Midwives: Manpower
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 April 2011, Official Report, column 680W, on midwives, whether the figures provided in the answer include management staff. [53176]
Anne Milton: The answer of 4 April 2011, Official Report, column 680W, was based on the number of full-time equivalent registered midwives working in the national health service and did not include managers.
Muscular Dystrophy
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the NHS East of England Specialised Commissioning Group in recruiting and appointing three neuromuscular care advisors for the region; and if he will make a statement. [53639]
3 May 2011 : Column 704W
Paul Burstow: We have been advised by the East of England Strategic Health Authority that the East of England Specialised Commissioning Group is working with the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign to confirm arrangements for the recruitment of three East of England Neuro-muscular Care Pathway Co-ordinators. The East of England Specialised Commissioning Group expects to advertise the posts during May.
Neurological Conditions: Health Services
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to implement the quality requirements set out in the National Services Framework for Long Term Neurological Conditions. [52946]
Paul Burstow: The White Paper “Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS” places outcomes at the heart of health policy and this fits well with the aspirations of the national service framework for long-term conditions (the NSF). The NSF focused on achieving a better experience and better outcomes for those with a long-term condition but did not prescribe the processes by which this should be achieved. Delivery was left by the last Government to the national health service to resolve locally.
Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill through Parliament, general practitioner (GP) led commissioning consortia will be responsible for commissioning the great majority of NHS services. GPs, in partnership with other local health care professionals such as therapists and community nurses, are best placed to understand the health needs of local populations and how to work with their local populations—including patient-led organisations such as the Neurological Alliance’s Commissioning Support organisation, and other service users—to design services that meet those needs.
The NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for assessment of the performance of GP consortia. The board will draw on the national outcome goals in the NHS outcomes framework to develop a new commissioning outcomes framework. Measures from the commissioning outcomes framework will be used by the board to hold GP consortia to account for the quality of services they commission and the health outcomes they achieve for patients.
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people were recorded as having an acquired brain injury in each of the last six years; [52948]
(2) how many people suffered a traumatic brain injury in each of the last six years; and how many of those received post acute care; [52949]
(3) who will be responsible for commissioning specialist brain injury rehabilitation services under his proposals for the reorganisation of the NHS. [52950]
Paul Burstow: Brain injury rehabilitation services are classed as a specialised service, and are currently commissioned by 10 regional groups. The Health and Social Care Bill sets out our intention that specialised services will be commissioned in the future by the NHS Commissioning Board.
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Information on the number of people recorded as having a traumatic brain injury in each of the last six years is not collected centrally.
All those who suffered a traumatic brain injury will have received some form of post-acute care.
Neuromuscular Services: South East England
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the NHS South East Coast Specialised Commissioning Group on recruiting and appointing a neuromuscular care advisor for the region; and if he will make a statement. [52992]
Paul Burstow: We have been advised by the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority that the South East Coast Specialised Commissioning Group is working with the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign to confirm arrangements for the recruitment of a South East Coast Neuro-muscular Care Pathway Co-ordinator. The post will be advertised with a view to a suitable candidate commencing the role by the end of summer 2011.
NHS Blood and Transplant
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what in-house functions his Department is assessing as part of the review of NHS Blood and Transplant; whether members of the public are able to monitor progress in the review; and if he will take steps to ensure that private companies are able to tender to deliver any services that the review concludes should be outsourced. [53308]
Anne Milton: The review is examining NHS Blood and Transplant’s (NHSBT’s) non-donor facing activities such as information technology, estates, testing, processing and logistics, to help NHSBT further improve the efficiency of its operations. The review is currently a work in progress and there are no plans to report publicly on the interim stages of the process. A final report will come to Ministers for their consideration in the summer.
If, in the future, NHSBT chooses to hold a competitive tendering exercise for work that assists it in carrying out its functions, that will be a matter for NHSBT. Any public procurement has to follow the good practice of having an open and competitive process.
NHSBT will remain in the public sector and remain accountable to the Secretary of State for Health for all of its functions.
NHS: Drugs
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he expects the (a) National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and (b) Advisory Group for National Specialist Services to develop a separate appraisal mechanism for orphan and ultra-orphan drugs; [53258]
(2) what powers he has to direct the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to (a) adapt existing and (b) adopt new appraisal mechanisms. [53259]
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Mr Simon Burns: We have no plans to ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) or the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services (AGNSS) to develop separate appraisal mechanisms to appraise orphan and ultra-orphan drugs.
The vast majority of new drugs and significant licence extensions are considered through the topic selection process for NICE’s technology appraisal programme. If NICE considers that by undertaking an appraisal it would not be able to add value, then for high cost, low volume drugs for very rare conditions, NICE can send the technology to AGNSS for assessment for possible inclusion in the arrangements for national specialised commissioning.
Under section 8 of the National Health Service Act 2006, the Secretary of State for Health can direct NICE as he deems necessary. However, Ministers are clear that NICE is an independent body and must be free to develop its own technology appraisal processes and methods.
NHS: Reorganisation
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has considered piloting his proposed NHS reforms in one or more geographical areas. [52381]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government's proposals for modernising the national health service consist of several different, mutually-reinforcing policies, which it would not be possible to test together as a formal pilot scheme. However, in response to consultation on the NHS White Paper, we have set up a pathfinder programme for emerging general practitioner consortia, and invited early implementers to explore the development of health and well-being boards in local authorities. There are now pathfinder groups covering nearly 90% of the country, and 90% of local authorities have come forward to be early implementers. In addition, the changes are being phased carefully over four years, allowing time to plan, test and learn.
