on 23 October 2008.
The contents of the tender documents are currently commercial in confidence and therefore cannot be placed in the Library.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assessment he has made of the potential effects of awarding the Post Office Card Account contract to more than one bidder; [229747]
(2) when the decision on the award of the Post Office Card Account contract will be (a) taken and (b) announced; [229749]
(3) what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the award of the Post Office Card Account contract. [229750]
Ms Rosie Winterton: A holding reply was sent on 23 October 2008.
This is a commercial tendering process, bound by UK and European law. We will announce the outcome when that is completed. I cannot speculate on the consequences of any particular outcome.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |