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29 Mar 2010 : Column 712W—continued
Departmental Publications
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the dates of publication of any regular statistics or reports by her Department have been affected by planning for the forthcoming general election. [323467]
Jonathan Shaw: On the announcement of a general election, the Cabinet Secretary issues guidance to Departments on their activities during the pre-election period. This will be published on the Cabinet Office website.
Regular statistical releases and reports will continue to be issued and published during the election period on dates which have been pre-announced.
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department is taking to share services, functions and back offices with local authorities as part of the Total Place initiative. [323957]
Helen Goodman: The Government's report on Total Place was published alongside Budget 2010.
Employment Schemes
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect on levels of unemployment of (a) the Support for the Newly Unemployed programme, (b) the Six Month Offer, (c) the Young Person's Guarantee, (d) the Jobseeker Seeker Regime as part of the Flexible New Deal and (e) the Flexible New Deal; [322173]
(2) what assessment her Department has made of the effect on the number of people flowing off the claimant count of (a) the Support for the Newly Unemployed programme, (b) the Six Month Offer, (c) the Young Person's Guarantee, (d) the Jobseeker Seeker Regime as part of the Flexible New Deal and (e) the Flexible New Deal. [322174]
Jim Knight: Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show that the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance dropped in February for the third consecutive month, to 1.585 million.
Early evaluation evidence on the jobseekers regime and flexible new deal, the six- month offer and support for newly unemployed was published in January 2010. Further evidence on the impact of the six-month offer and the jobseekers regime and flexible new deal on
customer outcomes will be available from early 2011, with evidence on the impact of the young person's guarantee to follow in 2012.
Employment: Disabled
Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department has taken in respect of the working conditions of disabled workers resident in Preston in the last seven years; and if she will make a statement. [311075]
Jonathan Shaw: The Government have significantly improved working conditions for disabled people by providing additional rights under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 for disabled people not to be discriminated against on the ground of their disability, and to have reasonable adjustments made to ensure that they do not experience substantial disadvantage, compared to non-disabled people, in the employment field. Since 1 October 2004, the employment provisions of the Act have been extended to all forms of employment and occupation, except service in the armed forces, and to employers of all sizes. Through the Equality Bill we are making further improvements, including restrictions on the use by employers of pre-employment enquiries about a person's disability or health.
The Health and Safety Executive promotes the message that health and safety issues should not be used as an excuse to exclude a disabled person from work opportunities. The Executive worked with the former Disability Rights Commission to produce its disability web pages and guidance leaflet for disabled employees and their employers. The information on the web pages and within the guidance promotes good practice in disability equality at work and health and safety risk assessment. The web pages also contain much valuable information for employers and employees on reasonable adjustments.
Disabled people, including those in Preston, who are in work or about to start a job may also benefit from Access to Work, a specialist disability programme delivered by Jobcentre Plus, which provides practical advice and financial support to disabled people and their employers to help them overcome work related obstacles resulting from disability. An Access to Work adviser works with the customer to develop a detailed assessment of the customer's needs, leading to grants towards the cost of providing support. In December 2008 we committed to doubling the budget to £138 million by 2013-14, enabling many more disabled people in Preston and elsewhere to benefit.
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether she has made a recent estimate of the number of disabled people resident in each local authority area who have moved into work in each of the last five years. [324600]
Jonathan Shaw: The information requested is not available.
Future Jobs Fund
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether she has received recent reports of the notification of Jobcentre Plus of Future Jobs Fund vacancies which have not met the Future Jobs Fund criteria; and if she will make a statement. [320299]
Jim Knight: Guidance and criteria are available on the internet and from Jobcentre Plus.
To ensure that the jobs meet the criteria, bids are rigorously assessed before we award the grant, and Jobcentre Plus also checks individual vacancies at the point when they are notified.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment she has made of the geographical distribution of jobs created through Future Jobs Fund funding. [323492]
Jim Knight: The geographical distribution of jobs created through the future jobs fund is subject to continuous review with Government offices and Jobcentre Plus to ensure good coverage across Great Britain.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many successful bidders for Future Jobs Fund funding have since suspended their job offers under the scheme. [323494]
Jim Knight: This information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Jobcentre Plus works with all successful bidders to ensure that future jobs fund jobs are filled by the most suitable candidate.
