Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 1 July 2010
Attorney-General
Coroners
Mr Raab: To ask the Attorney-General in relation to how many defendants charged with criminal offences the Crown Prosecution Service has applications for the removal of the jury under Part 7 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 pending. [4898]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service has no applications pending for the removal of the jury under Part 7 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
The defence have notified the CPS of their intention to appeal in a case in which an application has already been granted. The case involves one defendant.
House of Commons Commission
Parliamentary Education Service
Mr Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, answering for the House of Commons Commission what materials the Parliamentary Education Service issues to (a) schools and (b) individual pupils; what publications the service plans to issue in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [5441]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Education Service produces a range of materials about Parliament, the work of Members (of both Houses), and political literacy generally. All resources are provided free to schools. While many of the materials are suitable for use by individual pupils, they will primarily be used in the classroom. One publication targeted at pupils directly is the young person's guide entitled 'The Houses of Parliament', which is distributed to all school-aged visitors taking a tour of Parliament.
Resources currently in print include a new range of booklets carefully targeted at pupils from key stage 2 to key stage 4 (covering ages seven to 16) that are available for schools and Members to order. These can be used independently or as part of class study. Due for publication shortly is the last in this new series which will be a booklet for KS5 (16 to 18). There is also a set of four films on DVD, including the award winning 'Democracy? You Decide and You've Got the Power'. This will be updated shortly to reflect the 2010 general election result and is available with a teacher's booklet for three age groups. It is also available on Parliament's YouTube channel:
The Education Service re-launched its website:
in October 2008. This provides a variety of resources which can be used online and also downloaded, including all the printed publications together with information
pages, lesson plans, films, games and activities. Users can also subscribe to a monthly electronic newsletter. The Education Service will provide materials on request to Members to support their work with schools.
Plans for the next 12 months include further interactive online resources including games and updating of existing material to reflect the result of the 2010 election. In September 2010 a new film explaining the general election will be made available to schools, replacing an existing one from the previous election.
House of Commons Staff: Pay
Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, answering for the House of Commons Commission how many officers of the House are paid salaries at a level higher than that of hon. Members. [4536]
Sir Stuart Bell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 June 2010, Official Report, column 293W to the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous). All the staff listed there are officers of the House.
Electoral Commission Committee
Electoral Systems
Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what plans the Electoral Commission has to publish information on different voting systems in advance of his proposed referendum on electoral reform. [5472]
Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it would expect to provide public information in advance of any referendum on changes to the electoral system. This is likely to include information on what the referendum is about and how to take part in the referendum. The extent and nature of any public information provided by the Commission would be determined by the relevant legislation.
Work and Pensions
Accidents: Liverpool
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the Health and Safety Executive to publish its report on the collapse of a crane on to flats at Chandlers Wharf, Liverpool; and if he will make a statement. [5154]
Chris Grayling: This incident is still under investigation by inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Until HSE has made a decision as to possible legal action, they are not in a position to release a report.
Carer's Allowance
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will increase the level of the carer's allowance to £65.45 per week; [3975]
(2) if he will increase the carer's allowance earnings threshold to £150 per week. [3976]
Maria Miller: The Government have no immediate plans to increase the level of carer's allowance or the carer's allowance earnings limit.
We have set out our commitment to modernise and simplify the benefit system in order to improve work incentives and encourage responsibility and fairness. We will consider carefully the needs of carers as we develop our thinking on welfare reform.
The Chancellor announced in the emergency Budget that from 2011 the Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be used to measure the growth in prices for the purposes of uprating carer's allowance. In keeping with its promise to protect people in the most vulnerable situations the Government will not implement the previous Government's policy of clawing back the 1.5% "advance" that was applied to carer's allowance in April 2010.
We believe that the CPI is a more appropriate and stable measure of the cost of living for recipients of carer's allowance. Under that index carer's allowance would have received an increase in 2010, not simply an "advance" of future potential increases.
Departmental Legislation
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials of his Department are working on preparations for the (a) Pensions and Savings Bill and (b) Welfare Bill. [5114]
Chris Grayling: As at 30 June 2010, there is one full-time equivalent working on the Pensions and Savings Bill and one full-time equivalent working on the Welfare Bill.
