Local Government Services
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether he plans to (a) issue guidance and (b) collect examples of best practice to assist community groups in the management of previously council-run facilities; [51752]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to facilitate the takeover of halls which were previously administered by local councils by local community groups. [51803]
Greg Clark: The Government are funding the Asset Transfer Unit to promote best practice across England and provide advice and expertise on matters relating to asset transfer to community ownership and management.
Local Government: Employment
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Local Government of 16 December 2010 to the Local Government Association on senior pay, what guidance his Department has given to local authorities on the employment of senior staff who are receiving a pension from the Local Government Pension scheme. [50804]
Robert Neill: The Government's role in specific local government pay and workforce issues is extremely limited as they are, rightly, a matter for the individual councils as the employer. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has, however, called on councils to show leadership in pay restraint and for chief executives earning the most senior salaries to take a voluntary pay cut. In addition, he has set out his intention to use guidance under provisions in the Localism Bill to set out the Government's view that decisions about salaries over £100,000 should always be subject to a vote of Full Council.
A member entitled to a pension under the Local Government Pension scheme (LGPS) must inform a new scheme employer and their LGPS administering authority about that new employment, as the LGPS provides administering authorities with discretionary powers to reduce or extinguish the amount of pension payable to a scheme member who has entered new employment with a scheme employer. No specific guidance is issued on abatement as each LGPS administering authority is required to formulate and keep under review its policy concerning abatement. In doing so, an administering authority must be aware of the extent to which any policy not to apply to abatement could lead to a serious loss of confidence in the public service.
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Local Government: Pay
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements his Department has put in place with local authorities for the payment of £250 salary increases to lower-paid workers. [52163]
Robert Neill: Pay and conditions for local government employees are matters for negotiation between trades unions and local government employers. Central Government has no role in those negotiations.
Motor Sports
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on amending the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to allow local authorities to determine whether to host motor sports events on public roads in a local authority area. [50061]
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Robert Neill [holding answer 31 March 2011]: Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet colleagues from the Department for Transport to discuss a range of matters.
Non-Domestic Rates
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 10 local authorities had (a) the highest and (b) the lowest business rate collection rates in England in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available; and what the monetary value of the uncollected business rates was in each such case. [50997]
Robert Neill: A list of the 10 local authorities in England that collected the highest and the lowest proportion of non-domestic rates due in 2009-10, the latest period for which data are available, along with details of the estimated monetary value of the uncollected tax are shown in the following table:
|
|
Estimated net collectable debit in respect of 2009-10 non-domestic rates (£000) | Total receipts of 2009-10 non-domestic rates in 2009-10 (£000) | Receipts of 2009-10 non-domestic rates by 31 March 2010 as a percentage of net collectable debit (percentage) | Account of 2009-10 non-domestic rates not collected by 31 March 2010 (£000) |
This information is available in Table 5 of the Statistical Release Collection rates for council tax and non-domestic rates in England 2009-10 that is available on the Department for Communities and Local Government's website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/counciltax/collectionrates/
The in-year collection rate is the amount received by 31 March in respect of that financial year's non-domestic rates shown as a percentage of the net collectable debit in respect of that year's non-domestic rates i.e. the income authorities would collect if everyone liable had paid.
Collection of non-domestic rates continues once the financial year to which they relate has ended. This means that the final collection rate achieved is somewhere between the figures shown here and 100%.
Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make an assessment of the potential effects on publicans of the charging of business rates on empty properties. [50972]
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Robert Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East (Gregg McClymont) on 14 February 2011, Official Report, column 543W, on public houses, and my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Newark (Patrick Mercer) of 8 February 2011, Official Report, column 178W, on non-domestic rates.
Since the answer, the Government have extended the doubling of small business rate relief from one year to two years, until September 2012, which will benefit many pubs.
Planning
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 24 March 2011, Official Report, column 68WS, on planning for growth, what guidance his Department has issued to local planning authorities on the review of section 106 agreements. [52103]
Greg Clark: The Government issued a chief planning officers’ letter on 31 March 2011 to all English local planning authorities on the steps they should take to ensure that planning supports sustainable economic growth. Annex B of the letter includes guidance on reviewing existing section 106 agreements.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to paragraph 2.27 of The Plan for Growth, March 2011, what measures he plans to introduce to make the planning system simpler and more efficient. [52121]
Robert Neill: The Government will consult in the autumn on measures to simplify and speed-up planning procedures, which will include steps to streamline the information required to support planning applications.
Private Rented Housing
Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households (a) in each local housing authority area and (b) nationally (i) were offered a qualifying offer of suitable private rented housing as a discharge of homeless duty and (ii) refused such an offer in 2010. [51661]
Grant Shapps: Information is not collected by Government on the number of households that were offered a qualifying offer of suitable private rented housing as a discharge of a main homelessness duty or who refused such an offer.
Information about local authorities' discharge of their duties under homelessness legislation is collected on quarterly PIE returns. Summary information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available both in the Library of the House and via the DCLG website:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
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Data collected include the number of households that accepted a qualifying offer of an assured shorthold tenancy to discharge a main homelessness duty. In 2010 the duty was ended in this way for 3,330 households.
Data are also collected on local authorities' actions to prevent or relieve homelessness outside of the statutory framework and is published by the Department at the following link:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessprevention200910
In 2009-10, 50,720 households in England were assisted into private rented accommodation by local authorities and partner organisations outside of the statutory framework.
Public Opinion
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible spent on opinion research and opinion polling companies in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10; and how much and for what purpose in each such case. [50995]
Robert Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) on 9 September 2010, Official Report, column 603W.
Information on the Department's associated public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Regional Planning and Development
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether he is taking steps to ensure the production of research and data collection on housing and energy matters for local authorities following the abolition of regional spatial strategies; [50366]
(2) whether he plans to take steps to ensure that data collection undertaken for the preparation of regional spatial strategies is retained in the new planning framework. [50374]
Greg Clark: The data held by the former local authority leaders' boards have been archived on websites operated jointly by the local authorities in each region and therefore remain readily accessible by those local authorities. We have also ensured that the data remain accessible to the public. For some regions, the data are also being held by the British Library's web archive.
Local plans and joint plans should continue to be based on sound evidence. Local authorities should continue to collect and use reliable information to justify their policies for development and growth, including housing and energy, as they always have done. Planning Policy Statements remain in place, for example PPS 3 provides guidance on how to assess housing need.
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of any effects on the production of local development frameworks of the abolition of regional spatial strategies. [50394]
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Greg Clark: The number of local plans coming forward has increased since we announced that we will abolish regional strategies.
31 core strategies were submitted for approval between May and December 2010, compared to 14 submitted in the same period the previous year.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/localismregionalplanning
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place to aid local authorities in deciding the location of sites suitable for sub-regionally significant hazardous waste facilities and other waste management infrastructure which was formerly provided by regional spatial strategies. [50573]
Robert Neill: Regional strategies are part of the statutory ‘development plan’. When preparing waste plans, local planning authorities should have regard to national policy, including Planning Policy Statement 10: ‘Sustainable Waste Management’. Notwithstanding, the Government's abolition of regional strategies via the Localism Bill is a material consideration in planning decisions.
Research, Information and Communications Unit: Operating Costs
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the operating costs of the Research, Information and Communications Unit in the Home Office (a) was met by his Department in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10 and (b) will he so meet in 2010-11. [47324]
Robert Neill: I refer the right hon. Lady to the answer given by the Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Arundel and South Downs (Nick Herbert) on 31 March 2011, Official Report, column 458W.
Shared Ownership Schemes
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department (a) is taking and (b) plans to take in the next two years to increase the flexibility of access to shared ownership schemes for first-time buyers; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [51955]
Grant Shapps: The Government are committed to supporting those who aspire to own their own home. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Jane Ellison) on 4 April 2011, Official Report, column 738. I have received three representations on this issue recently.
All households with an income of less than £60,000 who cannot afford to buy without assistance are eligible to apply for Government-funded affordable home ownership schemes. The only nationally set priorities are social tenants and serving armed forces personnel. Local authorities, in conjunction with their partners, have the flexibility to set any other priorities within their areas in line with local requirements.
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Social Rented Housing
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many one bedroom properties were let to existing social tenants (a) nationally and (b) in each region in 2009-10. [52461]
Grant Shapps: Information on the number of households receiving social housing is collected through the Continuous Recording of Letting form (CORE). Information on number of bedrooms is only collected for general needs lettings.
The following table gives the number of one-bedroom general needs lettings made to existing social tenants nationally and in each statistical region in 2009-10:
|
|
Number |
| Source: CORE lettings returns, 2009-10 | |
Social Rented Housing: Cheshire
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes were available for (a) rent and (b) shared ownership sale by housing associations and housing trusts in (i) City of Chester constituency and (ii) Cheshire West and Chester at the most recent date for which figures are available. [50917]
Andrew Stunell: Figures are not available at constituency level. They are collected at local authority district level for housing associations and housing trusts who are Registered Providers. The Regulatory and Statistical Return managed by the Tenant Services Authority asks Registered Providers to report data on their stock.
The Regulatory and Statistical Return showed that as at 31 March 2010 registered housing associations and housing trusts owned approximately 16,006 homes in Cheshire West and Chester for social rent. Of these, 4,410 units comprised housing specifically intended for older people, 424 comprised other supported housing and the remaining 11,172 were intended for households with general needs. Of these 'general needs' homes, 114 were vacant, of which 64 were available for letting. Information on vacancy in the stock of supported housing and housing for older people is not collected by local authority or constituency area. During the year to 31 March 2010 there were 52 low cost home ownership sales made by Registered Providers of their stock in Cheshire West and Chester.
Additionally, properties are made available for shared ownership by other providers, including through Section 106 agreements.
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Additional affordable homes since April 2010 will count towards the Affordable Homes element of the New Homes Bonus, which provides a powerful incentive for local authorities to increase housing supply. Cheshire West and Chester will receive a £350 premium per affordable home for the six years on top of the main part of the Bonus, which, in total, is £326,383 for year one
Social Services: Finance
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that funding it has provided to local authorities for adult social care is used for that purpose. [51148]
Robert Neill: The Department provides unhypothecated formula grant to local authorities, which they use to meet locally identified priorities including adult social care.
In addition, funding, totalling £800 million in 2011-12 and rising to £1 billion by 2014-15, has been allocated within the NHS to be spent on measures that support social care, which also benefits health. The new NHS Operating Framework sets out specific primary care trust allocations that they will transfer to councils for spending on social care services to benefit health, and to improve overall health gain. Primary care trusts and local authorities will need to work together to agree jointly appropriate areas for social care investment, with a shared analysis of need and a common agreement on the outcomes to be met.
We have no plans to nationally monitor local authorities on how they spend their allocations. Councils are most effective when they have freedom to innovate and respond to what local people want, and this Government are committed to reducing the burdens on local authorities.
The Department does collect revenue expenditure data from all local authorities in England, including information on social care services—available at
www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/revenueexpenditure/
Transparency should underpin everything that councils do. All council business should be open to public scrutiny—whether it is expenditure, senior pay, council expenses or voluntary sector funding. The Government are consulting on a code of recommended practice to enshrine the principles of data transparency and to set out the minimum data that should be published.
Community Sports Clubs
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on encouraging greater use of school facilities by community sports clubs. [51219]
Andrew Stunell:
The Department for Communities and Local Government has had no discussions with the Department for Education on encouraging the greater use of school facilities by community sports clubs, but we agree that greater use of school facilities by community sport clubs, can promote the benefits of sports, as well as creating a legacy for the school and the community at
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large by strengthening school and local partnership. This kind of partnership will also ensure the school serves the community, with all sections of the community benefiting from increased usage.
The extra revenue for the school can be used to provide extra sports curriculum activities for pupils, as well as helping to reduce overall operating costs where clubs take on the facility management role out of school hours.
