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12 Jan 2009 : Column 48W—continued
The publication of the White Paper ‘Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future’ on 10 December 2008, CM 7506, also demonstrates the
Government's commitment to further reform to reduce welfare dependency and support more people into work. There are still many new job opportunities coming up all the time. Last month Jobcentre Plus took an average of 10,000 new vacancies every working day, with many more coming up through other recruitment channels. Together with the advice and support provided through Jobcentre Plus, this means that most of those who become unemployed can find another job quickly; over half of new claimants leave jobseeker’s allowance within three months and around three quarters leave within six months.
Vacancies
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment vacancies there are in (a) Castle Point constituency, (b) Essex and (c) London. [243812]
Mr. McNulty: The available information is in the table.
| Jobcentre Plus vacancies in Castle Point parliamentary constituency, Essex and London as at October 2008 | ||
| Notified vacancies | Live unfilled vacancies | |
| Notes: 1. Interpretation of these data needs to take account of changes in recent years to Jobcentre Plus procedures for taking and handling vacancies. These figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate developments in the labour market. A more detailed explanation is available on the nomis website. 2. Notified vacancies include any speculative placings recorded by Jobcentre Plus. Datasets from May 2006 may reflect substantially reduced levels of speculative placings as part of the notified series. Consequently, care should be taken in interpreting time-series data. 3. In the case of unfilled vacancies, use of the figures on live vacancies is recommended. Live vacancies may still include some vacancies which have already been filled or are otherwise no longer open to recruits, due to natural lags in procedures for following up vacancies with employers. 4. Data are unrounded. 5. Figures cover only those vacancies advertised through Jobcentre Plus, and so will not capture all available vacancies. 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. Source: Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System. | ||
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of job vacancies (a) in each region and (b) in Blaenau Gwent. [243872]
Mr. McNulty: The available information is in the table.
Vocational Training: Redundancy
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many on-site advice surgeries Jobcentre Plus's rapid response service has held in each region in each year since Jobcentre Plus was established. [241005]
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 on-site advice surgeries Jobcentre Plus's rapid response service has held in each region in each year since Jobcentre Plus was established.
This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Employees of companies who have accepted offers of Rapid Response Service support are provided with advice through a number of channels including on-site advice surgeries. Figures for the number of on-site surgeries held are not collected.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) by what means his Department has informed employers of the existence of Jobcentre Plus's rapid response service since it was established; [241012]
(2) what steps (a) Jobcentre Plus's rapid response service and (b) Jobcentre Plus staff take to identify companies with employees who may benefit from the rapid response service. [241014]
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 questions asking by what means his Department has informed employers of the existence of Jobcentre Plus's rapid response service since it
was established and what steps (a) Jobcentre Plus's rapid response service and (b) Jobcentre Plus staff take to identify companies with employees who may benefit from the rapid response service. These fall within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The rapid response service was introduced in April 2002 and has been delivered through Jobcentre Plus in conjunction with a range of partners such as Regional Development Agencies, local authorities and the Learning and Skills Council in England, and equivalent bodies in Scotland and Wales, to help employees facing redundancies. As you know the Secretary of State announced recently an extension of the service.
Employers are made aware of the service in three main ways. First, Jobcentre Plus is informed by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when employers notify redundancies of 20 or more employees. We contact each of those employers to discuss the range of support that Jobcentre Plus is able, with its partners, to offer employees, and to decide which measures will be helpful. Second, we provide information through channels that employers use regularly, including: the Jobcentre Plus website www.iobcentreplus.gov.uk/employers, the websites of organisations who help to deliver the rapid response service to employers and a range of leaflets and business/trade media. Third, some employers receive an account management service from Jobcentre Plus in return for their commitment to helping our individual customers to find work. In that context, employers facing difficulties may discuss their needs directly with Jobcentre Plus and appropriate levels of support will be offered.
