| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
30 Jun 2009 : Column 128W—continued
Electronic Government: Operating Costs
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Directgov has cost in each year since its inception. [282044]
Jim Knight: The costs for Directgov in each financial year since 2004 are set out in the following table:
| Financial year | £ million |
Employment Schemes
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what funding she has allocated for the implementation of progression to work pathfinders; [255131]
(2) from what source funding for the implementation of the progression to work pathfinders will come; [255132]
(3) how many additional jobcentre staff are planned to implement the progression to work pathfinders. [255133]
Jim Knight: The impact assessment associated with the White Paper ‘Raising Expectations and Increasing Support—reforming welfare for the future’ estimated that the increase in work-focused interviews and provision to support work and skills-related activity could cost up to an extra £20 million a year for parents with younger children. For employment and support allowance customers we are assessing the appropriate balance between provision of the service by Jobcentre Plus and providers. Additional costs will be met from within the current agreed Department spending plans.
A cadre of skilled and capable personal advisers will be absolutely essential to effectively implement the Progression to Work model. Our discussion document ‘Realising Potential: developing personalised conditionality and support’ made clear that that it will be necessary to think through the implications for the adviser role and implement a work force development strategy for Jobcentre Plus staff. This is an issue we will discuss in detail with stakeholders. Until pathfinder locations are decided final decisions cannot be made on the number of personal advisers necessary to deliver the Progression to Work pathfinders.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many firms her Department has made payments to under the employers' golden hello scheme since the scheme's inception; and how many employees have been recruited under the scheme. [278304]
Jim Knight: The recruitment subsidy was introduced on 6 April 2009 as part of the six-month offer of extra support for jobseekers and data are only starting to feed through. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish Official Statistics from autumn 2009.
Employment Schemes: Greater Manchester
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of people aged (a) over 50 years and (b) between 18 and 25 years in employment in (i) Tameside, (ii) Stockport and (iii) Greater Manchester. [277499]
Jim Knight: The Government are committed to giving everyone the support they need to find employment as quickly as possible, whatever their age.
A major factor in the employment of older people is employer behaviour. In addition to providing generic good practice guidance to employers, the UK's Age Positive initiative is working in partnership with business leaders to develop sector-based models of flexible retirement to support the increased employment and retention of older workers and the removal of fixed retirement ages.
Our plans for the future include providing guidance to older workers on their options for working longer, encouraging employers to increase flexible work and phased retirement opportunities, a review of the Default Retirement Age in 2011—if it is found to be no longer needed it will be removed, and monitoring the impact of the economic downturn, identifying which groups are being most affected and further increasing help where it is most needed.
For young people who are in danger of slipping into long-term unemployment, funding was provided in the Budget for the Young Person's Guarantee; a guaranteed offer of a job, work-focused training, or meaningful activity to all 18 to 24-year-olds who reach the 12-month stage of their claim to jobseeker's allowance. At the discretion of the Jobcentre Plus adviser, parts of this guaranteed offer could also be extended to people over 24 who face significant barriers in the labour market.
As part of the Young Person's Guarantee, the Future Jobs Fund will help create up to 100,000 new jobs. It will also help create up to 50,000 new jobs in areas of high unemployment, and is available to all people of working age claiming out of work benefits. We expect the Young Person's Guarantee to be available from January 2010 but we want to get Future Jobs Fund jobs up and running as soon as possible—with some places starting as early as October this year.
In addition to this, 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 of all ages, including information and advice about the latest job search techniques and coaching on how to make the most of transferable skills. Extra help for those who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance for six months was also introduced, including opportunities to volunteer, support to become self-employed, recruitment subsidies and work-focused training.
Since last autumn, the Department has also 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.
The introduction of the Flexible New Deal across Phase 1 areas from October 2010 will give providers the freedom to offer personalised, tailored support to everyone who has been claiming jobseeker's allowance for 12 months, helping them overcome their individual barriers to work. Greater Manchester East and West and Greater Manchester Central districts are included in Phase 1 of the New Jobseeker's Regime and Flexible New Deal and are also pilot districts for Integrated Employment and Skills.
Across the whole of the Greater Manchester area, Jobcentre Plus also promotes a range of partner provision to enhance the confidence, skills and employability of all of our customers, including those aged 18 to 24 and 50+.
Employment Services
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance her Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on referrals to (a) the newly unemployed (non-professional) support delivered by programme centres and (b) the newly unemployed professional and executive support delivered through commercial employment provision; and if she will place in the Library a copy of that guidance. [271715]
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.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question of 24 April about what guidance has been issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on referrals to (a) the newly unemployed (non-professional) support delivered by programme centres and (b) the newly unemployed professional and executive support delivered through commercial employment provision. This is something that falls within my responsibilities as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The guidance issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on referrals to newly unemployed support delivered by Programme Centres and commercial employment provision has been placed in the Library.
Jobcentre Plus: Complaints
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints regarding Jobcentre Plus have been received in each month of the last two years. [271622]
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.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many complaints regarding Jobcentre Plus have been received in each month for the last two years. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to Mel Groves as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Mel Groves is currently on annual leave, I am replying in his absence.
The information requested is in the following table below.
| Total customer complaints | |
| Source: Jobcentre Plus | |
By way of context to these figures, Jobcentre Plus currently has over four and a half million customers. Every working day, Jobcentre Plus conducts 45,000 adviser interviews, processes over 18,000 new benefit claims, and Contact Centres receive over 93,000 calls.
Jobcentre Plus: Manpower
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many personal advisers have been working in each Jobcentre Plus district in each month of the last two years. [242176]
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 hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many personal advisers have been working in each Jobcentre Plus District in each month of the last two years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The available information showing the number of personal advisers in each Jobcentre Plus District in each month from November 2006 to October 2008 is in the attached tables. This information will be placed in the Library.
| Jobcentre Plus personal advisers by month and d istrict November 2006 to March 2007 | |||||
| 2006 | 2007 | ||||
| November | December | January | February | March | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |