Parliamentary Questions
Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in his Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister. [79546]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 428W
Miss Chloe Smith: The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers states that a special adviser may review papers going to ministers and give assistance on any aspect of departmental business.
Written Questions
Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by his Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010; [79544]
(2) how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010. [79545]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session are available on the Parliament website.
The information requested is not available. However the most up to date statistics, in the form requested by the Procedure Committee, are set out in the following table:
| Time period | Named day written PQs answered since May 2010 |
Individual Savings Accounts: Environment Protection
Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department plans to introduce individual savings accounts that encourage investment in green industries. [80040]
Mr Hoban: The Government are undertaking analysis into how investment in green industries can be increased. The ISA market is competitive and a number of providers have chosen to offer green, environmental or ethical ISAs.
The Government are currently considering how best to encourage additional investment in green infrastructure through the Green Investment Bank, and proposals on this were announced in Budget 2011 and further details in May 2011.
Public Sector: Pensions
Mr Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional cost to the public purse in cash terms will arise from the Government commitment, announced on 2 November 2011, that individuals within 10 years of receiving their public sector pension on 1 April 2012 will see no change in when they can retire nor any decrease in the pension they receive at their normal pension age. [79452]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 429W
Danny Alexander [holding answer 8 November 2011]: The Government have set out an objective that those public service workers who, as of 1 April 2012, have 10 years or less to their current pension age see no change in when they can retire, nor any decrease in the amount of pension they receive at their current normal pension age.
Schemes and unions will discuss the fairest way of achieving this objective, taking full account of equalities impacts and legislation, and within the Government's parameter that costs to the taxpayer in each and every year do not exceed the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts for public service pensions.
Helen Goodman:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the assumptions used to calculate the values in Table 2.A of Public Service pensions: good pensions that last, what estimate he has
10 Nov 2011 : Column 430W
made of the effect in financial terms of a switch from retail prices index to consumer prices index indexation on
(a)
a nurse retiring on £34,200 per annum,
(b)
a teacher retiring on £37,800 per annum,
(c)
a local government officer retiring on £21,500 per annum,
(d)
a civil servant retiring on £29,800 per annum and
(e)
a health assistant retiring on £14,600 per annum. [R] [79616]
Danny Alexander: The Government announced in the June 2010 Budget that their policy would be to use the consumer prices index (CPI) instead of the retail prices index (RPI) to uprate many benefits and pensions, including public service pensions. Both Houses of Parliament approved this policy decision.
Calculating the figures in Table 2A of ‘Public Service pensions: good pensions that last’, based on an assumption of RPI as the uprating measure rather than CPI, produces the following estimates:
| £ | |||
|
|
Final salary | Value of pension benefits from CARE with 1/60ths accrual | Equivalent pension pot |
| Note: All data and assumptions except the uprating measure are the same as those used in ‘Public Service pensions: good pensions that last’. | |||
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of writing to people affected by planned changes to public sector pensions. [79796]
Danny Alexander: All employers, be they in the public or private sector, are responsible for informing their workforce about changes to their reward packages. Government Departments and public service employers are implementing their own communications activity on pensions reform. The activity is tailored directly to the needs of their staff and includes letters but also communication via other channels, such as e-mail and websites.
We have no central estimate of the extra cost incurred as a result writing to staff, given that many letters will be received through internal post systems and in electronic form. Government Departments have not received any additional funding for this purpose.
The Government are working with the wide range of public service employers to support this communications work. Her Majesty's Treasury has also published web pages that provide information about the proposed reforms to public service pensions, which will be kept up to date.
Revenue and Customs
Paul Uppal: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs has taken to improve efficiency and customer relations in the last 12 months. [79321]
Mr Gauke: In the last 12 months HMRC has been setting and mobilising its plans to deliver its Spending Review 2010 commitments. These are maximising revenue flows, improving customer experience and reducing costs in a sustainable way. More detail is included in HMRC's Change Plan (published in February 2011) and Business Plan 2011-15 (published in May 2011).
HMRC has established a Change Programme to manage and report on progress and delivery.
Taxation: Multinational Companies
Paul Uppal: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals for a multilateral agreement to require multinational mining companies to be more transparent in their overseas tax affairs. [79359]
Mr Gauke: The Government support EU action to develop a reporting system for the extractives sector that matches the standards in the Dodd Frank legislation in the US. On 25 October the European Commission adopted two proposals in this area: the Accounting Directive and the Transparency Directive.
VAT: Sports
Mr Crausby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors he took into account when taking the decision to change the VAT status of sports clubs. [79480]
Mr Gauke: There has been no change to the VAT status of sports clubs.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 431W
International Development
Adam Werritty
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether (a) he, (b) any Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have met (i) Mr Michael Hintze, (ii) Mr Tony Buckingham, (iii) Mr Michael Davis, (iv) Mr Poju Zabludowicz, (v) Jon Moulton and (vi) Stephen Crouch; and where any such meetings took place. [78658]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Details of all Ministers external meetings are available on the DFID website:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/
and are published every quarter in the normal way.