Jobcentre Plus now aims to contact and offer support to every employer which we learn is making 20 people or more redundant. We also make efforts to identify situations where employers are making fewer than 20 people redundant and to offer rapid response service-style support whenever we consider this likely to be the most effective way of helping the people involved.
Winter Fuel Payments
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many winter fuel payment cheques were issued in the last financial year; and how many of these were not cashed. [242846]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In winter 2007-08 we made over 12 million winter fuel payments to over 8.5 million households. The vast majority of winter fuel payments are made automatically into bank accounts. Only a small proportion of people receive their winter fuel payment in the form of a cheque.
In winter 2007-08, 295,769 cheques were issued in respect of winter fuel payments and over 96 per cent. of these were cashed.
Winter Fuel Payments: Glasgow
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in (a) Glasgow and (b) Glasgow South West he estimates will be eligible for cold weather payments in 2008-09. [240803]
Kitty Ussher [holding answer 10 December 2008]: The estimated number of households eligible for cold weather payments is not available by local authority or parliamentary constituency boundary, but only by weather station.
Winter Fuel Payments: Multiple Occupation
Greg Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints his Department has received regarding incorrect winter fuel payments
being made to persons living in buildings which contain multiple self-contained flats in the last 12 months. [242844]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The requested information is not available.
Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people have received an incorrect payment of winter fuel allowance because they were incorrectly assessed as living with another qualifying individual in a single building divided into multiple dwellings in the last 12 months; [243019]
(2) what steps he has taken to ensure that people living in properties divided into multiple dwellings receive the correct rate of winter fuel payment. [243020]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Each year, before winter fuel payments are made, the DWP carries out a complex data matching process involving around 18 million records. The aim is to determine or confirm personal circumstances and calculate the payment amount due.
The data matching exercise identifies any issues, including those relating to household arrangements. Issues often arise when customers provide incomplete addresses, for example they may omit a flat number. If DWP identify large numbers of people residing at the same address action is taken to try to identify if it is a multiple dwelling address.
If a customer contacts the Department because they feel their winter fuel payment is for the wrong amount, the position is checked and the payment corrected if necessary. Out of 12 million payments in 2007-08 less than a quarter of 1 per cent. of individuals received a top up due to incorrect payments.
Waste Management: Local Authorities
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will require the Health and Safety Executive to provide guidance to local authorities on the most suitable type of waste management treatment facility taking account of the geography and topology of the area and the nearness to residents of the facility. [244218]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 18 December 2008]: While general guidance has been provided by both bodies, it is not within the remit either of the Health and Safety Executive or the Environment Agency to provide guidance to individual local authorities on what is the suitable type of waste management treatment facility for their area.
Specific guidance for local authorities through Planning Policy Statement 10 (PPS10) is also to be taken into account by waste planning authorities and forms part of the national waste management plan for the UK.
Prime Minister
Banks
Grant Shapps:
To ask the Prime Minister on what dates he held meetings with (a) HBOS, (b) Nationwide, (c) Abbey, (d) Lloyds TSB, (e) Northern Rock, (f)
Barclays, (g) RBS and (h) HSBC prior to the announcement of the Government’s repossessions policy on 3 December 2008; and what matters were discussed. [245609]
The Prime Minister: My officials and I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects.
Departmental Correspondence
Grant Shapps: To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) letters and (b) e-mails received by his Office had not been responded to as at 15 December 2008. [244713]
The Prime Minister: Since January 2008, my Office has received approximately 500,000 pieces of correspondence. My Office aims to deal with correspondence within the 15 working day time frame.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Prime Minister what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Office since 1997; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the adviser so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case. [246970]
The Prime Minister: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each pay band. Updated information will be published in the usual way.
Imperial College London
Mr. Hands: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to the answer of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 27W, on Imperial College London, whether the audience at the question and answer session he held on 27 October 2008 was selected solely at the discretion of Imperial College. [245780]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 27W.
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