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8 Nov 2010 : Column 172W—continued
Council Tax
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average annual administrative cost to local authorities of the proposal to devolve to them responsibility for (a) council tax benefit and (b) implementing the proposed £500 a week benefit cap. [20532]
Steve Webb: The Government are working to develop the new arrangements including the detailed administrative implications for local authorities which have yet to be determined.
Council Tax Benefits
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the effects on each local authority of the proposed 10% reduction in council tax benefit. [21036]
Steve Webb: The Government are working to develop the new arrangements including the detailed administrative implications for local authorities which have yet to be determined.
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average annual council tax benefit payment was for a (a) pensioner and (b) household including at least one person of working age in each local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available. [22609]
Steve Webb: The information has been placed in the Library.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure. [21628]
Chris Grayling: As part of its efficiency challenge, the Department is ensuring that its administrative spending is targeted for cost reduction. This is being monitored through internal reporting and externally by the National Audit Office.
Any reductions in expenditure affecting customers are monitored through equality impact assessments and in line with the Department's commitment on transparency will be published when they are available.
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much and what proportion of the welfare budget his Department spent on (a) housing benefit and (b) the state retirement pension in each of the last five years. [22322]
Steve Webb: The information is in the table.
| Expenditure, Great Britain, 2010-11 prices, £ million | Proportion of total benefit expenditure (percentage) | |||
| Housing benefit | State pension | Housing benefit | State pension | |
| Notes: 1. Housing benefit figures include that element funded from local authorities' own funds. 2. State pension expenditure includes basic state pension, state second pension and graduated retirement benefit. 3. Expenditure information by benefit can be found on the internet at the following address: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure Source: DWP accounting data and local authority subsidy returns. | ||||
Depression: Access to Work
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support his Department provides to enable people with depression to find work; and if he will make a statement. [20536]
Chris Grayling: DWP is fully committed to supporting disabled people, including those with mental health difficulties such as depression, to find suitable, sustainable work through Jobcentre Plus Personal Advisers, including disability employment advisers (DEAs), and programmes.
The Work Programme will be an integrated package of support providing personalised help to a broad range of customers, including those who may previously have been receiving incapacity benefits for many years. We will offer providers higher rewards for supporting harder to help customers into employment to ensure that it is worthwhile for providers to offer all customer groups, including those with disabilities or health conditions, appropriate employment support. We aim to have the Work Programme in place nationally by the summer of 2011.
Jobcentre Plus policy is to develop its people in the skills required to manage a range of behaviours demonstrated by customers, covering a variety of health conditions. This approach ensures that they are equipped to deal with a diverse set of circumstances whilst treating customers as individuals.
Skilled employment advisers look at the interaction between the person, the job and an individual's ability. Advisers ensure that job goals relate to the person's abilities and that work solutions are sought which overcome any challenges a customer might face in a particular job.
DWP and the other partners in the cross-government Health Work and Well-being Executive also have a programme of action for those in work. The programme of action looks to improve health at work and to reduce the level of ill health related job loss. It has a particular focus on support for people who have mental health conditions, as they are more likely to face stigma and discrimination and less likely to have access to timely diagnosis and the sorts of interventions that could help keep them in or help them to return to work quickly.
Disability Living Allowance
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of (a) men and (b) women in each parliamentary constituency in residential care who were in receipt of the mobility component of disability living allowance in 2009-10. [21757]
Maria Miller: Reliable estimates of gender of disability living allowance claimants in residential care homes are not available.
Employment and Support Allowance
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people are claiming employment and support allowance in (a) the UK, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Walsall South constituency. [22016]
Chris Grayling: The information is provided in the following table:
| Caseloads of employment support allowance in Great Britain, West Midlands GOR and Walsall South parliamentary constituency | |
| Number of people claiming employment and support allowance | |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. Employment and support allowance (ESA). ESA replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 3. Figures are published on: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=esa 4. The national data provided is for Great Britain as the information regarding Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Office. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study | |
Employment and Support Allowance: Bradford
Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claimants of employment and support allowance in the Bradford area (a) have been found capable of work, (b) have appealed against that decision and (c) have had their appeal granted since May 2005. [22746]
Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
(a) Employment and support allowance (ESA) was introduced in October 2008. From the latest available data, 3,990 or 48% of all new ESA claims received in the Bradford local authority area were found fit for work at their initial work capability assessment (WCA), between October 2008 and February 2010.
(b) This information is not available. Data on appeals are collated only at the point the outcome is received from the Tribunals Service.
(c) Of all new ESA claims received between October 2008 and August 2009 that were found fit for work at the initial WCA, 850 or 34% have had an appeal heard by July 2010. Of this number, 260 or 31% of appeals heard found in favour of the appellant. The number of appeals heard after August 2009 is too low for inclusion.
