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15 Dec 2009 : Column 1020W—continued
Personal Accounts
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether the costs of establishing the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority will be met from charges made in respect of the proposed personal accounts scheme; [305962]
(2) when she plans to announce her decision on the (a) level of and (b) mechanisms for making charges in respect of the proposed personal accounts scheme. [305963]
Angela Eagle: Revenues from membership charges are intended to cover the costs of the scheme, including those being incurred by the Delivery Authority to establish the scheme.
A decision on the scheme's charging regime is yet to be made.
Post Office Card Account: Castle Point
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of state benefit payments to residents of Castle Point constituency were paid into Post Office card accounts in each of the last five years. [307597]
Helen Goodman: The figures are not available in the format requested.
The following table shows the number and percentage of benefit accounts paid into a Post Office card account (POCA) in the Castle Point 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 PO CA | Percentage paid by POCA | |
Social Security Benefits
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate she has made of the number of households in England in which all resident adults (a) have a child under 16 years and (b) are pregnant women with maternity certificate MAT-B1 and are in receipt of at least one of income support, council tax benefit, housing benefit, jobseeker's allowance, pension credit and income-related employment and support allowance. [305787]
Helen Goodman
[holding answer 10 December 2009]: Information on the receipt of income support, council tax benefit, housing benefit, jobseeker's allowance,
and pension credit is not available on a person level basis because these are paid on a benefit unit basis.
The most recent estimate available is that there were 1,000,000 households in England where all of the benefit units had children under 16 and were in receipt of at least one of income support, council tax benefit, housing benefit, jobseeker's allowance, or pension credit.
Social Security Benefits: Legal Aid
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment she has made of the effects of the availability of legal aid funding on the ability of people to obtain benefits administered by her Department. [304148]
Jim Knight: Legal aid funding does not impact on eligibility criteria for benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Winter Fuel Payments: Derbyshire
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Chesterfield constituency and (b) Derbyshire received winter fuel payments in 2008-09. [306839]
Angela Eagle: 21,820 people in Chesterfield constituency and 175,520 in Derbyshire received a winter fuel payment in winter 2008-09.
Notes:
1. Figures rounded to the nearest ten.
2. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. data.
Winter Fuel Payments: Leeds
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Leeds city area received winter fuel payments in 2008-09. [306580]
Angela Eagle: 137,580 individuals in Leeds local authority received a winter fuel payment in 2008-09.
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Source:
Information Directorate, DWP
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Leeds, West constituency received winter fuel payments in 2008-09. [306581]
Angela Eagle: 14,180 individuals in Leeds, West constituency received a winter fuel payment in 2008-09.
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Source:
Information Directorate, DWP
Winter Fuel Payments: West Yorkshire
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in West Yorkshire received winter fuel payments in 2008-09. [306577]
Angela Eagle: 409,140 individuals in the West Yorkshire Government office region received a winter fuel payment in 2008-09.
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Source:
Information Directorate, DWP
Work Capability Assessment
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 10 November 2009, Official Report, column 300W, on Jobcentre Plus: training, what qualifications and experience Atos Healthcare professionals are required to have before making medical assessments on individuals' fitness for work. [303658]
Jonathan Shaw: The approved health care professionals' (HCPs) role is to carry out an assessment of the functional effects of the customer's disabling condition, and to utilise the information gathered to provide the decision maker with an impartial and independent assessment.
Atos doctors must be fully registered with the General Medical Council without current or previous restrictions, conditions or warnings and hold a licence to practice from the date the GMC issues licences. In addition they must have at least three years post full registration (GMC or EEA-European Economic Area equivalent) experience as a minimum. Alternatively for non EU graduates three years post full registration experience in the doctors native country is required. In individual cases, solely at the discretion of the CMA, the requirements that no conditions or warnings be attached to registration and that the doctor must have a minimum of three years post registration experience, may be waived.
