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21 July 2009 : Column 1290W—continued
Income Support Mortgage Interest: Applications
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for income support mortgage interest (ISMI) payments have been made since November 2008; how many such applications were rejected; how many appeals against a rejection (a) were made and (b) resulted in an award; how many such appeals were not processed within the target time; and how many staff in her Department process ISMI payments. [284492]
Helen Goodman: 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 how many applications for income support mortgage interest (ISMI) payments have been made since November 2008; and how many such applications were rejected; how many appeals against a rejection were made and resulted in an award; how many such appeals were not processed within the target time; and how many staff in the Department process ISMI payments. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus does record the actual number of claims received for ISMI, along with the number of claims awarded, and refused. Please find attached below this information by month, since November 2008.
Jobcentre Plus does not capture the number of claims appealed or awarded on appeal, nor does it have a target time for appeals for ISMI. ISMI is not a separate benefit but rather forms an integral part of IS. The customer may not be eligible to claim ISMI from day one of their claim and as a result that element will be processed later in the life of that claim. This is why we do not capture the clearance time.
Jobcentre Plus holds details of the staff deployed in processing new IS claims and those deployed in IS claims maintenance. Any activity relating to processing ISMI payments will be part of these roles and this lower level of staffing detail is not available.
Industrial Diseases: Compensation
Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department has paid out (a) under the provisions of the Pneumoconiosis Act 1979, (b) in industrial injuries disablement benefit and (c) under the provisions of the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 to people with long latency diseases in each of the last five years. [286692]
Jonathan Shaw: Information on the monies paid out in each of the last five years under the provisions of the Pneumoconiosis Act 1979 is in the following table.
| Financial year | Expenditure (£ million, cash) |
| Note: Figures rounded to the nearest £ million. Source: DWP statistical and accounting data | |
Available information on the monies paid through industrial injuries disablement benefit on long latency diseases is in the following table.
| Financial year | Expenditure (£ million, cash) |
| Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest £ million. 2. Industrial injuries disablement benefit expenditure on particular diseases is estimated using annual statistical data. Latest finalised annual statistical data are for 2006-07. Source: DWP statistical and accounting data | |
The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 made provision for the introduction of the 2008 Mesothelioma Scheme. This scheme was introduced in October 2008, and expenditure up to March 2009 was £5.5 million.
Source:
DWP statistical and accounting data, excludes Northern Ireland payments under this scheme.
Jobcentre Plus
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus accredited providers there were in each year since 1997. [271722]
Jim Knight: Jobcentre Plus providers undertake accreditation if the value of the contract is greater than £50,000 (the level was initially set at £10,000 for 2005-06).
We do not hold any accreditation information earlier than 2005.
There are two types of accreditation: passed and passed conditionally. Passed means they meet all the criteria for accreditation and passed conditionally means they meet most of the criteria but must review and address issues before undergoing accreditation renewal the following year. The increase in the number of passed conditionally reflects changes in legislation which requires providers to take additional steps to bring current practices in line with the new requirements. The following table sets out the number of providers accredited in each year since June 2005.
| Passed | Passed conditionally | Total | |
| Source: Commercial Directorate Solutions. | |||
Accreditation is renewed annually. The renewal date is dependent on the original date of application. The figure for January to 3 July 2009 represents providers whose accreditation date has fallen within these months. Our current list of accredited providers totals 458 and therefore we will be expecting a further 189 providers to seek accreditation renewal in the remaining months of the year, notwithstanding any new applications or contracts being ended. Details of our accredited suppliers are published on Supplying DWP.
To date, there has only been one provider who failed. Upon notification, the provider worked with the DWP and the accreditation contractor addressed the concerns and upon resubmission, they achieved accreditation. The Department when requested will assist providers with guidance to help meet the accreditation requirements.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps Jobcentre Plus has taken to adapt its office space to accommodate increases in demand on its services arising from higher benefit caseloads. [285797]
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 what steps Jobcentre Plus has taken to increase its adept office space to accommodate increases in demand on its services
arising from higher benefit caseloads. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus has reviewed the existing service delivery arrangements in meeting the challenge of the current economic climate and taking into account the planned welfare reform changes for the next two to three years. This review took into account the latest known information on the expected increase in business and customer volumes. This included the capacity for dealing with higher benefit caseloads.
We have embarked on a programme of converting or extending our existing buildings where necessary. In addition, we aim to make 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. This includes some offices opening to the public on Saturday. We will only acquire new space where all other measures are insufficient.
This programme is primarily focused on those buildings where we provide a face to face service for members of the public but we are also implementing solutions across our network of Benefit Delivery Centres and Contact Centres to ensure they are equipped to meet any capacity challenge.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average annual cost of running a Jobcentre Plus office was in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average cost of operating each office function was. [285843]
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 for Work and Pensions has asked me to respond to your question asking what the average annual cost of running a Jobcentre Plus office was in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average cost of operating each office function was. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The average annual direct cost of running a customer facing Jobcentre Plus office in 2008/09 was approximately £550k. The actual cost of running each office varies widely dependant on their size and the number of staff employed in the office.
The majority of the direct costs are the salary costs of staff employed in the Jobcentre Plus office. Other costs associated with running the Jobcentre Plus offices such as estates costs, IT costs, payroll and financial services are dealt with nationally and are not included in the direct cost stated above.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 65W, on Jobcentre Plus, which Jobcentre Plus offices were identified as facing capacity pressures; [287986]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 65W, which 18 Jobcentre Plus buildings have already had estates work undertaken to increase capacity; and 151 Jobcentre Plus offices have estates works planned. [287988]
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 questions asking her, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 65W to: list the Jobcentre Plus offices which were identified as facing capacity pressures, and; list (a) the 18 Jobcentre Plus buildings which have already had estates work undertaken to increase capacity and (b) the 151 Jobcentre Plus offices for which estates works are planned. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Our response to the current capacity pressure within Jobcentre Plus is progressing on a daily basis. The latest available information has been placed in the Library.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 65W, on Jobcentre Plus, how much her Department has spent on converting or extending existing Jobcentre Plus offices where necessary; and what the total expected cost is of making all necessary conversions and expansions to Jobcentre Plus to cope with capacity pressures. [287987]
Jim Knight [holding answer 20 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 right hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your question, pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 65W, on Jobcentre Plus, how much her Department has spent on converting or extending existing Jobcentre Plus offices where necessary, and what the total expected cost is of making all necessary conversions and expansions to Jobcentre Plus to cope with capacity pressures. 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 most up to date information on the expected increases in business and customer volumes.
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 partners' 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 therefore only acquire new space where all other measures are insufficient.
As at 30 June 2009, estates work had 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 on a further 151 buildings. This work is currently at an early stage and therefore the costs are not fully known.
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