All caseload figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and percentages to the nearest percentage point. These data are taken from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare and appeals data sourced from the Tribunals Service.
The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the work capability assessment. More information can be found on the departmental website here:
Employment Schemes: Young People
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an assessment of the likely effect on the level of unemployment in the North East of cancelling the proposed extension of Young Person's Guarantee to 2011-12. [19255]
Chris Grayling: The young people's guarantee extension was cancelled as we will introduce the Work Programme by summer 2011.
The Work Programme will provide an integrated package of personalised support on the basis of need rather than on the benefit claimed. It will be delivered by contractors drawn from the private, public and voluntary sectors with stronger incentives to get people into sustained work by paying delivery partners out of the additional benefits they realise as a result of placing people into work. We expect the Work Programme to improve employment outcomes for young people throughout the country including in the North East.
Alongside the core Work Programme, a series of individual support measures are being introduced to Get Britain Working including:
The new Enterprise Allowance scheme, giving access to business mentors and start-up loans;
Work clubs, to give unemployed people a place to share skills and experiences;
Service academies, which will offer specialised pre-employment training and work placements; and
Work Together, to encourage and facilitate volunteering.
Further support is also being planned for young people, including work experience opportunities, more apprenticeships and more further education places.
Until the Work Programme is implemented, the Government will ensure appropriate support is in place.
Housing Benefit
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the proportion of the population of each (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency which was in receipt of local housing allowance in the latest period for which figures are available. [18602]
Steve Webb: Information is not available at parliamentary constituency level. A copy of the available information has been placed in the Library.
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many properties his Department estimated were in the private rental sector in each local authority area in March 2010; and what proportion of households resident in such properties were in receipt of local housing allowance in March 2010. [22611]
Steve Webb: My most recent estimate is that approximately 40% of tenants in the private rented sector receive housing benefit.
This is a national figure; reliable estimates at local level are not available.
Housing Benefit: Chester
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many households in (a) Cheshire West and Chester and (b) City of Chester constituencies claimed housing benefit for a (i) one-bedroom property, (ii) two-bedroom property, (iii) three-bedroom property and (iv) four-bedroom or greater property in the latest period for which figures are available; [20036]
(2) how many households in (a) Cheshire West and Chester and (b) City of Chester constituencies claimed housing benefit of more than (i) £250 a week for a one-bedroom property, (ii) £290 a week for a two-bedroom property, (iii) £340 a week for a three-bedroom property and (iv) £400 a week for a four or more bedroom property in the latest period for which figures are available. [20037]
Steve Webb: The Department published a document on 'Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12' on 23 July, which includes analysis at the local authority level. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library.
Housing Benefit: Argyll and Bute
Mr Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what level of local housing allowance is payable in the Argyll and Bute Broad Rental Market Area; and what level would be payable at the 30th percentile for each dwelling size. [22742]
Steve Webb: The information for November 2010 is shown in the table. The Scottish Executive calculates and publishes every month the future 30th percentile rates alongside the current local housing allowance rates for all Broad Rental Market Areas in Scotland.
| Local housing allowance rates, November 2010, Argyll and Bute | ||
| Bedroom entitlement | Current rate (£ per week) | 30th percentile rate (£ per week) |
| n/a = not applicable Note: Under the reform proposals, bedroom entitlement will be capped at the four-bedroom rate so no five-bedroom rate is calculated. Source: Scottish Executive website | ||
Housing Benefit: Armed Forces
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of partners, spouses or dependants of armed services personnel who are serving or have served in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq who were in receipt of housing benefit in the most recent period for which figures are available. [22049]
Steve Webb: This information is not available.
Housing Benefit: Scotland
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households receiving housing benefit in Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East constituency contain at least one individual who has been in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance for more than a year. [22673]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed housing benefit and council tax benefit data electronically from local authorities. Over time this will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics, as the information supplied is quality assured.
At present, the management information needed to estimate durations on housing benefit has not been sufficiently quality assured; and, while information is collected on the number of claimants in receipt of a passported benefit, which includes income-based jobseeker's allowance, the total number of jobseeker's allowance claimants receiving housing benefit is not available.
Housing benefit caseload and average weekly amounts are available at local authority area level and these are published on the Department's website at:
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households receiving housing benefit in Scotland consist of at least one individual who has been in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance for more than a year. [22674]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed housing benefit and council tax benefit data electronically from local authorities. Over time this will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics, as the information supplied is quality assured.
At present, the management information needed to estimate durations on housing benefit has not been sufficiently quality assured; and, while information is collected on the number of claimants in receipt of a passported benefit, which includes income-based jobseeker's allowance, the total number of jobseeker's allowance claimants receiving housing benefit is not available.
