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6 Sep 2010 : Column 76W—continued
Disability Living Allowance
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the effects of changed arrangements for testing for eligibility for disability living allowance on the health of long-term sick and disabled people. [9955]
Maria Miller: The Budget announced that we would be introducing a new, objective assessment for disability living allowance from 2013-14 to ensure support is targeted at those in need. The impact will depend on the detailed design.
We recognise that customers find the existing self-reporting forms complex so as we develop our proposals, we will talk to disabled people and a broad range of organisations to consider how our reforms could simplify the process for customers.
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of disability living allowance would be if it had been uprated according to the consumer price index since its introduction in 1992. [10613]
Maria Miller:
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 all benefits, including disability living allowance.
The CPI is the Government's headline inflation measure and the most stable price index. The RPI was negative at -1.4% when the 2010 uprating level was set, whereas the CPI stayed positive at 1.1%.
Under the previous Government's plan, last year's increase to disability living allowance was set to be clawed back in 2011. This would have meant, on current projections, a lower increase in disability living allowance than under this Government's plans. In keeping with their commitment to protect people in the most vulnerable situations, this Government will not be taking back the 1.5% 'advance' that was applied to disability living allowance in April 2010.
Disability Living Allowance: Autism
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) rate of uptake and (b) monetary value of unclaimed disability living allowance in respect of (i) children and (ii) adults with autism in each of the last 10 years. [12364]
Maria Miller: Estimates of the rate of take-up and amount of unclaimed disability living allowance are not available. This is because eligibility is not established until entitlement is tested at the point of claim and because assessment of eligibility is more complex than for other benefit, involving a detailed judgment of personal care and mobility needs.
Disability Living Allowance: Leeds
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Leeds North West constituency are in receipt of (a) disability living allowance and (b) incapacity benefit. [12262]
Maria Miller: The information requested is as follows:
| Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, and disability living allowance: November 2009 | ||
| Parliamentary constituency | IB/SDA | DLA |
| Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit was replaced by Employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied. 3. Caseload for DLA 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. 4. IB/SDA 'claimants' include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a national insurance credit, i.e. 'credit only cases'. 5. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009. | ||
Disability: Children
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the adequacy of assistance offered to single parents of disabled children who are returning to work. [12006]
Maria Miller: Those with disabled children have particular requirements around childcare, personal support, and access to flexible working. We are taking account of these in drawing up our plans for the Work Programme, which will offer all benefit recipients targeted, personalised help, delivered by contractors drawn from the private, public and voluntary sectors, as well as social enterprises.
For lone parents who are looking for work and have caring responsibilities for a disabled child, further support is offered under the provisions of the Childcare Act 2006. Among other things, this gives local authorities in England and Wales a statutory responsibility to ensure the local child care market meets the needs of working parents, including those with disabled children, and ensures that parents of disabled children have access to reliable information on child care options.
In recognition of the difficulties lone parents caring for disabled children may encounter in returning to work, regulations provide that lone parents on income support with a child aged 15 or under who have a child receiving the middle or higher care component of disability living allowance are not required to seek work in return for benefit. However, for those lone parents who wish to return to work, pre-employment and in-work support are available through specialist lone parent advisers in Jobcentre Plus.
Employment: New Deal Schemes
Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been assisted to find work through the New Deal since it was introduced. [12243]
Chris Grayling: The available information can be found in the following table.
The number of individuals finding a job through the new deal programme and the number of leavers to employment by type of new deal.
| Type of job gained | ||||
| Number of jobs-total | Leavers to employment-total | Leavers to employment (no benefits) | Leavers to employment and benefits | |
| (1) Denotes information not available. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Information is only given for the most recent spell on new deal. 3. Number of jobs-total includes jobs gained during the participants' time on new deal as part of the new deal employment option. These people would not necessarily leave to employment. 4. Leavers to employment consist only of those people who left the new deal and went into employment. Destination is measured as destination within two weeks of leaving new deal, using information from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 5. Leavers to employment-total includes those who left to employment but are also in receipt of a benefit, for example, disability living allowance. 6. Information is not available on leavers from new deal 50 plus or new deal for disabled people. 7. Latest data are to November 2009. 8. Data on new deal for disabled people are from July 2001 (the programme started in 1999); new deal 50 plus data are from January 2004 (programme started in April 2000) and new deal for partners data are available from April 2004 (programme started in May 1999). Information on new deal for young people, new deal 25 plus and new deal for lone parents is available since inception. New deal for young people data are available from January 1998 (new deal for young people pilots began in January 1998 and full national roll-out occurred in April 1998); New deal for 25 plus data are available from July 1998; new deal for lone parents data are available from October 1998. 9. The latest new deal figures will be affected by the introduction of the new jobseeker's regime and flexible new deal (gradual implementation started from April 2009). More information is readily available on the employment programme statistics website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/FND_tabtool_information.pdf. | ||||
Guide Dogs: Public Buildings
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the extent to which commercial premises refuse access to guide dogs; and if he will make a statement. [12499]
Maria Miller: No specific assessment has been made, but the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires service providers not to discriminate against disabled people in the provision of their services, and to make reasonable adjustments where it would otherwise be impossible or unreasonably difficult for a disabled person to access the services being provided. A reasonable adjustment can include relaxing a ban on animals entering premises so that a guide dog user may access the services. The failure of a service provider to make a reasonable adjustment is a form of discrimination. If a disabled person considers that they have been discriminated against by a service provider, the Act provides for the person to be able to take enforcement action.
Housing Benefit
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households are currently in receipt of housing benefit of more than £100,000 a year; and if he will make a statement. [11597]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
We cannot estimate annual expenditure for individual housing benefit recipients. However, we can look at customers' weekly housing benefit awards and identify those who received a maximum local housing allowance rate.
At March 2010 there were fewer than 100 customers who received the maximum local housing allowance rate. All these customers are located in the central London broad rental market area.
In June 2010 the maximum local housing allowance rate rose to £2,000 a week which would be equivalent to receiving £104,000 a year in housing benefit assuming the individual remains in receipt of the same level of benefit for 52 continuous weeks. Information on housing benefit awards in June will be available in September 2010.
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the additional expenditure on housing benefit consequent upon annual increases in social housing rents in each year since 1990. [12305]
Steve Webb: The information is not all available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.
| Social sector housing benefit expenditure and estimated amounts due to increases in rents since 1992-93, in cash terms | ||
| £million | ||
| Total social sector housing benefit expenditure | Estimated amount due to rise in social sector rents | |
| Social sector housing benefit expenditure and estimated amounts due to increases in rents since 1992-93, in real terms | ||
| £million (2010-11 prices) | ||
| Total social sector housing benefit expenditure | Estimated amount due to real terms rise in social sector rents | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest £100 million. 2. Social sector housing benefit includes local authority and registered social landlord tenancies. 3. Prior to April 2003, the rent taken into account for housing benefit purposes included some charges for care and support services. The removal of these charges caused a reduction in social sector housing benefit expenditure in 2003-04. 4. Real terms figures are in 2010-11 prices, derived using the Budget 2010 GDP deflator. 5. Estimates of the impact of rent increases are based on the assumption that all of the change in average rent levels recorded for housing benefit recipients can be attributed to change in the rents set by social sector landlords. In reality some of the change will be due to other factors, for example changes in the geographical composition of the caseload, but this should not have a significant impact on the estimates for individual years. Source: Housing benefit statistical and financial data. | ||
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of housing benefit claims in each local authority area were subject to one or more deductions for non-dependants in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average deduction was in each case; [12310]
(2) how many housing benefit claims in each local authority area were subject to one or more non-dependant deductions in (a) the private sector and (b) social housing in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average deduction was in each case. [12311]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
Housing Benefit: Jobseeker's Allowance
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate has been made of the likely average deduction in housing benefit for jobseeker's allowance claimants who have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for 12 months in each region, consequent upon the proposals in the June 2010 Budget. [12312]
Steve Webb: We are developing the detailed policy design for the measure announced in the June 2010 Budget to reduce housing benefit by 10% after 12 months for those customers who are also in receipt of jobseekers allowance. We shall publish impact assessments to accompany the relevant legislation when introduced in Parliament and are investigating the scope for publishing sooner.
Housing Benefit: Leeds
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Leeds West constituency and (b) Leeds who would be affected by implementation of his proposed changes to housing benefit; and whether he has made an estimate of the average change in housing benefit payments to such people under his Department's proposals. [12092]
Steve Webb: The Department published 'Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12' on 23 July, which includes analysis of the impacts for each local authority area. Copies of the document are available in the Library.
The information is not available at the constituency level.
Housing Benefit: Payments
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to make changes to the criteria according to which housing benefit is paid either to claimants or to landlords. [12089]
Steve Webb: A review of the first two years' operation of the local housing allowance arrangements is being undertaken to monitor the impact of the local housing allowance at a national level. The review aims to cover a range of issues including direct payment to tenants and will report later in the year.
Housing: Older People
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the contribution of the Secretary of State of 28 June 2010, Official Report, column 608, what steps he plans to take to ensure that elderly people occupy homes of the size they need. [8204]
Steve Webb: Housing benefit for those customers living in the private sector is already set within the local housing allowance by the area and size of accommodation needed by the household. Anyone living in accommodation that is too large will receive benefit only to the level appropriate for the size of their household.
Within the social rented sector we have announced that we will restrict housing benefit for working age tenants who live in a property that is too large for their needs. It is too early to say how this change, which will come into effect in 2013, might be designed, but my Department will be working with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the devolved
Administrations to identify a range of options. We will consult as we develop the proposals and during the legislative process.
Incapacity Benefit
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of people resident in Moray constituency whose (a) disability living allowance and (b) incapacity benefit will be reduced in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15. [10518]
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency whose (a) disability living allowance and (b) incapacity benefit will be reduced in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what the average level of reduction is expected to be in each such case. [10524]
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in Angus constituency whose (a) disability living allowance and (b) incapacity benefit will be reduced in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what the average level of reduction is expected to be in each such case. [10528]
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in Dundee East constituency whose (a) disability living allowance and (b) incapacity benefit will be reduced in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what the average level of reduction is expected to be in each such case. [10534]
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in Perth and North Perthshire constituency whose (a) disability living allowance and (b) incapacity benefit will be reduced in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what the average level of reduction is expected to be in each such case. [10536]
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in Banff and Buchan constituency whose (a) disability living allowance and (b) incapacity benefit will be reduced in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and what the average level of reduction is expected to be in each such case. [10539]
Maria Miller: The June Budget announced that social security benefits, including disability living allowance and incapacity benefit, would rise in line with the consumer prices index from April 2011 onwards. Under the previous Administration's plans, last year's increase to disability living allowance was set to be clawed back, which would have meant a 1.5% reduction in the value of the awards. This Government will not implement this clawback.
The Budget also announced that we would be introducing a new, objective assessment for disability living allowance from 2013 to ensure support is targeted at those with in need. The impact will depend on the detailed design.
The old incapacity benefit system is coming to an end. Employment and support allowance (ESA) was
introduced on 27 October 2008 which replaced a range of incapacity benefits with immediate effect for customers making a new claim for financial support on the grounds of illness or incapacity. The reassessment of 1.5 million incapacity benefits customers will start in October 2010. The full reassessment programme will begin in spring 2011 and is expected to take three years to complete. No one migrating from their existing benefit to ESA will see a reduction in the level of their benefit entitlement at the point of change.
Incapacity Benefit: Scotland
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons northern Scotland was chosen for the trial reform of incapacity benefit. [8304]
Chris Grayling: The project has selected two locations for the trial, Burnley and Aberdeen.
Incapacity benefit customers within these locations are considered representative of the overall incapacity benefit caseload. The trial approach involving these locations will enable data to be compared across a broad cross section of customers so that we can gain an early insight into the experience of customers undergoing the incapacity benefit migration process and customer journey.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Scottish Executive, (b) local authorities, (c) local health trusts and (d) disabled rights groups in northern Scotland on the planned trial reform of incapacity benefits. [8337]
Chris Grayling: Copies of a detailed information and briefing pack about planned changes affecting customers currently receiving incapacity benefits were issued to the Scottish Executive for Members of the Scottish Parliament on 7 July.
Jobcentre Plus officials have had discussions with the Scottish Executive's Social Inclusion and Employability Policy teams following the ministerial announcement on 29 June to update them on migration plans and advise of proposed communications activity.
Jobcentre Plus officials have already met with 13 customer representative groups on this issue. Discussion took place on the 29 July at the Aberdeen Works Forum, chaired by Jobcentre Plus with representatives from: NHS; Skills Development Scotland; Aberdeen College; Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations; Aberdeen Civic Forum; Aberdeenshire council and Aberdeen city council. Additional discussions have also taken place with Condition Management Programme Grampian NHS; Employment and Inequalities Co-ordinator Aberdeenshire council; Peterhead Project; Lifeskills; Aberdeen Foyer and Lead Scotland.
Independent Living Fund
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the withdrawal of the Independent Living Fund on the most disabled persons in the UK. [12205]
Maria Miller: The Independent Living Fund continues to support 21,000 existing users, although it is currently closed to new applicants. The Independent Living Fund undertook a full equality impact assessment before the decision to close the fund to new applicants was announced on 17 June.
The statutory authority for assessing and delivering essential care remains with local authorities. The coalition Government are committed to ensuring severely disabled people receive the support they need.
Independent Living Fund: Northern Ireland
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers on the effects on Northern Ireland of the closure of the Independent Living Fund to new applicants. [12206]
Maria Miller: The Office of the First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly was advised of the decision by the Independent Living Fund to close the fund to new applicants in advance of the announcement on 17 June.
Industrial Health and Safety
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many allegations of breaches of health and safety legislation were received by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in each of the last five years; and how many such breaches were confirmed by the HSE in each of those years. [12398]
Chris Grayling: Allegations of breaches of health and safety legislation are usually reported to HSE as complaints.
HSE holds records on the numbers of complaints it receives and on the number which subsequently result in formal enforcement. HSE does not keep a record of the total number of complaints where breaches were confirmed, but where compliance with the health and safety legislation was secured without formal enforcement.
The numbers of complaints reported in each of the last five years and those resulting in formal enforcement action are as follows:
| Total number of complaints reported | Numbers resulting in formal enforcement | |
| (1 )Not available. A figure for 2005-06 cannot be assembled without disproportionate cost. | ||
The above figures do not include instances where alleged breaches of health and safety are reported to HSE inspectors during site visits and subsequent action is taken. These figures would be available only at a disproportionate cost.
Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated cost is of Jobcentre Plus's Telephony and Processing Implementation Project. [12065]
Chris Grayling: 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 the estimated cost is of Jobcentre Plus' Telephony and Processing Implementation Project (TPIP). This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
On 21 October 2009 Jobcentre Plus announced changes to the way it manages its telephony and processing business. These changes are aimed at improving both the way in which customers contacting Jobcentre Plus by telephony are dealt with and the way in which claims to benefit are processed.
This is an 18-month transformation programme which will result in benefit enquiry calls being managed across a single virtual network of contact centres operating with standardised processes. The organisational moves necessary to bring about these changes have already begun. Telephony performance across all benefit lines has improved since October 2009 when calls were brought under the Contact Centre Directorate National Management Team. To date we have transformed four offices into Contact Centres - Newport, Norwich, Sheffield and Springburn.
TPIP with other projects across DWP has been asked to review costs to ensure that we are transforming our offices in the most cost effective manner. TPIP is also subject to the Cabinet Office review of projects. Jobcentre Plus remains fully committed to the aims of the TPIP. The transformation programme is a key part of the Department's efficiency programme. We are unable to supply any estimated costs until we know the outcome of both reviews. We are expecting to know the outcome of the reviews by the autumn. I will write to you with the estimated costs when the reviews are complete.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Bristol
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of (a) individuals and (b) lone parents in Bristol North West constituency who will have been on jobseeker's allowance for over 12 months in 2013. [7789]
Chris Grayling: The information is not available.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Edinburgh
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most estimate is of the number of (a) lone parents and (b) others in Edinburgh East constituency who will have been on jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months by 2013. [8195]
Chris Grayling: The information is not available.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Greater London
Mr Umunna:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals resident in (a) the UK, (b) London, (c) the London Borough of Lambeth and (d) Streatham constituency were in receipt of
jobseeker's allowance in each month from January to June 2010; and what proportion were also in receipt of housing benefit in each such month. [12861]
Steve Webb: The information requested on the proportion of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants also in receipt of housing benefit is not available.
Information is collected on the number of housing benefit claimants in receipt of a passported benefit, and
the available information on the number who are also receiving income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA(IB)) in Great Britain, London, and the London borough of Lambeth is in the second table. However to provide the total number of JSA claimants receiving housing benefit would require a significant exercise to merge the relevant data and would incur a disproportionate cost.