In the meantime, we have announced a pause in the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, to engage further on our proposals with staff, patients and the public.
Nurses: Manpower
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the change in the number of qualified nursing jobs in the NHS to 2015. [52991]
Anne Milton: It is not possible to estimate the change in the number of qualified nursing jobs in the national health service to 2015. This will not be known until the new organisations that will underpin the new system have been designed in more detail.
At present, it is the responsibility of local NHS organisations to plan and deliver a work force appropriate to the needs of their local population, based on clinical need and sound evidence.
We are investing £11.5 billion extra in the NHS over the next four years, a sign of our commitment to protecting frontline services, but we also need to be more efficient and those efficiency savings will also be ploughed back into the frontline.
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Pesticides: Poisoning
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the incidence of pesticide poisoning was per 100,000 population in each region in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; [52323]
(2) how many UK citizens were diagnosed with pesticide poisoning in each of the last 10 years. [52332]
Anne Milton: This information is not available. Data on the incidence or diagnosis of pesticide poisoning are not available for the United Kingdom or by region.
Prosthetics
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on all prosthetic treatment in 2009-10. [52710]
Paul Burstow: This information is not held centrally.
Funding for prosthetic care and services is provided within the national health service budget and allocated through local determination by individual primary care trusts.
Surgery: Children
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he has taken account of the potential travel times to children's heart surgery units in determining the number and location of such units; [52719]
(2) when he expects to publish the favoured reconfiguration option for children’s heart surgery units; and what processes will be gone through before he makes his decision. [52720]
Mr Simon Burns: The “Safe and Sustainable” review of children’s heart services in England is being conducted by the NHS Specialised Commissioning Team. We have however, been following its progress.
The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) has been established as the formal body to undertake the consultation on the “Safe and Sustainable” review and to take the decision on the best reconfiguration option after analysis of the review responses.
A number of key criteria were taken into account when determining the options on number and location of children’s heart surgery units, which are currently out to consultation. These included travel times. The pre-consultation business case sets out details of the travel time analysis for all of the options. More information is at:
www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/library/30/Safe_and_ Sustainable_Review_of_Childrens_Congenital_Cardiac_ Services_in_England_Pre_Consultation_Business_Case_l.pdf
No decision has yet been made on the number and locations of children’s heart surgery units. The proposed options for children’s heart surgery units are currently being consulted on. The consultation concludes on 1 July 2011 and includes a number of public consultation events across England and Wales as well as focused events with relevant professional associations.
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The JCPCT will consider an independent analysis of the consultation responses, reports from overview and scrutiny committees, and a health impact assessment. The JCPCT is expected to make a decision in the autumn of 2011 and this will be published shortly afterwards.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts takes into account co-location capabilities in its consultation on the future of children's heart units. [53235]
Mr Simon Burns: The ‘Safe and Sustainable’ review of children's heart services in England is being conducted by the NHS Specialised Commissioning Team. We have however been following its progress.
Co-location capabilities will be taken into account by the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts in the consultation on the future of children's heart units.
Sir Ian Kennedy and his panel assessed the units against a number of service standards which included consideration of co-location. His findings and recommendations, including those on the extent to which the units meet the co-location requirements, have been considered by the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts in its deliberations. Sir Ian's full report is in the public domain and is available on the NHS Specialised Services website at:
www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/safeandsustainable
Tattooing
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will (1) examine the (a) use of new tattoo removal products, including E-raze and (b) potential health effects of the use of such products; and if he will make a statement; [52768]
(2) consider the merits of measures to control the use of tattoo removal products; and if he will make a statement. [52770]
Anne Milton: The Health and Safety Executive has published information and advice for local authorities on tattoo removal by chemical methods, in Local Authority Circular 14/l(Micro-pigmentation, semi-permanent tattooing and semi-permanent make-up), a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Health and safety at work legislation applies to the use of such products, and we have no current plans to introduce additional measures to control their use.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider the merits of offering free immunization against hepatitis B to workers in the tattooing and piercing industries; and if he will make a statement. [52769]
Anne Milton: Hepatitis B immunization is recommended by the Health and Safety Executive for individuals carrying out cosmetic piercing or tattooing because of the occupational risk of infection. The principle of immunizations required for occupational reasons not being provided free by the national health service for non-NHS workers, is well established, and we see no reason to make an exception in this case.
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Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider the merits of regulation of the sale of tattooing and body piercing equipment on auction websites; and if he will make a statement. [52771]
Anne Milton: We have no current plans to introduce specific legislation to regulate the sale of tattooing or cosmetic piercing equipment.
Tattooing and cosmetic piercing businesses are regulated by local authorities, which have powers to require them to be registered and observe local byelaws relating to cleanliness and hygienic practice. It is a criminal offence for such businesses to trade if they are not registered with the local authority or to breach local byelaws. Local authorities also have general enforcement powers relating to such businesses under health and safety at work legislation.
Legislation relating to general product safety is relevant to sales of tattooing or cosmetic piercing equipment to the public.
Tobacco: Industry
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to ensure that organisations who engage with his Department on tobacco control which are linked to or receive funding from (a) the pharmaceutical industry and (b) the public purse disclose any links with or funding received from the tobacco industry. [53005]
Anne Milton: In March 2011, the Government published ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A tobacco control plan for England’. Chapter 10 of the plan sets out that:
“In the future, organisations engaging with the Department of Health on tobacco control, for example by responding to consultation exercises, will be asked to disclose any links with, or funding received from, the tobacco industry.”
A copy of the plan has already been placed in the Library.
