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12 Nov 2008 : Column 1253W—continued
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of main phase employment and support allowance claims which last for (a) less than 13 weeks, (b) between 13 and 28 weeks, (c) between 28 weeks and one year, (d) between one and two years, (e) between two and three years and (f) more than three years. [224027]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 17 September 2008]: Employment and support allowance was introduced on 27 October 2008. Therefore there have been no outturn data yet. However, estimates have been made, which show expected claim durations. These figures are not an assessment of the aims or effect of the introduction of the new benefit.
Details of the proportions of claimants remaining on benefit after particular periods provided in the following table are in line with the cautious and prudent approach to making fiscal projections, where the impact of existing and proposed policies is taken into account once there is robust evidence of their effect, but the impact of new or planned policies is not considered where the evidence is more limited.
| Estimated proportions of employment and support allowance claimants remaining on benefit after a particular period of time | |
| Claimants remaining on benefit (percentage) | |
| Notes: 1. Employment and support allowance was introduced on 27 October 2008 and replaced incapacity benefit and income support on the grounds of sickness or disability for new claimants. 2. Estimates do not take into account new or planned policies where evidence is more limited. 3. Estimates are based on the latest available data and are subject to revision as new data become available. 4. Estimates relate to all employment and support allowance awards for adults of working age. 5. Estimates are extrapolated from the historic incapacity benefits data from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study with adjustments made to allow for the impact of Pathways to Work and employment and support allowance. | |
Social Security Benefits: Carers
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost implications of moving carers currently in receipt of income support on to a modified form of jobseeker’s allowance; what other impact assessment of the change he has made; and if he will make a statement. [228496]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 20 October 2008]: We have no specific costs that can be directly attributed to moving income support carers to a modified jobseeker’s allowance as they constitute a minority of the income support caseload that would be moved. As such, the work we have done to cost a move to a modified jobseeker’s allowance has been on the basis of moving the entire caseload. However, there would be no change in the amount of benefit paid to carers on income support nor would there be any additional one-off implementation costs associated with this specific group. There would also be no increased requirements placed upon carers.
The impact assessment produced alongside the Green Paper provided some high-level information about the proposal to move income support cases on to jobseeker’s allowance in so far as it applied to lone parents. Further details will be provided once the policy has been reviewed in the light of responses to the consultation.
Social Security Benefits: Overpayments
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was overpaid in benefits through (a) fraud and (b) error to claimants who were deceased in each year since 1997 for which information is available. [226225]
Mr. McNulty: This information is not available. The fraud and error data collected are not broken down to a level required to identify this category separately.
Unemployment Benefits
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much an eligible single person aged 25 years or over received in (a) unemployment benefit and (b) jobseeker's allowance in each year since 1987, expressed as a proportion of average earnings [233145]
Mr. McNulty: The available information is in the table.
| Unemployment benefit (UB) and jobseeker's allowance (JSA) rates as percentage of average earnings, 1987 to 2008 | |
| UB/JSA rate as percentage of average earnings | |
| Notes: 1. UB/JSA rates are for single person aged 25 or over. 2. Average earnings from 1998 onwards are taken from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and before 1998 from the New Earnings Survey (NES). 3. Average earnings are mean UK gross weekly pay for full-time adult employees. | |
Winter Fuel Payments
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received cold weather payments in each year since 1988 for which information is available; how many payments were made, broken down by level; and how much was spent in each such year. [226200]
Kitty Ussher: The available information is in the following table.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
English Language: Immigrants
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much was spent by his Department on English for Speakers of Other Languages courses for immigrants in each of the last 10 years. [234324]
Mr. Simon: Since 2001, the Government fund English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses through the Skills for Life strategy as part of the Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC’s) overall adult skills budget.
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) calculates the total amounts spent on Skills for Life ESOL as follows:
| £ million | |
The data collected by LSC cover all eligible ESOL learners in England, whether they are long-term residents or recently arrived in the UK.
Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council: Grants
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much the Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council has given to (a) the Greater Manchester Council for Voluntary Organisations, (b) Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Support and (c) Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Learning Consortium. [233230]
Mr. Simon: The Department recognises and supports the vital role that the third sector plays in empowering individuals and communities. The funding of these organisations is an operational matter for the LSC. Mark Haysom, the LSC’s chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 7 November 2008:
I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked: how much the Greater Manchester LSC has given to a) Greater Manchester Council for Voluntary Organisations (GMCVO), b) Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Support and c) Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Learning Consortium. Our understanding is that the latter two organisations are administered by the GMCVO which is the accountable body.
The question includes the term ‘given’ which may be interpreted as implying that the LSC has grant funded the organisations listed above. At present the LSC is not providing any form of grant funding to GMCVO but we do have a contract in place with this organisation for LSC funded activity.
The LSC currently has a single contract with GMCVO and an additional contract currently under negotiation. The organisation is also a partner in a successful consortium bid. The details are set out below.
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