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26 Nov 2008 : Column 1971W—continued
Employment and Support Allowance
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what performance measures have been established for employment and support allowance. [238385]
Jonathan Shaw: Employment and support allowance was introduced on 27 October 2008 for new customers claiming on the grounds of disability or ill health. Employment and support allowance will be woven into the existing performance framework for Jobcentre Plus. It is already built into the customer service target. From April 2009, employment and support allowance will feature within the job outcome and fraud and error targets. At the same time, employment and support allowance performance will also be measured through Jobcentre Plus internal targets for claim clearance and delivery of work focused interviews.
Employment and Support Allowance: Manpower
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many additional staff were operating in benefit delivery centres specifically to implement the new employment and support allowance on 27 October 2008, broken down by (a) fixed-term employees, (b) full-time employees and (c) casual staff; and how many additional staff in each category he expects to be operating in this capacity at the end of each of the next six months. [233307]
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 many additional staff he expects to operate in benefit delivery centres specifically to implement the new employment and support allowance (a) at 27th October 2008 and (b) at the end of each of the next six months, broken down by (i) fixed-term employees, (ii) full-time employees and (iii) casual staff. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus has not recruited additional staff specifically to administer Employment and Support Allowance. We have, however, recruited additional customer facing staff so that experienced staff could be released to undertake the training required to deliver Employment and Support Allowance. Of the 2,125 people recruited, 982 will work within the Benefit Delivery Centre network.
Information broken down by full and part-time or contract type could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Employment Schemes
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what guidance is given by Jobcentre Plus to staff on how long a work-focused interview should be and how much time should be taken to follow up each work-focused interview; and how many work-focused interviews were carried out in each Jobcentre Plus (a) district and (b) region in each of the last 12 months, broken down by benefit claimed; [235346]
(2) what estimate he has made of the maximum number of work-focused interviews that can be carried out in each month with current staffing levels at Jobcentre Plus in each (a) district and (b) region, broken down by benefit claimed; [235348]
(3) what the average number of work-focused interviews attended by claimants was in each of the last five years, broken down by benefit claimed. [235473]
Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked the acting chief executive to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to the questions you asked in relation to Work Focused Interviews. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. The questions are as follows:
What guidelines are given by Jobcentre Plus to staff on how long a work-focused interview should be and how much time should be taken to follow up each work-focused interview; how many work-focused interviews were carried out in each Jobcentre Plus (a) district and (b) region in each of the last 12 months broken down by benefit claimed.
What estimate he has made of the maximum number of work-focused interviews that can be carried out in each month with current staffing levels at Jobcentre Plus in each (a) district and (b) region broken down by benefit claimed.
What the average number of work-focused interviews attended by claimants was in each of the last five years broken down by benefit.
Jobcentre Plus conducts a wide range of different interviews to meet both business and customer needs. Guidance to staff outlines the purpose and content of each interview type and the average length of time these should take, but this will vary in practice
depending upon individual customer needs. Advisers also have guidance on pre-and post-interview activities. The actual time taken for these activities will also vary, depending upon the type of interview and the needs of the individual. However, our 2008/09 resource allocation allows an average of 10 minutes per interview.
In terms of the specific interview times, these are derived from work measurement studies, which are used to assess the range of activities that must be undertaken and/or could be undertaken. These result in average interview times, which are used as part our resource allocation methodology.
The information on the number of work-focused interviews that have been carried out in each Jobcentre Plus District and
Region in the last 12 months broken down by benefit claimed has been placed in the Library.
It is not possible to state the maximum number of work focused interviews that can be carried out each month. Benchmark numbers are used because we have numerous different interview times for each client group/activity and the mix of clients at any given time will be variable.