UN Summit on Non-communicable Diseases
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will request that the Prime Minister attend the High Level UN Summit on Non-communicable Diseases on 19 to 20 September 2011. [52309]
Anne Milton: As with all United Nations General Assembly meetings, we will be deciding closer to the time how best to represent United Kingdom interests at the United Nations High Level meeting on non-communicable diseases. The decision on attendance will certainly take into account the importance the UK Government place on tackling the burden of non-communicable disease domestically and globally, as well as the need for efficient use of taxpayers' money in funding overseas trips.
International Development
British Overseas Territories: Finance
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the criteria of poverty reduction, results and value for money were used to determine the budget line for the Overseas Territories in his Department's bilateral aid review. [51877]
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Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is obliged under the UN Charter to promote the well-being of the inhabitants of the Overseas Territories (OTs). The 2002 International Development Act exempts the Territories from the poverty criteria that apply to the rest of the aid budget. Successive White Papers on international development, including those produced since 1997, have committed the British Government to meeting the “reasonable needs” of the OTs as a first call on the aid budget.
Rigorous results and value for money assessments form part of aid settlements that are agreed with OT governments requiring assistance from the British Government. Capital investments and technical co-operation programmes agreed with OT governments are subject to competition to ensure the best value for taxpayers. Commitments are monitored regularly. The Department for International Development (DFID) now uses Her Majesty's Treasury's business case model for all new investments. This further ensures that aid spent in the OTs is focused on clear results and value for money outcomes. Unlike DFID's country aid relationships, our support to the territories is not discretionary. The ultimate goal is to accelerate aid-dependent territories towards self-sufficiency.
Conflict Prevention: Finance
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department provided in funding to the Conflict Pool in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [53754]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Conflict Pool’s resources are part of a separate HM Treasury settlement on conflict resources which is managed jointly by the Department for International Department (DFID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Conflict funding for 2008/09 and 2009/10 was provided as part of the 2007 comprehensive spending review (CSR) settlement. In 2008/09 the Conflict Prevention Pool and the Stabilisation Aid Fund disbursed around £185 million. In 2009/10, the two funds were merged to create the Conflict Pool, which disbursed around £180 million.
All three Departments can provide additional funds to the pool for specific purposes when required. In 2008/09, DFID provided £1.2 million to supplement specific Conflict Prevention Pool programmes in South Asia and Africa. In 2009/10, FCO, MOD and DFID together provided an additional £20 million for stabilisation activities in Helmand, of which DFID’s share was £11.5 million. All DFID contributions are subject to the rules governing official development assistance (ODA) spending laid down by the OECD’ Development Assistant Committee.
Developing Countries: Children in Care
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how much his Department has spent (a) directly and (b) through multilateral agencies on reducing the use of large-scale institutional care for children in developing countries in the last five years; [51726]
(2) what steps his Department has taken to reduce the use of large-scale institutional care for children in developing countries in the last five years; and what
3 May 2011 : Column 711W
plans he has to fund projects to prevent vulnerable children from being separated from their parents and entering large-scale institutional care. [51727]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not supported programmes with the specific aim of preventing children entering institutional care. However DFID is working with partner country governments, UN agencies and civil society to improve the lives of children in developing countries, protect vulnerable children from violence and abusive behaviour and enable poor families to care for their children. DFID is doing this through comprehensive health and education programmes, cash transfers and programmes to strengthen the capacity of governments and community-based organisations to care for vulnerable children. For example, DFID is supporting UNICEF programmes aimed at increasing family, community and government support for orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS in southern Africa.
DFID is strongly committed to working towards children achieving their full potential as expressed in the UN Convention on the rights of the child, which is a powerful tool for engaging on child rights and the millennium development goals.
Developing Countries: Food
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution his Department (a) has made to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme since 2009 and (b) plans to make to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme in each of the next four financial years. [51911]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not contributed to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme. Ministers are still considering whether providing funds for this programme would represent value for money and make a significant, additional contribution to our support for food and nutritional security in developing countries.
Development Education: Wales
Mr David: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions his Department has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on the delivery of development education and global learning in schools in Wales. [51861]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Officials from the Department for International Development (DFID) have regular discussions with officials from the Welsh Assembly Government on the delivery of development education and global learning in schools in Wales.
DFID's support for programmes to raise awareness of international development, including for development education across the UK, is currently being reviewed. the outcomes of the review will be shared with the Welsh Assembly Government.
Mr David: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria he uses to determine the level of funding his Department provides for organisations that provide development education in England and Wales. [51866]
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Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) development awareness activities, including development education programmes across the UK, are currently being reviewed.
Mr David: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consultation his Department undertook before reaching its decision to end the core funding of Cyfanfyd in Wales. [51871]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) provided a grant to Cyfanfyd, the development education centre for Wales, from April 2006 to September 2010. Following a consultation in 2009-10, Cyfanfyd were informed in February 2010 that DFID could not guarantee further direct funding after that grant period ended. This was confirmed in August 2010. DFID's support for programmes to raise awareness of international development, including for development education across the UK, is currently being reviewed.
Ethiopia: Schools
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to his Department's bilateral aid review, what estimate he has made of the cost of putting 2 million children into school in Ethiopia by 2015. [53751]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: It costs £20 per year to send one child to primary school in Ethiopia, so the total cost to put 2 million children into primary school will be £40 million per year.
This represents extraordinary value for money. The low income country average equivalent figure is £60 per child per year, three times the cost in Ethiopia.
