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10 Nov 2008 : Column 912W—continued
Income Support
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unprocessed income support applications there were (a) in each of the smallest geographical areas for which information is available and (b) in total at the end of each quarter of each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [230479]
Mr. McNulty: The available information has been placed in the Library.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average processing time was for income support applications in each quarter of each of the last five years (a) in total and (b) in each of the smallest geographical areas for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [231033]
Mr. McNulty: From 2003 to 2006 the lowest geographical area for which figures are available was at a district level. From 2006 to date the lowest geographical area for which figures are available is at Benefit Delivery Centre (BDC) level.
The information has been placed in the Library.
Income Support: Lone Parents
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number and proportion of lone parents affected by the changes to the eligibility rules for income support coming into effect in November 2008; who will have moved into (a) full-time and (b) part-time work within (i) three, (ii) six, (iii) nine, (iv) 12, (v) 18 and (vi) 24 months of the changes coming into effect (A) in the UK and (B) broken down by the smallest geographical area for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [230282]
Kitty Ussher: Estimates are not available broken down by geographical area or as to whether the work moved into will be part-time or full-time.
Based on internal analysis carried out for departmental planning purposes, it has been estimated that of the approximately 280,000 lone parents on income support affected by the changes which start to be implemented from November 2008 (i.e. whose youngest child is aged 12 or over from November 2008, 10 or over from October 2009, or seven or over from October 2010):
around 20,000 will move into work immediately after being affected by the changes;
a further 15,000 will move into work within three months of being affected by the changes;
a further 20,000 will move into work within six months of being affected by the changes;
a further 10,000 will move into work within nine months of being affected by the changes;
a further 10,000 will move into work within 12 months of being affected by the changes;
a further 5,000 will move into work within 18 months of being affected by the changes; and,
a further 5,000 will move into work within 24 months of being affected by the changes.
These estimates include those lone parents who would have entered employment anyway. They relate only to existing income support lone parent claimants when the changes are introduced from November 2008.
The estimates are dependent on a number of assumptions made by the Department including around the destinations of lone parents on income support after the changes come into effect, their behaviour on other benefits and the destinations of lone parents when they leave benefits.
Some lone parents are exempt from these changes and will still be able to receive income support. These include lone parents: who are in receipt of carer’s allowance; have a child for whom they are receiving the middle or higher rate care component of disability living allowance; who are fostering.
We have commissioned a comprehensive evaluation of the changes and will monitor their impact over time. These estimates are sensitive to the particular assumptions made and will be fully tested in the evaluation.
Jobcentre Plus: Breastfeeding
Harry Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury of 15 July 2008, Official Report, column 325W, on Jobcentre Plus: breastfeeding, if he
will direct Jobcentre Plus offices to adopt policies of welcoming breastfeeding mothers. [231951]
Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
Letter from Mel Groves, dated November 2008:
The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury of 15th July 2008 Official Report column 325W on Jobcentre Plus, asking whether he will direct Jobcentre Plus offices to adopt policies that welcome breastfeeding mothers. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
My predecessor, Lesley Strathie asked for a review to take place and have new guidance communicated to our offices. This review will be completed by the end of this year.
Jobcentre Plus: Closures
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Jobcentre Plus offices in which regions are planned to be closed in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [230434]
Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking which Jobcentre Plus offices, in which regions are planned to be closed in each of the next five years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
There are three Jobcentres which are currently open to the public and are planned to be closed in the next year. These are all within our London Region. The Jobcentres are: Brixton Hill, Feltham and Orpington and all three have been subject to a rigorous consultation process. Other than these, no decisions have yet been taken on further closures.
Jobcentre Plus: Lost Property
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many reported incidents of missing post from Jobcentre Plus clients have been received by Jobcentre Plus staff (a) nationally and (b) at the Preston office in the last 12 months; [225752]
(2) how many items of missing post sent by Jobcentre Plus clients to Jobcentre Plus offices in the latest period for which figures are available have been located; [225761]
(3) what searches have been made to recover missing items of sensitive and confidential mail sent by the constituent of the hon. Member for West Lancashire, Ms Hilary Thompson, to the Jobcentre Plus office in Preston; what steps he is taking to make system changes to protect clients' data; and what assessment has been made of how Ms Thompson's items were initially lost. [225762]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 13 October 2008]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your questions asking:
how many reported incidents of missing post from Jobcentre plus clients have been received by Jobcentre plus staff (a) nationally and (b) at the Preston office in the last 12 months.
how many items of missing post sent by jobcentre plus clients to jobcentre plus offices in the latest period for which figures are available have been located.
what searches have been made to recover missing items of sensitive and confidential mail sent by the constituent of the hon. Member for West Lancashire Ms Hilary Thompson to the jobcentre plus office in Preston; what steps he is taking to make system changes to protect clients' data; and what assessment has been made of how Ms Thompson's items were initially lost.
This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as acting Chief Executive.
