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4 Nov 2009 : Column 1083W—continued
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether her Department has made a recent estimate of the number of recipients of housing benefit who have been unable to meet their rent costs as a consequence of the withdrawal of benefit on entry to employment. [297228]
Helen Goodman: The Department has no such data.
Housing Benefit: St. Albans
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in St. Albans constituency were in receipt of housing benefit at the latest date for which figures are available. [297591]
Helen Goodman: The information is not available.
Industrial Health and Safety: Sellafield
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to Sellafield Ltd. on meeting the Inspectorate's specifications in respect of safety at legacy ponds and silos at the Sellafield site. [255997]
Jonathan Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 October 2009, Official Report, columns 490-91W.
Jobcentre Plus
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Jobcentre Plus National Workload Projection updates are for the most recent four quarters, broken down by the smallest possible geographical area. [276441]
Jim Knight [holding answer 19 May 2009]: Available information has been placed in the Library.
The most recent four quarters are July 2008, October 2008, January 2009 and April 2009. No geographical area breakdown was produced in January 2009.
Jobcentre Plus: Manpower
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many personal advisers have been employed in jobcentres in each of the last 10 years. [271624]
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 how many personal advisers have been employed in Jobcentres in each of the last 10 years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Information is only available from 2003/04. The following table shows the number of advisers for each year from 2003/04 to 2009/10. These figures represent an average of staff deployed in personal adviser activities across each year.
The table reports a reducing trend in personal adviser numbers over the period. That reflects a decline in unemployment levels. However, as unemployment has increased, this has resulted in additional personal advisers being recruited during the second half of 2008/09. As at May 2009, Jobcentre Plus had 10,458 advisers in post and more are currently being recruited.
| Jobcentre Plus personal advisers | |
| Full-time equivalents | |
| (1 )Figure is average staff deployed between April 2009 and May 2009. | |
Jobcentre Plus: Standards
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evaluation she has made of the effectiveness of Jobcentre Plus; and what recent steps have been taken to improve the performance of Jobcentre Plus in enabling people to obtain employment. [293937]
Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions uses independent experts to research and evaluate the effectiveness of its labour market programmes. This evidence is published in the Department's Research Report series, which can be found at
Jobcentre Plus effectiveness is specifically assessed using a range of monthly targets. These targets are designed to increase productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. The Department for Work and Pensions regularly reviews these targets and progress towards them. More details including performance against targets can be found at:
Jobcentre Plus has deployed extra resources to deliver services to customers following announcements in the pre-Budget report and Budget 2009. It has increased front line staffing by around 15,000. The people who have been recruited are employed on a wide range of customer facing roles, providing support to customers through job search advice and benefit processing.
Jobcentre Plus has also introduced a wide range of new measures. It has:
strengthened and expanded the Rapid Response Service which offers help and support even before redundancy. Since November 2008, more than 3,000 employers have accepted support offered by the Rapid Response Service.
extended the help available through Local Employment Partnerships to provide help for the newly unemployed. It met its target of finding jobs for 250,000 priority customers a year early. In September 2009, Government announced a new target to get another 500,000 people into work through local employment partnerships by the end of 2010.
provided additional support from day one, including help for the newly unemployed to get up to date with the latest job search techniques.
introduced extra help for customers at the start of a claim, giving them advice within three days of claiming, plus extra help for professionals and executives. At six months, customers are offered recruitment subsidies, work-focused training or volunteering options, and help to start a business.
Budget 2009 included a significant new package of support for people, particularly young adults, and included an additional £1.1 billion for a new Future Jobs Fund and a Young Person's Guarantee-a guaranteed offer of a job, work-focused training, or other activity to all 18 to 24-year-olds before they have reached the 12 month stage of their claim to Jobseeker's Allowance. Furthermore, over 150 top British employers are supporting Backing Young Britain, a national campaign to create new opportunities for thousands of young people during the recession.
Jobseeker's Allowance
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance claimants in each constituency have been in receipt of the allowance continuously since 1997. [295441]
Jim Knight: The total number of jobseeker claimants who have been in receipt of the allowance since 1997 is 390 in Great Britain. The numbers in each constituency are very small and once rounded to the nearest 10, for disclosure control, will be predominately zero.
Means Tested Benefits
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of people who did not claim a means-tested benefit to which they were entitled in the last 12 months; what estimate she has made of the amount of money in means-tested benefit which was not claimed by such people; and if she will make a statement. [289763]
Jim Knight: The latest estimates of the numbers entitled to but not receiving income related benefits and of the amounts of unclaimed income related benefits are published in the report "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2007-08". A copy has been placed in the Library.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to reply to the letter of 21 September 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss A. S. Tame. [297630]
Jim Knight: Following an extensive search of departmental records, no trace can be found of my right hon. Friend's correspondence with regard to Miss A. S. Tame. If my right hon. Friend would care to write to the Secretary of State again, she will be happy to respond.