Information for other officials' meetings is not held centrally.
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether (a) he, (b) officials of his Department and (c) special advisers in his Department have met Mr Adam Werritty on official business since May 2010; and how many such meetings took place (i) on his Department's premises and (ii) elsewhere. [78849]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Details of all external meetings are available on the DFID website:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/
and are published every quarter in the normal way.
Information for other officials' meetings is not held centrally.
Research
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's research and development budget was in each of the last five years; and what that budget will be for each year of the spending review period. [78838]
Mr Duncan: The DFID central research budget in each of the last five years and for each year of the spending review period is given in the following table.
|
|
£ million |
Developing Countries: Taxation
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is giving to developing countries to ensure that tax is collected efficiently and effectively. [79322]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 432W
Mr Duncan: The Government are helping to strengthen tax systems in a number of developing countries, including Burundi, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sierra Leone. Support varies from country to country. In Burundi, development assistance through a multi-donor effort is helping to establish an independent Revenue Authority. Over the first nine months of 2011, revenue was 37% above the same period in 2010. In both Bangladesh and Sierra Leone our development assistance is helping to establish a unit to manage large taxpayers. In Bangladesh it is also helping to strengthen the audit function and in Sierra Leone it includes help with introducing new computer systems.
Kyrgyzstan: Overseas Aid
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the (a) monetary value and (b) delivery of humanitarian aid provided by his Department to Kyrgyzstan in the last three years. [79299]
Mr Duncan: In February 2009, DFID contributed £650,000 to the United Nations 2008 Flash Appeal for the Kyrgyz Republic. The appeal aimed to help support the needs of some two million people as well as to ensure continuation of essential services. DFID's support was provided to: (a) the World Food Programme (WFP) to ensure food access for the 580,000 most vulnerable people (£500,000); and (b) the Office of the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Bishkek to strengthen its co-ordination capacity for implementation of the Flash Appeal and design and implementation of early recovery programmes (£150,000).
In 2010, following the violent conflict in the South of Kyrgyzstan, DFID did not directly fund the UN appeal, but made a contribution through a number of international organisations, including: (a) the UN Central Emergency Fund (CERF) which allocated $8 million in response to the situation; and (b) the European Commission which earmarked up to €5 million for emergency aid on top of €6 million allocated from its Instrument for Stability in response to the initial unrest in April 2010 (the UK provided approximately 15% of this EU expenditure).
I have deposited in the Library of the House copies of the UN Flash Appeal 2008 Final Report and Lessons Learned (2009), WFP's Post Distribution Report (October 2009) and UNDP's Report on Addressing Energy, Food and Economic Insecurities in Kyrgyzstan (November 2009).
Somaliland: Overseas Aid
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on projects in Somaliland in the last 12 months. [77074]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: British aid in Somaliland aims to produce results in governance and peace building, maternal and child health, job creation and humanitarian assistance. Some of the results achieved over the past year include:
7,400 new jobs created over the last 12 months as a result of increased farming activities.
3,000 malnourished children treated and clean water provided to 50,000.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 433W
7,000 court cases handled due to improved legal systems within the Somaliland Government.
Britain has provided over £14 million to support projects in Somaliland in the last 12 months.
Work and Pensions
Adam Werritty
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have met (i) Mr Michael Hintze, (ii) Mr Tony Buckingham, (iii) Mr Michael Davis, (iv) Mr Poju Zabludowicz, (v) Mr Jon Moulton and (vi) Mr Stephen Crouch; and where any such meetings took place. [78659]
Chris Grayling: Information relating to meetings between external organisations and this Department's Ministers' and Permanent Secretary is published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website. Links to the relevant pages are as follows:
10 Nov 2011 : Column 434W
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ministers-meetings-overseas.shtml
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ps-meetings-external-orgs.shtml
Information for other officials' meetings is not held centrally.