Housing benefit caseload and average weekly amounts are available at local authority area level and these are published on the Department's website at:
Industrial Health and Safety
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many prosecutions the Health and Safety Executive brought against employers in cases of failure to manage high temperatures in the workplace in 2009. [22348]
Chris Grayling: From 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010, the Health and Safety Executive took no prosecutions as a result of employers' failures to manage high temperatures in the workplace.
Parliamentary and Healthcare Ombudsman
James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in respect of how many cases (a) nationally and (b) in Halesowen and Rowley Regis constituency Atos Healthcare has been referred to (i) the Independent Case Examiner and (ii) the Parliamentary and Healthcare Ombudsman since 2005 on matters related to the General Medical Council's codes of conduct and confidentiality. [20042]
Maria Miller: With regard to the number of case referrals made to the (i) Independent Case Examiner and (ii) the Parliamentary and Healthcare Ombudsman, the Department does not keep information on issues relating to GMC codes of conduct and confidentiality.
The Independent Case Examiner will investigate complaints about Atos Healthcare referred to him by customers of Jobcentre Plus and the Pension, Disability and Carers Service, where the complaint relates to administration issues. This could include issues regarding confidentially breaches; however customers raising complaints with ICE that relate specifically to the General Medical Council's Code of Conduct would be referred to the General Medical Council.
The Independent Case Examiner's office does not record complaints relating to Atos Healthcare separately from other complaints arising from Jobcentre Plus and the Pension, Disability and Carers Service.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman will consider investigating complaints referred direct from Members of Parliament. Information about the volume and type of referrals received should therefore be requested directly from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's Office.
Pensioners: Livingston
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Livingston constituency receive (a) the basic state pension and (b) pension credit. [22073]
Steve Webb: The document "Caseloads for selected benefits by 2010 Parliamentary Constituencies, February 2010" includes figures for pension credit and state pension and is available in the Library or via the following link:
The 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.
Remploy: Sheffield
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future of Remploy Ltd in Sheffield; and if he will make a statement. [22576]
Maria Miller: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Wrexham (Ian Lucas) on 26 October 2010, Official Report, column 195W.
Revenue and Customs: Debt Collection
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of posts to be deleted in HM Revenue and Customs as a result of the implementation of proposals to transfer debt collection services to private sector agencies. [22011]
Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
The additional capacity for HMRC to use debt collection agencies announced in the June Budget will accelerate the collection of lower value tax debts and generate an additional £140 million from debts that might otherwise have been written off in future. This additional capacity does not replace HMRC staff.
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families in Ealing, Southall constituency are in receipt of (a) incapacity benefit, (b) attendance allowance and (c) disability living allowance. [21307]
Maria Miller: The information requested is not available by family. Information on the number of people receiving disability living allowance, attendance allowance and incapacity benefit in Ealing Southall constituency is contained in the following table.
| Recipients of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, disability living allowance and attendance allowance as at February 2010-Ealing, Southall constituency | |
| Recipients | |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. For disability living allowance and attendance allowance the totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example because they are in hospital. 3. A claimant can be in receipt of more than one of these benefits and will therefore be counted for each benefit they receive. 4. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment and support allowance from October 2008. 5. Figures for employment and support allowance are not included. 6. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | |
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's publication Tackling Fraud and Error in the Benefit and Tax Credits Systems, page 20, paragraph 6, on customer segmentation analysis, what proportion of customers are classified as organised criminals. [22014]
Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
The Trust Statement that accompanied HMRC's 2009-10 accounts, published at:
explains how the Department measures the overall level of tax credits error and fraud. Those involved in organised fraud are amongst the 6% categorised as 'rule breakers' in the publication referred to by the hon. Member in her question. HMRC are unable to identify the proportion of customers classified as organised criminals with this segment.
Welfare State: Reform
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2010, Official Report, column 459W, on the welfare state: reform, what timetable he has set for publication of his Department's Welfare Reform White Paper. [20035]
Chris Grayling: We expect to publish the White Paper in the next few weeks.
Winter Fuel Payments
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households received the winter fuel allowance at each rate in each constituency in the last 12 month period for which figures are available. [22381]
Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available for individuals who received each rate of winter fuel payment in each parliamentary constituency is in the document "Winter Fuel Payment amounts by Parliamentary Constituency as at Winter 2009/10." This is available in the Library and on the internet at:
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many winter fuel allowance payments were made to UK citizens resident in other European countries in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the total monetary value was of such payments. [22385]
Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Easington (Grahame M. Morris) on 20 October 2010, Official Report, column 768W.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer question 18602, on local housing allowance, tabled by the hon. Member for Torbay on 18 October 2010. [22432]
Steve Webb: All ordinary written questions on housing benefit tabled by the hon. Member before 1 November have now been answered.
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