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11 Nov 2009 : Column 555W—continued
Jobcentre Plus has also recently engaged with two autism telephone tutorials held by the Employers Forum on Disability. The events were publicised on our business intranet site. Staff were encouraged to participate and actively did so. Events such as these help to develop an even greater understanding of autism and the issues related to employment.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps she is taking to help people diagnosed with autism into employment; and if she will make a statement. [298152]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 9 November 2009]: We are fully committed to supporting disabled people, including those diagnosed with autism, to find suitable, sustainable work.
Disability employment advisors can advise a customer about suitable job opportunities and specialised support available to disabled people. If necessary they can also advocate on a customer's behalf (by negotiating with employers), refer customers for an occupational health assessment, and use the professional expertise of work psychologists, who specialise in working with disabled people.
Disability employment advisors also have the discretion to use job introduction scheme funding in situations where a disabled applicant is considered suitable for a post, but the employer has genuine doubts about the individual's ability to cope with the proposed job or place of work. The job introduction scheme can provide a grant to the employer towards the employment costs incurred during the first weeks of employment.
Jobcentre Plus has a number of specialist programmes that help disabled people move into paid work, some of which are only accessible through disability employment advisors. These programmes include work preparation, residential training and Workstep (a programme of supported employment).
Disabled people going into paid work may also be able to benefit from access to work, which provides practical advice and support to disabled people and their employers to help overcome work related obstacles resulting from disability. Access to work provides a system of grants which contribute towards the cost of providing support, such as a job coach for a short period to help settle an autistic customer into work. Support can also be given to the customer in the form of awareness training on autism which can be delivered to the customer's colleagues.
Jobcentre Plus staff are also provided with training in the skills required to manage a range of behaviours demonstrated by customers, covering a variety of health conditions. This approach ensures that they are equipped to deal with diverse circumstances while treating customers
as individuals. Advisors look at the interaction between the person, the job and an individual's ability and ensure that job goals relate to the customer's abilities and that work solutions are sought to overcome any challenges a customer might face in a particular job.
Employment: Lone Parents
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what studies her Department has undertaken on changes in the household income of lone parents who move into work over the five year period after entering work. [298653]
Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions has not looked at changes in household income specifically among lone parents entering work for the five year period after they entered employment.
Future Jobs Fund
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many (a) local authorities, (b) social enterprises and (c) other third sector providers have (i) applied and (ii) qualified for money from the Future Jobs Fund since the fund was established; [296826]
(2) how many (a) young people and (b) people from other disadvantaged groups have received assistance from the Future Jobs Fund since the fund was established. [296827]
Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions does not have a detailed breakdown of the sectors that have bid. The list of successful bidders to the Future Jobs Fund is available on our website at:
Many of these bids are from partnerships that plan to create jobs with a variety of organisations, in different sectors.
We will be publishing official statistics on the number of people participating in the Future Jobs Fund in spring 2010, which will include characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity and type of benefit previously claimed. Until then these data are not available.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobs in culture and creative industries have been created through the Future Jobs Fund since its inception; and what the average (a) length of contract and (b) salary for each such job is. [299215]
Jim Knight [holding answer 10 November 2009]: The Government are currently working with cultural and creative sectors in order to create exciting job opportunities within the Future Jobs Fund and we also welcome bids that create apprenticeships.
At this stage the DWP 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 that plan to create jobs with a variety of organisations, in different
sectors. The jobs will, however, last for at least six months and the salary will be paid at the national minimum wage or more.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what additional funding streams were included in each successful bid proposal under the Future Jobs Fund. [297348]
Jim Knight: Not all bidders have provided details of other available funding streams within their bids in the first three bidding rounds and to retrospectively identify all the relevant funding streams would incur disproportionate costs. The current round provides a wider cross section of information of the funding streams available in support of their bids. These include:
Fairer Scotland Fund; Lottery Funding; European Social Fund; Community Cash Back Fund; Working Neighbourhood Fund; Yorkshire Forward Geographical Fund; Economic Partnership (East of England Development Agency); Premier League PFA; Nottinghamshire and Greater Nottinghamshire Single Programme; Train to Gain Fund; LSC funding; Workways Convergence Project; TVRN and the Step Ahead fund.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many (a) 18 to 24 years olds and (b) people living in deprived areas have participated in Future Jobs Fund jobs in each month since the scheme began; [297357]
(2) how many (a) young people aged 18 to 24 and (b) out of work benefit recipients in deprived areas have (i) applied for and (ii) started a job under the Future Jobs Fund in each month since the scheme began. [297358]
Jim Knight: The information requested is not currently available but will be made available in future through a statistical release covering the whole of the Young Persons Guarantee. The first publication should be ready around six months after the start of the programme and quarterly thereafter.
