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27 Feb 2009 : Column 1105W—continued
Jobcentre Plus: Disabled
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the level of accessibility of Jobcentre Plus offices for disabled people; and if he will make a statement. [248498]
Jonathan Shaw: 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 what assessment he has made of the accessibility of Jobcentre Plus offices for disabled people. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus strives to be an exemplar in delivering services to all of our customers, including disabled people. The design of our modern Jobcentre Plus offices incorporated all reasonable and practicable measures regarding access arrangements for disabled people, to ensure that we take into account the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
Where full access to all people cannot be provided for genuine reasons (e.g. listed building status, prohibitive cost, or the structure of the existing building), every effort is made to ensure that access is provided for the maximum number of disabled people. For example, where internal alterations could not be made to enable upper floor access, services are made available on the ground floor where possible. We also consider other ways of contacting our customers, such as visiting people at home.
I am satisfied the arrangements in place ensure that our offices continue to comply with our guidelines.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1423-4W, on rheumatoid arthritis, how many claimants of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) severe disablement allowance had each type of (i) medical and (ii) disabling condition recorded in relation to their claims in each of the last five years. [257171]
Jonathan Shaw: The information has been placed in the Library.
Social Security Benefits
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 24 February 2009 on disability benefits, what his estimate is of the effect on the number of people claiming (a) disability living allowance (care component), (b) attendance allowance and (c) carer's allowance of the European Court of Justice's decision to reclassify these benefits as sickness benefits; and if he will make a statement. [259584]
Jonathan Shaw: The effect on the number of people claiming the disability benefits is very difficult to predict. Our estimates indicate that this will result in an increase in the number of customers as set out in the following table:
| Benefit | Estimated caseload |
| (1) Estimate is less than 5,000 and therefore equals zero when rounded to the nearest 10,000. Notes: 1. These estimates relate to 2010-11 because this is assumed to be the first full year following full implementation of the judgment. | |
Welfare Reform Bill 2008-09: Impact Assessments
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of version (a) one and (b) two of the impact assessment for the Welfare Reform Bill 2009. [253617]
Mr. McNulty: Version one of the impact assessment related to, and was published electronically alongside, the Green Paper ‘No-one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility’ and is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website at:
Version two of the impact assessment related to, and was published electronically alongside, the White Paper ‘Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future’ and is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website at:
Version three of the impact assessment relates to the Welfare Reform Bill and is available in the Library.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Departmental ICT
Jenny Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the initial estimated (a) cost and (b) delivery date was of each ICT project initiated by his Department and its predecessor in each year since 1997; what the (i) outturn cost and (ii) completion date was of each such project subsequently completed; which contractors were hired for each project; and how much has been paid to each contractor in respect of each project to date. [251385]
Mr. McFadden: For the last 10 years the Department’s and its predecessors IT services have been provided through a PFI agreement with Fujitsu Services and covers the provision of all desktop services, web infrastructure services, document management and other business applications. In addition, the Department has in place an alternative IT framework agreement with a number of suppliers to enable competition where this is deemed appropriate. However, due to a change in the Department’s accounting system during 2003-04 and the previously devolved nature of the ICT, consistent data on all the information requested cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Pay
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on bonuses for press officers within his Department in each of the last five years; and how many such bonuses were awarded. [258512]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Such information as is available for press officers is shown in the table.
| Number of bonuses | Total cost (£) | |
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport makes bonus payments to its staff for two purposes: (a) special bonuses to reward outstanding contributions in particularly demanding tasks or situations, and (b) performance bonuses to reward successful performance over a whole year.
To provide historical information requested for earlier periods than shown would incur disproportionate cost.
English Heritage: VAT
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport at which of its venues English Heritage (a) reduced and (b) did not reduce the retail prices of tickets following the December 2008 reduction in value added tax. [258392]
Barbara Follett: English Heritage advises that following the reduction in VAT, it reduced admission prices on 1 December on all its properties open to the public. These were reduced to the nearest 10 pence price point so, in some instances, the saving is greater than the VAT change and in others slightly less. The VAT reduction has been passed on for all admission prices with the exception of some child prices where the change would amount to five pence or less.
National Lottery: Catz Club
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2009, Official Report, column 54W, on Catz Club, for which projects and for what purpose each of the Lottery grants listed was made to Catz Club. [258587]
Barbara Follett: The following information comes from the Department's lottery grants database. The database is searchable at
and uses information on lottery grants supplied by the lottery distributors.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Apprentices
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Eddisbury of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 171W, on apprentices, how many of the apprenticeships referred to were state-funded. [258064]
Mr. Simon: The information provided on 3 November 2008, Official R eport, column 171W, was apprenticeship places in England funded by the Government through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) since 2001, and previously through Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). Hence, all apprenticeship starts given in the table were state-funded.
Table 1 as follows gives updated LSC/TEC-funded apprenticeship starts from 1997/98 to 2007/08. Information for 2007/08 was first published in a statistical first release on 18 December 2008:
| Table 1: Apprenticeship starts, 1997/98 to 2007/08 | |
| Starts | |
| Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest thousand. Source: WBL ILR/ISR | |
The Government are committed to rebuilding apprenticeships. Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007/08. Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeship—up from 37 per cent. in 2004/05.
Departmental Correspondence
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his Department's average response time to a letter received from (a) an hon. Member and (b) a member of the public has been since it was established. [251442]
Mr. Simon: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of departments in replying to Members’ correspondence. The report for 2007 was published on 20 March 2008, Official Report, columns 71-74WS. Information for 2008 is currently being collated and will be published as soon as it ready. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
With respect to correspondence from members of the public the Department cannot provide the requested information within disproportionate costs limits, but we do aim to respond to all written correspondence within 15 working days. Statistics on the handling of letters from members of public is published in the Department's annual report.
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