Sustainable Development
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the introduction of a presumption of sustainable development in the local planning system with his Department's policies on localism. [50320]
Robert Neill: The presumption in favour of sustainable development will be a central feature of the National Planning Policy Framework, which will allow it to be integrated fully with the Government's wider priorities for the planning system. We will consult on a draft of the National Planning Policy Framework in the summer. Our aim will be to ensure that the presumption supports localism, in particular by bolstering the role of up-to-date plans in planning decisions.
The presumption is part of a wider package of reforms to localise the planning system including the abolition of regional strategies, and, introducing new neighbourhood plans.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Plan for Growth, March 2011, paragraphs 2.11 and 2.12, what definition of sustainable developments his Department uses. [51132]
Greg Clark: Policy on the sustainable development principles that should underpin planning decisions is set out in Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development.
Tenant Services Authority: Furniture
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Tenant Services Authority has spent on office chairs since its creation; and what the (a) make and model and (b) cost was of each type of chair. [51974]
Andrew Stunell: Since its inception in 2008, the Tenant Services Authority has been using the chairs of its predecessor the Housing Corporation.
However, for those staff with an identified need following a display screen equipment assessment, the authority has spent a total of £4,652.84 on ergonomic chairs. The chairs were purchased from DS Ergonomics at an average cost of £465 per chair.
The chairs have been provided to enable the Tenant Services Authority to meet the minimum requirements set out in the schedule to the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 and relevant standards.
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Translation Services
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2011, Official Report, column 956W, on translation services, how much the Audit Commission has spent on translation and interpretation costs for (a) Lithuanian, (b) Mandarin, (c) Polish, (d) Spanish, (e) Sora, (f) Farsi and (g) Albanian in each of the last three years; and what the title is of each document translated. [50875]
Robert Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to my hon. Friend direct.
Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 26 April 2011:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
I have set out below the costs and titles of each document translated in each of the last three years, for the six languages you highlighted in your question.
(a) Lithuanian £171.56
Slides for a presentation to a conference of local government auditors in Lithuania, at which we were invited to speak. All travel expenses and accommodation were paid directly by the conference organisers.
(b) Mandarin £1276.38
Place Survey Project—the government stipulated the requirements of the survey should be available in the most frequently spoken non-English languages. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) wanted the translations to be provided centrally to avoid costs being passed on to individual councils. All costs were recovered from specific funding that DCLG gave the Commission to carry out the Place Survey on its behalf.
(c) Polish £84.00
(d) Spanish £76.60
Notting Hill Housing Trust—Letter to residents
(e) Sora £141.61
Hyde Housing Association—Letter to residents
(f) Farsi £110.46
Stadium Housing Association—Letter to residents
(g) Albanian £94.68
Stadium Housing Association—Letter to residents
Voluntary Organisations: Rights of Way
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has assessed the merits of taking steps to encourage local authorities to allow voluntary organisations to clear rights of way. [51221]
Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government has made no formal assessment of the merits of encouraging local authorities to allow voluntary organisations to clear rights of way, but we are supportive of the right which provides local people the opportunity to enjoy the natural environment with the associated health and community benefits that volunteering in the open air brings. Many local authorities already work with volunteers in green space activities such as clearing rights of way or maintaining local parks or green space.
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Cabinet Office
Census
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what timetable the Office for National Statistics has set for the (a) processing and (b) publication of information and data from the 2011 Census. [52205]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what timetable the Office for National Statistics has set for the (a) processing and (b) publication of information and data from the 2011 Census. (52205).
(a) Data from returned questionnaires will be captured and coded between March 2011 and January 2012.
Statistical results will then be produced and quality assured by July 2012.
(b) The first statistics—population counts for each local authority broken down by age and sex—will be published in July 2012. More detailed statistics about the population will then be published over the following year. A timetable for publication of these more detailed statistics will be produced in summer 2011.
Civil Servants: Pensions
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) whether he has carried out an impact assessment of the proposed changes to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme; and what estimate he has made of the effect on the opt-out rate from the scheme of implementing such changes; [52246]
(2) what arrangements are in place to ensure that the changes to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme are sustainable and progressive; [52268]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effects of the proposed changes to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme on part-time members of staff who are members of the scheme. [52269]
Mr Maude: At the Spending Review the Government announced changes to the level of employee contribution rates which would lead to total savings of £2.8 billion a year by 2014-15, to be phased in from April 2012. Discussions about how this will be implemented are ongoing with unions in the context of wider ranging pension discussions. The Government will put forward proposals in the summer, and will then begin formal consultation on the necessary changes to scheme regulations. Assessing the likely impact of the changes to part-time staff will be part of this consultation process.
The Government are committed to protecting low earners and ensuring changes are both sustainable and progressive.
The Treasury published an estimate of likely opt-out rates at the Spending Review:
http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_policycostings.pdf
This estimate has been scrutinised by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, and will be reviewed when the Government puts forward final designs.
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Civil Service: Pensions
Michael Fallon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average pension was of civil servants in each region in the latest period for which figures are available. [51310]
Mr Hurd: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Deaths: Milton Keynes
Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths in Milton Keynes were (a) alcohol and (b) drug-related in each of the last five years; and how many of those who died were aged (i) under 18, (ii) 18 to 24, (iii) 25 to 40 and (iv) over 40 years of age. [51930]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many deaths in Milton Keynes were (a) alcohol and (b) drug-related in each of the last five years; and how many of those who died were aged (i) under 18, (ii) 18 to 24, (iii) 25 to 40 and (iv) over 40 years of age. (51930)
The tables attached provide the number of deaths where the underlying cause was (a) alcohol-related (Table 1) and (b) drug poisoning (Table 2), for persons aged (i) under 18, (ii) 18 to 24, (iii) 25 to 40 and (iv) over 40 years, in Milton Keynes unitary authority, for the years 2005 to 2009 (the latest year available).
