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9 Feb 2009 : Column 1593W—continued

Number of working-age households( ) where no-one is in work and no-one is in full-time work( 2, ) United Kingdom, not seasonality adjusted
Thousand

No-one in work No-one in full-time work

Oct-Dec 2006

3,074

4,782

Apr-Jun 2007

3,071

4,792

Oct-Dec 2007

3,054

4,747

Apr-Jun 2008

3,056

4,766

(1) A working-age household is a household containing at least one man aged 16 to 64 or women aged 16 to 59.
(2) Where no member aged 16 or over is in employment/full-time employment.
Note:
Figures have been adjusted to include estimates for households with unknown economic activity.
Source:
Labour Force Survey households datasets

Unemployment: Sutton

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people aged between 18 and 24 years old were claiming jobseeker’s allowance in each of the last five years in Sutton and Cheam. [255371]

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated February 2009:


9 Feb 2009 : Column 1594W
Table 1: Number( 1) of claimants of jobseeker’s allowance aged 18 to 24 years in Sutton and Cheam parliamentary constituency

Number

January 2004

155

February 2004

170

March 2004

165

April 2004

140

May 2004

155

June 2004

145

July 2004

150

August 2004

155

September 2004

150

October 2004

155

November 2004

155

December 2004

150

January 2005

180

February 2005

190

March 2005

195

April 2005

175

May 2005

165

June 2005

170

July 2005

210

August 2005

220

September 2005

220

October 2005

240

November 2005

225

December 2005

215

January 2006

210

February 2006

220

March 2006

215

April 2006

230

May 2006

220

June 2006

215

July 2006

225

August 2006

205

September 2006

240

October 2006

215

November 2006

185

December 2006

160

January 2007

165

February 2007

180

March 2007

190

April 2007

185

May 2007

155

June 2007

150

July 2007

175

August 2007

185

September 2007

195

October 2007

175

November 2007

165

December 2007

150

January 2008

170

February 2008

175

March 2008

170

April 2008

135

May 2008

135

June 2008

140

July 2008

165

August 2008

200

September 2008

210

October 2008

205

November 2008

205

December 2008

235

(1) Data are rounded to the nearest 5.

9 Feb 2009 : Column 1595W

Voluntary Work

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008, Official Report, columns 1126-27W, on v, how many (a) full-time, (b) part-time and (c) short-term opportunities have been created by v to date; and how many volunteers on average have filled each of these opportunity types. [254099]

Kevin Brennan: Up to the end of January 2009 v had created over 875,000 opportunities to volunteer and 311,000 had been completed by volunteers. This is an increase from the 251,000 volunteers that had completed opportunities by the end of September 2008.

The following table provides a breakdown of opportunities commissioned and completed by the type of opportunity:

Type of opportunity Opportunities commissioned Opportunities completed

Full-time

17,000

5,000

Part-time

400,000

165,000

Short-term

458,000

141,000

Total

875,000

311,000


Volunteering opportunities can play a hugely important role in enabling people to develop new skills and improve their employment prospects. In recognition of this, today the Government are publishing ‘Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises’, a £42.5 million plan to support the third sector to deliver real help to people, communities and businesses during the recession. The plan contains a volunteer brokerage scheme for unemployed people which will create over 40,000 opportunities to learn new skills and give back to communities through volunteering. Copies of ‘Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises’ have been placed in the Library of the House.

Transport

Bus Services: Chorley

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the funding allocated to Chorley Borough Council for concessionary bus travel in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08 was used on (a) concessionary travel, (b) subsidy to bus routes and (c) other purposes. [254732]

Paul Clark: In 2006-07 and 2007-08 funding for the statutory minimum bus concession was provided exclusively through the Formula Grant system, which is administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

Formula grant is an unhypothecated block grant i.e. local authorities are free to spend it on any services provided (not just transport services) that meet their statutory obligations. This enables local authorities to decide on their own priorities based on local requirements.

It is not possible to identify how much formula grant has been allocated to a local authority for any particular service. This single pot of non-ring fenced funding allows local authorities to decide on their own priorities and provides an incentive for them to maximise value for money.


9 Feb 2009 : Column 1596W

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received a request for a meeting with representatives of Chorley Borough Council to discuss the national concessionary bus fares scheme. [253681]

Paul Clark [holding answer 2 February 2009]: No request has been received from representatives of Chorley borough council. However, departmental officials have recently been to Lancashire county council to discuss the council's issues with funding for concessionary travel,

The Secretary of State will shortly be meeting with a north-west MP (the right hon. Member for Fylde (Mr. Jack)), and I have also met a number of parliamentary colleagues to discuss this issue. I will be happy to meet with any other members who are concerned about funding for concessionary travel in their area.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much grant Chorley Borough Council received for the national concessionary bus travel scheme for 2008-09. [253682]

Paul Clark [holding answer 2 February 2009]: Chorley borough council will receive special grant funding of £280,000 in 2008-09 for the improvement to statutory concessionary travel to England-wide, which was implemented on 1 April last year. This additional grant represents 33 per cent. increase on outturn expenditure by Chorley in 2007-08 on concessionary fares. This is in addition to its existing funding for concessionary travel which is provided through formula grant. It is not possible to identify the precise amount received by each authority for concessionary fares from formula grant.

Bypasses: Finance

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for which bypasses his Department funded the construction in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [252061]

Paul Clark: The following table lists bypass schemes which have been completed in each of the last 10 years by either the Highways Agency or the relevant local highway authorities.


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