The available information, as at July 2010, is in the following tables.
| Jobseeker's allowance claimants, January to June 2010 | ||||
| Date | Great Britain | London Government office region | Lambeth local authority | Streatham parliamentary constituency |
| Notes: 1. Figures exclude clerically held cases. 2. Claimant count data are published at https://www.nomisweb.co.uk 3. Figures for Great Britain and London Government office region are seasonally adjusted; figures for Lambeth local authority and Streatham parliamentary constituency are not seasonally adjusted. 4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. Source: 100% count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems | ||||
| Housing benefit recipients passported from income based jobseeker's allowance | ||||
| Date | Great Britain | London Government office region | Lambeth local authority | |
| Notes: 1. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 2. Passported status does not include recipients with unknown passported status. 3. Passported benefit as recorded on systems within the local authority. 4. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 5. May 2010 figures will be published on 11 August 2010. 6. Housing benefit is not yet available by parliamentary constituency. Source: Single housing benefit extract (SHBE) | ||||
Jobseeker's Allowance: Young People
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of 18 to 24 year olds in receipt of jobseeker's allowance resident in East Lothian constituency. [11510]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what recent estimate has been made on the number of 18-24 year olds in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance in East Lothian Constituency. (11510)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. In June 2010 the number of 18 to 24 year olds resident in East Lothian parliamentary constituency claiming JSA was 560.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
Local Housing Allowance
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of those in receipt of local housing allowance in each local authority are in employment. [12676]
Steve Webb: Complete information is not available.
Employment status information is only collected for local housing allowance recipients who do receive passported benefits. The available information has been placed in the Library.
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) pensioner households and (b) working age households are in receipt of local housing allowance in each local authority area. [12677]
Steve Webb: The available information has been placed in the Library.
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of those in receipt of local housing allowance are in (a) shared rooms, (b) one bedroom, (c) two bedroom, (d) three bedroom, (e) four bedroom and (f) five bedroom properties. [12679]
Steve Webb: The local housing allowance relates to bedroom entitlement rather than the actual number of bedrooms in the property; we do not have information on the latter.
The Department published "Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12" on the 23 July. Copies of the document are available in the Library. Table 35 of the document provides a breakdown by bedroom entitlement and local authority for those in receipt of housing benefit assessed under the local housing allowance arrangements.
Local Housing Allowance: Equality
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the race equality impact of proposed changes to local housing allowance. [12678]
Steve Webb: The Department has published an initial equality impact assessment for the proposed changes to the local housing allowance rates which includes an indication of the impact on race equality. It is not possible to provide the specific impact of the measures on race equality as such data are not available. Copies of the assessment are available in the Library.
National Employment Savings Trust Corporation
Ms Angela Eagle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the internal review of the National Employment Savings Trust to be completed; when he expects to announce the outcome of that review; what individuals and organisations were consulted as part of that review by means of (a) meetings and (b) written submissions; on what date and where each such meeting took place; if he will publish each written submission; for what reason no
employee or consumer representative was appointed to the review group; and whether he has consulted the European Commission on the application of EU law to those proposals subject to that review, with particular reference to the automatic enrolment requirement. [11963]
Steve Webb: The independent review team considering how best to make automatic enrolment work will present their conclusions to Government by 30 September. I expect to announce our response to the review in the autumn.
In addition to a number of informal meetings with stakeholders, the review team have held three seminars: a seminar with consumer and employee representative groups (20 July); an employer seminar (23 July); and a pensions industry seminar (27 July). The seminars were hosted at the Department's offices in Caxton House, London. The closing date for written submissions to the review is 13 August. The review team will publish a list of stakeholders who took part in the review, along with a summary of their responses.
The need to increase pension savings by individuals is at the heart of the Government's commitment to introducing automatic enrolment into workplace pensions. The review is intended to ensure the way in which automatic enrolment is introduced strikes the right balance between costs, benefits and risks. The membership of the review team reflects this objective: Paul Johnson has wide experience of economic analysis and developing evidence-based public policy solutions, and David Yeandle and Adrian Boulding provide the review team with the expertise they need to understand what the reforms mean for employers and for the pensions industry. The review team is, of course, engaging with all relevant stakeholder interests through their meetings, the seminars and written submissions.
No engagement has been made with the European Commission on possible outcomes of the review.
New Deal Schemes: Expenditure
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the costs to the public purse was of the New Deal in each year between 1997-98 and 2002-03; what assessment he made of the effectiveness of that scheme in that period; and how many incapacity benefit claimants there were in total. [12927]
Chris Grayling: The cost to the public purse of the New Deals is as follows. Figures are also shown separately for the New Deal for Disabled People.
| Programme and Administration expenditure on New Deals 1997-2003( 1) | |
| Period | Yearly outturn for New Deal programmes (£ million) |
| Programme and Administration expenditure on NDDP 1997-2003 | |
| Period | Yearly outturn for New Deal for Disabled People (£ million) |
| (1) Notes: 1. Yearly outturn data include programme and administrative expenditure but exclude the cost of AME training allowances. 2. The figures for 2002-03 include an estimate of administrative expenditure. 3. These figures are available in the Departmental Report 2009 which is available in the Library. | |
The total numbers of IB customers over the same period are as follows.
| Incapacity Benefit Caseload 1997-2003( 2) | |
| Date as at November: | Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance claimants |
| (2) Notes: 1. November 1997 to November 1998 figures are based on sample data and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 2. 5% sample figures rounded to the nearest 100, and 100% caseloads to the nearest 10. 3. 5% sample figures have been uprated using 5% proportions against 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) totals. Sources: 1. 1997-98 figures: Information Directorate 5% samples. 2. 1999 onwards: DWP Information Directorate: WPLS 100% data. | |
NDDP resulted in a seven percentage point increase in the proportion of customers who were in employment 24 months after starting the programme, and an 11 percentage point increase for existing customers.
Pathways to Work
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of participants in Pathways to Work moved into employment from (a) in-house and (b) private sector Pathways to Work providers in the latest period for which figures are available. [12064]
Chris Grayling: Between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009, there were 303,040 starts to Pathways to Work in Jobcentre Plus areas, of which 41,910 (13.8%) had moved into employment by 31 January 2010.
