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1 Jun 2009 : Column 105W—continued
STC: Paignton
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that the pensions of former employees of STC/Nortel Networks of Paignton, South Devon are protected by the Pension Protection Fund; and if he will make a statement. [274963]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The eligibility criteria for the Pension Protection Fund are set out in the Pensions Act 2004.
The Nortel Networks UK Pension Plan entered a Pension Protection Fund assessment period in March 2009. During an assessment period, the board of the Pension Protection Fund establishes whether the scheme can be rescued; whether it can afford to secure benefits which are at least equal to the compensation that the Pension Protection Fund would pay; or whether the scheme is eligible for compensation from the Pension Protection Fund.
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2009, Official Report, columns 1209-10W, on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, whether he expects the necessary parliamentary processes required to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to be completed by the end of June; and what his latest estimate is of the date by which the Convention will be ratified by the UK. [277346]
Jonathan Shaw: The parliamentary processes are now complete. As I said in my written statement to the House on 13 May 2009, we aim to ratify the convention on 8 June.
Unemployment
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what tailored support his Department provides for unemployed executives; and if he will make a statement. [275512]
Mr. McNulty: As part of the Government’s response to the economic downturn, the DWP put in place extra support for newly unemployed customers from the 6 April 2009, including a service for professionals and executives.
Jobseeker’s allowance customers who are interested in receiving advice about modern job search techniques and matching their skills to available vacancies will be referred from their first interview to an information session delivered by Jobcentre Plus. Those that need more coaching will be referred to an advice and coaching session delivered by external providers. Newly unemployed professionals who need extra help will be referred from their first interview in the jobcentre to organisations specialising in support for professionals and executives.
There are places for 350,000 newly unemployed customers (the service for people from a professional or executive occupation will support a proportion of this overall number) over the period 2009-10 and 2010-11.
Unemployment: Young People
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance his Department provides for newly unemployed young people. [273661]
Mr. McNulty: The Government are committed to giving everyone the support they need to find employment as quickly as possible, whatever their age.
On 6 April 2009, as part of the Government’s response to the economic downturn, the Department for Work and Pensions put in place extra support for newly unemployed customers. This will be available from the initial interview at Jobcentre Plus, and can be tailored for those who have recently left a professional or executive job. It will include information and advice about the latest job search techniques and coaching on how to make the most of transferable skills, delivered through one hour group information sessions and one on one advice and coaching.
In addition to this, since last autumn the Department has quadrupled the available funding for the Rapid Response Service, which provides advice and support to customers facing redundancy. It has also extended Local Employment Partnerships, the Adviser Discretion Fund and Access to Work so they are available to customers from the first day of their claim, alongside the support they receive from their Jobcentre Plus personal adviser.
This help is available to customers of all ages to ensure that everyone has the best possible chance of finding work.
For young people who are in danger of slipping into long-term unemployment, funding was provided in the Budget for a guaranteed offer of a job, work-focused
training, or meaningful activity to all 18 to 24-year-olds before they have reached the 12-month stage of their claim to jobseeker’s allowance. We expect this to be available from early 2010, but we are aiming to get an offer in place as soon as possible, with some jobs available as early as October 2009.
Welfare Reform Bill
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been allocated for training for Jobcentre Plus staff to undertake functions accorded to them under the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill. [275424]
Mr. McNulty: The information is not readily available because the specific training costs for the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill form only part of our overall Learning and Development programme. The data needed to isolate the Welfare Reform elements could be requested and collated only at disproportionate cost.
Duchy of Lancaster
10 Downing Street: Catering
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answers of 4 February 2009, Official Report, column 1199W, on food: public sector, and of 11 November 2008, Official Report, column 1130W, on 10 Downing Street: catering, whether 10 Downing Street implements the public sector food procurement initiative to provide that genetically-modified food and ingredients may not be used in its catering. [272005]
Kevin Brennan: I have nothing further to add to my earlier answer.
Bowel Cancer
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many cases of bowel cancer were (a) diagnosed and (b) resulted in death in the last year for which figures are available. [276484]
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 May 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many cases of bowel cancer were (a) diagnosed and (b) resulted in death in the last year for which figures are available. [276484]
Colorectal cancer, another name for bowel cancer, is cancer of the colon and rectum combined. The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases (incidence) of colorectal cancer are for the year 2006. There were (a) 30,046 cases diagnosed in England in 2006. It is not possible to provide the number of colorectal cancer deaths that occurred to cases diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Death registration data provide mortality figures for colorectal cancer. There were (b) 12,844 deaths from colorectal cancer in England in 2007, the latest year available.
Breast Cancer: Cleveland
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many (a) men and (b) women have been (i) diagnosed with and (ii) successfully treated for breast cancer in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in the last 12 years. [276634]
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 May 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) men and (b) women have been (i) diagnosed with and (ii) successfully treated for breast cancer in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in the last 12 years. (276634)
The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2006 for England. There were (i) five newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer in (a) men resident in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency over the twelve year period from 1995 to 2006. Table 1 gives the numbers of (i) newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer for (b) women resident in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency for each year from 1995 to 2006.
It cannot be stated definitively whether a patient with breast cancer has been (ii) ‘successfully treated’. For most cancers, but not breast, five-year survival rates are often taken to be ‘cure’ rates.
Survival rates are not available for constituencies. ONS regularly publishes one-and five-year relative survival for patients resident in England, government office regions and strategic health authorities.
Table 2 shows the predicted long-term survival rates for women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001-03 (the most recent period for which data are available) for the North East government office region that includes Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.
Survival rates for men diagnosed with breast cancer are not available. Male breast cancer accounts for less than one per cent of all breast cancer cases.
| Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer( 1) for women: Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency , 1995 to 2006 | |
| Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | |
| (1) Breast cancer is coded to C50 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Source: Office for National Statistics. | |
| Table 2: Predicted long-term relative survival( 1) from breast cancer( 2) for women aged 15-99: North East government office region, 2001 to 2003( 3) | |
| Duration of survival (years) | Relative survival (percentage ) |
| (1) Relative survival takes into account that some cancel patients will die from causes other than their cancer. (2) Breast cancer is coded to C50 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (3) Based on all women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1981 and 2001, who were alive for at least part of the period 2001-03. Source: Office for National Statistics, available on the ONS website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14172 | |
Central Office of Information: Expenditure
Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what expenditure the Central Office of Information (COI) has incurred in each Government region on (a) newspaper, (b) radio, (c) television, (d) poster and (e) internet advertising in each year since 2005; by what method the effectiveness of such advertising is evaluated; and whether the COI holds information on expenditure incurred on advertising by Government departments other than the Cabinet Office. [267039]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Central Office of Information. I have asked the chief executive to reply.
Letter from Peter Buchanan, dated 20 April 2009:
As Acting Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information (COI), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on Government regional expenditure (267039).
The total expenditure incurred by COI in each year since 2005 is given in the table below:
| Expenditure by fiscal year/medium | |||
| £ million | |||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
| Note: All costs are gross media spend. | |||
The manner in which media is planned, sold and bought does not align with Government regions. Indeed the vast majority of media spend is committed at a national level.
There would be a disproportionate cost to break it down by Government region, and it would not be accurate.
In terms of the evaluation of the effectiveness, virtually all advertising placed through COI is fully evaluated using techniques such as recall, tracking, attitudinal shifts and awareness. All response data is fully captured for evaluation purposes.
I can confirm that COI do hold financial information on media expenditure made through us by our clients.
Departmental Marketing
Ann Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much his Department has spent on advertising in weekly and regional newspapers in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [277066]
Kevin Brennan: The information requested for the Cabinet Office is not readily available and may not be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.
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