As well as financing enrolment and completion of primary education in Ethiopia, the Department for International Development (DFID) is also supporting efforts to improve the quality of primary and secondary education, and to reduce inequities in access, both between girls and boys and geographical regions. To help keep children in school and improve their results, DFID will pilot innovative ‘results-based aid’, paying for results by giving a financial incentive for each additional girl and boy that sits and passes their grade 10 examinations.
International Assistance
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the outcomes were of the World Bank spring meetings held on 15 to 17 April; and if he will make a statement. [53648]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Discussions at the World Bank spring meetings focused on the Bank's work in fragile and conflict affected states and current events in the Middle East and North Africa. I am pleased that, at those meetings, the World Bank agreed to strengthen its support to the region, working with governments and relevant multilateral, regional and bilateral organisations. Governors endorsed the World Development Report on Conflict, Security and Development, and encouraged the Bank to incorporate lessons from the report into its policies and operations in order to improve performance in fragile states.
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The World Bank approach to energy was also discussed. In my statement to the World Bank Development Committee I emphasised the importance of the Bank's role to support the global climate change agenda, including by promoting renewable energy sources. I indicated that we would continue to work closely with the Bank on this agenda, which includes its forthcoming energy strategy.
World Bank Governors also addressed ongoing concerns about food price volatility, the Bank's role as interim trustee of the Green Climate Fund, and the World Bank Group's strategic direction.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department plans to allocate to the Central Emergency Relief Fund in each year to 2013. [53649]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) provided £40 million to the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) in December 2010, to cover the calendar year 2011. Further allocations for the calendar years 2012 and 2013 have not yet been finalised. This is being considered as part of DFID’s response to the Humanitarian and Emergency Response Review (HERR). I will make a statement to the House on my Department’s strategy during May 2011.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he raised the issue of the World Bank's funding of fossil fuel projects at the World Bank spring meetings in April 2011. [53735]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: In my statement to the World Bank Development Committee I emphasised the Bank’s role to support the global climate change agenda, including by promoting renewable energy sources. I indicated that we would continue to work closely with the Bank on this agenda, which includes its forthcoming energy strategy. My statement is available on the World Bank website at:
http://archive.iwlearn.net/web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DEVCOMMEXT/0,,menuPK_60001657_ pagePK_64001141_piPK_64001176_theSitePK_277473,00.html.tmp
The Department for International Development (DFID) has actively engaged with the World Bank as it has developed its energy strategy. DFID has strongly supported the World Bank ambition to increase lending for clean energy and the Bank's shift away from lending for coal fired power stations.
Voluntary Work: Young People
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of applications received for the International Citizen Service were from people on low incomes. [51878]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: International Citizen Service is a new scheme. The pilot phase opened for applications on 9 March 2011. The agencies implementing the pilot are in the process of analysing the early application data, including information collected on the household income of applicants. This will be made publically available in due course.
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Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many applications his Department has received for the International Citizens Service to date. [51879]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: As of 31 March 2011, International Citizens Service had received 814 applications.
Deputy Prime Minister
Absent Voting: Fraud
Michael Fallon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to minimise fraud in postal voting for the 2011 elections and referendum; and if he will make a statement. [53681]
Mr Harper: Postal voters at the polls being held on 5 May 2011 will have been required to provide their signature and date of birth as personal identifiers when they applied for a postal vote. The personal identifiers must be replicated by postal voters when they cast their postal vote, and they will be cross-checked with the original samples to ensure votes are valid. Legislation requires returning officers and counting officers to undertake a minimum of 20% verification of personal identifiers of postal votes which are returned. For the specific purposes of the referendum on the voting system, the chief counting officer has directed that counting officers will check the personal identifiers on 100% of postal votes.
The Electoral Commission, in conjunction with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, has issued guidance to minimise the potential for malpractice in the electoral process.
The Electoral Commission has led work with police forces, political parties and returning officers to raise awareness of integrity issues and strengthen systems to ensure that fraud is detected and prosecuted and to draw attention to existing good practice. There is evidence of effective working between returning officers and local police at recent elections with the police engaged on election issues and committed to the detection of electoral fraud. This approach is continuing for the polls taking place on 5 May.
The Government will continue to keep procedures under review to ensure that the electoral process is secure.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Further Education: Learning Disability
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Young People's Learning Agency and (b) Skills Funding Agency on monitoring and assessing the quality of further education provision for people (i) with learning disabilities and (ii) with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [51359]
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Mr Hayes: The Young People's Learning Agency and Skills Funding Agency secure the provision of financial resources for education and training for learners above compulsory school age in further education colleges, training organisations, school sixth forms, and academies. Both agencies set conditions of funding, which include minimum levels of performance, assessments of financial health and control and satisfactory Ofsted inspection outcomes.
The arrangements for monitoring and assessing the quality of further education (FE) provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are the same as for other learners. Arrangements to meet the needs of learners, whatever they might be, mean that the specific requirements of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are considered and met.
In February 2011 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published a report entitled ‘National Learner Satisfaction Survey: FE Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities’.
This report showed that learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in FE express high levels of satisfaction with their learning experience, with 90% satisfied—this is comparable with other learners (91%). However, learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are more likely to be extremely satisfied (21 compared with 18%). Three-quarters of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (75%) would speak highly of their provider. They are significantly more likely than other learners to say they would do so without being asked (32 compared with 29%).
Hair Extensions
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether measures are in place to ensure that hair used for hair extensions in the UK does not come from disabled people in foreign countries who have not given consent. [53056]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 28 April 2011]: The UK has no controls on the import of human hair and currently has no plans to introduce any.
