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12 Jan 2009 : Column 45W—continued
The following information is available for overall convictions during the same period:
| 2005-06( 1) | 2006-07( 1) | 2007-08( 2) | |
| Notes: 1. Figures for National Benefit Fraud Hotline outcomes from 2005 to 2007 include only FIBS (Fraud Information by Sector) data. 2. Figures for National Benefit Fraud Hotline outcomes for 2007-08 also include FRAIMS (Fraud Referral and Intervention Management System) figures with the exception of ‘Convictions’ as this information is not yet available. 3. The figures in all three tables above relate solely to DWP referrals and outcomes and do not include referrals sent to local authorities by NBFH nor their outcomes. | |||
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) males and (b) females were (i) convicted and (ii) received a custodial sentence in respect of an offence of benefit fraud in (A) each of the last three years and (B) each quarter of each of the last three years; for those people fined, what the average fine was; and how many people were dealt with by way of caution in the same period. [241158]
Mr. McNulty: Information on housing benefit fraud is not available broken down by either gender or by the number that received a custodial sentence.
The available information for total convictions, cautions and administrative penalties for housing benefit is in the following table.
| Number of convictions, cautions and administrative penalties for housing benefit | |||
| Convictions | Cautions | Administrative penalties | |
| Source: Housing benefit administrative returns supplied by local authorities | |||
For DWP-administered benefits, there is no information available prior to June 2007 on departmental systems which provides a break down by gender of convictions, custodial sentences, and court fines.
This information is now being captured on an individual case basis by the Fraud Referral and Intervention Management System (FRAIMS) which was rolled-out on a region by region basis between June 2007 and February 2008.
However, this information cannot currently be extracted from FRAIMS at summary level.
The available information 2005-07 is as follows.
| Numbers of convictions, custodial sentences, cautions and administrative penalties for benefit fraud in Great Britain | ||||
| 2005-06 | Convicted | Custodial | Cautions | Adpens |
| 2006-07 | Convicted | Custodial | Cautions | Adpens |
| Source: 2006-07 figures are FIBS (Fraud Information by Sector) only. | ||||
For 2007-08 the available data are as follows.
Social Security Benefits: Interviews
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which member of staff at Jobcentre Plus offices will carry out a claimant's first work-focused interview. [244044]
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 member of staff at Jobcentre Plus offices will carry out a claimant's first work-focused interview. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
A Personal Adviser, skilled in dealing with the customer's specific requirements, will carry out a customer's first Work Focused Interview. For example, a lone parent moving from Income Support to Jobseekers Allowance will see a specialist lone parent adviser to take them through the new claims interview. Personal Advisors are well versed in the barriers customers may face when looking for work and they are able to offer appropriate tailored advice.
Unemployed: Voluntary Work
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assessment his Department has made of the effects on local communities of the long-term unemployed engaging in voluntary work; [242359]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the likelihood of long-term unemployed persons who engage in voluntary work returning to paid work thereafter; [242556]
(3) what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the long-term unemployed who have been engaged in voluntary work (a) since February 2008 and (b) during the last two years. [242936]
Mr. McNulty: We do not collect information about voluntary work, aside from when it is done as a mandatory part of a new deal programme, so we are not able to supply the figures requested.
The Government believe that voluntary activity can play an important role in helping unemployed people to keep in touch with the labour market. Voluntary work can also provide benefit recipients with skills and experience that may improve their chances of finding paid employment, and can improve social cohesion. However, there must be a proper balance between allowing benefit recipients to pursue voluntary activity, while at the same time encouraging them to retain a clear focus on moving off welfare into paid employment.
Recent research has looked at volunteering in the context of mandatory options in the new deals, including “The Longer Term Impact of the New Deal for Young People” (DWP working paper 23, 2008) and changes to benefit rules related to volunteering, “Volunteering and Availability for Work: An evaluation of the change to Jobseeker's Allowance regulations” (DWP working-age research report 190, 2004).
Copies of these reports are available in the Library.
Unemployment
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has (a) taken since July 2008 and (b) plans to take in the next 12 months to reduce levels of unemployment; what recent representations he has received about the issue; and if he will make a statement. [241159]
Mr. McNulty: The Government are doing all they can to support people who become unemployed and through Jobcentre Plus and the new deal we are offering more support to help individuals move back into work as quickly as possible. The pre-Budget report made available to DWP an additional £1.3 billion of funding which will ensure that over the next two years, through Jobcentre Plus and our private and voluntary providers, we not only maintain, but increase, the support we offer.
We have already doubled the resources available to the rapid response teams who offer advice and support to those affected by redundancy. These funds will be doubled again from April 2009. The support provided by these teams can include information about sources of alternative jobs within the labour market or help with applying for existing vacancies; on-site job shops and fairs; helping people draw-up CVs or brush-up their job search skills; and, where appropriate, job-focused training to help individuals develop skills needed within the local labour market or other support to overcome barriers to taking up a specific job offer, such as travel to work expenses.
The Government are also increasing their engagement with employers. Through Local Employment Partnerships, Jobcentre Plus is already working with employers across the country to help them meet their recruitment needs locally, and to help long-term unemployed customers find work. As announced in the pre-Budget report, LEPs will now be extended to cover the newly redundant and the Prime Minister will chair a National Employment Partnership comprising major private and public sector employers who will work with the Government to agree what more employers can do to help tackle rising unemployment.
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