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20 July 2009 : Column 860W—continued
Winter Fuel Payments
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse of
winter fuel payments was in each of the last five years; and what estimate she has made of the cost in each of the next five years. [285846]
Angela Eagle: Published information is in the table.
| Benefit expenditure, Great Britain (£ million) | |||||||
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| Source: DWP accounting data | |||||||
These figures are published on the DWP website:
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to answer question (a) 273933, (b) 273934, (c) 273935 and (d) 273936, tabled on 5 May 2009, on the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow. [281290]
Jim Knight: The hon. Member's questions were replied to as follows: 273933 on 24 June 2009, Official Report, column 1021W; 273934 and 273936 on 19 June 2009, Official Report, column 553W; 273935 on 16 June 2009, Official Report, column 159W.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to answer question 277517, on Jobcentre Plus, tabled on 21 May 2009. [285054]
Jim Knight: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 7 July 2009, Official Report, columns 742-46W.
Young Person's Guarantee
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the effect of the introduction of the Young Person's Guarantee on predicted levels of referrals to the flexible New Deal; and whether young people unemployed for 12 months or more will have a choice of being referred to the flexible New Deal or one of the options offered through the Young Person's Guarantee. [285139]
Jim Knight: The Young Person's Guarantee will provide all customers aged 18-24 approaching 12 months of their claim to jobseeker's allowance with the opportunity of a job, work-focused training or work experience placement.
The flexible new deal gives providers the flexibility to offer personalised support tailored to each individual jobseeker. It will be introduced in phase 1 areas from October 2009 and from October 2010 in Phase 2 areas.
The Young Person's Guarantee will be available to all eligible customers on a voluntary basis from January 2010. In line with the jobseeker's allowance benefit entitlement rules, any customer who is offered suitable paid employment through the Young Person's Guarantee must accept it or could face a sanction. However, while the programme is voluntary, customers may choose to be referred to the flexible new deal instead of the training or work experience options of the Young Person's Guarantee.
The Young Person's Guarantee will become mandatory from spring 2010. Then all customers must complete an element of the Young Person's Guarantee before they are referred to the flexible new deal.
The Department will continue to liaise with the Flexible New Deal Preferred Bidders about any potential impacts on referrals to the flexible new deal as a result of the Young Person's Guarantee. Any impacts will be time-limited, as referrals to the Young Person's Guarantee will end in March 2011.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she expects the Community Task Force to be operational under the Young Person's Guarantee. [286742]
Jim Knight: The Young Person's Guarantee will provide all customers aged 18 to 24 approaching 12 months of their claim to jobseeker's allowance with the opportunity of a job, work-focused training or work experience placement. The community task force is the work experience element of the Young Person's Guarantee.
In phase 1 flexible new deal areas, the community task force will be available to all eligible customers on a voluntary basis from January 2010. The community task force will become mandatory in these areas later in 2010 for all customers who do not take up another element of the Young Person's Guarantee.
In phase 2 flexible new deal areas, the 'work experience placement' element of the Young Person's Guarantee will be delivered through the voluntary sector and environmental task force options of the new deal for young people. When referrals to this provision stop during 2010, customers will instead be referred to the community task force.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether young people aged between 18 and 24 years old who complete one of the options on the Young Person's Guarantee but who have not secured employment will be referred on to the Flexible New Deal; [286752]
(2) what plans her Department has to provide assistance for young people aged between 18 and 24 years old who complete one of the options on the Young Person's Guarantee but who have not secured employment. [286753]
Jim Knight: The Young Person's Guarantee will provide all customers aged 18 to 24 approaching 12 months of their claim to jobseeker's allowance with the opportunity of a job, work-focused training or work experience placement.
The flexible new deal will be introduced in phase 1 areas from October 2009, and in phase 2 areas from October 2010. It will give providers the flexibility to offer personalised support tailored to each individual jobseeker.
All customers in phase 1 areas who participate in work-focused training or take up a work experience placement and who do not manage to secure employment will be referred to the flexible new deal.
Prior to the introduction of the flexible new deal in phase 2 areas, customers who do not secure employment as part of the Young Person's Guarantee will be referred to the new deal for young people.
From October 2010, all customers in phase 2 areas who do not manage to secure employment after completing one of the options of the Young Person's Guarantee will also be referred to the flexible new deal.