Local Enterprise Partnerships
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 29 March 2011, Official Report, column 306W, on local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), what the role of LEPs is in skills and training issues. [51610]
Mr Hayes: Local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) are part of the power shift away from central Government and towards local communities in promoting business and driving local growth. As we said in the White Paper for local growth, the Government do not intend to define LEPs in legislation. We envisage that LEPs could take on a diverse range of roles including private sector job creation and establishing skills and training priorities. Partnerships will differ across the country in both form and functions in order to best meet local circumstances and opportunities. We have not prescribed the leadership roles for LEPs on skills or any other activity to support growth in the local economy.
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A key reform of the skills system is the Government's commitment to freeing colleges and training organisations from central bureaucracy so they can determine the training offer which responds directly to what learners and employers want. Colleges and training organisations will be encouraged to form self-organised networks to engage more easily with LEPs on skills priorities and how they can best be delivered. In turn, we will encourage LEPs to develop effective working relationships with the further and higher education sector to agree, for instance, how to generate the demand for agreed priorities locally.
Misrepresentation
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what regulations or rules govern the use of the words ‘parliament' or ‘parliamentary' in the name or title of non-parliamentary charities, companies and organisations. [53752]
Mr Davey: The words 'parliament' and 'parliamentary' are specified in the Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business Names (Sensitive Words and Expressions) Regulations 2009. The prior approval of the Secretary of State is required before the registration of a company or limited liability partnership in a name that includes either word and before any person, whether or not incorporated, carries on business in the UK under such a name. Before seeking approval, the applicant is required to request both the Corporate Officer of the House of Commons and the Corporate Officer of the House of Lords to indicate whether (and if so why) it has any objections to the proposed name. The application for approval must be accompanied by a statement that the required request for views has been made and a copy of any response.
Shareholders
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what steps he is taking to promote the pursuit of enlightened shareholder value by institutional investors; [52247]
(2) whether he has any plans to make use of the powers under section 1277 of the Companies Act 2006 to introduce mandatory voting disclosure for institutional investors; [52353]
(3) if he will bring forward legislative proposals for provisions for institutional investors comparable to the duties of company directors under section 172 of the Companies Act 2006; [52354]
(4) what his policy is on the fiduciary responsibilities of (a) asset managers, (b) investment consultants and (c) insurance companies in pension provision. [52520]
Mr Davey: Following the call for evidence, ‘A Long-Term Focus for Corporate Britain,’ the Government are considering a wide range of measures and will publish the next steps in the summer.
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the case for a cross-departmental review of the fiduciary obligations of institutional investors. [52519]
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Mr Davey: Although BIS Ministers have not held any discussions with ministerial colleagues on institutional investors’ fiduciary obligations, the Government believe it is important that these obligations are fully understood. Officials from this Department have met officials from other Government Departments to discuss these issues and are considering a range of options.
Students: Finance
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what budget was allocated to communicating student finance arrangements to prospective students in each year from 1999-2000 to 2010-11. [51737]
Mr Willetts: An annual breakdown of expenditure on communicating student finance arrangements, including to prospective students, from 1999-2000 to 2010-11 are provided in the following table. As records are only required to be kept for seven years, not all data are available.
The Student Loans Company was also allocated part of the Department’s publicity budget to provide some technical information to students and from 2009/10 responsibility for providing information to students was delegated to the Student Loans Company. A breakdown of the allocation made by the Student Loans Company is also provided in the table.
The Department considers it essential to ensure that prospective students and their families know about the full package of support available, to support access to higher education. This Department is working with the Central Office of Information to develop an effective and proportionate information campaign.
We have appointed an advertising agency to support this campaign and expect their costs to be in the region of £150,000, including their charges for production of press and online advertisements. The budget for chosen media is yet to be determined.
| £ | ||
| Financial year | Department for Business, Innovation and Skills student finance publicity budget | Student Loans Company communications budget |
| (1) Data not available. | ||
Unionlearn
Priti Patel:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2011, Official Report, columns 720-22W, on trade unions: training, if he will publish a detailed
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breakdown on how all funding from the public purse has been spent by the union learning fund and unionlearn in each year since 2007-08. [53080]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 28 April 2011]: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) provides funding directly to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) under an annual grant agreement to support the Union Learning Fund (ULF) and unionlearn, the TUC's learning and skills organisation. The main purpose of this budget is to enable trade unions and Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) to work with employers, employees and learning providers to encourage greater take up of learning and raise skill levels in the workplace.
A detailed breakdown of the direct grant funding that was allocated by BIS and its predecessor Departments for each of the last three financial years is set out in the following table. Final details for the 2010-11 financial year will not be available until June 2011. The TUC also publishes an annual report for unionlearn which sets out in more detail how the funding has been used each year. The reports for 2008, 2009 and 2010 are available on the TUC's unionlearn website:
http://www.unionlearn.org.uk/publications/index.cfm
| £ | |||
|
|
2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
The TUC has also received funding to support unionlearn activity at a regional level from the Skills Funding Agency (formerly the Learning and Skills Council) and a number of regional development agencies all of which received grant funding from BIS's predecessor Departments. Detailed information relating to such expenditure will be held at a regional level for audit purposes but is not recorded centrally. An exercise to research and collate such information for each SFA region and RDA would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2011, Official Report, columns 720-22W, on trade unions: training, under what budget headings Union Learn spent funding provided by (a) the Union Learning Fund, (b) the Skills Funding Council, (c) the Learning and Skills Council, (d) the European Social Fund and (e) regional development agencies. [49534]
Mr Hayes:
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) provides funding directly to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) under an annual grant agreement to support the Union Learning Fund (ULF) and unionlearn, the TUC’s learning and skills organisation. The main purpose of this budget is to enable trade unions and union learning representatives (ULRs) to
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work with employers, employees and learning providers to encourage greater take-up of learning and raise skill levels in the workplace.
