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15 July 2009 : Column 428W—continued
Jobcentre Plus: Offices
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Jobcentre Plus has spent on (a) increasing the physical capacity of jobcentres, (b) acquiring new office space, (c) extending existing office space and (d) converting existing office space to accommodate higher demand for Jobcentre Plus services in the last 12 months. [285150]
Jim Knight [holding answer 8 July 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.
The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question asking how much Jobcentre Plus has spent on (a) increasing the physical capacity of jobcentres, (b) acquiring new office space, (c) extending existing office space and (d) converting existing office space to accommodate higher demand for Jobcentre Plus services. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus are continuously reviewing existing service delivery arrangements in order to meet the challenge of the current economic climate and the planned welfare reform changes for the next two to three years. The latest reviews have taken account of the latest known information on the expected increases in business and customer volumes.
The latest review has identified that around 50% of Jobcentre Plus offices currently face a capacity challenge. This challenge will be met through a range of solutions and we are unable to provide the data to fully respond to your questions (a, b, c and d) until all of these solutions have been implemented.
In the light of the unprecedented customer demand we have secured the required funding to convert or extend our existing buildings where necessary. In addition we aim to make our services accessible to customers by providing a range of support through outreach facilities, often delivering advisory and other support on Partner's premises. We are supplementing these measures by operating extended opening hours in some locations where the need for this is identified locally. This includes some offices opening to the public on Saturday. We will only acquire new space where all other measures are insufficient.
To date estates work has been undertaken and completed on 18 of our buildings at a cost of £1m, increasing our capacity to deliver additional customer service to the public. Estates work is planned for a further 151 buildings. This work is currently at an early stage and therefore the costs are not fully known.
Jobcentre Plus: Pay
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in bonuses to (a) directors, (b) senior managers, (c) specialist and delivery managers and (d) executive support and administration staff in Jobcentre Plus in each of the last five years. [280325]
Jim Knight: Information is only available for the most recent two years requested and is shown in the following table.
| Bonuses paid in 2007-08 and 2008-09 for Jobcentre Plus | |||
| £000 | |||
| Staff grade range | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
| Source: DWP Payroll reports and Jobcentre Plus Accounts | |||
Local Housing Allowance
Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment she has made of the
effectiveness of implementation of local housing allowance; what estimate she has made of the number of tenants who have not passed rent to their landlord since the new scheme was introduced; and what estimate she has made of the monetary value of that rent. [285599]
Helen Goodman: The Department has committed to completing a review of the LHA scheme over a two-year period from the commencement of its roll-out in April 2008. The aim of the review is to monitor the impact of the LHA at a national level, against the original LHA policy objectives.
The review will include an in-depth focus group study of landlords, concerning their attitudes and experiences of the LHA, including any problems with rent arrears. Further information is not available at this stage.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when she plans to reply to the letter to her predecessor of 19 May 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr J Woolley; [284725]
(2) when she plans to reply to the letter to her predecessor of 19 May 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss S See and Mr T Gordon. [284727]
Jim Knight: Replies were sent to my right hon. Friend on 13 July 2009.
Mesothelioma
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deaths in each age category were attributable to mesothelioma in each year since 1979. [285969]
Jonathan Shaw: The number of mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain in each five-year age category in each year from 1979 to 2006 (the latest year for which statistics are available) is shown in the following table.
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