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20 July 2009 : Column 838W—continued
Health and Safety: Teachers
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-fatal major injuries which were sustained in the workplace by (a) secondary, (b) primary and nursery and (c) special needs education teaching professionals resulted in legal proceedings in each of the last five years. [285727]
Jonathan Shaw: There are no prosecution cases recorded on the Health and safety Executive's database resulting from reported non-fatal major injuries to individuals in the teaching profession in the last five years.
Health Professions
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2009, Official Report, column 684W, on social security benefits: medical examinations, how many of the health care professionals against whom complaints were made under the heading claimants experiences were the subject of more than one complaint and how many health care professionals have been (a) disciplined and (b) dismissed. [283836]
Jim Knight: Further to the answer of 22 June 2009, there were 15 health care professionals against whom complaints were made under the heading claimants experiences were the subject of more than one complaint.
The number of health care professionals that have been (a) disciplined is nil and (b) dismissed is nil.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate her Department has made of the average cost of re-assessment of an existing incapacity benefit claimant as part of the programme to migrate the current incapacity benefit population onto the employment and support allowance by 2013; and how much her Department plans to spend on assessing the existing incapacity benefit population in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13. [288519]
Jonathan Shaw: The average cost of a medical assessment for an incapacity benefits claimant is commercially sensitive and can not be provided.
Planned expenditure on medical assessments for existing incapacity benefits customers is detailed in the following table.
| Medical assessment expenditure | |
| £ million | |
| Notes: 1, Figures include the planned expenditure on reassessing incapacity benefits claimants under the Personal Capability Assessment and the additional funding to reassess incapacity benefits customers under the Work Capability Assessment. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest £5 million. | |
Industrial Injuries
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the average weekly saving to the public purse of an individual delaying making a claim for industrial injury benefit for beat knee and osteoarthritis of the knee. [286875]
Jonathan Shaw: Osteoarthritis of the knee was added to the list of diseases covered by the industrial injuries scheme on 13 July 2009. The disease prescribed disease A6 (commonly known as 'Beat Knee') has been prescribed since 1958.
Any person who feels they may be eligible to claim for either disease should do so as soon as possible. Awards may be backdated up to three months. If a person makes a claim for osteoarthritis of the knee within three months of 13 July 2009, any award may be backdated to that date only, as no payment can be made for the period before the law changed.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will make available expert advisers from her Department to inform the public of beat knee and osteoarthritis of the knee industrial injury claims at public meetings organised by hon. Members. [286877]
Jonathan Shaw:
The communication strategy for osteoarthritis of the knee has been deliberately targeted at the most effective means of reaching the mining community. My officials have met with senior representatives of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers
(NACODS), and the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM) at their headquarters to explain what the changes mean for their members, and have contacted the miners' pension schemes to ensure all retired miners would be aware of the change. Press releases and posters containing contact details for advice on claiming have supported that strategy and its effectiveness has already been demonstrated by the numbers of claims already received. I am satisfied with our publicity arrangements, and do not plan to routinely make officials available to attend public meetings.
Prescribed Disease A6 (commonly known as Beat Knee) has been covered by the IIDB scheme since 1958. It is well known and we have no plans to further publicise this disease.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision her Department is making with Atos Origin to allow local and cost-effective medical examinations for beat knee and osteoarthritis of the knee industrial injury claims. [286878]
Jonathan Shaw: Atos Origin IT Services Ltd. (Atos Healthcare) has Medical Examination Centres (MEC) across the country. All DWP customers claiming Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) for beat knee and osteoarthritis of the knee will be asked to attend the MEC nearest to their home. In addition the DWP do not require customers to travel further than 90 minutes, each way, by public transport. Where there is no MEC within 90 minutes of a customer's home address, Atos Healthcare can make alternative arrangements.