The budget headings under which this grant is provided by the Department, and under which spending is monitored on a monthly basis, are as follows:
Staffing and On Costs,
Other Staff Related Costs,
General Running Costs,
Accommodation and Overheads,
Trade Union Education Support and
ULF (Grants to Unions).
All projects supported under ULF are considered in a competitive bidding process by the Union Learning Fund Assessment Panel, comprising representatives from the Department, the TUC and the Skills Funding Agency (SFA). Each project has a separate contract with the TUC with defined learning targets and budget headings that are linked to project strands and the outcomes of that particular project. Funding is only provided in arrears and on production of evidence of spend against plans by way of invoices and proof of purchase/payment and trade unions code the money in such a way that it is separately identifiable for audit purposes. Information on the budget headings for every project that is supported under ULF is not held centrally by the Department and collating this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The TUC has also received funding to support unionlearn activity at a regional level from the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) (formerly the Learning and Skills Council), the European social fund (ESF) and a number of regional development agencies (RDA). Detailed information on the specific budget headings relating to such expenditure will be held at a regional level for audit purposes but is not recorded centrally. An exercise to research and collate such information for each SFA region and RDA would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
Work and Pensions
Departmental Advertising
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the name is of each public information advertising campaign run by his Department in 2010-11; and how much it has spent on (a) press and (b) television advertising for each campaign. [53474]
Chris Grayling: In 2010-11 there were no public information advertising campaigns run by DWP.
Departmental Communication
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking in its communications to provide for people who are unable to read printed text but can read via e-mail with the assistance of computer software. [52892]
Chris Grayling: The Department does not regularly supply customer communications via e-mail.
We are committed to improving the accessibility of our websites. Most of these are built to meet the W3C
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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (version 1.0) at Level AA, in line with Cabinet Office guidance, and are therefore compatible with assistive technologies.
The Department provides customer information about benefits, pensions and finding a job on the Directgov website. The Directgov website complies with Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
The Department’s consultation and policy documents that are of particular interest to people with disabilities are also available in alternative formats (for example British Sign Language (BSL) video and Rich Text Format files preferred by some screen reader users). Some of these documents can be accessed directly through the Department’s website.
Most of the Department’s website meets Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. We state the areas of the website that do not currently meet Level AA in the Accessibility Policy:
www.dwp.gov.uk/accessibility/accessibility-policy
and we are working to improve these.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what public sector job reduction targets have been set for his Department and its non-departmental public bodies for each of the next 24 months; and what steps he plans to take to meet such targets. [51518]
Chris Grayling: The 2010 spending review was a financial settlement which set the departmental budgets for 2011-12 to 2014-15. No targets were set on job reductions as part of that settlement.
However, the financial settlement will necessitate a reduced level of staffing for the Department in the future. The Department will achieve this reduction through strict control of recruitment; the redeployment of surplus staff where feasible; managing the cessation of fixed term appointment contracts and through natural turnover of staff. Where required, and there is no feasible alternative, the use of early release schemes will be considered.
Departmental Official Cars
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010. [50198]
Chris Grayling: For security reasons, the Department prefers not to give details of individual ministerial journeys.
Nevertheless, in a typical week members of the ministerial team do make regular use of the ministerial car service to travel in an official capacity.
As of 5 April, the Secretary of State, the Minister for Employment and the Minister for Pensions last used the ministerial car service on 4 April.
As of 5 April, the Minister for Welfare Reform last used the service on 1 April and the Minister for Disabled People on 5 April.
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Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements
Disability
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of staff in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies was registered disabled in each of the last five years. [53472]
Chris Grayling: The information is contained in the following table.
The table sets out information about the numbers of staff who have declared themselves to be disabled. Whilst the department encourages staff to make a declaration, declaration is voluntary.
We are aware that not all disabled staff do declare that they consider themselves to be disabled, and the true figure may be higher than the figures shown. For example, the 2010 DWP Staff survey (which is completed anonymously), showed that 11.2% of respondents considered themselves to have a long standing health condition or disability. According to the latest figures provided (December 2010), 6.5% of the workforce have declared themselves to be disabled.
| Date | Department/agency | Percentage disabled |
| Notes: The figures exclude all staff who have not declared their disability status. | ||
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Employers' Liability Insurance
Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2011, Official Report, column 965W, on employers’ liability insurance, on what date he plans to publish his proposals. [52777]
Chris Grayling: I appreciate that the Government’s response to the consultation is taking longer to publish than we had hoped for. However the issues raised are complex and to ensure we get this right we have been in active discussions with all stakeholders since the public consultation closed in May 2010. We are still carefully considering how to progress the matter to achieve an appropriate outcome and we will bring forward our proposals in due course.
Employment and Support Allowance
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate has been made of the number of recipients of contributory employment and support allowance in the work-related activity group (a) with and (b) without one year time-limiting in force in each financial year from 2011-12 to 2015-16; [53298]
(2) what estimate has been made of the proportion of contributory employment and support allowance recipients in the work-related activity group who will be affected by a one-year time limit. [53299]
Chris Grayling: As part of the Welfare Reform Bill, we have set out our intention to introduce a time limit of one year for those claiming contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) and who are placed in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG).