National Insurance: Foreign Workers
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what procedures her Department follows to revoke national insurance numbers from those whose right to work in the UK has expired; [294165]
(2) what steps her Department takes to ensure that foreign nationals awarded national insurance numbers cannot continue to use those numbers once their student and work visas have expired. [294167]
Jim Knight: A national insurance number is not sufficient to demonstrate an entitlement to work. Employers must carry out a specified document check on any job applicant's entitlement to work. Most foreign nationals will demonstrate their entitlement to be employed through their national passport. For migrant workers with a temporary immigration status, this specified check must be repeated not less than every 12 months.
The Department for Work and Pensions conducts thorough identity and immigration status checks on applications for national insurance numbers from foreign nationals. An individual who has no right to be in or work in the UK and applies for a national insurance number will be refused.
The national insurance number is an administrative reference number used for benefits, tax and national insurance contribution purposes. A national insurance number does not confer any right to benefits, or demonstrate an entitlement to work.
National insurance numbers, once allocated, are not revoked except in very limited, specified circumstances, such as where duplicate numbers have been issued. This is because a national insurance number, even if only used for a limited period, links an individual to their national insurance contributions record which may be relevant to any future claim to contributory benefits or state pension.
Anyone who has previously acquired a national insurance number but no longer has the right to live, work or study in the UK does not have access to the benefits system and possession of a national insurance number would not enable a claim to succeed.
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were withdrawn from those deemed to be illegal immigrants in each year since 1997. [294174]
Jim Knight: A National Insurance number is not sufficient to demonstrate an entitlement to work.
The Department for Work and Pensions conducts thorough identity and immigration status checks on applications for National Insurance numbers from foreign nationals. An individual who has no right to be in or work in the UK and applies for a National Insurance number will be refused.
The Department for Work and Pensions does not withdraw National Insurance numbers once allocated except in very limited circumstances, such as where duplicate numbers have been issued. This is because a National Insurance number, even if only used for a limited period, links an individual to their National Insurance contributions record which may be relevant to any future claim to contributory benefits or state pension.
Anyone who has previously acquired a National Insurance number but no longer has the right to live, work or study in the UK does not have access to the benefits system and the use of a National Insurance number in isolation is not sufficient to obtain benefits.
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the number of people in possession of a national insurance number and working beyond the expiration of their student visa. [294175]
Jim Knight: The information is not available.
A National Insurance number is not sufficient to demonstrate an entitlement to work. However, where the UK Border Agency has evidence that students are breaching their immigration conditions, they will investigate and take appropriate action. This can include further applications for leave to remain in the UK being refused or removal from the UK.
New Deal Schemes: Bedfordshire
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in Mid-Bedfordshire constituency have participated in a New Deal scheme in each year since 2004. [295416]
Jim Knight: The table shows the number of spells started on New Deal schemes in the Mid-Bedfordshire constituency since 2004. Some individuals may have had more than one start:
| Total starters (spells) | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. Westminster Parliamentary constituency (post May 2005) is allocated using the ONS Postcode Directory and customer's postcode. 3. The year of starting is the calendar year of starting the New Deal. 4. Starters (spells) data are not available for New Deal 50 Plus or New Deal for Partners so Starters (individuals) data have been used instead for these schemes. This means that for these schemes only an individual's most recent spell on that New Deal is recorded. 5. Data for New Deal for Partners is available from April 2004 (programme started in May 1989). 6. Latest data is to May 2009. Source: The Department for Work and Pensions Information Division. The figures are available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp | |
Post Office Card Account: Fife
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of state benefit payments to residents of North East Fife constituency were paid into Post Office card accounts in each of the last five years. [293977]
Helen Goodman: The figures are not available in the format requested.
The following table shows the precise number and percentage of benefit accounts paid into Post Office card accounts in the North East Fife constituency in each of the last five years. Benefit accounts will have multiple transactions and may include payment of more than one state benefit.
| All payment types | All POCA | Percentage paid by POCA | |
| Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10, percentages to the nearest whole per cent. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Figures are as at September in each of the five years, 2004 to 2008. 4. Figures refer to payment accounts. Customers with more than one account will be counted for each account. 5. All benefits and pensions are included but child benefit is administered by HM Revenue and Customs and War Pensions are now administered by MOD. These benefits have therefore been excluded. 6. 2004 was a transitional year in the move from order books to Direct Payment Source: DWP, Information Directorate, 100 per cent. data | |||
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