Discussions are under way between the DWP and Atos Healthcare to secure the best value for money solution to deliver this new requirement.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many industrial injury claims for beat knee and osteoarthritis of the knee were submitted in advance of the July start date for compensation payments. [286879]
Jonathan Shaw: 4,834 claims for osteoarthritis of the knee were received before the law came into force on 13 July 2009 to include this disease in the industrial injuries scheme.
Prescribed Disease A6, commonly known as 'Beat Knee', has been on the list of diseases covered by the scheme since 1958. There were 880 new claims for Prescribed Disease A6 received during the period October 2007 to September 2008. This is the latest full year validated figures held for that disease.
Source:
Clerical Count 100 per cent. data
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance her Department has issued to claimants of industrial injury benefit for beat knee or osteoarthritis of the knee on charges levied by claims handlers. [286880]
Jonathan Shaw: Osteoarthritis of the knee was added to the industrial injuries disablement benefit scheme on 13 July 2009. We have made it clear in our publicity that customers do not need to involve solicitors and they should contact Jobcentre Plus industrial injury disablement benefit offices direct for advice about claiming.
Prescribed Disease A6 (commonly known as Beat Knee) has been covered by the industrial injury disablement benefit scheme since 1958. The Jobcentre Plus leaflet covering industrial injury disablement benefit advises individuals to contact their local Jobcentre Plus industrial injury disablement benefit regional centre if they require more information or want to make a claim.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many advertisements her Department has placed to explain industrial injury benefit claims for beat knee and osteoarthritis of the knee in the last 12 months. [286881]
Jonathan Shaw: We have not placed any paid-for advertisements in the last 12 months. We have, however, produced 500 posters to publicise the new entitlement to industrial injuries disablement benefit for miners with osteoarthritis of the knee. These have been distributed to MPs in their constituencies, and the major miners' unions to distribute through their networks (including National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers [NACODS], Union of Democratic Mineworkers [UDM], and National Union of Mineworkers [NUM]).
In addition, we have sent articles to pension trustees of the above unions to include in their newsletters and other communications. We have also placed an article in September's edition of Touchbase, the Department for Work and Pension's newsletter for its advisers.
We have worked with national and local media outlets to explain the change and achieved free coverage in the Daily Mirror, on the BBC news website, and throughout the country, particularly in mining and former mining communities, including the Newcastle Journal, Northern Echo, Hartlepool Mail, Sunderland Echo, Wigan Observer, Warwickshire Telegraph, Coventry Telegraph, Nuneaton News, Staffordshire Newsletter and the Sheffield Star.
The Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Burnley (Kitty Ussher), visited the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield, along with representatives from NUM and NACODS. The visit was covered by the Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire Star and Sheffield Telegraph newspapers, as well as BBC Look North and BBC Radio Leeds.
My hon. Friend wrote a letter advising potential applicants in South Wales to apply direct to Jobcentre Plus, after local solicitors were found to be targeting miners. The letter was published in the Bridgend & Porthcawl Gem, South Wales Echo, Western Mail and the Cynon Valley Leader.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claim forms for industrial injuries disablement benefit in relation to beat knee or osteoarthritis of the knee have been (a) ordered from and (b) returned to her Department by claims handlers working for the company BCP. [287016]
Jonathan Shaw: Jobcentre Plus does not keep information about the number of industrial injuries disablement benefit claim forms ordered by and returned from claims handlers and individual organisations.
Jobcentre Plus
Mr. Brady:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will instruct Jobcentre Plus staff to seek to schedule regular meetings with jobseekers in
part-time work to take place on days when they are not regularly employed. [284421]
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 if she will issue guidance to Jobcentre Plus that it should seek to schedule regular meetings with jobseekers in part-time work to take place on days when they are not regularly employed. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Regular face-to-face contact with people is the most effective method of helping them find work quickly, and ensuring they remain entitled to payment of benefit by demonstrating they are actively seeking work. People claiming Jobseeker's Allowance are therefore usually required to attend their nearest Jobcentre for regular jobsearch reviews and more in-depth interviews with a personal adviser if they do not find work quickly. Where someone is undertaking part-time work we will make every effort to make alternative arrangements to accommodate their part time working patterns. We will, however, ensure that the guidance is clarified in this respect.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when the results of the next Jobcentre Plus staff survey will be reported; and if she will place in the Library a copy of that report; [286638]
(2) if she will place in the Library a copy of the results of each of the three most recent Jobcentre Plus staff surveys. [286639]
Jim Knight: Copies of the three most recent sets of survey results for Jobcentre Plus, from the Department for Work and Pensions Surveys conducted in 2009, 2008 and 2006, have been placed in the Library. There was no staff survey in 2007 as surveys were conducted in November 2006 and January 2008.
