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22 Mar 2010 : Column 29W—continued
Our job points continue to form a key part of the Jobcentre Plus self service strategy and have enabled its customers to conduct approximately 89.5 million job searches a year through this key channel. Later this year, Jobcentre Plus will start to replace 5,000 of its current job points with new kiosks. These are specifically designed to improve accessibility, reliability and cost effectiveness and give a much greater opportunity to exploit new technologies to enhance customer service.
Along with this replacement project, Jobcentre Plus is also installing an enhanced central kiosk management system that will provide much greater opportunity to monitor individual kiosk use and therefore continually assess effectiveness and future development.
I hope this information is helpful.
Future Jobs Fund
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the planned duration of the Future Jobs Fund scheme is; and if she will make a statement. [318534]
Jim Knight: Details of the Future Jobs Fund were announced in Budget 2009 on page 102, box 5.4. The third bullet point states:
'funding for local authorities and partners to take forward the creation of 100,000 new jobs in socially useful activity. 10,000 of these will be green jobs;'
and the final paragraph goes on to say:
'To support communities most affected by rising unemployment, the Government will allocate additional funding for local authorities to provide a further 50,000 jobs in areas of high unemployment across the country.'
A copy of this Budget has been placed in the library and can also be accessed at:
We will continue to review the support that is available for jobseekers, and decisions on the Department's future expenditure limits and spending allocations will be taken at the Spending Review.
Housing Benefit
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason tenants aged over 25 years may not as of right receive housing benefit for shared accommodation for amounts less than the sole tenancy amounts they would be entitled to if that is their choice; and if she will make a statement. [322386]
Helen Goodman [holding answer 15 March 2010]: Housing benefit is an income-related benefit administered by local authorities to assist people on low incomes who need help to pay their rent. Tenants in the private rented sector have their benefit entitlement restricted to an amount considered to be reasonable for the area and their accommodation needs. As from 7 April 2008 the local authority uses the appropriate local housing allowance rate, based on the area where the person lives and the size of their household, to determine the maximum amount to be included in the housing benefit calculation.
In the case of single people aged 25 years and over and couples with no dependent children, the local housing allowance rate for a one-bedroom properly would normally be used to calculate their benefit entitlement. However, if they choose to live in a property where they do not have either exclusive use of two or more rooms, or exclusive use of one room, a bathroom and toilet and a kitchen or facilities for cooking, the shared room rate would apply.
Income Support
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons her Department's decision of 8 October 2009 to grant income support in respect of the case with reference NINO YX220262A with effect from 12 August 2008 has not been implemented; and when she expects that decision to be implemented. [322314]
Helen Goodman [holding answer 15 March 2010]: The administration of income support is a matter for Jobcentre Plus. I have asked the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh, to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking for what reasons her Department's decision of 8 October 2009 to grant Income Support in respect of the case with reference NINO YX 22 02 62A with effect from 12 August 2008 has not been implemented; and when she expects that decision to be implemented. This is something that falls within my responsibilities as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
As this is a personal matter relating to the individual involved, I will write to you separately.
Jobcentre Plus: Recruitment
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many and what proportion of the 16,000 additional Jobcentre Plus positions announced in the pre-Budget report 2008 and Budget 2009 have been filled; and whether her Department is actively recruiting to fill the remainder of the positions; [322168]
(2) what the average length of time was between an application being received for one of the 16,000 additional Jobcentre Plus positions announced in the pre-Budget report 2008 and Budget 2009 and (a) the (i) offer and (ii) start date of a job and (b) the issue of a letter to an unsuccessful applicant; [322170]
(3) how many and what proportion of applicants for the 16,000 additional Jobcentre Plus positions announced in the pre-Budget report 2008 and Budget 2009 have successfully completed the application process and are awaiting appointment; [322171]
(4) how many of the additional (a) 6,000 staff announced in pre-Budget report 2008 and (b) 10,000 staff announced in Budget Report 2009 have been recruited. [322177]
Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is the responsibility of the chief executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning the recruitment to 16,000 additional Jobcentre Plus positions announced in the Pre-Budget Report 2008 and Budget 2009. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus began recruiting after the Pre-Budget Report 2008 announcement to deal with increased workloads as a result of the economic downturn. The majority of recruitment took place between April 2009 and September 2009, but Jobcentre Plus has continued making job offers in lower numbers up to December 2009. All of the additional headcount announced in the Pre-Budget Report 2008 and the Budget Report 2009 has now been recruited.
Recruitment was managed through more than 500 local recruitment exercises so as to most effectively recruit this volume of additional resource and to target recruitment activity in alignment with local workload pressures. To provide the level of detail in relation to the average time between application and offer, start date, or rejection notice that you have asked for would not be possible, as to obtain this would be at disproportionate cost.