Over the same period, there were 273,200 starts to Pathways to Work in Provider-Led areas, of which 42,220 (15.5%) had moved into employment by 31 January 2010.(1)
Jobs information is drawn from tax records from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. The data do not include people who are self-employed, and some people earning below the tax threshold. These figures are therefore likely to be an underestimate of the proportions finding
work. There are also process differences between Jobcentre Plus and Provider-Led Pathways which means the proportions are not directly comparable.
(1)( )Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
Source:
DWP JCP and Provider-Led Pathways to Work databases.
Pension Credit
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to implement the State Pension Credit Pilot Scheme Regulations 2010. [5246]
Steve Webb: We expect that the State Pension Credit Pilot Scheme Regulations 2010 will come into force in July, with a view to running the planned research study later in the year.
Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of expenditure on pension credit was paid (a) to (i) men and (ii) women and (b) to recipients in each income decile in the latest period for which figures are available. [11792]
Steve Webb: Expenditure on pension credit given to single men, single women and couples in 2009-10 in Great Britain, nominal terms:
| £ billion | |
| Source: DWP statistical and accounting data | |
Information on the proportion of the expenditure on pension credit by equivalised household income deciles for pensioners only on an after housing cost basis in Great Britain, 2006-07 to 2008-09 is set out in the following table:
| 2006-07 to 2008-09 | Percentage |
| Notes: 1. Estimates are derived from the Family Resources Survey and are based on a three year average to help take account of small sample sizes in certain deciles and statistical variation across the years. 2. Estimates are rounded to the nearest percentage point, so the deciles may not sum to 100% due to rounding. 3. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series. 4. The deciles are derived using OECD equalisation factors. 5. The Family Resources Survey is known to undercount receipt of certain benefits. This methodology assumes that this undercount is spread proportionally across deciles. | |
Take up of the guarantee credit pension credit was between 71% and 81% of those estimated to be entitled in 2008-09. The majority of pensioners in the lowest decile appear from the data collected in the Family Resources Survey to have an entitlement to pension credit but have not made a claim so pension credit expenditure on pensioners in the lowest decile is relatively low.
Pension credit recipients within the top four deciles generally either have severe disabilities, which entitle them to disability benefits and premiums which increases their income to reflect the additional costs of disability, or be living within a wider household, for example with their families, whose income raises the household equivalised income to the higher deciles. In this circumstances the pensioner's income is assessed independently of the wider household to establish entitlement to pension credit.
Pension Protection Fund
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of savings which would accrue to the Pension Protection Fund as a result of linking pension indexation to the consumer price index in each of the next five years. [12670]
Steve Webb: The factors that may affect savings to the Pension Protection Fund are complex including how schemes might implement planned changes to statutory revaluation and indexation minima and the impacts on scheme investment profiles. The Board of the PPF expects to publish an assessment of the impact of the CPI change along with their report and accounts, once they are approved by the Comptroller and Auditor General of the National Audit Office and laid before Parliament in the autumn.
Pensioners: Poverty
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to reduce the level of pensioner poverty in (a) Southend West constituency and (b) Essex; and if he will make a statement. [8684]
Steve Webb: We will restore the earnings link for the basic state pension from April 2011, with a 'triple guarantee' that the basic state pension will increase by the highest of earnings, prices or 2.5%. In 2011, if the basic state pension is increased by more than earnings under the triple guarantee we intend that, as a minimum, all single pension credit recipients will benefit from the full cash value of this increase.
We will also protect key benefits for older people such as the winter fuel payment, free television licences, free bus travel, and free eye tests and prescriptions.
We want to ensure that older people receive the help that they are entitled to. We aim to simplify the benefit system and as a first step we will be looking to conduct a research study into the feasibility of using existing data to help to improve the take-up of pension credit.
We will help prevent people from falling into poverty in later life by simplifying the rules and regulations relating to pensions to help reinvigorate occupational
pensions. We will encourage companies to offer high-quality pensions to all employees and will work with businesses and the industry to support auto enrolment.
Pensioners: Teachers
Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the planned Public Sector Pensions Review will consider whether to remove the index link from teachers' pensions. [5495]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
The Independent Public Service Pensions has been tasked with undertaking a fundamental structural review of public service pension provision, the scope of which is set out in the terms of reference which can be found on the Treasury website under Independent Reviews at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/indreview _johnhutton_pensions.htm
The Teachers Pension Scheme falls within the scope of the review.
At the emergency Budget in June, the Chancellor announced that from April 2011 public service pensions, including Teachers' Pensions will be uprated by CPI rather than RPI. It will be for the Independent Commission to decide how to take account of this and other factors when reviewing public service pensions.
Pensions
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receive (a) the basic state pension and (b) pension credit in (i) Ashfield, (ii) Argyll and Bute and (iii) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency. [6650]
Steve Webb: The information available is in the following table:
| Parliamentary constituency | State pension recipients | Pension credit individual beneficiaries | Pension credit household recipients |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. State pension figures are for the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional state pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 3. Basic state pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies. 4. For pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009. | |||
Pensions Act 2008
Mr Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which the penalty regime laid down in the regulations accompanying the Pensions Act 2008 meets his Department's better regulation principles. [6070]
Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pensions is firmly committed to the principles of better regulation and to good quality policy-making to achieve proportionate, consistent, transparent and targeted regulation.
The Pensions Regulator will take a graduated and proportionate approach to enforcing compliance with the new employer duties being introduced under the 2012 workplace pension reforms. The aim of the compliance regime will be to encourage compliance by focusing first on educating and enabling employers to comply.
We believe the regime of fixed and escalating penalties prescribed in the Employers' Duties (Registration and Compliance) Regulations 2010 is compatible with the principles of better regulation. Equally the regulations meet those principles set out specifically in relation to sanctions, in the context of a risk based approach to regulation, in Professor Richard B. Macrory's 2006 report 'Regulatory Justice: Making Sanctions Effective'.