The following table shows the estimated future recipients of contributory ESA in the Work Related Activity Group and Assessment Phase with and without time-limiting in force. Assessment Phase cases have been included as the legislation intends for them to be eligible for time-limiting if their duration on contributory ESA is 12 months or more. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 50,000 claimants and are based on Budget 2011 forecasts.
| Contributory ESA caseload in the WRAG/Assessment Phase | With time limiting in force | Without time limiting in force |
The legislation intends for all recipients of contributory ESA in the WRAG to be eligible for time-limiting after 12 months. It is estimated that in steady state, without time-limiting, around 77% of contributory ESA claimants in the Work Related Activity Group or Assessment Phase would have a duration of 12 months or more. However, latest estimates suggest that of those affected by the proposal to time limit contributory ESA, around
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60% are expected to be fully or partially compensated by income-related ESA, so will retain entitlement to ESA.
More information is available in the ESA Time-Limiting Impact Assessment published on the Department for Work and Pensions website, at the following link:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/legislation-and-key-documents/welfare-reform-bill-2011/index.shtml#ia
Employment Schemes: Scotland
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the subcontractors to the prime contractors for the Work Programme in Scotland; which such subcontractors operate in the (a) private and (b) voluntary sector; which are defined as small and medium-sized enterprises; and what proportion of each prime contract each subcontract represents. [53301]
Chris Grayling: The Department have encouraged and facilitated the Work Programme bidders to engage with voluntary organisations as partners or sub-contractors to deliver the Work Programme. The Work Programme will provide significant opportunities for partnership and collaboration for the voluntary and community sector.
To deliver the overall provision prime contractors will need to underpin delivery by the use of sub-contractors to ensure the individual needs of all customers are met at local level.
As contracts have not yet been awarded I am unable to provide further details at this time.
It is not within the Department's remit to specify the composition of the preferred bidders' supply chain prior to contract award. Post tender discussions are currently under way with preferred bidders and contracts have not yet been awarded.
Further details on the bids and the nature of the contracts will be published post contract award; this may also include additional information regarding the prime providers’ supply chain.
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what involvement the Scottish Government has had in the design and delivery of the Work Programme to address issues specific to Scotland. [53303]
Chris Grayling: The Government have established a Scottish Employability Forum (SEF), jointly Chaired by the Jobcentre Plus Customer Service Delivery and the Scottish Government Director for Life Long Learning.
It is attended by senior representatives of Jobcentre Plus, the Scottish Government, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and other strategic partners, to provide an infrastructure for strategic level discussion and consultation. The SEF is underpinned by the National Delivery Group (its operational arm). This allowed for the Scottish Government, working with Jobcentre Plus and DWP, to have direct input into the development of the Work Programme in Scotland.
Employment Schemes: Voluntary Organisations
Ann McKechin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the
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compatibility with the provisions of EU competition law of setting a requirement in tender criteria for the Work Programme that 30 per cent. of contracts should be awarded to the voluntary sector. [53631]
Chris Grayling: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) did not specify a minimum level of third sector/not for profit participation in the delivery of the Work Programme in the tender criteria, but we did provide information on the current provision and the levels of third sector involvement.
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanism he proposes to use to ensure that at least 30 per cent. of contracts awarded through the Work Programme are directed to companies operating on a not-for-profit basis. [53632]
Chris Grayling: EU procurement regulations preclude us from favouring any sector or being able to stipulate quotas for particular groups, either for prime provider bids or within the bidders’ delivery chain. However, throughout the procurement process DWP has encouraged bidders to engage with the voluntary and community sector.
As part of the evaluation Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) closely scrutinised each bidder’s partnership proposals within their tenders, particularly when considering the supply chain and service requirement criteria, to ensure that the level of community and voluntary sector involvement is commensurate with the needs of Work Programme customers.
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the tender criteria for the award of Work Programme contracts contained an explicit requirement that a minimum percentage of contracts should be awarded to the voluntary sector; and whether the successful tenders in Scotland fulfilled this criterion. [53633]
Chris Grayling: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) did not specify a minimum level of third sector/not for profit participation in the delivery of the Work Programme in the tender criteria, but we did provide information on the current provision and the levels of third sector involvement.
Housing Benefit
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households that will be subject to the total cap on benefit entitlement which live in (a) private rented accommodation, (b) private accommodation obtained by a local authority under prevention and relief of homelessness duties, (c) temporary accommodation, (d) social rented accommodation, (e) owner-occupied accommodation and (f) other forms of accommodation. [53739]
Steve Webb: If the benefit cap is applied in full it is estimated that around 70% of those affected will be living in social housing.
This estimated number of households affected by the benefit cap is based on survey data using the Department for Work and Pension's Policy Simulation Model. Sample sizes are too small to yield reliable results for other sub groups of those affected by the benefit cap.
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Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether bedroom size will be taken into account when determining whether to apply a reduction in housing benefit to social tenants judged to be under-occupying a property. [53741]
Steve Webb: We intend that the minimum size of a room in order to be counted as a bedroom within a property will be determined in a way that is consistent with standards set by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the devolved Administrations and relevant regulatory bodies. This will be established as part of the implementation process.
