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25 Feb 2010 : Column 732W—continued
Jobcentre Plus: Training
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what equality training is (a) compulsory and (b) made voluntarily available for Jobcentre Plus employees; and if she will make a statement. [316595]
Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what equality training is (a) compulsory and (b) made voluntarily available for Jobcentre Plus employees. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
All new starters to Jobcentre Plus are required to work through the compulsory Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Induction Programme. The programme sets out the actions that should be taken to successfully induct and settle new staff into DWP, including sections on Diversity and Equality. To facilitate this programme, support is provided to line managers and staff via a checklist, which has been produced to provide clear guidance on the process, what needs to be done and by when.
Jobcentre Plus has in place a comprehensive foundation learning programme in which Diversity and Equality feature within two key products. The first is the 12 hour Diversity and Equality
Awareness for Excellent Customer Service workbook. The workbook is designed to highlight Jobcentre Plus' commitment to supporting Diversity and Equality in all that we do within our business. It provides an introduction to the diversity of Jobcentre Plus customers, and as the learner works through they are sign posted to the DWP Diversity and Equality site where they are expected to gather information in order to successfully answer questions and exercises covered within the workbook.
On completing the workbook learners undertake the Core Key Skills for Excellent Customer Service training event. The event provides learners with the understanding, skills and knowledge required to provide excellent and accessible customer services to all Jobcentre Plus customers. The event reinforces and builds on the knowledge gained from undertaking the workbook and provides coverage on: Equal Opportunity, Values & Beliefs, Customer Groups, Cultural Awareness and Diversity and Equality.
Dependant on their job role and the staff's interaction with the customer within Jobcentre Plus, an additional training event is delivered.
Further training events available to Jobcentre Plus staff include:
Age;
Disability;
Equal Opportunities;
Gender;
Race;
Religion or Belief;
Sexual orientation; and
Work Life Balance.
I hope this information is helpful.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what cultural awareness training is (a) compulsory and (b) made voluntarily available for Jobcentre Plus employees; and if she will make a statement. [316596]
Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what cultural awareness training is (a) compulsory and (b) made voluntarily available for Jobcentre Plus employees. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Cultural awareness is included as part of our compulsory Diversity and Equality learning for all our people. For example a three day facilitated event covering Excellent Customer Service includes coverage on Cultural Awareness.
In addition to mandatory learning on Diversity and Equality we offer the following cultural awareness training for our people:
Race Relations Overview Workshop;
Race and Understanding Workshop;
Understanding Stereotyping Workshop;
About Me Workshop;
Culture Confidence Workshop; and
A Class Divided Workshop
Line Managers will recommend this training for people who would benefit from this additional learning to support them in their job role.
I hope this is helpful.
Maximus Employment and Training
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what remit her Department has assigned to Maximus Employment and Training UK in Eastleigh; and what payments have been made from the Exchequer to this organisation. [316526]
Jim Knight: Maximus Employment and Training UK delivers Progress 2 Work provision in Eastleigh on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. In addition to Progress 2 Work, Maximus also delivers the following provision:
Flexible new deal (Kent, Surrey and Sussex)
Workprep (South West)
Workstep (Dorset and Somerset)
Link Up (West of England), and
In work support (Dorset and Somerset)
The following table shows the payments made to Maximus covering all the programmes they deliver across the UK.
| £ | |
Through flexible new deal Maximus provides tailored and personalised support for customers who have been unemployed for 12 months with the aim of helping them into work. Through the other welfare to work programmes Maximus supports disabled people and customer groups that are furthest from the job market, such as those with social or drug issues.
Mortgages: Government Assistance
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average monthly payment to recipients under the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme was in each of the last (a) three years and (b) six months. [316801]
Helen Goodman: Financial support is provided through benefit assistance towards payments of mortgage interest to homeowners who run into unforeseen difficulties. Help is provided towards the interest on mortgages-known as Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) as part of income support (IS), income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA(IB)), and income-related employment and support allowance (ESA(IR)) and state pension credit (PC)
The information is not available in the format requested; the available information is in the table.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of monies paid under the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme was paid directly to (a) mortgage lenders and (b) households in each of the last three years. [316803]
Helen Goodman: Financial support is provided through benefit assistance towards payments of mortgage interest to homeowners who run into unforeseen difficulties. Help is provided towards the interest on mortgages-known as Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) as part of Income Support (IS), income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA (IB)), and income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA (IR) and State Pension Credit (SPC).
The Mortgage Interest Direct (MID) Scheme was introduced in May 1992 in consultation with the Council of Mortgage Lenders. The scheme ensures Support for Mortgage Interest is paid direct to the lender. Membership of the scheme is voluntary, but the majority of the major lending institutions are members of the scheme.
Mortgage lenders who are not members of the MID Scheme do not have payments made direct to them. Instead customers receive housing cost payments in their benefit, and are responsible for maintaining their lending arrangement and forwarding these payments to the lender.
The available information is in the following table.
| Income support (IS), jobseeker's allowance (income-based JSA) and pension credit (PC) claimants who receive support with mortgage interest (SMI) payments-Great Britain May 2009 | |||
| Benefit | Total claimants receiving assistance with SMI | MI paid direct to 3( rd) party( 1) | MI included in housing costs paid to claimant( 2) |
| (1) The majority of the major lending institutions are members of the mortgage interest direct scheme (MID), and there is a statutory obligation that mortgage interest payments are transferred direct to lenders. (2) Mortgage lenders who are not members of the MID Scheme do not have payments made direct to them. Instead customers receive housing cost payments in their weekly benefit. They are responsible for maintaining their lending arrangement and forwarding these payments to the lender. Notes: 1. Figures have been uprated using 5 per cent. proportions against 100 per cent. WPLS totals and rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Residual MIG cases are included in the IS figures. These are mainly cases where the claimant is aged under 60 and the partner over 60. 3. Support for Mortgage Interest is a component of income-based jobseeker's allowance so cannot be added to contribution-based jobseeker's allowance. 4. The DWP reformed Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI), by shortening the waiting period before SMI is paid from 39 weeks to 13 weeks for new working age claims. This came into effect from 5 January 2009. 5. Totals may not sum due to rounding. Sources: 1. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 2. Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample | |||
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many applications for assistance from the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme were received in each of the last 12 quarters; [316827]
(2) what proportion of applications for funding from the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme was granted in each month since January 2008. [316804]
Helen Goodman: The information is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Pension Credit
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the proportion of pensioners who were eligible for guarantee credit in (a) Chesterfield constituency, (b) Derbyshire and (c) England in each year since 2003. [317649]
Angela Eagle: Estimates of eligibility are not available below the level of Great Britain.
The latest estimates of the take-up rates and the number of those entitled but not receiving pension credit are published in the report 'Income Related Benefits estimates of Take-Up in 2007-08', which is available in the House of Commons Library or on the DWP website at:
Pensions
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 7 July 2009, Official Report, column 747W, on pensions, if she will place in the Library a copy of each of the three written representations. [311743]
Angela Eagle: The summary of consultation responses can be found at:
It is not our normal practice to publish consultation responses individually. The hon. Gentleman may wish to contact the Local Government Employers and Communities and Local Government to request a copy directly.
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