There are Service Level Agreements within the Department with set targets for the time taken to recruit. The recruitment process from the advertisement to the point that an applicant has successfully passed sift and interview, will be completed in 45 working days. Employment checks should then be completed in 20 working days with a further 7 days where final checks are made if someone has failed initial employment checks. A formal job offer will only be made after the employment checks have been completed. The subsequent start date will depend on each individual applicant's circumstances, such as the requirement to give notice.
Those applicants not successful at any stage of the process will be informed immediately.
All of the additional positions announced have now been filled. Therefore, there is no one awaiting appointment to those posts. However, with over 100,000 applicants to these posts it meant that there were significant numbers of people achieving the required level at interview stage. Where numbers of suitable candidates exceeded demand, these people were put on waiting lists in case future posts became available.
We continue to monitor workloads and have been managing staffing at current levels since January 2010 with further recruitment on hold, apart from a few exceptions where workloads or staff turnover need addressing. We have advised the 8000 or so people that successfully completed the application process and who remain on waiting lists that it is unlikely that there will be many further offers of employment made.
I hope this information is helpful.
Jobcentre Plus: Redundancy
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus staff (a) have been made redundant and (b) have failed to have a fixed-term contract renewed in each month since January 2008. [322172]
Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is the responsibility of the chief executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many Jobcentre Plus staff (a) have been made redundant and (b) have failed to have a fixed term contract renewed in each month since January 2008. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
No Jobcentre Plus staff have been made redundant since January 2008.
The table below gives details of the number of people on Fixed Term Appointments (FTAs) that left when their contracts came to an end for each month since January 2008 to September 2009. This is the latest date for which figures have been published.
Please note that this will include people who have already had their contract end date extended, but then leave on their new end date without further extension. The figures exclude people that have left before the end of their contract for various reasons, such as dismissal for poor performance and resignation. Numbers quoted are in full time equivalents.
| Number of people on fixed term appointments (FTAs) who left when their contracts came to an end (January 2008 to September 2009) | ||
| 2008 | 2009 | |
| Source: Dataview | ||
I hope this information is helpful.
National Employment Savings Trust
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what consideration was given to the scope for the re-use of established systems and IT infrastructure in the procurement process for scheme administration services for the National Employment Savings Trust; [321842]
(2) by what mechanism the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority intends to achieve its strategic aim of re-using existing business services and IT infrastructure for the delivery of services for the National Employment Savings Trust. [321844]
Angela Eagle: A major area of focus of the scheme administration services procurement process was consideration of the benefits of, and possibilities for, the re-use of established systems and IT infrastructure.
At the pre-qualification stage, PADA challenged prospective suppliers on their existing pension administration services, client base and technology assets. Responses on these topics formed part of the consideration which led to four suppliers being short-listed for competitive dialogue.
Throughout the competitive dialogue, PADA worked with the qualified bidders to understand how they would deliver the service using pre-existing, off-the-shelf software and infrastructures.
The winning bidder, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., demonstrated its ability and commitment to using established systems by building a version of the production system, based on its existing IT infrastructure, which demonstrated the strength of its capability to deliver the service requirements.
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department is taking in the procurement process for scheme administration services for the National Employment Savings Trust to ensure that the preferred solution minimises the administrative burden on businesses and simplifies the contribution mechanism for employees. [321843]
Angela Eagle: NEST will be one of the schemes employers can use to fulfil their new duties under the work place pension reforms, legislated for in the Pensions Act 2008.
PADA conducted the procurement of the scheme administration services with regard to the principles set out in the Act, one of which is to minimise the burdens placed on employers. For example, producing payment schedules for employers, clearly setting out the amounts to be paid and by when. Also, ensuring that employers and workers wishing to make additional contributions can do so using a range of payment methods.
This principle is reflected in the business requirements for NEST, which were developed with regard to market research with target employers and members. The winning bidder, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., has confirmed it will fully meet these requirements.
New Deal Schemes
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Southport of 13 January 2010, Official Report, column 1035W, on New Deal schemes: young people, if she will provide figures for the number of repeat participants by the number of times each repeated for each New Deal programme in each year since its inception. [318391]
Jim Knight: Reliable statistics on repeat participants of the voluntary New Deal programmes would be available only at a disproportionate cost.
Pension Credit: Leeds
Greg Mulholland:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Leeds North West constituency receive (a) a basic state pension and
(b) pension credit; and how much on average such people receive in pension credit each week. [322705]
Angela Eagle: As at March 2009, there were 15,100 recipients of the basic state pension in Leeds North West constituency.
Notes:
1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
Source:
Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample
The information requested on the number of recipients of pension credit in Leeds North West constituency and the average weekly award of pension credit received is in the following table:
| Number | |||
| Individual beneficiaries | Households recipients | Average weekly award of pension credit (£) | |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 3. Pension credit is claimed on a household basis. The average weekly award of pension credit is in relation to the household. 4. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data | |||
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