As part of the Cabinet Office cross-Government employee engagement programme the next staff survey of Jobcentre Plus, which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions Survey, will take place in October/November 2009. Results will be available in January/February 2010. The results will be placed in the Library.
Jobcentre Plus: Buildings
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether her Department consulted disability organisations on the most recent programme of refurbishment to Jobcentre Plus offices; [284017]
(2) whether the tendering contract for the most recent refurbishment to the Jobcentre Plus offices stipulated the provision of accessible seating for elderly and disabled people in Jobcentre Plus offices. [284247]
Jim Knight [holding answer 3 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 reply to your questions asking: whether her Department consulted disability organisations prior to the most recent programme of refurbishment to Jobcentre
Plus offices and whether the tendering contract for the most recent refurbishment to the Jobcentre Plus offices stipulated the provision of accessible seating in Jobcentre Plus offices. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
During the programme to roll out Jobcentre Plus offices, in the period 2002 to 2006, Jobcentre Plus worked in partnership with the Department's Diversity and Equality specialist, to ensure the changes met the needs of all our customers. The Jobcentre Plus Project developed a Jobcentre Plus Environmental Guide (JPEG) in association with the project architects which referenced all relevant external legislation including the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). DDA requires all providers of public services to ensure that services to customers can be accessed by all, whether that is in regard to the physical office environments or by other means. The JPEG was reviewed throughout the rollout programme to ensure compliance with the Act. This was reflected both in the standards and specifications deployed in the physical refurbishment of our offices and in the design of specific components.
The tendering exercise for the national roll out of Jobcentre Plus offices between 2002 and 2006 identified a range of customer seating which complied with statutory requirements. The scope of the tenders included a range of design options that took account of our business-related Health and Safety considerations and also met key customer needs such as comfort, visibility and ease of use. Consultation with the Department's Diversity and Equality specialists provided Jobcentre Plus with assurances that the broadest range of customer requirements would be met.
As part of the planning for delivery of services through the new Jobcentre Plus network, each District drew up a local service delivery plan which was the subject of consultation with a range of local stakeholders, including customer representatives. Customer Service Directors have recently been asked to review their existing service delivery arrangements in meeting the challenge of the current economic climate, taking account of the planned welfare reform changes for the next two to three years.
This exercise has identified that a number of Jobcentre Plus offices currently face capacity pressures. These pressures will be met through a range of solutions. This includes making our services more accessible to customers by providing a range of support through outreach, often delivering advisory and other support on partners' premises. We are supplementing these measures by operating extended opening hours in some locations where the need for this is identified locally, including some offices opening to the public on Saturday. In the light of the increase in customer demand we have embarked on a programme to convert or extend our existing buildings where necessary, deploying existing components including similar seating to that already installed as part of the 2002-2006 roll out of Jobcentre Plus offices.
However, we will only acquire new space where all other measures are insufficient.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department has spent on projects to refurbish Jobcentre Plus offices since 2001. [284018]
Jim Knight [holding answer 3 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 for Work and Pensions has asked me to respond to your question asking how much her Department has spent on projects to refurbish Jobcentre Plus offices since 2001. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus came into being in April 2002. The refurbishment of Jobcentre Plus offices was carried out over five years as part of the £1.9 billion rollout of the Jobcentre Plus office network, which included estates refurbishment costs of £782 million.
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