Figures for alcohol-related deaths in the UK, England and Wales, and government office regions are published annually on the National Statistics website at:
www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14496
Figures for deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales by sex, age, cause and substance involved are published annually on the National Statistics website at:
www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=11695
| Table 1: Number of deaths where the underlying cause of death was alcohol-related, Milton Keynes unitary authority, 2005 to 2009 (1,2,3) | |||||
| Persons | |||||
| Age group | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific conditions which are included in the National Statistics definition of alcohol-related deaths, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in Box 1 below. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2011. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. | |||||
| Box 1: National Statistics definition of alcohol-related deaths | |
| Cause of death | ICD-10 codes |
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| Table 2: Number of deaths where drug poisoning was the underlying cause of death, Milton Keynes unitary authority, 2005 to 2009 (1,2,3) | |||||
| Persons | |||||
| Age group | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The ICD-10 codes for drug poisoning are shown in Box 2 below. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2011. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. | |||||
Departmental Accountancy
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether any ministerial directions have been issued to the accounting officers of his Department since his appointment. [52003]
Mr Maude: I have not issued any ministerial directions to the accounting officer since my appointment.
Departmental Cleaning Services
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make it his policy to require all cleaning contracts held with (a) the Cabinet Office and (b) 10 Downing street to stipulate that the cleaning products used should be EU Ecolabel products accredited by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; and if he will make a statement. [52373]
Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office's Total Facilities Management contract for its central London estate is with EcovertFM. While the contract does not stipulate the use of EU Ecolabel products, wherever possible EcovertFM use environmentally friendly products.
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Departmental Contracts
Tessa Munt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what contracts his Department and its associated public bodies signed with Lockheed Martin in each of the last 10 years; and for what purposes each such contract was let. [50690]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office has not signed contracts with Lockheed Martin in any of the last 10 financial years for which records are available.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) contracted Lockheed Martin on the 2011 Census in England and Wales, for which ONS carried out a fully compliant procurement in accordance with the requirements of European law and the European Union Procurement Directives, which have been incorporated into English law. They were awarded the contract as it offered the best value for money. Cabinet Office ministers approved the contract on 21 August 2008 as its value was above the amount accounting officers could authorise.
The information requested for other associated public bodies is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
Departmental ICT
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether computer systems used by staff in his Department working for (a) the Prime Minister and (b) members of the Cabinet were compromised on any occasion in February 2011. [50938]
Mr Maude: No computer systems used by staff in the Cabinet Office working for (a) The Prime Minister and (b) members of the Cabinet were compromised on any occasions in February 2011.
Departmental Manpower
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people working in (a) 10 Downing street and (b) his Department are not employed by the civil service. [47262]
Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. As well as civil servants, the Metropolitan police, facilities management providers, and other contractors and organisations provide services on the Cabinet Office estate. The number of people working on the Cabinet Office estate who are not employed by the civil service changes on a weekly basis. Providing such information would be at disproportionate cost.
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information he holds on the number of employees of each Government Department and their agencies; and if he will make it his policy to publish monthly information on the number of such employees. [50227]
Mr Maude:
Information on the number of employees in Government Departments and their agencies is published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as
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part of their Quarterly Public Sector Employment Statistics (QPSES). Further information can be found on the ONS website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=13615
The ONS Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) gives more detail on the size and composition of the civil service. Further information can be found on the ONS website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vlnk=2899
Public Bodies Reform Programme
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 March 2011, Official Report, columns 9-10WS, on the public bodies reform programme, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department net of costs incurred in the assumption of additional departmental responsibilities to accrue from the abolition of eight public bodies within his Department's area of responsibility. [48138]
Mr Maude: On 16 March 2011 I issued a written ministerial statement updating Parliament on progress on public bodies reform. That statement also announced that Departments estimate cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
I anticipate net overall administrative savings from reform of Cabinet Office departmental public bodies to be £9.71 million over the spending review period.
Departmental Public Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in his Department has travelled by each such form of transport on government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement; [50074]
(2) how many of his ministerial team have been issued with (a) an Oyster card and (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on Government business. [50164]
Mr Maude: Cabinet Office Ministers regularly travel on public transport. The Cabinet Office has not issued Oyster or travel cards to its Ministers.
Departmental Renewable Energy
Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has plans for the supply of energy from (a) wind, (b) solar, (c) biofuels and (d) other renewable sources to the Government offices and residential accommodation in Downing street. [51704]
Mr Maude: The Government offices and residential accommodation in Downing street are wholly supplied with electricity from renewable sources.
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Departmental Standards
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what definition of open standards in information technology his Department uses; and if he will make a statement. [50706]
Mr Maude: Government currently define open standards, in the procurement of Government ICT systems, as standards which:
result from and are maintained through an open, independent process;
are approved by a recognised specification or standardisation organisation, for example W3C or ISO or equivalent. (NB. The specification/standardisation must be compliant with regulation 9 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006. This regulation makes it clear that technical specifications/standards cannot simply be national standards but must also include/recognise European standards);
are thoroughly documented and publicly available at zero or low cost;
have intellectual property made irrevocably available on a royalty free basis; and
as a whole can be implemented and shared under different development approaches and on a number of platforms.
This definition is included, in “Procurement Policy Note—Use of Open Standards when specifying ICT requirements”, published by Cabinet Office on 31 January 2011. The definition is currently undergoing informal consultation as part of the “UK Government Open Standards Survey” and will be reviewed when this comes to an end on 20 May.
Efficiency and Reform Group
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff are employed in his Department's Efficiency and Reform Group. [46380]
Mr Maude: 598.27 staff (full-time equivalent (FTE)) were employed in the Efficiency and Reform Group on 30 June 2010. This figure had fallen to 528.24 FTE on 28 February, the latest date for which figures are available. Following the Cabinet Office Voluntary Departure Programme, the Efficiency and Reform Group will be resourced from 2011-12 through a flexible resource pool of 400 staff. Additionally an estimated 75 staff will be employed on a short-term basis on one-off projects in 2011-12.
The Efficiency and Resource Group also has responsibility for the delivery functions of Buying Solutions, the Central Office of Information, the National School for Government, DirectGov and My Civil Service Pensions.