Mr Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effects of implementing the Pensions Act 2008 on the labour market. [6074]
Steve Webb: DWP published "Workplace Pension Reform Regulations Impact Assessment" on 12 January 2010. This showed that based on the current labour market structure the weighted average increase in labour costs across all industries as a result of the Workplace Pension Reforms introduced in the Pensions Act 2008 is estimated to be 0.6 per cent.
The cost of the reform varies across industries, and is concentrated in industries with higher levels of employment, or those which currently have low pension provision.
The Government are committed to introducing auto-enrolment as an effective means of increasing pension saving. The review into how to make automatic enrolment work, announced on 24 June, will consider whether the approach inherited from the previous administration strikes the right balance between cost, benefits and risks for individuals, for employers and for the taxpayer. The review will be carried out over the summer and will conclude by 30 September.
Pensions: EU Action
Mr Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the proposals in Chapter 3.4.2 of the EU Green Paper on Pensions, COM (2010) 365 final, on improving solvency of final salary pensions schemes; and if he will make a statement. [11397]
Steve Webb: The Green Paper is consultative and does not contain any firm proposals on pension scheme solvency although it does discuss the issue. The Government are considering all the issues in the Green Paper and will be responding in the autumn.
Pensions: Lewisham
Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receive (a) the basic state pension and (b) pension credit in Lewisham East constituency. [6595]
Steve Webb: The information available is in the following table:
| Parliamentary constituency: Lewisham East | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. State pension figures are for the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional state pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 3. Basic state pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies. 4. For pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009. | |
Post Office Card Account
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) undertaken on whether the Post Office card account meets the needs of its users. [12872]
Steve Webb: The Post Office card account is a product provided by Post Office Limited. My Department has not undertaken any customer research specifically relating to the Post Office card account. However, I understand Post Office Limited has undertaken such research in order to monitor the effectiveness of its own products.
DWP has undertaken work in the past to understand the personal and financial needs of its customers to help ensure there is a range of suitable products available to them. The consistent message from Post Office card account customers is that they like the fact that it is a simple product with limited features and that it does not allow them to go overdrawn.
The Post Office card account is just one of the many banking products that customers can choose to use to receive their payments of benefits and pensions, and many of these can be used at post office branches.
Post Office Card Account: Greater London
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number people in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London borough of Bexley who have post office card accounts. [9589]
Steve Webb: As at February 2010, the latest date for which information is available, the number of post office card accounts held in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency was 3,650. The number held in the London borough of Bexley was 9,310.
Pregnant Women: Grants
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Sure Start maternity grants were made to mothers for their second or subsequent child in Stretford and Urmston constituency in 2009-10. [5852]
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Sure Start maternity grants were made to mothers for their second or subsequent child in Houghton and Sunderland South constituency in 2009-10. [5898]
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Sure Start maternity grants were made to mothers in (a) Slough, (b) Salisbury and (c) Scarborough and Whitby constituency in respect of a second or subsequent child in 2009-10. [6013]
Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Sure Start maternity grants were made to mothers in the area now covered by Worsley and Eccles South constituency in respect of a second or subsequent child. [6137]
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Sure Start Maternity Grants were made to mothers in Makerfield constituency in respect of a second or subsequent child in 2009-10. [6199]
Diana R. Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Sure Start maternity grants were made to mothers for their second or subsequent child in Kingston upon Hull North constituency in 2009-10. [6524]
Steve Webb: A total of 274,000 Sure Start maternity grants were awarded in Great Britain in 2009-10. The exact number of awards for a second or subsequent maternity is not available, but is estimated to be 52% of all awards, around 143,000.
The number of awards made in 2009-10 is available by Government office region or Jobcentre Plus Social Fund budget area only, not by constituency.
Source for total number of awards:
Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.
Note:
Both numbers have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Sure Start maternity grants were made to mothers in (a) Glasgow North and (b) the area covered by Ealing Central and Acton constituency in 2009-10. [5995]
Steve Webb: A total of 274,000 Sure Start Maternity Grants were awarded in Great Britain in 2009-10.
The number of awards made in 2009-10 is available by Government Office Region or Jobcentre Plus Social Fund budget area only, not by constituency.
Note:
The number has been rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Source:
Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) individuals and (b) individuals on low incomes received the Sure Start Maternity Grant in (i) England and (ii) the West Midlands in each year since 2002. [8361]
Steve Webb: The available information is in the following table.
| Number of Sure Start Maternity Grant awards made by financial year | ||
| England | West Midlands( 1) | |
| (1) The West Midlands has been interpreted as the Government Office Region of that name. (2) Data for 2002-03 for the West Midlands Government Office Region are not available, because one Social Fund district then straddled the border between the West Midlands and the East Midlands Government Office Regions. (Data are only available by Social Fund district.) Notes: 1. Due to the qualifying conditions for Sure Start Maternity Grants all individuals who receive an award are classed as being on low income. 2. The information above includes Sure Start Maternity Grants awarded on re-consideration or appeal. 3. The number of Sure Start Maternity Grant awards has been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System. | ||
Public Expenditure: Wales
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to meet Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government to discuss the effect on Wales of expenditure reductions in his Department. [11747]
Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State is planning to meet Leighton Andrews, Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning in the Welsh Assembly Government, on 7 September 2010 and other Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government on 13 October 2010. The planned meetings are to discuss a range of issues, including economic, social and welfare policy relating to Wales and the rest of the UK.
Retirement
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on life expectancy of members of each socio-economic group of raising the retirement age. [5617]
Steve Webb: Any equal increase in state pension age does have a greater impact on socio-economic groups with lower life expectancy than those with higher life expectancy. We need to deal with the underlying reasons for the variation in life expectancy.
