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8 Dec 2009 : Column 244W—continued
The information held on part-time flexible working contracts for non-departmental public bodies is in the following table.
| Working pattern | ||
| Part-time | ||
| Non-departmental public body | Number | Percentage |
|
Pensions Ombudsman (PO) and Pensions Protection Fund Ombudsman (PPFO) | ||
DWP recognises the advantage of having a range of different flexible working arrangements to meet business needs. Current selection policy encourages applications from employees looking to job share and work flexibly.
The Department's HR work force planning team produces a monthly pocket facts report, this includes staffing-headcount analysis. The report is available on the departmental intranet with the last publication being for September 2009, this showed 82,344 employees as full time and 37,281 part-time. This equates to 69 per cent. and 31 per cent. respectively. The difference between the 82,344 from pocket facts and the 82,335 in our data (nine) is based on the working pattern not being recorded on RM.
Departmental guidance on working hours and working patterns was amended to include advice for employees on how employees can find potential job-share partners by linking to the civil service jobs on line internet site.
Data on non-departmental public bodies have been provided by the departmental governance team.
Departmental Disclosure of Information
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made to her Department by its staff since 6 June 2006. [301490]
Jim Knight: Information on the numbers of staff in the Department for Work and Pensions who made allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing since 6 June 2006 is not available in the format requested.
The Department for Work and Pensions records the numbers of staff raising grievances and complaints of harassment, discrimination and bullying but does not record information under the specific category requested. To extract more detailed information from individual records under the category requested would be at disproportionate cost.
Civil Servants are required to act in accordance with the standards and core values set out in the Civil Service Code. The Civil Service Code also provides for civil servants to raise matters of concern with the independent Civil Service Commissioners if they do not receive what they consider to be a reasonable response following departmental internal procedures. The Commissioners will also consider taking a complaint direct. Further guidance on whistleblowing is set out in the Civil Service Management Code and the Directory of Civil Service Guidance.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money her Department (a) lost in each year since 2005 and (b) expects to lose in each of the next three years through administrative error. [303401]
Jim Knight: The available information is in the following table.
| Estimated overpayments due to official error since 2005-06 | ||
| Overpayments due to Official Error (administrative error) (£ billion) | Overpayments due to Official Error (administrative error) as a percentage of overall benefit expenditure | |
| Source: National Statistics publication 'Fraud and Error in the Benefit System: April 2008 to March 2009' | ||
The Department does not produce projections for future losses as a result of administrative error. However, the Department has a strategic objective to reduce overpayments as a result of fraud, official error and customer error combined to 1.8 of overall benefit expenditure per cent by March 2011.
Departmental Security
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many security passes her Department has issued to contractors providing consultancy services in the last 12 months. [303959]
Jim Knight: Information regarding the number of security passes the Department has issued to contractors providing consultancy services in the last 12 months is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Employment and Support Allowance
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals aged under 25 years commenced a claim for (a) incapacity benefit, (b) work-related employment and support allowance and (c) support group employment and support allowance in each of the last 12 quarters. [301787]
Jonathan Shaw: Information is not presently available separately for work-related and support group employment and support allowance.
The available information is in the tables.
| Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimant numbers for individuals aged under 25 years for each of the last 12 quarters | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. The figures represent the total number of spells on this benefit that commence within the quarter. A person may flow on and off the same benefit more than once during a quarter. 2. The figures do not include numbers where people move out of one area and into another while remaining on the benefit. The figures also miss around 8 per cent. of short duration flows onto the benefit every quarter, where the claimant has flowed on and off the benefit between the six weeks scan. 3. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008, any incapacity benefit on flows after that date will be claimants electing to reclaim incapacity benefit within the 52 week linking rules. Source: The Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | |
| Employment and support allowance claimant numbers for individuals aged under 25 years for each of the last three quarters | |
| Number | |
| (1) Provisional data Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Employment and Support Allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 3. The figures relating to employment and support allowance have been thoroughly quality assured to National Statistics standard however it should be noted that this is a new benefit using a new data source which may not have reached steady state in terms of operational processing and retrospection. Hence most recent data shown are provisional. Source: The Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | |
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes she plans to make to the work capability assessment; what steps she is taking to ensure such changes take into account the needs of those with (a) autism and (b) fluctuating conditions; and what estimate she has made of the change in the number of people receiving employment support allowance as a result of such changes. [303636]
Jonathan Shaw: As announced in the White Paper 'Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future', published in December 2008, we are currently conducting a Department-led review of the work capability assessment in consultation with medical experts and representative groups including the National Autistic Society. How the assessment considers individuals with fluctuating conditions forms part of the review and estimation of the effects of any changes will be made once the review is complete.
Employment and Support Allowance: Medical Examinations
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken by Atos Healthcare is to deliver to a claimant's GP a report following a work capability assessment; and if she will make a statement. [305268]
Jonathan Shaw: Atos Healthcare medical examination reports are not sent to claimant's GP's. The medical assessment reports completed by Atos Healthcare are sent directly to the business user of the medical services contract.
Employment and Support Allowance: Sight Impaired
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new claims for employment and support allowance which were granted were made on the grounds of problems with vision, including visual acuity and visual fields, between October 2008 and February 2009; and how many people assessed for employment and support allowance on the basis of problems with vision, including visual acuity and visual fields, have been judged (a) suitable for the Support Group, (b) suitable for the Work Related Activity Group and (c) as fit for work. [304540]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 7 December 2009]: The information requested is not available.
Home Responsibilities Protection
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for home responsibilities protection have been refused on the grounds that the applicant was unmarried and caring for children while a partner worked in the last 12 months. [303939]
Angela Eagle: None. Whether a couple are married is not one of the criteria used to determine whether home responsibilities protection can be awarded to the partner of a child benefit recipient where the recipient herself has gained a qualifying year through paid work.
Incapacity Benefit: Older Workers
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans her Department has for introducing pilots to help incapacity benefit claimants over the age of 50 years to move off benefit and into work; how many such pilot schemes are planned and in which areas in the country; for how long such pilot schemes will last; and when she expects them to commence. [304541]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 7 December 2009]: On 13 October 2009, the Secretary of State announced a review of the employment support provided to disabled people and those with health conditions. As part of that review we are considering the help we should make available to incapacity benefits claimants over age 50. The underpinning principles of our future reforms of the Pathways to Work programme will be included in the shortly to be published "Back to Work" White Paper. We will publish full proposals in the spring.
Jobseeker's Allowance: South East Region
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average duration of a jobseeker's allowance claim was in each local authority area in the South East in each of the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years. [301277]
Jim Knight: The requested information has been placed in the Library.
KBR
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether her Department has entered into any contracts with Kellogg, Brown and Root or its subsidiaries since January 2009. [303287]
Jim Knight: The Department has not entered into any contracts with Kellogg Brown and Root or its subsidiaries since January 2009.
Pensioners: Income
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of the total income of pensioners came from the (a) public purse and (b) private pension provision in the latest period for which figures are available; and what estimate has been made of the equivalent figures for (i) 2030, (ii) 2040 and (iii) 2050. [304386]
Angela Eagle: In 2007-08, the percentage of total income of pensioners which comes from the public purse is 42 per cent. on average. The percentage of total income of pensioners which comes from a private pension, on average, is 28 per cent. The remaining 30 per cent. on average, comes from investment income, earnings and other income streams.
No estimates have been made of these breakdowns for 2030, 2040 or 2050.
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