New Businesses: Gateshead
Ian Mearns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many business start-ups in Gateshead constituency there (a) were in each year between June 2005 and May 2010 and (b) have been since May 2010. [51597]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
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Letter from Stephen Penneck dated April 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many business start-ups there were in Gateshead constituency (a) in each year between June 2005 and May 2010 and (b) since May 2010. [51597]
Annual statistics on the number of enterprise births are available from 2002 onwards in the ONS release on Business Demography at www.statistics.gov.uk. The table below contains the latest statistics available, which give the number of enterprise births from 2005 to 2009 for the ward areas that cover the new constituency of Gateshead. Information relating to 2010 will be available following release of the latest Business Demography publication, currently scheduled for December 2011.
Table showing Enterprises births in ward areas that cover the new constituency of Gateshead 2005 to 2009
|
|
Births |
Employee Mutuals
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many public bodies have expressed an interest in becoming employee mutuals to date. [35466]
Mr Maude: As my hon. Friend knows, the Government are committed to providing more opportunities for the transfer of responsibility to civil society and the voluntary sector. As part of this, we are introducing new ‘Rights to Provide’ for public sector workers to form employee-led organisations and take over the services they deliver:
Local authority employees will be able to use the Right to Challenge to trigger a procurement process for services, in which they can compete alongside others.
Central Government Departments will develop bespoke Rights to Provide for their employees
Employees across the public sector will exercise Rights to Provide developed on a service-specific basis. The Department of Health has already announced a new Right to Provide in NHS and care services where clinically appropriate.
Numerous employees have already expressed an interest in creating and developing new mutuals. There are now 21 Mutual Pathfinders across a wide range of public services—all forming new mutual organisations, with the support of pro bonomentoring from experts in employee ownership and business management. This is in addition to more than £900 million of NHS spending that will go to social enterprises founded under DH's Right to Request initiative.
Co-Operatives UK, the Employee Ownership Association and Local Partnerships have collaborated to establish the Mutuals Information Service, providing telephone advice and guidance to employees considering mutualisation. The service has taken hundreds of calls since its launch in November; the Cabinet Office is working closely with Central Government groups seeking to mutualise through its recently-announced Enterprise Incubator Unit. The formation of MyCSP as a Mutual Joint Venture has already been announced, and more bodies going down this route will be announced in due course.
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Public Sector: Absenteeism
Pamela Nash: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what targets he has set for the reduction of rates of absence in the public sector. [50937]
Mr Maude: I have not set any targets for the reduction of rates of absence in the public sector. Cabinet Office hosts a regular forum for employers which span the civil service and the wider public, private and voluntary sectors. This forum tackles work force issues and shares best practice on effective ways to reduce sickness absence.
Within the civil service a series of actions are under way to further reduce sickness absence including guidance and support for departmental boards. The Cabinet Office is also reviewing sick pay arrangements across the civil service.
Public Sector: Industrial Disputes
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with which Government departments staff of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat have met to discuss contingency plans to operate services in the event of industrial action by public sector workers since May 2010. [51941]
Mr Maude: The Civil Contingencies Secretariat routinely works with a wide range of departments to ensure robust arrangements are in place to respond to the full range of potentially disruptive challenges to essential services including, for example, staff shortages as a result of sickness, industrial action, or transport disruption. These arrangements equally support essential services’ continuity against the full range of risks in the National Risk Assessment.
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat are working on contingency plans to operate services in the event of industrial action by public sector workers; and how many such staff receive salaries of over (a) £20,000, (b) £50,000, (c) £80,000, (d) £100,000, (e) £130,000, (f) £150,000 and (g) £200,000. [51949]
Mr Maude: A primary task for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat is to work closely with Departments to ensure that they have robust plans in place to minimise the risk of disruption to essential services, in particular through the development of generic capabilities and effective business continuity arrangements. These are designed to support essential services’ continuity against the full range of risks in the National Risk Assessment, for example, staff shortages due to illness or industrial action. No-one in the secretariat earns more than £100,000, and only one earns over £80,000.
Social Security Benefits
Mr Laws: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of (a) men and (b) women in each age group were (i) unemployed and (ii) in receipt of (A) incapacity benefit and (B) employment support allowance in the latest period for which figures are available. [45403]
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Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is set out in the following tables:
| (i) Unemployment levels shown as a proportion of the population, for the three months ending December 2010, United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted. | ||||||||
| Aged | ||||||||
|
|
16+ | 16-64 | 16-17 | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-49 | 50-64 | 65 and over |
| Notes: 1. Percentages are shown to one decimal place. 2. Unemployment proportions are based on the number of people unemployed in the age group divided by the population of the relevant age group. 3. The estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc) Source: Labour Force Survey | ||||||||
| (ii) Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA) and employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants shown as a proportion of the population, August 2010, Great Britain | ||||||
| Aged | ||||||
|
|
16-17 | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-49 | 50-64 | 65 and over |
| (1 )Nil or negligible. Notes: 1. Percentages are shown to one decimal place. 2. Proportions are calculated using Mid 2009 Population, estimates. 3. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS | ||||||
Third Sector
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the (a) initial start-up and (b) ongoing costs of each of the Big Society vanguard areas. [46542]
Greg Clark: I have been asked to reply.
It is estimated that approximately £100,000 per vanguard will be spent to cover the costs of developing and delivering their priorities.
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Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has any plans to monitor changes in levels of spending on the voluntary sector by (a) local authorities and (b) each Government department. [48465]
Mr Hurd: The Cabinet Office is working closely with partners in the voluntary sector and across all levels of Government to understand spending decisions and support the sector through this transitional period.
At a central Government level, officials are currently looking at the best way for departments to regularly report publicly on spending, both in terms of baseline levels and how these levels change through the spending period.
Spending decisions at a local government level are a matter for local authorities. However, at the start of February, the Minister for decentralisation the Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark) wrote to local authorities to gain a better understanding as to how they are strengthening their ties with the voluntary and community sector. Ministers are paying close attention to what local authorities, individuals and community groups have been telling us, and we are considering how best to respond, building on the measures we have already announced to make it easier to build stronger ties with these groups, such as the Community Right to Challenge.