There are no official projections of life expectancy by socio-economic group. However data on the change in life expectancy at age 65 by socio-economic group between 1972-76 and 2002-05 are available and presented in the following table:
| Change in life expectancy between 1972-76 and 2002-05 at age 65 by social class, men and women, England and Wales | |||
| Socio-economic group | Increase in life expectancy between 1972-76 and 2002-05 (years) | ||
| Men | Women | ||
| Notes: 1. Figures are period life expectancy, meaning they do not take account of improvements in mortality of these cohorts over time. 2. Data only cover England and Wales. There is no information on the other countries of the United Kingdom 3. Socio-economic groups I and V comprise a small percentage of the population. Data for these groups should be interpreted with caution, particularly for women. 4. The socio-economic classification is based on the occupational status of the individual, their spouse or parent. Source: ONS Longitudinal Study. | |||
All socio-economic groups saw a significant increase in life expectancy between 1972-76 and 2002-05.
Variations in life expectancy for different socio-economic groups will be considered as part of the review into increasing the state pension age to 66, announced on 24 June.
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people unable to work due to a workplace injury were claiming disability benefit in each year from 1997 to 2009. [7814]
Chris Grayling: This information is not available.
Social Security benefits: Medical Examinations
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much on average a health care professional undertaking incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance medical assessment was paid per client in the latest period for which figures are available. [12284]
Chris Grayling: Health care professionals are paid directly by Atos Healthcare; the Department for Work and Pensions does not hold information about amounts paid. The Department pays for all of the services provided under the Medical Services contract, the total cost amounting to approximately £100 million per annum. This figure not only covers the total numbers of examinations undertaken but also costs relating to written and verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, administrative costs, investment in new technology and other service improvements. The figure also covers salaries and fees paid directly by Atos Healthcare to their health care professionals.
Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions the Chief Medical Adviser to the Department has waived recruitment criteria over minimum post registration experience required by health care professionals undertaking incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance medical assessments over the last five years. [12278]
Chris Grayling: Reliable figures are only available for 2009 and 2010. The chief medical adviser waived the requirement that healthcare professionals have three years post registration experience twice during 2009, and has not done so at all during 2010 to date.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 22 July 2010, Official Report, column 558, on social security benefits: medical examination, what level of qualifications health care professionals undertaking incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance medical assessments must hold in disability assessment medicine. [12279]
Chris Grayling: Qualification is dependent upon successful completion of the required training course in disability assessment medicine. The training course is developed by Atos Healthcare and agreed with the Department's Chief Medical Adviser.
Social Security Benefits: Scotland
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in respect of which benefit offices in northern Scotland trial reassessments of customers receiving incapacity benefit and income support will be undertaken; and whether he plans to increase staffing levels at those centres. [8301]
Chris Grayling: The office conducting the trial for the reassessment of customers receiving incapacity benefit in Scotland will be Aberdeen. Funding for increased staffing levels has been made available to the centres to undertake the trials.
State Retirement Pensions
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of the basic state pension in-year under the policies applied in the previous Parliament for (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15. [11203]
Steve Webb: The coalition Government are providing a triple guarantee that the basic state pension will rise each year by the highest of earnings, prices or 2.5%. For 2011, we will additionally ensure that the increase will not be lower than it would have been under the previous uprating arrangements.
The previous Government introduced a statutory requirement to restore the earnings link by the end of this parliament as stated in the May 2006 White Paper:
"During the next Parliament, we will re-link the uprating of the basic State Pension to average earnings. Our objective, subject to affordability and the fiscal position, is to do this in 2012, but in any event by the end of the next Parliament at the latest. We will make a statement on the precise date at the beginning of the next Parliament."
The following table provides projected levels of the basic state pension depending on which year between 2011 and 2015 the earnings link is restored. In each scenario we assume that the basic state pension is increased by RPI inflation until the restoration of the earnings link. Estimates use the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecasts for growth published in the Budget of 22 June 2010.
The rates are indicative only as actual levels of inflation and earnings may differ from forecasts.
| Level of the basic state pension, standard rate on own contributions, weekly amount | |||||
| £ | |||||
| Year of earnings link restoration | |||||
| Level of BSP in: | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of expenditure on the basic state pension was paid (a) to (i) men and (ii) women and (b) to recipients in each income decile in the latest period for which figures are available. [11791]
Steve Webb: The information is as follows:
(b) Information on the proportion of the expenditure on basic state pension by income deciles is not available exactly as requested. Information set out in the following table shows the proportion of the expenditure on overall state pension (basic state pension and additional pension) by equivalised household income deciles on an after housing cost basis. Estimates are derived from the Family Resources Survey and are based on a three-year average to help take account of small sample sizes in certain deciles and statistical variation across the years.
| Proportion of expenditure on overall state pension (basic state pension and additional pension) by equivalised income decile based on pensioners only, Great Britain, 2006-07 to 2008-09 (after housing costs) | |
| Percentage | |
| Notes: 1. Estimates are derived from the Family Resources Survey and are based on a three-year average to help take account of small sample sizes in certain deciles and statistical variation across the years. 2. Estimates are rounded to the nearest percentage point, so the deciles may not sum to 100% due to rounding. 3. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication "Households Below Average Income" series. 4. The quintiles and deciles are derived using OECD equalisation factors. 5. The Family Resources Survey is known to undercount receipt of certain benefits. This methodology assumes that this undercount is spread proportionally across deciles. | |
Unemployment Benefits
Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people (a) had been claiming unemployment benefit for more than six months on 31 December 1992 and (b) claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than six months on the latest date for which figures are available. [10859]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many young people (a) had been claiming unemployment benefit for more than six months on 31 December 1992 and (b) claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than six months on the latest date for which figures are available. (10859)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
The number of young people claiming unemployment benefit in the United Kingdom for more than six months on 31 December 1992 is unavailable. The earliest available data are for February 1994.
The number of 18-24 year olds claiming unemployment benefit for more than six months in February 1994 was 357,180. The number of 18-24 year olds claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for more than six months in June 2010 was 103,230.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
Unemployment: East Lothian
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of children living in workless households in East Lothian constituency. [11509]
Maria Miller: In 2008, there were estimated to be 1,600 children living in workless households in East Lothian. This figure has been rounded to the nearest 100.
