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Social Security Benefits

Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to ensure that receipt of benefits for those able to work is conditional on their willingness to work. [1958]

Chris Grayling: The Government have announced its plans for radical reforms of the welfare to work system and the implementation of the new Work programme. The integrated package of support provided by the Work programme will ensure that entitlement to benefit
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for those who are able to work will continue to be contingent on claimant's efforts to actively seek work.

Our determination to implement a tougher approach will ensure that where claimants refuse to engage with the support offered, or turn down reasonable offers of work, then effective sanctions will be applied. We will legislate if necessary.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Mr Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on the independent living fund in financial year (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 to date. [3759]

Maria Miller: The available information is in the table.

Independent living fund expenditure broken down by admin and payments to users
£ million
	2009-10	2010-11( 2)
User payments	330.7	57.3
Admin	9.3	1.5
Total	340.0	58.8
(1) Figures are for Great Britain. (2) Figures are for the first two months of 2010-11. Source: Independent living fund

Social Security Benefits: Shepway

Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in the Shepway district were in receipt of (a) disability living allowance, (b) jobseeker's allowance and (c) incapacity benefit and income support paid on incapacity grounds in each year since 1997; and how many such people were in receipt of employment support allowance in each year since the allowance was introduced. [3757]

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:

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Benefit claimants in Shepway local authority as at November each year, 1997-2009
	Disability living allowance	Jobseeker's allowance	Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance	Income support-incapacity	Employment and support allowance
1997	3,100	2,500	4,500	1,200	-
1998	3,200	2,300	4,500	1,400	-
1999	3,300	1,930	4,340	2,290	-
2000	3,700	1,650	4,380	2,350	-
2001	3,800	1,340	4,450	2,380	-
2002	4,160	1,320	4,440	2,380	-
2003	4,460	1,320	4,530	2,120	-
2004	4,790	1,320	4,730	2,140	-
2005	4,940	1,560	4,620	2,090	-
2006	5,130	1,680	4,520	2,080	-
2007	5,430	1,360	4,520	2,120	-
2008	5,690	1,810	4,370	2,090	70
2009	6,070	2,510	3,850	1,890	750
100% data: Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Disability Living Allowance data show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. 100% data are used for November 1999 to November 2009 (except Disability Living Allowance for which they are used for November 2002 to November 2009), due to 100% data only being available from August 1999 (except Disability Living Allowance where the 100% data are available from May 2002). 4. Data for Jobseeker's Allowance and Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance/Employment and Support Allowance include credit only cases. 5. "-" denotes not applicable. 6. There will be an overlap in these figures as claimants receiving more than one of these benefits will be counted under each benefit. 7. Income Support Incapacity - claimant receives Income Support and Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance. Source: DWP Information Directorate: 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 5% data: Notes: 1. Caseloads have been derived by applying 5% proportions to 100% totals and are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. 5% data are used for November 1997 to November 1998 (except Disability Living Allowance for which they are used for November 1997 to November 2001). 3. Data for Jobseeker's Allowance and Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance include credit only cases. 4. "-" denotes not applicable. 5. There will be an overlap in these figures as claimants receiving more than one of these benefits will be counted under each benefit. Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) Information Directorate, 5% samples.

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Miss Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to implement the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities; and what progress his Department has made in removing its reservation to the convention concerning legal capacity. [3570]

Maria Miller: This Government are committed to the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, and to using it as a driver to achieve equality for disabled people.

The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) is co-ordinating implementation, monitoring and reporting across Government and the Devolved Administrations to ensure they are aware of the need to take the convention into account in developing policies-and that they involve disabled people and their organisations in doing so. The ODI itself is engaging with disabled people and their organisations to raise awareness, and to learn about their expectations of the convention.

The ODI is also working with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Scottish Human Rights Commission, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, which have been designated as the independent framework that will promote the convention and monitor how the UK and Devolved Administrations implement it.

In respect of the reservation entered on Article 12.4, the Department of Work and Pensions has made good progress in developing a review process for benefit appointees-a group affected by Article 12.4 of the convention. This is a major undertaking because there are close to 900,000 DWP customers with appointees.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people aged (a) 16 to 18 and (b) 19 years and over have (i) started and (ii) completed a (A) level 2, (B) level 3 and (C) level 4 apprenticeship in each of the last five years. [3450]

Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts by level and age in England for 2004-05 to 2008-09, the latest year for which full year data are available.

Table 2 shows the number of apprenticeship framework achievements by level and age in England for 2004-05 to 2008-09, the latest year for which full year data are available.

Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by level and age, 2004-05 to 2008-09
	Apprenticeships (Level 2)			Advanced apprenticeships (Level 3)			Higher level apprenticeships (Level 4)
	16-18	19 and over	Total	16-18	19 and over	Total	16-18	19 and over	Total
2004-05	87,600	47,500	135,100	25,900	28,000	53,900	-	-	--
2005-06	77,100	45,700	122,800	22,400	29,700	52,100	-	-	-
2006-07	80,800	46,600	127,400	24,800	32,100	56,900	-	-	100
2007-08	82,000	69,800	151,800	25,500	47,400	72,900	-	-	100
2008-09	74,200	84,300	158,500	25,100	56,100	81,300	-	100	200
Source: Individualised Learner Record

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Table 2: Apprenticeship framework achievements by level and age, 2004-05 to 2008-09
	Apprenticeships (Level 2)			Advanced Apprenticeships (Level 3)			Higher Level Apprenticeships (Level 4)
	16-18	19 and over	Total	16-18	19 and over	Total	16-18	19 and over	Total
2004-05	30,400	17,900	48,400	9,800	9,100	18,900	-	-	-
2005-06	45,000	25,300	70,300	14,000	14,400	28,400	-	-	-
2006-07	50,100	28,300	78,400	15,600	17,900	33,400	-	-	-
2007-08	47,100	29,300	76,300	16,200	20,000	36,200	-	-	-
2008-09	50,200	48,000	98,100	17,500	27,700	45,200	-	-	-
Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. '-' Indicates a base figure of less than 50. 3. Figures are based on age at start of programme. Figures for the 16-18 age category includes a small number of learners aged under 16 years. Source: Individualised Learner Record

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