Unemployment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which ward in each parliamentary constituency had the highest level of unemployment in (a) June 2010 and (b) the most recent month for which figures are available; and what the level of unemployment was in each case. [52327]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking which ward in each parliamentary constituency had the highest level of unemployment in (a) June 2010 and (b) the most recent month for which figures are available; and what the level of unemployment was in each case. (052327)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics in line with International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Unfortunately the sample size does not support analyses of unemployment for the requested geography.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Unemployment: Milton Keynes
Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of workless households in Milton Keynes. [51909]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
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Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the recent estimate is for the number of workless households in Milton Keynes (51909).
The most recent estimate of the number of workless households by local area come from the Annual Population Survey (APS), and covers the period January-December 2009. Estimates for the economic activity status of households are only for households containing at least one person aged 16 to 64. A workless household is a household where no individuals aged 16 and over are in employment.
The number of workless households in Milton Keynes in 2009 is estimated to be 12,000. Data on workless households by local area are available on the ONS website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/worklesshouseholdarea.xls
Estimates covering other annual periods (January-December) between 2004 and 2008 are also available via this link.
Voluntary Organisations
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish the targets to be used to measure progress of the Government's Big Society initiative. [39006]
Mr Hurd: The Big Society is about building stronger communities, strengthening the links between individuals and enabling them to come together to solve problems in their local area. There are no targets in place to measure Big Society, although officials are considering innovative ways of tracking the progress of Big Society, without imposing reporting burdens on local initiatives.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the role of the Neighbourhood Helpers scheme in developing the big society; and if he will make a statement. [41883]
Mr Hurd: I am aware of a variety of Neighbourhood Helpers schemes around the country and of the good work they do within communities. In particular, Neighbourhood Helpers offer a level of support from within the community, at a fraction of the cost of public services. My Department is looking to build on this and similar ideas, for example by supporting the development of Time Banking nationally. Government are also developing the Community First fund which will support the creation of new and existing community groups.
Voluntary Organisations: Finance
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to monitor reductions in provision to the voluntary sector by (a) local authorities and (b) each Government Department. [44598]
Mr Hurd: It is for local residents rather than central Government to uphold democratic accountability. As transparency is the foundation of accountability, all council business should be open to public scrutiny—including voluntary sector funding. The Government are consulting on a code of recommended practice to enshrine the principles of data transparency and to set out the minimum data that should be published.
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The Department for Communities and Local Government provides unhypothecated formula grant to local authorities, which they use to meet locally identified priorities. It has no plans to monitor how local authorities spend their formula grant allocations.
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government set out on 1 March his ‘reasonable expectations’ of how local authorities will conduct themselves:
First that councils will not pass on disproportionate cuts to local voluntary and community groups and not inflict bigger reductions to their budgets than the councils take on themselves.
Second that councils will have been talking to voluntary and community groups at a very early stage about how services need to change.
Third that councils give voluntary and community groups at least three months notice when they think they need to end or alter a grant, or other support.
Fourth that they use these three months to give local groups a chance to make their case and suggest alternative ways of redesigning or reshaping the service.
Government Departments, too, need to understand the impact of reductions in provision to the voluntary and community sector, and officials are working together to ensure transparency between departments as decisions are made.
Work and Pensions
Departmental Relocation
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward proposals to relocate (a) staff and (b) offices of his Department to Brighton; and if he will make a statement. [43476]
Chris Grayling: The deployment of staff and efficient use of office space is always subject to review. At the present time, there are no plans to relocate departmental staff and offices to Brighton.
However, one of the Department’s arm’s length bodies, The Pensions Regulator, is currently located in Brighton. As well as their core task of regulating occupational pension schemes, the Regulator’s role is expanding to oversee the compliance of employers with the workplace pension reforms coming into force from 2012.
Child Care Tax Credit
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families in receipt of the childcare element of working tax credit had a child aged two or under in the latest period for which figures are available. [52512]
Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
The number of families benefiting from the child care element of working tax credits with at least one child aged two or under as at December 2010 is 108,520.
This information is based on tax credits snapshot data. More information about these data can be found at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-dec2010.pdf
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households he estimates were receiving assistance with childcare costs where (a) 80% or more and (b) 90% or more were covered in the latest period for which figures are available. [52513]
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Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
The child care element of tax credits in 2010-11 covered up to 80% of child care costs of up to £175 a week for one child and £300 a week for two or more children. From April 2011, the proportion is 70%, reverting back to 2006 levels.
In addition, some families that are also entitled to housing benefit and/or council tax benefit will be able to disregard child care payments from their earnings in housing benefit and council tax benefit. Where this is the case, they may see over 90% of their costs covered. Data showing the number of households benefiting from the additional disregard in those benefits are not available.
Child Support
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the length of time taken to settle child support claims; and if he will make a statement. [50245]
Maria Miller: I have had no specific representations on this issue but I am aware that for some people the length of time to settle their child support claim is unacceptable and MPs’ post bags reflect this. The performance of the Child Support Agency is stable and their December 2010 quarterly summary of statistics shows that:
88.7% of intake received in September 2010 was cleared within 12 weeks.
The Government are continuing to invest in a new streamlined child maintenance scheme to replace the existing CSA schemes. This will be introduced in 2012 and will deliver a significantly improved service for parents. More details are set out in the consultation document:
Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility: the future of child maintenance
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/strengthening-families.pdf
Child: Maintenance
Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Child Support Agency and its successor in ensuring appropriate maintenance payments are made; and what changes he proposes to make under the reformed statutory child maintenance system; [51637]
(2) what steps he is taking to improve the (a) efficiency and (b) effectiveness of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; [51638]
(3) what steps he is taking to ensure that the reformed statutory child maintenance system will provide resident parents with (a) an efficient and (b) a coherent service. [51639]
Maria Miller:
Although the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, which is also responsible for the Child Support Agency, has improved its effectiveness over the past few years, we recognise that much more needs to be done. More than 3 million children live in separated families, but only around 50% of those benefit from an effective maintenance arrangement. In addition the annual running costs of the statutory maintenance scheme are approximately £460 million, on average a
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cost of over 40p for each £1 of child maintenance collected or arranged and this does not represent value for money to the taxpayer.
