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12 Mar 2010 : Column 501W—continued
A total of 19 flexible interventions were approved. The number of Jobcentre Plus offices that have deployed the specific flexible interventions you requested information on are detailed in the table below. However, management information on the number of customers who have been the subject of these interventions is not collected.
| Extended postal signing | Telephone jobsearch reviews | Suspension of signing | 13 week interviews by telephone | 13 week group sessions | |
| Source: Jobcentre Plus Management Information. | |||||
The number of Jobcentre Plus offices that have deployed one or more of the approved flexible interventions are detailed in the following table. Management information on the number of customers who have been subject to these interventions is not collected.
| Number of Jobcentre Plus offices that have used flexible interventions | |
| Source: Jobcentre Plus Management Information. | |
By introducing these flexibilities our level of customer service was not adversely affected whilst customer volumes were rising. For example the suspension of signing in two offices did not lead to a delay in benefits being paid.
I hope this information is helpful.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how (a) her Department and (b) the Work Choice prime contractor will ensure that participants with learning difficulties are not adversely affected by the transition to new employment officers. [320769]
Jim Knight [holding answer 5 March 2010]: Work Choice will contribute to an increased level of employment for disabled people, particularly (but not exclusively) for customers with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. In this respect, the new programme will deliver against the objectives of Public Service Agreement 16: Socially Excluded Adults.
The Department has worked extensively with a range of stakeholders, including Equality 2025, Cabinet Office (including the Public Service Agreement 16 Working Group) and the Department of Health to provide a range of support to understand and meet the complex needs of people with learning difficulties.
The Department has produced a range of support products, including easy read versions, to assist WORKSTEP providers in communicating the changes to their customers. These products have been designed for support advisers to use as a focus during face to face discussions with individual customers.
As the transition period progresses, further staged products will be introduced via providers to ensure customers are fully supported in their journey from WORKSTEP to Work Choice.
The Department worked extensively with bidding organisations in the early stages of the competition to ensure they understood the Public Service Agreement 16 commitment, integral to the Work Choice design, to support adults most at risk of social exclusion-in particular those with mental health and learning disabilities.
The Department is continuing to work closely with bidding organisations to ensure those with learning difficulties receive appropriate communication materials and the support they need during the transition period.
During the transition period, Work Choice providers will work alongside existing WORKSTEP providers and the Department to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for participants.
Work Choice providers will contact each customer at the earliest opportunity to introduce themselves and further explain the changes to the programme. These discussions will be tailored to best suit customers' needs and may, for example, entail several discussions with the support of others, where this is appropriate.
In developing the service requirement for the new Work Choice programme, the Project engaged with Disability Employment Advisory Committee, Equality 2025, Cabinet Office (who have PSA16 responsibility), a range of local authorities and a range of local authority representatives. We continue to work closely with all these organisations on implementation issues, through our Implementation Working Group.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the average cost to (a) private sector providers and (b) voluntary sector providers of supporting people on (i) Pathways to Work, (ii) Workstep, (iii) New Deal for Disabled People, into (A) work and (B) sustained work defined as 26 weeks, in respect of clients with (1) mental health conditions, (2) musculoskeletal diseases and (3) visual impairment. [320816]
Jonathan Shaw:
As part of the tender evaluation process we ask potential prime contractors to put forward an overall price for the service they are offering. Tenders
are evaluated against a combination of quality and price criteria. We do not make any estimate of providers' average costs. The onus is on providers to submit costs that fully cover the cost of their service.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2010, Official Report, columns 1028-29W, on employment schemes: young people, in which (a) Jobcentre Plus districts, (b) local authorities and (c) constituencies the young person's guarantee was not fully available on or after 25 January 2010. [321468]
Jim Knight: The Young Person's Guarantee has been fully available in (a) Jobcentre Plus districts, (b) all local authorities and (c) all constituencies, since 25 January 2010.
Employment: Elderly People
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged over 60 years and actively seeking work found employment in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what proportion of the number of those actively seeking work this represented. [308010]
Jim Knight: The information is in the table.
| Number of people age 60 and over who have found work in the last 12 months and as a proportion of total jobseeker's allowance claimants age 60 and over | |||||
| Found work | Increases work to 16+ hours/week | Total | Claimant count | Proportion (Percentage) | |
| Notes: 1. Data is rounded to the nearest five; and percentages to one decimal place. Claimant count information is published on the Nomis website at: www.nomisweb.co.uk 2. The percentage of people leaving with an unknown destination recorded has increased over the last 10 years. This is because the completion levels of the JSA40 (forms filled in by people leaving jobseeker's allowance) have decreased over this period. Many of these "unknown" leavers will have moved into employment or other benefits. Source: Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems (computer held cases only). | |||||
Older workers who fail to get back into employment and become long term unemployed face a significant risk of not being in a position to take advantage of the upturn. In response, the Government have already made available £0.5 billion additional support to help prevent people out of work from becoming long-term unemployed. In addition to rolling out Flexible New Deal, which is
providing support tailored to meet the individual needs of jobseekers of all ages, we have doubled the resources available to help people facing redundancy, have introduced a financial incentive for employers who recruit people out of work for six months or more, and have introduced extra funding for training places.
The measures in the new Employment White Paper, "Building Britain's Recovery: Achieving Full Employment" (Cm 7751), will strengthen specific areas where we know there is a case for dong something extra for people over 50. These measures, which will be delivered from spring 2010, include:
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