Construction: Jarrow
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the construction industry were (a) killed and (b) injured in the workplace in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997. [79413]
Chris Grayling: The following table shows the numbers of reportable fatal and non-fatal injuries to workers in the construction industry. This does not include deaths in the workplace unrelated to work activities. The available geographic data do not allow the constituency of Jarrow to be identified.
| Fatal and non-fatal injuries to workers in the construction industry (1) as reported to all enforcing authorit ies 1997-98 to 2010- 11 (2) | ||||||
| South Tyneside (3) | North East (4) | Great Britain (5) | ||||
|
|
Employees | Self-employed | Employees | Self-employed | Employees | Self-employed |
10 Nov 2011 : Column 435W
10 Nov 2011 : Column 436W
| (1) Statistics for the years 1997-98 to 2000-01 are identified by Standard Industrial Classification 1992 (SIC92) Section F—Construction. For the years 2001-02 and on, statistics are presented on the new basis of 'SIC 2007' Section F—Construction. Changes to industrial classifications occur periodically, to reflect how the industrial composition of the economy changes over time. (2) Provisional. (3) Identified by local authority code 4520 'South Tyneside'. (4) For the years 1997-98 to 2000-01, identified by the HSE geographical area for the North East. From 2001-02 onwards, identified by Government Office Region for the North East., Both include South Tyneside LA. (5) Includes North East Government Office Region. | ||||||
Crisis Loans
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average social fund crisis loan was in the last year for which figures are available. [80353]
Steve Webb: Average award figures for all social fund payments are published in annex one to the Annual Report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the social fund. The average social fund crisis loan in 2010-11 was £83.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what means social fund crisis loans are paid to individuals who do not hold a bank or post office account. [80357]
Steve Webb: Crisis loans are normally paid by cheque to applicants who do not have a bank or post office account. In exceptional circumstances cash payments may be made.
Legal Opinion
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times his Department sought legal advice from external counsel in (a) 2007, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) the first six months of 2011. [78057]
Chris Grayling: Regrettably, it is not possible to answer this PQ at a reasonable cost. This is because information is not recorded in this form and in order to establish the answer, it would be necessary to gather together every file over the 3½ year period (the bulk of which would have to be retrieved from store, as non-current files are not retained within offices of the reasons of lack of space) and then have a lawyer go through them to identify each and every occasion on which such advice was sought. Equally, such an exercise would be necessary in relation to each and every court case. In addition, it is possible that such an exercise would not identify every case of oral or telephonic advice. For these reasons the probable cost of answering this parliamentary question would be well in excess of £800.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of his Department's headcount in each of the next three years. [79167]
Chris Grayling: Departmental headcount has been reduced by around 7,000 full-time equivalents since the beginning of the spending review in April 2011. It is estimated that headcount will continue to reduce for the remainder of this year and next year as streamlining and efficiencies are realised.
Headcount levels in the following two years, 2013-14 and 2014-15, will be significantly impacted by the planned introduction of universal credit and migration of claimants from legacy benefits. Work force plans for these years are still being developed and at this stage it is not feasible to provide an estimate of the headcount levels.
Marketing
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on marketing in each month since June 2010. [79162]
Chris Grayling: We do not have a monthly breakdown of marketing spend across the Department.
The following figures are campaign costs across the Department for each financial year.
|
|
£ million |
| (1) 87% reduction on 2009-10. A proportion of this expenditure would have been spent prior to May 2010. The balance was split on essential leaflet provision for Jobcentre Plus and the Pension and Disability Carers Service and on pension's policy and reform. As per the Cabinet Office spending controls exemption process, both of these sets of expenditure were appropriately approved. | |
10 Nov 2011 : Column 437W
Public Sector: Pay
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in his Department received a pay rise other than by promotion in the last two years; and what the average increase was in each such year. [78131]
Chris Grayling: In the 2010 Emergency Budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced that a two-year pay freeze would be implemented for civil service staff outside the senior civil service (SCS). Base pay for the SCS was also frozen in 2010-11.
The pay freeze for non-SCS applies for two years. In DWP the pay freeze applied to the pay years 2010-11 and 2011-12. Public sector pay guidance is clear that staff on full time equivalent earnings of £21,000 a year or under are guaranteed an increase of at least £250.
The guidance also allowed for increases where there was a contractual entitlement to progression. DWP does not have contractual progression.
In DWP payments were therefore limited to those earning £21,000 or under, plus a number of individuals who earned slightly more than £21,000 to ensure that they were not 'leapfrogged' by colleagues lower down the pay scale. In addition, during the 2010-11 year, pay rises were approved by Cabinet Office for four senior civil servants who each took on substantially bigger roles with increased responsibility. There have been no pay rises for any senior civil servants in the 2011-12 year.
In both 2010-11 and 2011-12 DWP provided increases to eligible staff above the £250 guaranteed minimum. This is because DWP is a lower paying Department. Around 57% of staff received a pay rise in 2010-11 and around half of staff received an increase in 2011-12.