The consultation document published in January:
Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility: the future of child maintenance
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/strengthening-families.pdf
outlines our assessment of some of the issues of the current system and sets out our plans for the radical re-shaping of the child maintenance system.
We want to make it the norm in society that parents take responsibility for putting in place financial support for their children post separation. Research suggests that just over half of parents currently using the statutory maintenance scheme feel they could make their own financial arrangements for their children with the right help. For those families who cannot make a family-based arrangement, the Government are continuing to invest in a new streamlined child maintenance scheme to replace the existing CSA schemes in order to deliver a significantly improved service.
Cold Weather Payments
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid out in cold weather payments in respect of the weather station area covering Chatham and Aylesford constituency in each of the last five years. [52413]
Steve Webb: The information available is given in the following table.
| Estimated expenditure on cold weather payments in weather stations which covered the Chatham and Aylesford constituency in the last five years | |||||
| £ | |||||
|
|
2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| n/a = Not applicable: the weather station was not used in the cold weather payment scheme in that year. Zero denotes that there were no triggers for that weather station in that winter. Notes: 1. The information provided is management information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have management information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, figures given are estimates. Actuals are not available. 2. A cold weather payment is made to an eligible customer when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0° C or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the customer’s postcode. (When the temperature criterion is met, the weather station is said to trigger.) 3. Some weather stations listed are linked both to an area within the Chatham and Aylesford constituency and also to an area outside of it. Estimated numbers given are for the weather station as a whole, not for the part of the Chatham and Aylesford constituency linked to the weather station. 4. Some postcode to weather station linkages have changed from one year to the next, so estimated numbers are not always comparable from year to year. 5. Estimated numbers are for cold weather payments triggered in the relevant financial year. 6. Cold weather payments are made to benefit units. A benefit unit can be a single person or a couple and can include children. 7. Some benefit units received more than one payment in some years. 8. Estimated expenditure has been rounded to the nearest £100. Sources: Postcode districts in Chatham and Aylesford constituency: analysis of National Statistics Postcode Directory. Postcode district to weather station links: Department for Work and Pensions records. Estimated numbers: scans of benefit computer systems taken at the end of October each year giving the number of potential qualifiers for cold weather payments by weather station; Department for Work and Pensions records of triggers; Department for Work and Pensions records of the total number of payments actually made by benefit computer system and clerically. | |||||
26 Apr 2011 : Column 226W
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in the weather station area covering Chatham and Aylesford constituency qualified for cold weather payments in each of the last five years. [52414]
Steve Webb: The information available is as follows:
| Estimated recipients of at least one cold weather payment in each of the weather stations which cover the Chatham and Aylesford constituency in the last five years | |||||
|
|
2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| ‘n/a’ denotes not applicable. The weather station was not used in the cold weather payment scheme in that year. ‘0’ denotes that there were no triggers for that weather station in that winter. Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, figures given are estimates. Actuals are not available. 2. A cold weather payment is made to an eligible customer when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the customer's postcode. (When the temperature criterion is met, the weather station is said to trigger.) 3. Some weather stations listed are linked both to an area within the Chatham and Aylesford constituency and also to an area outside of it. Estimated numbers given are for the weather station as a whole, not for the part of the Chatham and Aylesford constituency linked to the weather station. 4. Some postcode to weather station linkages have changed from one year to the next, so estimated numbers are not always comparable from year to year. 5. Estimated numbers are for cold weather payments triggered in the relevant financial year. 6. Cold weather payments are made to benefit units. A benefit unit can be a single person or a couple and can include children. 7. Some benefit units received more than one payment in some years. 8. Estimated numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100. 9. The question has been interpreted as requesting the number of people who received at least one cold weather payment as opposed to the number of people who were eligible to receive a payment. Sources: Postcode districts in the Chatham and Aylesford constituency: analysis of National Statistics Postcode Directory. Postcode district to weather station links: Department for Work and Pensions records. Estimated numbers: Scans of benefit computer systems taken at the end of October each year giving the number of potential qualifiers for cold weather payments by weather station; Department for Work and Pensions records of triggers; Department for Work and Pensions records of the total number of payments actually made by benefit computer system and clerically. | |||||
Community Care Grants
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) number and (b) monetary value was of applications for (i) community care grants, (ii) crisis loans and (iii) budgeting loans in Oxford in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what amounts were granted consequent upon such application in each category. [51792]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available. Geographical information is only available by Jobcentre Plus social fund budget area or Government office region.
Crisis Loans: Vale of Clwyd
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many crisis loans have been granted to residents of Vale of Clwyd constituency in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [51768]
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Steve Webb: The information requested is not available at constituency level but only by Jobcentre Plus Social Fund budget area or Government office region.
Departmental Public Appointments
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2011, Official Report, column 856W, on departmental public appointments, for what reasons the answer referred to a website which does not provide current information; and how many (a) men and (b) women who held public appointments in bodies sponsored by his Department are no longer in those roles as a result of decisions to merge, close or reorganise such bodies taken since his appointment. [51443]
Chris Grayling: My previous answer referred the hon. Lady to the latest available published information.
I can now inform the hon. Lady that as a result of decisions to merge, close or reorganise public bodies sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions:
(a) Five men and ten women who were public appointees, are no longer in those roles; and
(b) Subject to Royal Assent of the Public Bodies Bill, a further eight men and six women, who are public appointees, will no longer be in those roles.
Departmental Travel
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are entitled to travel first class by rail within the UK. [47063]
Chris Grayling: DWP have an outright ban on first class travel, with one exception, staff with a disability/medical condition who can not secure suitable standard class facilities are still permitted to travel in first class.
Regulation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what regulations his Department introduced between 9 and 28 February 2011. [46953]
Chris Grayling: The information is contained in the following table.
| SI Number | Title | Made | Laid | Coming into force |
|
The Employment and Support Allowance (Limited Capability for Work and Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 |
Disability Living Allowance
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to encourage local authorities to provide support to those who will no longer meet eligibility criteria for disability living allowance. [43149]
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Maria Miller: As part of the reform of DLA mobility, we are exploring the current responsibilities of local authorities and looking at what they provide in practice.