The estimate is based on the Household Annual Population Survey (HAPS). The latest available wave for the HAPS is 2008.
It is important to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the HAPS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. At the constituency level the group in question is very specific and the estimate is based on very small sample sizes. Therefore, the margin of uncertainty is very large for this estimate and the figure is deemed unreliable and would not be used by the Department for Work and Pensions for practical purposes.
Wines
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department and its predecessor spent on wine in each year since 1997. [12827]
Chris Grayling: The Department does not keep a separate record of expenditure on alcohol. Such expenditure is included within the hospitality account. Expenditure on alcohol and entertaining is based on the principles set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity, Propriety and Value for Money. Accordingly, alcohol is provided only as an exception and then only with the specific written authority of a small number of designated senior civil servants.
Work Capability Assessment
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that work capability assessments are carried out fairly. [10841]
Chris Grayling: Work capability assessments (WCA) are carried out by health care professionals (HCPs) employed by Atos Healthcare. The contract between the Department for Work and Pensions and Atos Healthcare contains a number of quality targets relating to audit conducted by experienced medical auditors within Atos Healthcare. The quality of Atos Healthcare's audit is validated by doctors working for the chief medical adviser to the Department for Work and Pensions.
The Department undertook an internal review of the WCA which was published on 29 March. The review found that generally the assessment accurately identifies individuals for benefit. The review made a number of recommendations for improving the WCA, which we have recently confirmed, that we will be implementing.
Additionally, the Government also have a statutory commitment to arrange an independent review of the main elements of the WCA every year for the first five years of operation. This review will look at the WCA in operation and is distinct from the Department-led review which focused on the technical accuracy of the assessment and whether it could better account for how individuals adapt to their condition. It is anticipated that a call for evidence will be made shortly.
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the average cost of carrying out a work capability assessment for people in receipt of incapacity benefit. [11511]
Chris Grayling: Information regarding the cost of individual work capability assessments is commercially sensitive. The total cost of the services provided by Atos Healthcare to the Department for Work and Pensions for all benefit streams covered under the medical services contract amounts to approximately £100 million per annum. This figure not only covers the total number of examinations undertaken across all benefits, but also costs relating to written and verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, administrative costs, investment in new technology and other service improvements.
Work Capability Assessment: Costs
Miss Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average estimated administrative cost is of re-assessing incapacity benefit claimants for eligibility for employment and support allowance. [12393]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is unavailable.
We are planning to evaluate the administrative costs for re-assessing incapacity benefit claimants following the introduction of changes. Until we have more complete information following national implementation we will be unable to provide a standard administrative cost figure, we expect to have this information around the second to third quarter of next year.
Miss Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate has been made of the projected reduction in expenditure which will result from re-assessing 1.5 million incapacity benefit claimants for eligibility for employment and support allowance; and how that estimate has been calculated. [12394]
Chris Grayling: There are one-off costs of reassessment of £300 million and average annual net savings of £200 million a year for five years. These figures are in net present value (NPV) and are detailed in the impact assessment that accompanied the reassessment regulations. NPV discounts future benefits and costs to express them as present values.
The impact assessment can be found at:
Miss Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost to his Department was of carrying out each work capability assessment for existing incapacity benefit claimants in the latest period for which figures are available. [12406]
Chris Grayling: Information regarding the cost of individual work capability assessments is commercially sensitive. The total cost of the services provided by Atos Healthcare to the Department for Work and Pensions for all benefit streams covered under the Medical Services contract amounts to approximately £100 million per annum. This figure not only covers the total number of examinations undertaken across all benefits, but also costs relating to written and verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, administrative costs, investment in new technology and other service improvements.
Written Questions
Miss Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to answer Question (a) 4540 and (b) 4541, tabled on 23 June 2010 for answer on 28 June 2010, on the renaming of council tax benefit. [10087]
Steve Webb: I replied to the hon. Member's questions on 26 July 2010, Official Report, column 757W.
Written Answers to Questions
Monday 6 September 2010
Women and Equalities
Equal Opportunities: Candidates
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she plans to take to encourage more candidates from under-represented groups to stand at the next general election. [10332]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 22 July 2010]: Following the recent general election there has been an increase in the number of MPs from under-represented groups, including an increase in the number of women MPs and those from an ethnic minority background to 22% and 4% respectively. Numbers of disabled MPs and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender MPs are unknown, but we believe there is under-representation of these groups in Parliament.
There is still more to do. That is why the Government are considering the recommendations by the Speaker's Conference on representation very carefully. We have already made an early commitment as part of our coalition agreement to introduce extra support for disabled people who want to become MPs, councillors or other elected officials.
The Equality Act will allow political parties to have selection arrangements for candidates designed to reduce inequalities, including all women shortlists, until the end of 2030. These Provisions will come in to force in October 2010 during the first wave of implementation of the Act.
The Government Equalities Office has commissioned research to understand the barriers faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people participating in civil society. This is looking at a broad range of ways to participate, including standing for Parliament. In light of the findings of the research, we will consider what further steps we can take to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to participate visibly, including developing tools to support those who want to participate but are unsure how to.
I look forward to working closely with the Deputy Prime Minister to ensure that equality and diversity are at the heart of the constitutional reform agenda.
Trade Unions
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much the Government Equalities Office has paid to trade unions in each year since 2007; and what estimate she has made of the monetary value of facilities provided by the Government Equalities Office for use by trade unions in each year since 2007. [11664]
Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office has had one elected trade union official in post since 2009 and estimates the annual cost to be £5,800.
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many paid manpower hours civil servants in the Government Equalities Office spent on trade union-related duties and activities in each year since 2007. [11665]
Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office has had one elected trade union official since 2009-10, who is allocated a facility time allowance of up to 187 hours a year.
The GEO representative has used the full allowance permitted since 2009.
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