Information regarding ongoing progress will be reported through quarterly statistical releases in line with the Department's other employment programmes. The established process is for the first of these to be made available around six months after a new programme starts. This is to allow time for input from the UK Statistics Authority and for the information to be collected, understood, verified and reported. We will be following this approach with the Young Persons Guarantee.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many organisations which have been successful in bids under the Future Jobs Fund are from the (a) public, (b) private and (c) voluntary sector; [297360]
(2) how many jobs in each successful bid under the Future Jobs Fund are classified as (a) green jobs and (b) jobs in social enterprises. [297361]
Jim Knight: 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.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proposals each successful bid under the Future Jobs Fund programme made on the improvement of the long-term employability of each participant. [297422]
Jim Knight: It is not possible to provide details of what each successful bidder under the Future Jobs Fund programme proposes to do to improve the long term employability of each participant. However, before receiving grant funding successful bidders must set out their plans to improve the employability of each person. Successful bidders will have to provide employability support to each individual which best suits their needs.
Examples of the types of provision of support to Future Jobs Fund employees into sustainable employment include:
Regular reviews;
Job Matching;
Basic Skills Assessment, for example, CCOS Employment Training has the Basic Skills Quality Mark, and identifying training needs;
Planned access to 'Job Clubs';
Regular advice and information on Job and Training vacancies;
Individual Training and Job Plans;
In-depth assessment of the existing skills levels of the client, including a Skills for Life Assessment;
Receiving a reference from their employer, further helping to improve their employability;
Personal adviser contact, advice and support;
Training opportunities and in work training;
Individual learning plans;
Core skills development and confidence-building;
ESOL and literacy and numeracy, where required;
Interpersonal skills development;
Monthly reviews;
Mentoring support;
Ongoing supervision;
Induction programmes to provide support to access the most appropriate placement for their skills, abilities and interests, and cover such topics as health and safety, basic work skills, confidence building and working within a team, and
Holding 1-1 meetings to identity any barriers to employment, to identify specialist support or training needs and prepare a work plan.
Housing Benefit: Selby
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of housing benefit in Selby constituency on the latest date for which information is available. [299774]
Helen Goodman: The information is not available.
Incapacity Benefit
Dr. Kumar:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Tees Valley and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency have been on
incapacity benefit for longer than 12 months; and how many had been transferred to incapacity benefit from jobseeker's allowance. [297142]
Jim Knight: The table shows the number of people who have been on incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance for more than 12 months in each area.
| Number of people receiving incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance for longer than 12 months in February 2009 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 2. Tees Valley is made up of the following local authorities: Hartlepool Middlesbrough Darlington Stockton-on-Tees Redcar and Cleveland Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate | |
Information about the number of people who transferred from jobseeker's allowance and have been on incapacity benefit for longer than 12 months could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when her Department introduced (a) mandatory Pathways to Work interviews and (b) new work capability assessments for existing incapacity benefit claimants under 25 years old; and how many and what proportion of such claimants have undergone (i) mandatory Pathways to Work interviews and (ii) new Work Capability Assessments. [298779]
Jim Knight: The regulations to support mandatory work-focused interviews for existing customers aged under 25 came into force on 26 October 2009. The regulations introduce mandatory conditionality to 18 to 24-year-old existing customers who have been in receipt of incapacity benefit (or income support on the grounds of incapacity) continuously for 12 months or more in the 40 per cent. of the country (Great Britain) covered by Jobcentre Plus Pathways to work areas. These customers are required to attend a mandatory series of three work-focused interviews.
Customers in Provider-Led Pathways offices are excluded and as with Pathways generally, the mandatory requirement will not apply to personal capability assessment exempt customers.
We are not able to supply figures regarding what proportion of customers have already undergone these mandatory work-focused interviews.
Work capability assessments are currently only for new claims to employment and support allowance and not for existing incapacity benefit customers.
We plan to migrate existing incapacity benefit customers, including those aged under 25, to employment and support allowance from October 2010.
Incapacity Benefit
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the average clearance time for the processing of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance claims has been in each month since April 2009; [297351]
(2) for what reason Jobcentre Plus performance targets for 2009-10 do not include a target for the actual average clearing time for the processing of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance claims. [297352]
Jim Knight: The available information is in the following table.
| 2009 | |
| Month | Incapacity benefit average actual clearance time (days) |
| Note: It should be noted that this is internal Jobcentre Plus Management Information and as such should only be used as an indication of actual performance. Source: Management Information System Programme 30.10.09 | |
We are currently exploring whether we can develop some official statistics on processing times for employment and support allowance new claims which could be published in the near future.
We did not include incapacity benefit in the published average actual clearance time target in 2009-10 because the introduction of the new employment and support allowance meant the volumes of new incapacity benefit claims represented a diminishing aspect of our business delivery.
We did not include employment and support allowance in the published average actual clearance time targets for 2009-10 because it is a new benefit with no historical management information that could be used to inform a target level. Employment and support allowance claims will be included in the published average clearance time measure from April 2010.
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