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3 Nov 2009 : Column 820W—continued
In total 150,000 new jobs will be created under the Future Jobs Fund between October 2009 and March 2011, of which 100,000 will be for young people. The other 50,000 will be in employment hotspots, and will also be open to young people in those areas.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many bids for funding from the Future Jobs Fund have been received from organisations in the (a) culture, music and creative industries and (b) sports and media industries; and how much such organisations have received funding from the fund. [295518]
Jim Knight [holding answer 26 October 2009]: The Department for Work and Pensions does not have a detailed breakdown of the sectors that the bids seek to create jobs in. The list of successful bidders to the Future Jobs Fund is available on our website at
Many of these bids are from partnerships who plan to create jobs with a variety of organisations, in different sectors. The Football League Trust and the National Skills Academy for Sport led bid will be creating Future Jobs Fund jobs primarily in the sports sector.
Information on the levels of funding awarded is not publicly available as this is commercially confidential.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of incapacity benefit claimants between the ages of 18 and 25 she expects to take part in three additional mandatory work-focused interviews as proposed in the Social Security (Incapacity Benefit Work-Focused Interviews) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 in the next 12 months. [292916]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 14 October 2009]: The exercise to require existing customers on incapacity benefits under the age of 25 in Jobcentre Plus Pathways to Work areas to attend mandatory work-focused interviews begins this month. We plan to complete the exercise by March 2011. Current estimates indicate that around 28,300 customers will be affected, this represents around 25 per cent. of the 18 to 25-year-olds currently on incapacity benefits nationally. Customers who are currently exempt from attending personal capability assessments will not be called in for interview.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants who receive both disability living allowance and incapacity benefit have been in receipt of incapacity benefit for more than (a) six months, (b) 12 months, (c) 18 months, (d) two years and (e) five years. [295572]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer on 26 October 2009]: The information is in the table:
| Number of people receiving incapacity benefit and disability living allowance by duration as at February 2009 | |
| Duration | Number of claimants of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance and disability living allowance |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Durations refer to incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance awards. 3. Data are for Great Britain and abroad. 4. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. These data do not include employment and support allowance. Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study | |
Jobcentre Plus
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2009, Official Report, column 1394W, on Jobcentre Plus manpower, how many of the (a) personal advisers of each type and (b) customer service operations staff (i) have been recruited and (ii) are planned to be recruited. [291218]
Jim Knight [holding answer 16 September 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 has asked me to reply to your question asking, pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2009, Official Report, column 1394W, on Jobcentre Plus manpower, how many of the (a) personal advisers of each type and (b) customer service operations staff (i) have been recruited and (ii) are planned to be recruited. This is something that 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.
Information relating to the number of Personal Advisers deployed in Jobcentre Plus was previously provided to the answer of 19 June 2009, Official Report, column 558W.
The Department is planning to publish more up-to-date numbers on DWP manpower in the near future. These will be published in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
Jobcentre Plus: Birmingham
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment her Department has made of the (a) aims and (b) performance to date of the Birmingham City Council Jobcentre Plus partnership. [295848]
Jim Knight [holding answer 26 October 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 question asking what assessment her Department has made of the (a) aims and (b) performance to date of the Birmingham City Council Jobcentre Plus partnership. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Birmingham City Council has been a long standing partner in a wide range of initiatives which have an employment or training focus. Jobcentre Plus and Birmingham City Council are an active part of a wider network promoting support for those who are workless or disadvantaged. Birmingham City Council is also very active in the City Region, in the design and delivery of the Multi Area Agreement which Jobcentre Plus is also a member of. The Local Area Agreement also provides a productive working arrangement for both organisations and other partners.
Most of this activity has a similar aim to help reduce unemployment, increase employment and to tackle deep seated worklessness. Examples of joint working stem from the Joint Venture Partnership which delivered New Deal in the city, the partnership initiatives to address the closure of MG Rover and the impact on other dependent businesses and the redevelopment and modernisation of the Bull Ring.
In addition Birmingham City Council is the accountable body for several funding streams such as the Working Neighbourhoods Fund and works with partners to target funding to those most in need, for example, geographically targeted employment support.