These people draw on additional legal and policy teams as necessary. As preparations progress we expect to increase the number of officials engaged full time on the Bills.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of young people who will not now be helped into employment following the Government's decision not to extend the Young Person's Guarantee. [5259]
Chris Grayling: The Young Person's Guarantee will be replaced next year by a new Work Programme. This will offer better targeted and integrated employment support to people who find themselves out of work, including young people. Unlike the Young Person's Guarantee, where young people are only eligible if they are claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, the new Work Programme will provide help to young people regardless of the benefit that they are claiming.
Future Jobs Fund: Yorkshire and the Humber
Ms Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in (a) Doncaster Central constituency, (b) Doncaster local authority area and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber have found employment through the Future Jobs Fund since 2008; and what estimate he has made of the number of people aged between 18 and 24 years resident in each area who will no longer be entitled to assistance under the Jobs Guarantee in the 12 months after the ending of the Fund. [5431]
Chris Grayling: The information requested on the Doncaster Central constituency and local authority area is not available. In the Yorkshire and Humber area the latest official statistics, covering the period from October 2009 to January 2010, show that 700 people were recorded as starting a job funded by the future jobs fund.
The Young Person's Guarantee will be replaced next year by a new Work Programme. This will offer better targeted and integrated employment support to people who find themselves out of work, including young people. Unlike the Young Person's Guarantee, where young people are eligible only if they are claiming jobseeker's allowance, the new Work Programme will provide help to young people regardless of the benefit that they are claiming.
Housing Benefit: Tower Hamlets
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families resident in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets are in receipt of (a) housing benefit, (b) housing benefit of over £250 per week for a one bedroom property, (c) housing benefit of over £290 per week for a two bedroom property, (d) housing benefit of over £340 per week for a three bedroom property and (e) housing benefit of over £400 per week for a property with four or more bedrooms. [4881]
Steve Webb: The National Statistics published in March 2010, show that in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets there were 35,570 housing benefit recipients, of which 5,200 were living in the private rented sector.
At March 2010, for housing benefit claims in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the private rented sector assessed under the local housing allowance arrangements, our records show there were:
fewer than five recipients with a one-bedroom entitlement receiving over £250 per week;
530 recipients with a two-bedroom entitlement receiving over £290 per week;
180 recipients with a three-bedroom entitlement receiving over £340 per week; and
20 recipients with a four-bedroom entitlement receiving over £400 per week.
1. With the exception of the figure for one-bedroom entitlement, all figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 recipients.
2. The single housing benefit extract does not have bedroom entitlement recorded in 13% of the local housing allowance cases in Tower Hamlets so there maybe some underestimation in the numbers reported.
Single Housing Benefit Extract
Lone Parents: Employment
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of lone parents with disabled children of school age who returned to work in the last 12 months. [4999]
Maria Miller: The requested information is not available.
New Deal Schemes: Disability
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people resident in Don Valley constituency have found employment through the New Deal in each year since 2001. [2741]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is in the following table.
| Jobs gained by disab l ed people( 1) through New Deal from 2001 in the parliamentary constituency of Don Valley | |||||||
| New Deal Young People | New Deal 25+ | New Deal Lone Parents | New Deal Disabled People | New Deal 50+( 2) | New Deal Partner( 2) | Total | |
| "*" = Nil or negligible. "n/a" = Not applicable. (1) Disabled people are defined as those who are on the New Deal for Disabled people and those on other New Deals identified as disabled by the disability indicator. (2) The information given is for the number of jobs gained through each spell on a New Deal. (3) Since the introduction of Provider-Led Pathways to Work, New Deal for Disabled People has been available only in Jobcentre Plus Pathways to Work districts. An individual who has had more than one spell on a New Deal may therefore appear more than once in the table. Information on spells on New Deal 50+ and New Deal for Partners is unavailable, so individual level information is given instead. This means that information is only given on one visit to each of these New Deals per individual. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding 3. The latest New Deal figures will be affected by the introduction of the new Jobseekers Regime and Flexible New Deal (gradual implementation started from April 2009). 4. The latest data on Jobs are to November 2009. 5. The New Deal for Young People pilots began in January 1998 and full national roll-out occurred in April 1998. 6. The New Deal for 25 plus programme was introduced in July 1998. 7. The New Deal for Lone Parents was introduced in October 1998. 8. Data on New Deal for Disabled People are available from July 2001 (programme was introduced in 1999). 9. Data on New Deal 50 plus Jobs are available from April 2003 (programme was introduced in April 2000). 10. Data for New Deal for Partners are available from April 2004 (programme started in May 1999). Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate | |||||||
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