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26 Jan 2009 : Column 72W—continued


26 Jan 2009 : Column 73W

Employment Schemes: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the £1.3 billion funding announced in the Pre-Budget Report 2008 to help people find work will be allocated to (a) the public, (b) the voluntary and community and (c) the private sector. [247511]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 14 January 2009]: The pre-Budget report allocated an additional £1.3 billion over CSR07 to help to deliver effective support to unemployed people and extend these services. The Department is deciding how best to allocate the additional money and we are currently re-planning right across the organisation and working closely with our delivery partners to ensure that the support needed by unemployed people is delivered in the most effective manner

This money includes the additional measures that were announced in the pre-Budget report—expansion of the Local Employer Partnerships and further expansion of Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service.

Health and Safety Executive: Bootle

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the Health and Safety Executive's equality impact assessment carried out for its move to a single headquarters in Bootle. [248499]

Jonathan Shaw: Yes. An initial equality impact assessment (EIA) was published on the HSE intranet in November 2007. This will be placed in the House of Commons Library. The final EIA will be produced after the end of the How and Where We Work Programme, scheduled for March 2010.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the planned size and structure is of the new Health and Safety Executive Policy Group in Bootle. [248500]

Jonathan Shaw: The Health and Safety Executive is currently carrying out a public consultation over its new strategy ‘Health and Safety in Great Britain—be part of the solution’. The future size and structure of its policy group will be determined for the coming two years in light of HSE Board decisions on the strategy consultation.

Health and Safety Executive: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the 326 Health and Safety Executive staff in London, identified in How and Where We Work, were still working in Rose Court at the end of November 2008; and how many of them are expected to be doing so by the end of March 2009. [248501]

Jonathan Shaw: There were 351 HSE staff in London (including loans, secondments, career breaks and long-term special leave) identified as being within the scope of the How and Where We Work Programme at November 2007. The figure of 326 is the full-time equivalent of the 351 identified in the outline business case.


26 Jan 2009 : Column 74W

At the end of November 2008 there were 199 in-scope HSE staff working in Rose Court.

On the basis of confirmed staff intentions, it is expected that 162 in-scope staff will be working in Rose Court at the end of March 2009.

Health and Safety Executive: Manpower

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) replacement and (b) temporary staff have been recruited in Bootle to fill the positions vacated in Rose Court by the Health and Safety Executive. [248502]

Jonathan Shaw: The information is as follows:

Health and Safety Executive: Resignations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff have left the Health and Safety Executive at Rose Court premises since July 2007 (a) on permanent transfers to other departments, (b) as leavers to private sector, (c) on retirement, (d) as leavers under early release schemes and (e) on loans/secondments. [248503]

Jonathan Shaw: Since July 2007 the numbers of HSE staff that have left Rose Court under the five categories are as follows:

Incapacity Benefit

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008, Official Report, column 1382W, on incapacity benefit, what the total monetary value of the benefits paid to claimants whose recorded diagnosis includes drug dependency was in each of the last five years. [241855]

Jonathan Shaw: Drug dependency does not of itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. The medical assessment of incapacity for work is the personal capability assessment. This assesses the effects of a person's condition on their ability to carry out a number of everyday activities relevant to work. A majority of people with a recorded diagnosis of drug dependency also have other diagnoses, for example mental illness, which results in their incapacity for work.

We do record the diagnosis of incapacity that is written on a claimant's medical certificate. The available information is in the table.


26 Jan 2009 : Column 75W
Estimated incapacity benefits expenditure on claimants whose diagnosis includes drug dependency (nominal terms)

£ million

2003-04

186

2004-05

189

2005-06

188

2006-07

190

2007-08

195

Notes:
1. Incapacity benefits includes incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance payable to working-aged adults.
2. Figures include incapacity related income support expenditure for Credits Only claims.
3. Figures are rounded to the nearest £ million.
4. Estimates are based on information from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and published DWP benefit expenditure tables.
5. The expenditure figures are consistent with PBR 2008. DWP benefit expenditure tables can be accessed at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp

26 Jan 2009 : Column 76W

Income Support

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed the minimum income guarantee in (a) the UK, (b) the North East, (c) Tees Valley district and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since its introduction. [244899]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The answer is in the following tables.

Number of household recipients of pension credit in Great Britain 2003-08

Total pension credit Guarantee credit only Savings credit only Guarantee and savings credit

November 2003

2,084,700

709,310

242,010

1,133,010

May 2004

2,490,760

735,030

485,980

1,269,450

May 2005

2,682,730

767,260

593,740

1,321,680

May 2006

2,717,390

775,570

598,560

1,343,230

May 2007

2,733,500

805,730

597,650

1,330,090

May 2008

2,719,140

882,070

590,800

1,246,240


Number of household recipients of pension credit in the North East 2003-08

Total pension credit Guarantee credit only Savings credit only Guarantee and savings credit

November 2003

124,280

34,570

17,590

72,090

May 2004

147,570

35,590

33,000

78,970

May 2005

156,680

36,510

38,940

81,230

May 2006

157,430

36,660

38,560

82,210

May 2007

157,440

38,200

38,190

81,050

May 2008

156,350

43,410

37,660

75,280


Number of household recipients of pension credit in Tees Valley 2003-08

Total pension credit Guarantee credit only Savings credit only Guarantee and savings credit

November 2003

29,750

9,200

4,420

16,150

May 2004

35,000

9,450

7,840

17,730

May 2005

37,160

9,500

9,300

18,350

May 2006

37,420

9,480

9,310

18,620

May 2007

37,480

9,910

9,140

18,430

May 2008

37,470

11,270

9,070

17,120


Number of household recipients of pension credit in Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency 2003-08

Total pension credit Guarantee credit only Savings credit only Guarantee and savings credit

November 2003

3,960

1,120

620

2,220

May 2004

4,710

1,170

1,120

2,420

May 2005

5,030

1,210

1,280

2,530

May 2006

5,130

1,200

1,290

2,640

May 2007

5,120

1,260

1,280

2,590

May 2008

5,190

1,480

1,270

2,440

Notes:
1. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.
3. Tees Valley is made up of Hartlepool, Stockton, Darlington, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland local authorities.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data

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