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5 Jan 2010 : Column 114W—continued
Jim Knight: One fifth of all jobs created by rounds two and three of the Future Jobs Fund are green jobs. The information is not yet available for other rounds.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made towards the target of 15,000 Future Jobs Fund jobs created by social enterprises. [304396]
Jim Knight: We know that just over a sixth of all jobs created by rounds two and three of the Future Jobs Fund are in social enterprises. This information is not yet available for other rounds.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what mechanism the quality of Future Jobs Fund bids was assessed. [305106]
Jim Knight: The quality of Future Jobs Fund bids is assessed in four stages: initially against minimum criteria, followed by a regional assessment against six qualitative criteria. The scores are then moderated by a panel including a trade union representative, before being agreed by the Regional Minister (or Secretary of State in Scotland and Wales). Finally, each bid's score is quality-checked by the central team, who moderate the scores across regions to a set of recommendations. A Central Assessment Panel consisting of officials from the Department for Work and Pensions (Project team, Finance and Commercial), Jobcentre Plus, HM Treasury, the Department of Communities and Local Government, Wales Office and Scotland Office then review the bids and make their recommendations to departmental Ministers.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what procedure her Department has established to monitor and record the number of weeks a young person remains in a job created under the Future Jobs Fund; and if she will make a statement. [306357]
Jim Knight: To monitor length of time spent on Future Jobs Fund we will be using data returned monthly by employers on start and end dates for each customer referred to them.
Health and Safety Executive: Public Relations
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what payments the Health and Safety Executive has made to (a) Weber Shandwick and (b) Mandate Communications/AS Biss in the last 12 months for which figures are available; for what purpose; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the contracts under which such payments have been made. [305147]
Jonathan Shaw: HSE has retained Weber Shandwick on a number of projects over the last 12 months. Across those projects, Weber Shandwick has provided the services of: public relations support, support with key stakeholder engagement, consultation, event production and national media support across Scotland, England and Wales. Those projects were:
HSE strategy consultation and launch
Agricultural safety campaign
Lord Gill Inquiry (ICL Plastics explosion)
Tower Crane register consultation
Caiman Commission
The combined cost of this work is £323,722.82.
It is not appropriate to place copies of the relevant contracts in the Library of the House, for reasons of commercial confidentiality.
HSE made no payments to Mandate/AS Biss in the last 12 months.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of social tenants were receiving housing benefit on the latest date for which figures are available. [308053]
Helen Goodman: 69.2 per cent. of social tenants were receiving housing benefit in Great Britain at August 2009.
Source:
Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 2 November 2009, Official Report, column 771W, on housing benefit: travelling people, what methodology is used to calculate housing benefit for those who live in mobile homes or caravans. [308799]
Helen Goodman: Like any tenant or licensee, the rental costs of those liable to pay a social sector landlord are generally met in full, while those liable to a private sector landlord are individually referred to the rent officer.
Incapacity Benefit
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants there were in each year since 1997; and how many of them (a) reached retirement age, (b) died and (c) found a job in each of those years. [304394]
Jonathan Shaw: The available information on the number of incapacity benefit claimants who reached retirement age in each year since 1997 is provided in the table. Information on the number of claimants who died or found employment in each year is not available.
| At May each year | Total caseload | Total numbers of claimants who are female aged 59 or male aged 64 |
| (1) Number of claimants who are female aged 59 or male aged 64 is not available for May 1997 to May 1999. Notes: 1. May 1997 to May 1999 figures are rounded to the nearest 100 and subject to sampling variation. 2. May 1997 to May 1999 figures have been uprated using 5 per cent. proportions against 100 per cent. WPLS totals. 3. May 2000 to May 2009 figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. Data do not include claimants of employment and support allowance introduced from October 2008. Sources: May 1997 to May 1999 figures from Information Directorate 5 per cent. samples. May 2000-May 2009 figures from Information Directorate 100 per cent. samples. Total caseload data are published at www.nomisweb.co.uk from May 1998. | ||
Industrial Diseases: Compensation
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 10 November 2009, Official Report, columns 298-9W, on industrial diseases: compensation, if she will make the guidance provided to ATOS Healthcare doctors available to the coal mining trade unions and their solicitors. [302880]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 3 December 2009]: As part of a programme for approved health care professionals (HCPs) to carry out medical assessments, the Department for Work and Pensions has produced "Update to Standard-Prescribed Disease A14 (PD A14)", a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
The Department is also in the process of producing a further distance learning guide "PD A14 Osteoarthritis of the Knee in Miners (MED-PDA14-001)". As this guide is due for future publication, it is at the moment exempt from release. The guide will be available to interested parties upon publication.
Industrial Health and Safety: Hazardous Substances
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of BP's contract to lease the Oikos terminal on Canvey Island; and if she will make a statement. [306319]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 14 December 2009]: The Health and Safety Executive has made no assessment of BP Oil UK Ltd's contract to lease storage facilities at Oikos Storage Ltd's site on Canvey Island.
It is not the HSE's role to assess this and will assess any significant changes that are made to the site and to the sites' CO commercial contracts. HSE's role is to monitor safety at this site. HSE will continue to do MAH safety report as a result of the implementation of this contract.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what safety measures will be put in place by BP for the duration of its contract to lease the Oikos terminal on Canvey Island. [307405]
Jonathan Shaw
[holding answer 16 December 2009]: Oikos Storage Ltd. will remain the operator of the fuel storage facility on Canvey Island for the purposes of
the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1999 (COMAH) and will have overall responsibility for safety throughout the duration the contract with BP Oil UK Ltd. As a user of the facility to store fuel, BP Oil UK Ltd. will be obliged to co-operate with Oikos Storage to assist and enable them to meet their responsibilities as COMAH operator.
Oikos Storage Ltd. will be required under the COMAH to put in place all measures necessary to prevent major accidents and limit their consequences to persons and the environment. This will include implementing and maintaining the minimum safety and environmental standards for fuel storage sites that have been developed in response to the Major Incident Investigation Board recommendations following the explosion and fires at the Buncefield fuel storage site in December 2005, and recently published in the Process Safety Leadership Group's (PSLG) final report. The PSLG report is available on the HSE website.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Leeds
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time was for which claimants resident in Leeds West constituency were in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in (a) each of the last 12 months and (b) each of the last five years. [306582]
Angela E. Smith: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the average length of time was for which claimants resident in Leeds West constituency were in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in (a) each of the last 12 months and (b) each of the last five years. (306502)
The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) is taken from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. The length of a claim has been defined as the time between the start of an individual's claim and the count date in each reference month. Table 1 shows the median length of live claims during the last 12 months up to the latest available period in October 2009, and for October of each of the last 5 years.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
Low Incomes: Water Charges
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the effect of levels of water charges on households in poverty. [304713]
Jim Knight:
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not held recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the effect of levels of water charges on households in poverty. However the Department for Work and Pensions
has been contributing during this year to the Independent Review of Water Charging, commissioned by Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh Assembly. The review team, led by Anna Walker, published its final report on 8 December. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.
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