| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
10 Mar 2009 : Column 265W—continued
Departmental Buildings
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) display energy certificates and (b) advisory reports for public buildings issued in respect of each property occupied by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies. [256053]
Jonathan Shaw: Department of Work and Pensions Display Energy Certificates are in place in 375 buildings across England and Wales and in 45 buildings across Scotland. As disproportionate costs would be incurred to provide individual copies of the certificate and the accompanying advisory report, my officials are arranging for electronic copies of these documents to be prepared and placed in the Library.
Departmental Consultants
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on consultancy fees in each of the last five years. [259779]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 27 February 2009]: Details of spend on consultancy for each of the last five years is provided in the following table:
| £ million | |
Consultancy has been used across the Department in areas such as finance transformation (introducing the largest IT based resource management system in Europe), modernising our IT infrastructure, implementing Pensions Credit and supporting Pensions Transformation.
Departmental Co-ordination: Lancashire
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the efficiency and effectiveness of operations at his Department's file store in Nelson. [261893]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 9 March 2009]: The DWP Record Storage performance by the contractor, Capita, is rated as satisfactory to good in all areas based on the current contract Management Information and Key Performance Indicators. DWP closely monitors, evaluates and manages the contractual performance of Capita in all aspects of our requirements.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department's file store in Nelson holds Criminal Records Bureau files. [261894]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 9 March 2009]: The Department for Work and Pensions holds no Criminal Records Bureau files at Nelson filestore.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employees of Capita are contracted to work at his Department's file store in Nelson; what mechanisms are in place for undertaking security checks of such employees; and whether people who have a criminal record are eligible for employment at the file store. [261895]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 9 March 2009]: Capita have 180 staff (101 permanent staff and 79 temporary staff) employed at Nelson.
Capita undertake strict security verification checks on all employed staff including:
checks on two years employment history with two references;
a check is carried out to confirm eligibility to work (nationality and immigration status);
an ID check; and
home address validations.
Anyone with a disclosed current criminal record would not be deemed suitable for a role here.
DWP and Capita takes the security verification of all staff employed at Nelson extremely seriously and the procedures in place are constantly reviewed and implemented.
Departmental Data Protection
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department uses WPA2 encryption protocol on all its wireless networks. [259832]
Jonathan Shaw: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
Departments follow CESG guidance on the use of the Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) communications security protocols in order to protect wireless networks carrying protectively marked (up to RESTRICTED/IL3) traffic. The configuration and operation standards for WPA2 are set out in CESG's Infosec Manual Y, Use of WPA2 Wireless Security in Government Systems.
The DWP is fully compliant with HMG 1A Standard No. 4—Communication, Security and Cryptography for the encryption of data—on all its wireless networks.
Departmental Official Engagements
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Ministers’ official engagements were from 1 November to 30 November 2008. [243474]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 15 December 2008]: The information that the hon. Member has requested has been placed in the Library. These also include official and regional engagements as my regional Ministers do discuss departmental business at these events.
Employment Services: Redundancy
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many and what percentage of people having received assistance under the Jobcentre Plus rapid response service were unemployed or on out-of-work benefits (a) two weeks, (b) one month, (c) three months, (d) six months, (e) 12 months and (f) 24 months after receiving response from the rapid assistance service in (i) each year since 1997 and (ii) in each month of the last five years; [255517]
(2) how many and what percentage of people engaged with the Jobcentre Plus rapid response service have found employment (a) within two weeks, (b) within one month, (c) within three months, (d) within six months and (e) within 12 months in each (i) year since 1997 and (ii) month of the last five years. [255518]
Mr. McNulty: The information is not available.
Health and Safety Executive: Canvey Island
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions the Health and Safety Executive has had with (a) the operators of the pipelines under the site, (b) OIKOS, (c) Calor Gas and (d) the Emergency Planning Authority on health and safety issues arising from the proposed extension to Roscommon Way, Canvey Island. [259746]
Jonathan Shaw: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has not consulted any of the organisations listed on the health and safety implications of the Roscommon Way extension.
HSE has had limited contact with a consultant working on behalf of Essex county council in the council’s capacity as the client for the development.
HSE is unable to answer part (b) which is a matter for the planning authority.
