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15 Jun 2009 : Column 43W—continued

Departmental Reviews

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will place in the Library a copy of the independent review of Star Rating carried out for her Department by ATOS Consulting. [277221]

Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 1 June 2009]: An independent review of the Department's prototype Star Rating model was commissioned by the Department and undertaken by Atos Consulting. I have arranged for a copy of Atos Consulting's report to be placed in the Library.

Employment Schemes: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unemployed people aged over 50 years have been assisted back to work by her Department in (a) Denton and Reddish constituency, (b) Stockport metropolitan borough and (c) Tameside metropolitan borough in each year since 1997. [277505]

Jim Knight: Information on the number of people aged 50 and over in the specified areas who have been helped into work through all sources is not available. Information on the number of people aged 50 and over who have been helped into work though the New Deal 50 plus programme is in the table.


15 Jun 2009 : Column 44W
New Deal 50 Plus
Location Employment credit starts to March 2003 Number of people gaining a job from April 2003 Total job gains

Denton and Reddish constituency

170

110

280

Stockport metropolitan borough

390

210

600

Tameside metropolitan borough

340

260

600

Notes: 1. New Deal 50 plus was introduced in April 2000. 2. Available statistics on the New Deal 50+ programme prior to March 2003 comprised the number of people receiving the New Deal 50+ employment credit; an employment credit is paid to individuals during their first year back at work on a full-time basis. 3. Latest data are to August 2008. 4. Jobs gained from April 2006 are identified mainly from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. Care should be taken when comparing jobs gained before and after April 2006. 5. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and therefore may not sum to total due to rounding. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate.

Future Jobs Fund

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the money assigned to the Future Jobs Fund in Budget 2009 is classified as (a) Jobcentre Plus and (b) employment programme spending for the purpose of his Department's three-year business plan. [278261]

Jim Knight [holding answer 8 June 2009]: In the Department's three-year plan, £1.1 billion is assigned to the Future Jobs Fund. Of this, £20 million is allocated to Jobcentre Plus and £1.08 billion is allocated to the employment programmes.

Incapacity Benefit

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) the East of England and (b) Suffolk claiming incapacity benefits had drug or drink dependency listed as their primary medical condition in each of the last five years. [273248]

Jonathan Shaw: Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10(th) Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. 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. For example, the decision for a customer claiming incapacity benefit on the grounds of alcohol and/or drug related conditions would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities in the Personal Capability Assessment.

The available information is in the following table.


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15 Jun 2009 : Column 46W
The number of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants who have alcoholism or drug abuse recorded as their main disabling condition
Suffolk East of England
As at August each year All Alcoholism Drug abuse All Alcoholism Drug abuse

2004

21,370

180

190

180,870

2,110

2,470

2005

21,380

200

200

180,250

2,170

2,560

2006

21,280

220

200

178,890

2,280

2,590

2007

21,420

240

240

180,620

2,450

2,710

2008

21,440

260

290

181,040

2,610

2,870

Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Data for Suffolk refer to the county of Suffolk.
Source:
Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new claims for incapacity benefit have been made in each year since 1997; and what the average time taken between the date of a first claim for incapacity benefit and the date of first payment of that benefit has been in each such year. [278046]

Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 8 June 2009]: 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.

Letter from Mel Groves:

Annex A: Average actual clearance times (AACT) for incapacity benefit claims
Number of days

Incapacity benefit claims received Incapacity benefit AACT Target

2003-04

777,455

16.0

22

2004-05

730,590

17.0

22

2005-06

671,385

16.3

19

2006-07

692,802

15.9

18

2007-08

676,715

13.1

18

2008-09

481,076

13.3

15


Industrial Accidents

Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions since 1999 court proceedings as a consequence of a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive relating to a work-related death were not concluded within (a) five and (b) three years following the incident. [278658]

Jonathan Shaw: The Health and Safety Executive have taken and concluded 836 prosecutions as a result of 665 work-related deaths that occurred between 1 April 1999 and 31 March 2008.

A further 78 prosecutions following work-related deaths were taken and concluded in the period from 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2008, but these prosecution records do not identify the dates of the fatal incidents concerned. The time taken to complete these prosecutions can therefore not be readily determined.

Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work-related deaths since 1999 have resulted in prosecutions by the Health and Safety Executive. [278659]

Jonathan Shaw: The Health and Safety Executive have taken prosecutions as a result of 665 work-related deaths that occurred between 1 April 1999 and 31 March 2008.

The above number of deaths, which have resulted in a prosecution, is likely to increase because investigation and enforcement activity on some more recent deaths has not yet concluded.

A further 78 prosecutions following work related deaths were taken and concluded in the period from 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2008, but these prosecution records do not identify the dates of the fatal incidents concerned. Some of these may therefore have occurred before the 1 April 1999.

Jobcentre Plus

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if she will place in the Library a copy of the Jobcentre Plus National Workload Projection update from Quarter (a) one and (b) two 2009; [276440]

(2) if she will place in the Library a copy of each Jobcentre Plus National Workload Projection update used as assumptions for the Budget 2009. [276442]

Jim Knight [holding answer 19 May 2009]: Available information has been placed in the Library.


15 Jun 2009 : Column 47W

Only the quarter one 2009 national workload projection update is available.

The Jobcentre Plus National Workload Projection update used as assumptions for the Budget 2009 is informing the flexible new deal bids and is commercially sensitive.

Jobcentre Plus: Civil Proceedings

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009, Official Report, column 1302W, on Jobcentre Plus: civil proceedings, how many times legal action has been taken against (a) Jobcentre Plus and (b) individual Jobcentre staff in each region since 2002; on what basis such action was taken in respect of each case in which legal proceedings have been concluded; and what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of such action. [269291]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the number of permanent Jobcentre Plus staff who (a) are classified as without a permanent post and (b) have been classified as without a permanent post for more than 12 months. [271958]

Jim Knight: 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.

Letter from Mel Groves:


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Jobseeker’s Allowance

Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the percentage change in the number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance in each local authority area in England and Wales was over the last 12 months. [275233]

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the Library.


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