Income Support
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of income support claims took longer than the target processing time in each benefit delivery centre in each month of the last two years. [321451]
Helen Goodman: 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 how many and what proportion of income support claims took longer than the target processing time in each benefit delivery centre in each month of the last two years. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus has a formal published target for the average actual clearance time (AACT) taken to process Income Support claims. Within any given month our benefit processing systems calculate the total number of claims we have cleared against the total number of days each of these cases have taken - this results in production of the AACT. The AACT target does not mean that all claims for that benefit should be processed within that time. This is because the target is based on an average which recognises that each individual customer's circumstances differ and by that very nature some cases will be easier/quicker to process than those that are more complex and naturally take longer to process.
On that basis, we are unable to provide the specific information in the manner you have requested.
Jobcentre Plus: ICT
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance is provided for jobseekers at Jobcentre Plus offices on the availability of computers for carrying out job searches. [321642]
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 guidance is provided for jobseekers at Jobcentre Plus offices on the availability of computers for carrying out jobsearches. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
All jobseekers claiming Jobseeker's Allowance have an interview with an adviser to discuss and agree realistic and achievable job goals and those steps that, if taken regularly, will offer the best chance of finding work.
During this process, the adviser provides access to a wide range of help and support aimed at improving job prospects and overcoming barriers that might be making it harder to find work. This includes providing information, advice and guidance on how to identify and apply for jobs, and how to make best use of appropriate vacancy sources such as the Jobcentre Plus telephony-based vacancy matching system (Jobseeker Direct) and the government's Internet Job Bank on Directgov, which is accessible through the internet and in all jobcentres via our Jobpoints. Every time customers are asked to attend their local Jobcentre, they are encouraged to use a Jobpoint to identify and apply for jobs. If required, customers are shown how to use a Jobpoint by a member of the Customer Service Team.
We recognise the importance of having access to a computer to enable customers to search and apply for jobs online, as this is rapidly becoming the recruitment channel of choice for employers. In recognition of this, we are developing close working relationships with local providers such as UK Online Centres in England and the equivalent in Scotland and Wales and signposting customers to the support that these provide. Personal Advisers tell customers how they can find their nearest UK Online Centre, and equivalent in Scotland and Wales, using a free phone number, to enable them to gain access to this help. We are also raising awareness of schemes that will help customers get their own home computer, such as the Department for Children, Schools and Families Home Internet Access programme. Furthermore, later this year, we will be Mailing customer access to PCs in some of our Jobcentres and offering supported access to those who have no or low digital skills.
You may also wish to know that Jobcentre Plus launched its Smartphone Application on 10 March, which is an alternative means for our customers to access our Internet Job Bank. The application allows those with compatible smartphones to perform jobsearches and browse job vacancies directly from their handset, whenever they are connected to the internet. This application provides another means of accessing the digital labour market and promoting self-service for our customers.
I hope this reply is helpful and assures you of our intent to make sure jobseekers are able to compete effectively within the labour market and use modern recruitment methods.
Jobseeker's Allowance
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many of those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance gave Jobcentre Plus offices as their temporary address whilst of no fixed abode in the last (a) 12 months, (b) three years and (c) five years; [324899]
(2) how many of those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance had their jobseeker's allowance giro payments sent to their local Jobcentre Plus office rather than to a domestic postal address in the last (a) 12 months, (b) three years and (c) five years. [324900]
Helen Goodman: The information is not collated centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Self-employed
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether she has made an estimate of the number of former claimants of jobseeker's allowance who have become self-employed in each (a) constituency and (b) smallest geographical area for which figures are available in each year since 1997. [324531]
Helen Goodman: The information requested is not available.
Although some information is gathered on the Department's administrative systems on the number leaving jobseeker's allowance and moving into work, a breakdown into employees and the self-employed is not available.
Maternity Leave: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women living in City of York took paid maternity leave in (a) 1997 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available; how many weeks, on average, they took in each such year; and how much on average they received in maternity pay. [324217]
Helen Goodman: The information is not available.
New Deal Schemes: Salford
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Salford have been assisted into work through the New Deal since 1997. [322409]
Jim Knight: The jobseeker support regime delivered by Jobcentre Plus has been very successful and the New Deal programme has helped more than 2.2 million people into work since it was introduced in 1998.
The introduction of the Flexible New Deal will support the Government's aim of helping more people secure sustained employment through tailored, flexible help and support, particularly for those people who experience repeated cycles of unemployment. The Flexible New Deal will be available in most areas of the country by October 2010.
The information requested is in the following table:
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