Information regarding the amount of missing post reported and located is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Jobcentre Plus treats customer data seriously and introduced new procedures last year in order to ensure tighter security across the business. The new procedures ensure the utmost safety of our data and enable staff to understand their position and take the most appropriate and correct action.
The postal contracts Jobcentre Plus has in place are designed to provide for mail to be securely delivered to Jobcentre Plus sites. These services are reviewed and tested in order to ensure the service is both secure and effective. Our day to day security measures relating to our post opening procedures include the following:
mail is processed in a separate and secure location designated for DWP mail;
post opening is monitored by CCTV;
there must be two or more employees processing mail; and
there is a signing in/out register for processing staff and recording of valuable items and life documents.
The postal contract enables us to query any missing post and for a thorough search to be performed if necessary.
Given the personal nature of issues about your constituent, Hilary Thompson, my predecessor, Lesley Strathie has written to you separately regarding the issues you have raised. She explained that we have located two of the three items that your constituent reported as missing. However, despite a full investigation by ourselves and Haden, our post opening contractors, including a full office search, we have not been able to locate the third item of post.
Jobcentre Plus: Training
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on training Jobcentre Plus employees in each year since 1 April 2002, broken down by region. [230285]
Mr. McNulty: The information is not available.
Jobseeker’s Allowance
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long it took on average to process new jobseeker's allowance claims in each Jobcentre Plus district in each of the last 12 months. [232280]
Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how long it took, on average, to process new Jobseeker's Allowance claims in each Jobcentre Plus district in each of the last 12 months. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The time it takes to process Jobseeker's Allowance applications is measured by counting the average length of time taken to clear all claims processed within a set time period. This measure is referred to as the Average Actual Clearance Time.
The information requested is not available by Jobcentre Plus district because Jobcentre Plus processes Jobseeker's Allowance claims in 70 Benefit Delivery Centres (BDC) across the country.
Tables showing the average processing time (number of days) for Jobseeker's Allowance claims in each of the last 12 months in each BDC have been placed in the Library.
Maternity Benefits
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for East Dunbartonshire of 8 October 2008, Official Report, columns 612-13W, on maternity benefits, what (a) advice and (b) advance notification the Government received on the increased demand for maternity allowance in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09; and if he will make a statement. [230235]
Kitty Ussher: 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 Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to respond to your question on maternity benefits, what (a) advice and (b) advance notification the Government received on the increased demand for maternity allowance in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09. This is a matter which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Maternity Allowance numbers are forecast by trends in the number of births in Great Britain. Past sets of births projections, which are produced by Office for National Statistics have shown a gradual rise in births. As a result Maternity Allowance forecasts predicted that Maternity Allowance claims would increase by around 5%.
During the planning process for the centralisation of Maternity Allowance into four units, staffing numbers required were calculated based on that forecast increase in claims, with some productivity improvements, in line with the challenge faced by the whole organisation. In fact Maternity Allowance claims have increased by nearly a fifth this year.
Although this increase was not forecast, we quickly put plans in place to increase staffing in line with the increase and to ensure work was efficiently distributed across the benefit delivery network. This has ensured arrears of claims which built up earlier in the year are now cleared and we have returned to our normal workload.
Minimum Wage
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of jobs advertised in jobcentres offered remuneration at the level of the national minimum wage on the latest date for which figures are available. [229298]
Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many and what percentage of jobs advertised in Jobcentres were at the National Minimum Wage on the last date for which figures are available. This is something that falls within my responsibilities as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
All vacancies handled by Jobcentre Plus are checked to ensure they meet National Minimum Wage requirements. Therefore, all vacancies advertised by Jobcentre Plus meet the requirements of the National Minimum Wage. We do not however, record information on the number or percentage of vacancies that are advertised specifically at the National Minimum Wage.
National Insurance: Foreigners
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance number registrations there were for non-UK citizens in each year since 2004, broken down by nationality. [225576]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 9 October 2008]: The available information has been placed in the Library.
National Insurance: Immigrants
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2008, Official Report, column 2220W, on national insurance: immigrants, what steps have been taken to contact the individuals whose names have been used for the registration of a national insurance number which was then used by another person in the 1,873 cases referred to; and how many of those individuals have been contacted to date. [224534]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 6 October 2008]: In the 1,873 cases concerned, it was the national insurance number (NINO), not the name of the genuine holder to whom the NINO was allocated, that was quoted to the Security Industry Authority.
From DWP investigations into this misuse of NINOs, there is no evidence that the identities of the genuine holders have been hijacked. Therefore, none of the individuals has been contacted.
The system of checks introduced by the Security Industry Authority with the United Kingdom Border Agency in 2007 provides additional protection against identity fraud by people wishing to work in the security industry in breach of immigration laws.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2008, Official Report, column 2220W, on national insurance: immigrants, how many of the 3,275 cases have been referred to the Department for Work and Pensions Fraud Investigation Service for investigation; how many prosecutions have been brought; and if he will make a statement. [224535]
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