Defence
Afghanistan
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold discussions with his Chinese counterpart about the reported involvement of Chinese nationals in fighting UK armed forces in Afghanistan. [287025]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The UK and China routinely discuss issues of mutual interest, including Afghanistan. Although there are occasional media reports of Chinese nationals fighting inside Afghanistan, these reports are unconfirmed and no individuals killed or detained by UK forces operating in Afghanistan have been confirmed as having Chinese nationality.
Afghanistan: Helicopters
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions British commanders in Afghanistan have requested the use of coalition helicopters; and on how many occasions this has been agreed to. [287433]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Helicopter support to ISAF operations in Regional Command (South) is provided from a multinational pool of helicopters, to which the UK makes a significant contribution. The UK routinely requests the use of the Regional Command (South) helicopter assets, and these requests are met by available assets. UK helicopters are also tasked by Regional Command (South) to support other nations within the Regional Command (South) area of operations. The specific number of requests and occasions when British Commanders have used coalition helicopters is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which helicopters owned by the armed forces of other nations and manned by (a) UK and (b) non-UK aircrew the UK has borrowed for service in Afghanistan since 1 January 2008; and if he will make a statement. [286819]
Bill Rammell: Helicopter support to ISAF operations in Southern Afghanistan, where the majority of British troops are located, is provided from a multinational pool of helicopters allocated by Regional Command (South), to which the UK makes a significant contribution. Therefore, the UK makes use of helicopter capability from other nations and also provides helicopter capability to support other nations. Helicopters are matched to tasks on the basis of capacity, capability and availability rather than nationality.
The UK does not provide complete crews for helicopters from other nations. On occasion the UK deploys exchange officers with the armed forces of other nations but we do not centrally record the individual missions which they are tasked with in Afghanistan. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many explosions caused by improvised explosive devices were recorded by the armed forces in Afghanistan in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009 to date. [283559]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Records of incidents for the whole of Afghanistan are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Data are more readily available for attacks within Regional Command (South), which includes the vast majority of UK forces deployed to Afghanistan.
The following table shows all improvised explosive device detonations in Regional Command (South):
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
These figures do not include improvised explosive device finds with no detonation or improvised explosive device false alarms. These figures are based on information derived from a number of sources and can only be an estimate, not least because of the difficulties in ensuring a consistent interpretation of the basis of collating statistics in a complex fast-moving multinational operational environment.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations his Department has undertaken into incidents involving civilian death or injury as a result of the use by British forces of enhanced blast munitions in Afghanistan. [284854]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth:
UK forces thoroughly investigate all reports of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, regardless of their potential cause. We regret incidents where
civilians are accidentally killed as a result of actions by UK armed forces. In addition to investigating all reports of civilian casualties, procedures are in place, and being constantly updated in the light of experience, to minimise the risk of these casualties occurring.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which UK helicopter types were deployed in Afghanistan as at 13 July 2009; and if he will make a statement. [287699]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: ISAF helicopter support in Regional Command (South) in Afghanistan is provided through a multinational pool to which the UK makes a significant contribution. The UK currently has Chinook, Sea King and Lynx helicopters deployed to undertake combat support roles, and in addition has Apache attack helicopters deployed in theatre.
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on day landings at Kandahar airbase. [287928]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence takes a risk based approach to landings at all operational bases, including Kandahar airbase. The level of risk takes into account the task concerned, the security situation and the aircraft. I am withholding further information on this subject as its disclosure would prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the Mk3 Chinooks currently being upgraded he expects will be deployed to Afghanistan; and what the dates of deployment will be. [287936]
Mr. Quentin Davies: We are converting the eight Chinook Mk3 helicopters to a support helicopter role. The first of these aircraft will be delivered to operational squadrons before the end of this year thus increasing the pool of Chinooks available for deployment. It is for the chain of command to determine how many and which of their aircraft should be deployed and when.
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what supplies were lost when the Mi-26T helicopter carrying supplies to a British base in Afghanistan crashed on 14 July 2009; and of what nationality the crew members of that helicopter were. [288220]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Mi-26T helicopter was carrying non-sensitive cargo, including food and fuel, when it crashed. The crew members were Ukrainian.
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) types of aircraft and (b) nationality of aircraft crews other than British, American and Canadian supply British forces in Afghanistan. [288221]
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