Atos nurses must be fully registered (level 1) Registered General Nurses without current or previous restrictions or cautions with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. In addition they must have at least three years post full registration experience. In individual cases, solely at the discretion of the CMA, the requirements that no cautions be attached to registration and that the nurse must have a minimum of three years post registration experience, may be waived.
Atos Healthcare HCPs are specifically trained to provide decision making authorities with independent, accurate and authoritative advice and reports on the effects of disability.
Initial Training-varies in detail according to which benefit is involved. However all such training follows a similar basic pattern, as follows:
Theoretical Training-Theoretical training commences with a trainer-led theory-based course usually delivered to a group of trainees in a classroom setting. Trainees who are new to the work of Atos Healthcare will receive instruction in such areas as disability analysis, customers
rights, equal opportunities and professional standards. Detailed technical information relevant to the benefit concerned is provided. All Atos health care trainers have undergone specific training to prepare them for the role, including practical sessions to enhance their understanding of how adults learn.
Practical Training-Practical Training is the work undertaken by the new recruits that is produced in a controlled environment. For examination centre based assessments the trainee is supervised and appraised by an experienced medical adviser as they complete their introductory cases. In the domiciliary visit based benefits the initial cases are monitored immediately on return to allow feedback to be given without delay.
Demonstration of understanding assessed by multiple choice examination-for incapacity benefit, employment and support allowance and disability living allowance the trainee is required to attain a pass mark in a multiple choice questionnaire before they are allowed to proceed to the practical training. The questionnaire includes questions on the whole range of topics covered in the training course.
Demonstration of understanding by audit-In all benefits the initial cases produced by the trainee are target monitored by an experienced medical adviser and the training cannot be considered as complete until the HCP has demonstrated that their work is acceptable. Whenever any problems are identified appropriate feedback is provided. Further cases are monitored until the work is shown to be satisfactory. If the situation is not rectified the HCP may be required to repeat the entire training process. Continued lack of progress will result in the HCP being offered no further training and no further work.
Approval-All HCPs must be approved by the chief medical adviser to the DWP and separate approval is required for each benefit area in which the HCP is involved. Approval is dependent on successful completion of all stages of their training process and ongoing demonstration that the work being carried out meets a satisfactory standard.
Written Guidelines-As part of the trainees training and ongoing support, HCPs are issued with guidelines pertaining to the benefit involved. These guidance notes provide specific technical advice about the benefit concerned, outline best practise and contain general advice about disability analysis and service to the people with disabilities.
The assessment carried out is different to the more usual type of medical examination in which the HCPs aim is to make a diagnosis and decide on appropriate treatment. A GP or specialist is not usually trained in disability assessment medicine and therefore will often not have specific experience in assessing the disabling effects of medical conditions and the way in which a customer's illness or disability affects them in carrying out of a range of everyday work-related activities. As well as this difference in emphasis within the assessment process, the HCP will, when giving an opinion, be aware of the law relating to benefit entitlement. A specialist on the other hand is less likely to be familiar with the law.
In order to provide independent, accurate and authoritative advice and reports it is not necessary for HCPs to hold specialist registration with the General Medical Council. The DWP chief medical adviser approves
HCPs to carry out assessments. Approval is dependent on strict recruitment criteria, completion of a course of training in disability assessment medicine approved by the CMA and evidence of satisfactory performance.
Minimum experience criteria for recruitment are laid down both employed and contracted HCPs.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan: Reconstruction
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the monetary value has been of contracts entered into by his Department in Afghanistan with (a) Afghan and (b) non-Afghan contractors in each year since 2001. [305468]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information we have on non-Afghan contractors is as follows and covers contracts in Afghanistan during the financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10. Comprehensive information on contracts pre-dating this period could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| Purpose | Company | Notes | Value (£) |
| Note: The above figures include all current contracts, with figures for the specific periods stated in the "Notes" column. | |||
The aforementioned contracts are those that are administered by the FCO centrally in London. Details of Afghan contractors/contracts run and administered locally at our posts in Afghanistan are not held centrally and thus could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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