Recently Jobcentre Plus has developed initiatives with Birmingham City Council to help those affected by the closure of the van maker LDV, which ensured that 662 LDV workers received a range of advice on job search, debt avoidance and claiming Housing Benefits. 111 ex-LDV workers have returned to employment and a further 493 have received training.
Jobcentre Plus and Birmingham City Council have developed a joint offer to contractors and employers involved in regeneration and relocation within the city. Projects include the New Birmingham Library and the relocation of Bournville College as part of the Longbridge Development.
Birmingham City Council signed a Local Employment Partnership Agreement on 1 April 2008 and were one of the first to pledge help for young people through Backing Young Britain. They lead a coalition with the public sector, private employers and the third sector to deliver the City Region wide Future Jobs Fund with more than 2000 jobs being identified in Birmingham.
Jobcentre Plus works closely with Birmingham City Council's Employment Action Team to reach customers and communities furthest away from the labour market and jointly promote Local Employment Partnerships to deliver customised packages to support employers. For example, 160 disadvantaged customers are undertaking a Pre-Recruitment Training programme for a national retailer opening in early 2010.
Jobcentre Plus: Manpower
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus staff were employed in each region in each of the last five years. [291602]
Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is the responsibility of the acting chief executive, 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 Jobcentre Plus staff were employed in each region in each of the last five years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
A regional breakdown for the period before 2007/08 is not available. For that period therefore, we are providing an overall Jobcentre Plus staffing figure for each year as shown below:
| Jobcentre Plus staffing | |
| Full-time equivalent | |
For 2007/08 and 2008/09, the information at regional/country level is in the table below. The levels of Jobcentre Plus staff deployed across regions/countries will vary depending on how specific areas of work are managed. For instance, the Contact Centre Directorate operates a virtual network and therefore aligning their work to geographic boundaries would be misleading. Wales has three large contact centres handling calls as part of the virtual network.
On the same principle, the network of Benefit Delivery Centres can, and does, move work around the country on a weekly basis to maximise speed of claim processing. Although Benefit Delivery Centres are in the main linked to regions/countries, such work movement and some centralised functions mean there is not a clear distinction. For example, applications for National Insurance numbers are processed in two centres, Glasgow and Isle of Wight, so staff numbers will be included in the Government Office Region for Scotland and South East respectively.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many care partnership managers were in post in each Jobcentre Plus district on 1 October 2009. [294498]
Jim Knight [holding answer 20 October 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 has asked me to reply to your question asking how many Care Partnership Managers were in post in each Jobcentre Plus district on 1 October 2009. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
On 1 October this year a total of 51 Care Partnership Managers were in post across 48 Jobcentre Plus districts. Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Swindon district, Devon and Cornwall district and The Marches each had two Care Partnership Managers in post. All the others had one in post.
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) agency staff have been employed in (i) benefit delivery centres and (ii) customer-facing job centres operated by Jobcente Plus in Mid-Bedfordshire constituency in each year since 2004. [295402]
Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is the responsibility of the acting chief executive, 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 (a) permanent (b) temporary and (c) agency staff have been employed in (i) Benefit Delivery Centres and (ii) customer-facing Jobcentres operated by Jobcentre Plus in Mid-Bedfordshire constituency in each year since 2004. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
There are two Jobcentres in the Mid-Bedfordshire constituency, but no Benefit Delivery Centres. Our Benefit Delivery Centres at Luton and Watford cater for people who live within the constituency.
Information below national level for the period prior to 2006/07 is not available. The table below sets out data for both Jobcentres for each of the years 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09, broken down by permanent, fixed-term appointment and temporary staff. Also included is the position as at July 2009. We do not employ agency staff.
| Staff employed by Jobcentre Plus in Mid-Bedfordshire constituency | ||
| Bedford Jobcentre | Biggleswade Jobcentre | |
| Notes: 1. Headcount figures are quoted in full-time equivalents using the Office for National Statistics definitions for counting headcount and details the position at March for each of the last three years. 2. The figures have been rounded to whole numbers. Source: The data provided are taken from Dataview, an electronic extract drawn from payroll. | ||
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