Housing Benefit: North West
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants there were in (a) the North West and (b) Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council area in each month since January 2007. [261468]
Kitty Ussher [holding answer 6 March 2009]: The available information is in the following table.
Housing benefit statistics are not recorded on a monthly basis.
| Total number of recipients of housing benefit February 2007 to August 2007 | |||
| February 2007 | May 2007 | August 2007 | |
| Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated. 4. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 5. From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed housing benefit/council tax benefit data electronically from local authorities. Over time this will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics. However, until the new data have been fully quality assured to National Statistics standards, the most recent summary statistics available are for August 2007. Source: Housing benefit and council tax benefit management information system quarterly 100 per cent. case load stock-count taken in February 2007 to August 2007. | |||
Jobcentre Plus
Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department plans to issue guidance to Jobcentre Plus staff on how to assess whether there are reasonable grounds for believing a jobseeker's allowance claimant or applicant is a problem drug user; and to what grades of staff the guidance will be issued. [260860]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 5 March 2009]: Guidance and training for Jobcentre Plus staff on all aspects of the new drugs regime will be developed in consultation with the Department of Health, the National Treatment Agency and staff themselves. This will include training and guidance on how and in what circumstances to make a referral to a drug treatment specialist for an assessment of problematic drug use. The guidance will be made available to staff working in offices in the Jobcentre Plus districts operating the drugs pilots in good time before the pilots begin. The guidance will primarily be targeted at personal advisers and drugs coordinators.
Jobcentre Plus: Correspondence
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when Bathgate Jobcentre Plus plans to reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West of 19 January 2009 and 12 February 2009 on his constituent Evelyn Smith. [261498]
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 when Bathgate Jobcentre Plus plans to reply to your correspondence of 19 January 2009 and 12 February 2009 about your constituent Evelyn Smith. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
I am sorry that you did not receive a reply to your correspondence within a reasonable time and would like to apologise for any inconvenience this delay caused.
Unfortunately, Bathgate Benefit Delivery Centre has no record of receiving your correspondence of 19 January, but I can confirm that the Centre Manager responded to your letter of 12 February on 4 March and attach a copy for your convenience and ease of reference.
Jobcentre Plus: North West
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people Jobcentre Plus North West has assisted into full-time employment for a period of 12 months or more in each of the last three years. [259612]
Mr. McNulty: The information is not available.
Jobseeker’s Allowance
Jenny Willott:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department’s projections are of jobseeker’s allowance in-flows (a) in total, (b) as a result of lone parents migrating from income support
to jobseeker’s allowance and (c) as a result of people moving onto jobseeker’s allowance as a result of failing the work capability assessment for applying for employment support allowance in each month of each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [244141]
Mr. McNulty: The available information is in the following tables. The figures are a planning assumption only, consistent with the HM Treasury unemployment assumption, and do not represent an official departmental forecast of inflows to jobseeker’s allowance.
| Planning assumption for inflows to jobseeker’s allowance, based on HM Treasury unemployment assumption for pre-Budget report 2008 | |
| Total jobseeker’s allowance inflows | |
| Assumed number of inflows as a result of lone parents’ migration and work capability assessment based on internal analysis carried out for departmental planning purposes | ||
| Of which: | ||
| Quarter ending | Lone parent migration | Employment and support allowance ineligibility |
| Notes: 1. These inflows are consistent with the Treasury unemployment assumption. As such they do not represent an official Government forecast of inflows into jobseeker’s allowance. 2. Total inflow figures give financial year totals, as the claimant count assumption quoted in the pre-Budget report is also on this basis. They are the sum of inflows from April to March, that is, the figure labelled 2008-09 represents the total inflows from April 2008 to March 2009. 3. Inflow figures as a result of the lone parent migration and work capability assessment are on a quarterly basis. They are the sum of inflows over the three months in a quarter, that is, the figure labelled April 2009 represents the total inflows in February, March, and April of 2009. 4. The figures are based on the assumption that over the next few years jobseeker’s allowance claimants will flow off benefit at a lower rate than today. 5. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand (and therefore are rounded to zero if less than 500). 6. All figures relate to claimants in Great Britain. | ||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |