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3 Jun 2009 : Column 541W—continued
| Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants with the medical condition of obesity in Great Britain | ||
| As at August each year | All | Obesity |
| Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data are for GB and abroad. 3. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. 4. To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work which is called the personal capability assessment. Therefore, the medical condition recorded on the incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. 5. People claiming incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance may also qualify for income support on grounds of incapacity. 6. From 27 October 2008, employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support for new claims only. information about employment and support allowance is not yet available. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | ||
To qualify for jobseeker’s allowance, unemployed people must be available for and actively seeking work. They are also required to enter into a jobseeker’s agreement in which they agree the steps they will take to improve their chances of finding employment. Jobseekers generally have to be available immediately for any work and for a minimum of 40 hours each week. Where a person is unable to undertake any work, due to ill health, they will not be entitled to JSA and should claim an alternative benefit.
Employment Schemes
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which staff in (a) his Department and ( b) its agencies are responsible for administering the employers' golden hello scheme announced by his Department on 12 January 2009. [269014]
Mr. McNulty: Jobcentre Plus employer engagement staff, personal advisers and centralised payment processing teams will be responsible for administering the recruitment subsidy. All financial transactions relating to the recruitment subsidy to employers will be the responsibility of the Department for Work and Pensions' Shared Services.
Employment Services: Lone Parents
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps his Department has taken to assist single parents seeking employment during the economic downturn. [270926]
Kitty Ussher:
From 6 April, lone parents on jobseeker’s allowance for six months or more can access an expanded range of work, training and volunteering opportunities. This includes incentives of up to £2,500 for employers to recruit and train unemployed people, consisting of a recruitment subsidy worth £1,000 and, depending on location, access to in-work training worth a further
£1,500. Qualifying jobseekers who wish to become self- employed also have access to practical advice and financial support to start a business.
Longer-term jobseekers will receive help from the flexible new deal which will provide job-search support tailored to the specific needs of the individual and address related barriers to employment. The flexible new deal will be introduced in phase one areas from October 2009.
Additionally, all single parents in receipt of working-age benefits continue to have immediate access to the new deal for lone parents. This voluntary programme provides access to a specialist personal adviser, in-work benefit advice and a range of other assistance.
Income Support: Mortgages
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department holds on the number of people receiving assistance from his Department with the cost of meeting mortgage interest repayments. [270854]
Kitty Ussher: The most recent information available is in the following table.
| Number of people receiving assistance with mortgage interest in Great Britain, as at November 2008 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. 2. The best statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources. 3. Mortgage interest can only be claimed on income-based jobseeker's allowance. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample. | |
Jobcentre Plus
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many and what proportion of Jobcentre offices have reported physical capacity constraints in the last 12 months; and what guidance his Department has issued to jobcentres on physical capacity; [266132]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of people who have not received Jobcentre services as a result of physical capacity constraints in the last 12 months. [266133]
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 right hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking how many and what proportion of Jobcentre offices have reported physical capacity issues in the last 12 months; and what guidance his Department has issued on capacity problems; and what estimate he has made of the number of people turned away from Jobcentre offices owing to capacity issues in the last 12 months. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
We are not aware of any Jobcentre offices having to turn people away. To ensure that capacity problems do not arise in the future we are examining service delivery plans, including, where necessary, options for the physical expansion of sites that may face pressure in the short to medium term.
Jobcentre Plus Customer Service Directors regularly review their service delivery plans to ensure optimum provision, and accessibility, of service for all customers.
I am confident that the process of regular review of local service delivery plans will ensure that this situation does not arise.
Jobcentre Plus: Manpower
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff employed by his Department's agencies other than Jobcentre Plus work in Jobcentre Plus offices; which agencies such staff work for; and for how long he expects such working arrangements to endure. [269045]
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 how many staff employed by DWP's agencies other than Jobcentre Plus work in Jobcentre Plus offices; which agencies such staff work for; and for how long we expect such working arrangements to endure. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Up until 31 March 2009, Jobcentre Plus headcount was being supplemented by around 470 full-time equivalents (FTEs) on loan from Pensions, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS), and Debt Management within DWP. The table below sets out the current numbers from 1 April 2009 and when the loan period is planned to end. We also have planned the transfer of around 500 people on a permanent basis from the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission between 1 March and 30 June 2009.
| DWP Business area | Number of staff (FTEs) | Date loan period is planned to end |
Jobseeker’s Allowance: Interviews
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the average waiting time was for first jobseeker interviews for a claimant for jobseeker's allowance in each of the smallest geographical areas for which information is available in the latest period for which figures are available; [271721]
(2) what the average waiting time was for first jobseeker interviews for a claim for jobseeker's allowance in the latest period for which information is available. [275548]
Mr. McNulty: Jobcentre Plus does not collect the average waiting time. The available information on the percentage of new jobseeker interviews booked within three days from the date the customer first contacts us is in the table. The data show performance for the operational year ending March 2009 down to district level, the smallest geographical area available.
| New jobseeker interviews booked within three days | March 2009 YTD (percentage) |
| Source: Jobcentre Plus | |
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