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the number of bedrooms in a property will be calculated in order to apply any reduction in housing benefit for social tenants determined as under-occupying a property, including how dining rooms, box rooms and living areas are to be distinguished from bedrooms. [53742]
Steve Webb:
We intend that the number of bedrooms within a property will be determined in a way that is
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consistent with standards set by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the devolved Administrations and relevant regulatory bodies. This will be established as part of the implementation process.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants were in receipt of (a) incapacity benefit only, (b) incapacity benefit in combination with any other benefit, broken down by type of benefit, (c) any single benefit other than incapacity benefit, broken down by type of benefit and (d) any combination of benefits, other than those involving incapacity benefit, broken down by type of combination in each of the last five years; and what the average weekly level of benefit received by a claimant was in each category in each such year. [53411]
Chris Grayling: Information on the average weekly amounts in payment for benefit combinations can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The other information requested is given in the following table.
| Client group all ages caseload: Benefit combination at the dates shown. Great Britain and abroad | |||||
| Thousand | |||||
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|
August 2006 | August 2007 | August 2008 | August 2009 | August 2010 |
| (1) Nil or negligible. Notes: 1. Benefits included are jobseeker's allowance (JSA), income support (IS), pension credit (PC), incapacity benefit (IB), severe disablement allowance (SDA), disability living allowance (DLA) (from May 2002), carer's allowance (CA), bereavement benefit (BB)/widow's benefit (WB), state pension, attendance allowance and national insurance credits only (through JSA or IB). 2. Figures are shown in thousands and rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. 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. 4. Caseload data are available on the Department's tabulation tool at: http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | |||||
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Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on incapacity benefit in (a) each region of England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales in the most recent period for which figures are available. [53445]
Chris Grayling: The information is in the table.
| Incapacity benefit expenditure by region, 2009-10 | |
|
|
£ million |
| Source: DWP statistical and accounting data. | |
Regional benefit expenditure data is published at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/la_expenditure.xls
Jobcentre Plus: Social Workers
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unfilled senior care worker posts are listed at Jobcentre Plus. [52785]
Chris Grayling: National statistics on unfilled vacancies held by Jobcentre Plus are published monthly on the NOMIS labour market statistics portal
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk
There are two types of unfilled vacancy data available, total unfilled and live unfilled, and these can be broken down by occupation using the 2000 version of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 2000). The latest data available are for March 2011.
The lowest-level occupational data available on NOMIS are for care assistants and home carers (SOC code 6115). This includes senior care workers, as well as domiciliary care workers, home carers, personal carers, carers (welfare services) and caseworkers (welfare services). The Jobcentre Plus unfilled vacancy data available on NOMIS cannot be broken down any further to identify unfilled vacancies for senior care workers only.
In March 2011, Jobcentre Plus held 42,787 unfilled vacancies for care assistants and home carers. This includes all unfilled vacancies held by Jobcentre Plus including vacancies which have been suspended pending closure, and as such are not available to jobseekers.
The live unfilled vacancies data therefore provide a better reflection of the number of vacancies available to jobseekers. In March 2011, Jobcentre Plus held 30,272 live unfilled vacancies for care assistants and home carers, which includes live unfilled vacancies for senior care workers.
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Jobseeker's Allowance
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseekers who missed interview sessions were contacted by jobcentre staff to prompt their attendance during the Newcastle jobcentre pilot project in 2010; and how many of these (a) lost their benefit and (b) were paid benefit. [52864]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked Darra Singh to reply to your question concerning how many jobseekers who missed interview sessions were contacted by jobcentre staff to prompt their attendance during the Newcastle jobcentre pilot project in 2010; and how many of these (a) lost their benefit and (b) were paid benefit. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Darra Singh as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Darra Singh is currently on annual leave, I am replying in his absence.
In June of 2010, Newcastle-Under-Lyme Jobcentre conducted a short trial during which they tried to contact by telephone jobseekers who had missed a mandatory appointment. Jobseekers were asked to attend the Jobcentre for their appointment the same day to help avoid any potential loss of benefit. The trial was carried out for a period of six weeks. Early evaluation showed that the number of successful calls was very low and the trial was discontinued. No records were kept about the number of jobseekers who lost or were paid benefit as a result of these telephone calls.
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets are set for jobcentre staff in respect of referring jobseekers for sanctions; what criteria are used; and if he will make a statement. [52868]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State for Work and for Pensions has asked Darra Singh to reply to your question asking what targets are set for jobcentre staff in respect of referring jobseekers for sanctions; and what criteria are used. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Darra Singh as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Darra Singh is currently on annual leave, I am replying in his absence.
I can confirm that no such targets exist and that we have reinforced this message to our District Managers. Sanctions should only be made where people have not adhered to their jobseeker obligations.
I hope this information is helpful.
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many payments for jobseeker’s allowance were terminated (a) as a result of employment and (b) for other reasons in (i) each London borough and (ii) the UK in each of the last five years. [53387]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated May 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking;
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how many payments for jobseeker’s allowance were terminated (a) as a result of employment and (b) for other reasons in (i) each London borough and (ii) the UK in each of the last five years. 53387
The tables show a breakdown of the destination of off-flows from Job Seeker’s Allowance recorded by Jobcentre Plus in each year since January to December 2006.
A copy of these tables will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
This information comes from a form completed by Jobcentre Plus employees when terminating a claim. Although effort is made to complete the termination as accurately as possible for each claim, there is a significant proportion where the reason is not specific: such as ceased claiming, not known and failed to sign.
| Table 1 : Destination of off-flows from jobseeker’s allowance for each London borough and the UK from January 2006 to December 200 6 | ||||
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Into paid employment (1) | Other specified reasons | Not known (2) | Total |
| Table 2: Destination of off-flows from jobseeker’s allowance for each London borough and the UK from January 2007 to December 2007 | ||||
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Into paid employment (1) | Other specified reasons | Not known (2) | Total |
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| Table 3 : Destination of off-flows from jobseeker’s allowance for each London borough and the UK from January 2008 to December 200 8 | ||||
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Into paid employment (1) | Other specified reasons | Not known (2) | Total |
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