We will ensure that when we introduce personal independence payment from April 2013 it treats disabled people fairly, regardless of their place of residence; reducing overlaps of public spending, not disabled people’s ability to get out and about.
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the potential effects of his planned changes to disability living allowance on charitable organisations. [45100]
Maria Miller: We are working with disabled people and organisations who represent them on the detailed design and delivery of personal independence payment. This will help inform our understanding of the impacts of changes on both disabled people and any impacts on disability organisations.
We are still working on the design of the assessment and the operational processes and intend to continue working with disabled people and disability organisations as we take this work forwards. We would expect individuals to be accessing the relevant support services, regardless of benefit receipt.
The Department will continue to work closely with the charity Motability to understand the impacts of the reformed system of personal independence payment on Motability. Motability will continue to play an important role, going forward, in supporting the mobility of severely disabled people who are entitled to mobility component of personal independence payment.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to reduce the number of claimants in receipt of disability living allowance for (a) mobility component and (b) care component at the higher rate. [50439]
Maria Miller: From 2013-14 disability living allowance will be replaced by personal independence payment, a new, more transparent and sustainable benefit with an objective assessment of individual need.
We are finalising the design of personal independence payment. The assessment will look at people as individuals, rather than labelling them as part of a group, or with a particular health condition or impairment. As the new assessment is not launched I am unable to predict the outcome of the assessment and precisely which individuals will see a change in entitlement.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2011, Official Report, column 43W, on disability living allowance, if he will estimate the cost of providing the mobility component of the allowance to new and existing child claimants in each of the next four financial years. [50445]
Maria Miller: The following table shows forecast of expenditure on mobility component of DLA for children in each of the next four financial years.
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|
|
Expenditure (£ million) |
| Notes: 1. Expenditure has been rounded to the nearest million pounds. 2. Figures are based on the Budget 2011 forecast and include the delay to the care homes measure. Source: Budget 2011 Expenditure Forecast. | |
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of the disability living allowance for the (a) mobility component and (b) care component at the higher rate in each of the last five years. [50523]
Maria Miller: The information is as follows:
| Disability living allowance recipients with higher rate care component or higher rate mobility component | ||
| As at August each year | Higher care rate | Higher mobility rate |
| Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data are for the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. DLA recipients can be paid both the higher rate for care and the higher rate for mobility 4. These figures are published at http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 100% WPLS | ||
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled children living in a residential school or care home were in receipt of the mobility component of disability living allowance on the most recent date for which figures are available. [51724]
Maria Miller: There are 2,000 children in residential care (which includes children in residential special schools) of which 1,200 are in receipt of the lower rate mobility component and 800 are in receipt of the higher rate component.
Disability Living Allowance: Further Education
Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to reduce barriers to attending further education courses away from home for individuals in receipt of mobility allowance. [41398]
Maria Miller:
The Department for Work and Pensions administers the mobility component of disability living allowance. This benefit is paid in respect of a person’s mobility needs and is for them to meet any needs as they
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choose, including the additional disability related travel cost an individual may incur as a result of attending a further education course.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which has policy responsibility for further education, supports schemes, such as the Residential Support Scheme and Adult Discretionary Learner Support, that facilitate access to further education by disabled people. Through Additional Learning Support there is also direct support for FE colleges and training organisations to enable them to help learners access, progress towards and successfully achieve their learning goals.
Disability Living Allowance: Motherwell
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the level of disability living allowance payments in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency in (a) April 2011 and (b) April 2012. [51266]
Maria Miller: The information requested is not available as forecasts are not made at constituency level.
The latest information available is from August 2010, which gives the average weekly amount of disability living allowance payments for Motherwell and Wishaw constituency as £75.48.
Uprating is 3.1% in 2011 and the Office of Budgetary Responsibilities assumption for 2012 is that uprating will be 4.3%.
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of disability living allowance in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency will be subject to objective assessment in 2011-12. [51308]
Maria Miller: From 2013 disability living allowance for people of working age will be replaced by personal independence payment, a new, more transparent and sustainable benefit with an objective assessment of individual need. We will begin reassessing working-age individuals in receipt of DLA using the new objective assessment for personal independence payment from 2013.
Until 2013, new claims to DLA and changes of current DLA claims will continue to be assessed using the current process.
In 2010-11 there were around 30,000 face-to-face medical examinations conducted across Great Britain to help determine eligibility for DLA, at new claim and renewal of awards(1). We are unable to provide an estimate for the number of face-to-face medical assessments expected to take place in Motherwell and Wishaw in 2011-12.
(1) This figure is from an Operational data source which does not capture all DLA activity, however we know that around 90% of new claim and renewal decisions are recorded in this data. This limitation means that this result should be treated as an estimate only.
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the reduction in monetary value of disability living allowance paid to claimants in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency as a result of the consumer prices index replacing the retail prices index for uprating of benefits and tax credits in 2011-12. [51309]
26 Apr 2011 : Column 231W
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 disability living allowance and attendance allowance.
We believe that the CPI is a more appropriate and stable measure of the cost of living for recipients of disability living allowance and attendance allowance than the retail price index (RPI) because the cost of goods and services which are used to measure it are more relevant to these benefit recipients. CPI is also the headline of inflation in the UK and the one that is reported in the press and is internationally recognised.
The information is in the following table.
| £ | ||
| Rate of DLA | 2011-12 Projected rates uprated by RPI | 2011-12 Actual rates uprated by CPI |
| Notes: Actual 2011-12 rates are calculated by adding CPI (3.1%) to 2010-11 rates. These in turn were 1.5% higher than 2009-10 rates. Under the previous policy, in order to recover the 1.5% advance in 2010-11 (when the RPI figure driving uprating was negative), 2011-12 rates would have been 2009-10 rates plus RPI (4.6%), yielding a slightly lower figure. All calculations are rounded to the nearest 5p. | ||
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the weekly cost to the public purse of payments of disability living allowance in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [51314]
Maria Miller: The average weekly cost of paying disability living allowance in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency in 2009-10 was £549,000.