The table below contains the average number of Jobcentre Adviser interviews conducted each month in the last five years, broken down by benefit type. For 2004/05 only 2 months data is available. Therefore the figures for 2004/05 reflect the monthly average based on 2 months available.
| Average monthly interviews attended by year | |||||
| Benefit | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09( 1) |
| (1 )2008-09 monthly average is based on seven months available data Source: Business Information System (Customer Meetings—interview type—all) | |||||
Employment Services: Disabled
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people in York have been assisted to find work (a) by disability advisers employed by Jobcentre Plus and (b) through other publicly-funded initiatives to assist disabled people in the last 12 months. [237605]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 20 November 2008]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked the Acting Chief Executive to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many disabled people have been assisted to find work in York (a) by disability advisers employed by Jobcentre Plus and (b) through other publicly-funded initiatives to assist disabled people in the last 12 months. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus uses information from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs systems to identify when our customers move into work. The data for the 12 month period ending April 2008, the latest for which data is complete, shows that 746 customers with a health condition or disability moved into work from wards in the York Local Authority District.
More detailed information on these results is not reported in relation to the degree of disability or which advisory group or other initiative supported customers into work.
Employment: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unfilled job vacancies at York Jobcentre there were on (a) 1 January and (b) 1 July in each year since 2004. [236879]
Mr. McNulty: The preferred source of information on job vacancies is the Office for National Statistics vacancy survey, which provides comprehensive estimates of all vacancies in the economy, not just those notified to Jobcentre Plus. However, the ONS survey is currently designed to provide national estimates only.
The figures available are the numbers of vacancies notified by employers to Jobcentre Plus. The available information is in the following table.
| Number of live unfilled job vacancies at York Jobcentre | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Jobcentre Plus handles only a proportion of vacancies notified by employers. Consequently the figures do not represent the total number of job vacancies available in York. The proportion of vacancies which are notified by employers to Jobcentre Plus varies over time, according to the occupation and industry of the vacancies and also by geographical area. 2. Interpretation of the Jobcentre vacancy data should take account of changes in recent years to Jobcentre Plus procedures for taking and handling vacancies. The figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate changes in labour demand. 3. Comprehensive estimates of all job vacancies (not just those notified to Jobcentre Plus) are available from the monthly ONS Vacancy Survey since April 2001, based on a sample of some 6,000 enterprises. However, the ONS survey is currently designed to provide national estimates only. 4. This information is published at www.nomisweb.co.uk. Source: Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System | |
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in City of York constituency have found employment through each of the Government’s new deal programmes since their inception. [236880]
Mr. McNulty: The available information up to May 2008 is in the following table.
| Number of people who have found work through the new deal programmes in city of York constituency since their inception | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. New deal for young people started January 1998. 3. New deal 25-plus started July 1998. 4. New deal for lone parents started October 1998. 5. New deal for disabled people started July 2001. 6. New deal 50-plus information available from April 2003. 7. New deal for partners information available from April 2004. Source: Information Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions. | |
Housing Benefit: Age
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of abolishing the single-room rent and paying housing benefit claimants the same rate of benefit irrespective of their age. [238227]
Kitty Ussher: The cost of abolishing the housing benefit single-room rent and shared-room rate has been broadly estimated to be at least £20 million per year.
It is important to note that these are indicative estimates only. They are based on analysis of the pre-local housing allowance system of housing benefit and may be subject to change as more up-to-date information becomes available.
Housing Benefit: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of people were in receipt of housing benefit in each (a) ward and (b) lower layer super output area of each principal seaside town in each year for which figures are available. [239004]
Kitty Ussher: The information is not available in the format requested; we do not have housing benefit data below local authority level.
Housing Benefit: Disqualification
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) households and (b) individuals in each local authority area have had their housing benefit withdrawn because of their antisocial behaviour under the Government’s Respect Agenda housing benefit trials. [226199]
Kitty Ussher: As yet, none of the local authorities participating in the pilot for the antisocial behaviour-related sanction in housing benefit has applied the sanction.
Assessment of the deferred effect of the availability of the sanction will be taken in due course.
Illegal Immigrants: Employment
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the letter of 14 July 2008 from the Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform to the hon. Member for Hertsmere, how many illegal migrant workers have been removed; how many illegal migrant workers have been prosecuted for use of a false or hijacked national insurance number; and how many employers have been prosecuted as a result of the UK Borders Agency enforcement campaign against illegal working in the security industry. [222341]
Mr. Alan Campbell: [holding answer 6 October 2008] I have been asked to reply.
I will write to the honourable Member.
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