The following table summarises pay increase data in DWP for the years 2010-11 and 2011-12.
|
|
Average increase (£) | Average increase (percentage ) | Number receiving base pay increase |
Benefits Expenditure
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the future level of benefit expenditure. [79168]
Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
| Annually managed expenditure — Great Britain | ||
| £ million | ||
|
|
Cash terms | Real terms 2011-12 prices |
10 Nov 2011 : Column 438W
| Notes: 1. The forecast expenditure figures shown here are consistent with the March 2011 Budget forecasts published by the Office for Budget Responsibility. 2. Figures do not include Northern Ireland, except for Over 75 TV Licences which relate to the United Kingdom. Figures include payments overseas. 3. Child Benefit expenditure is the responsibility of HM Revenue and Customs; War Pensions expenditure is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence. Expenditure on these benefits is not included. 4. Figures do not include administration costs. | ||
Further benefit expenditure and caseload information can be found on the Department for Work and Pensions website at:
http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure
Translation Services
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) documents, (b) leaflets and (c) other written materials for which his Department and its associated public bodies are responsible are published or provided in languages other than English; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of translating materials in each category in the latest period for which figures are available. [78298]
Chris Grayling: The following table sets out the information requested.
| Material published by Department for Work and Pensions and associated public bodies (1) , () Translation costs 2011-12 (2) | ||
|
|
Material | £ |
| (1) The Independent Living Fund is the only associated body who reported any translation spend. (2) From 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011. (3) ESAN50 is a questionnaire sent to doctors in Europe to support claims for ESA made by EU citizens who have qualified while working in the UK and who then return to their home country. (4) Translated into 13 European languages. (5) ESAN54 is a leaflet giving doctors guidance on completing the ESAN50. (6) EL2 is a pensions information leaflet, which is available only on the internet. (7 )Translated into seven ethnic minority languages. (8) Correspondence is made up of letters to UK resident customers who have requested that they be communicated with in a foreign language and letters sent overseas to request information to support benefit claims by UK citizens living abroad (mainly pensioners). (9) Welsh language translations are a mixture of forms and information leaflets; a detailed breakdown is not immediately available. The majority of translations into Welsh are carried out by in-house teams. (10) There is no breakdown of actual spend data for Independent Living Fund. This figure is an estimate based on budget. (11) Estimate. | ||
10 Nov 2011 : Column 439W
Internships
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unpaid and expenses-only internships (a) his Department and (b) each public body for which he is responsible employed in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [78365]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions does not routinely offer unpaid or expenses-only internships. There are none recorded in the last 12 months in the Department. Within the non-departmental public bodies, there are two bodies that currently have a combined total of 13 unpaid internships.
The Department is leading the initiative to offer young people the opportunity to participate in working life by giving them an opportunity to gain work experience. I have given a commitment to host 3,000 work experience placements by the end of March 2013.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 440W
The first people commenced their work experience in DWP on 11 July. As of 1 November there were 149 placements on unpaid work experience, where no expenses or allowances apply.
Written Questions
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by his Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010. [79550]
Chris Grayling: Since May 2010 the Department has answered a total of 1,202 parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day, of which 1,161 (96.6%) were answered on time. The detailed information requested is in the following table:
|
|
Named day PQs answered | (a) Number answered on time | (b) Number answered 5 to 9 days late | (c) Number answered 10 to 19 days late | (d) Number answered 20 to 30 days late | (e) Number answered more than 30 days late |
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in his Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister. [79552]
Chris Grayling: On occasion special advisers look at draft answers before the relevant Minister has seen them. They do not ‘clear’ draft answers but they provide political advice to departmental officials on behalf of the Minister.
Employment Schemes
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of redundancies arising from the cancellation of Flexible New Deal contracts on the capacity of the welfare-to-work industry. [78842]
Chris Grayling: There is no evidence that the capacity of the welfare-to-work industry was adversely impacted by the cancellation of Flexible New Deal contracts, as demonstrated by the successful introduction, on time, of the Work programme and the industry's continuing willingness and capacity to take on further measures such as mandatory work activity and support for families.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of accrued liabilities for Work programme contracts in each month since the Work programme began. [78237]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 441W
Chris Grayling: The Work programme is the Department's largest payment by results programme. Over the life of the contract, the cost is estimated to be £3 billion to £5 billion, funded largely out of the benefit savings it delivers and generating value for money for the taxpayer. Costs are incurred as customers are attached to the programme and subsequently move into work. It is not possible to estimate with any accuracy the size and timing of the future payment liabilities that are built up on a monthly basis.
Funeral Payments
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average funeral payment was in the last year for which figures are available. [80359]
Steve Webb: Average award figures for all social fund payments are published in annex one to the Annual Report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Social Fund. The average funeral payment award for 2010-11 was £1,217.
Income Support: Lone Parents
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents on income support there were in (a) Great Britain, (b) England, (c) the west midlands and (d) Dudley borough in (i) 1997, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2010. [78304]
Chris Grayling: The figures requested are in the following table.
| May | |||
|
|
1997 | 2005 | 2010 |
10 Nov 2011 : Column 442W
2005 and 2010 figures come from a 100% source and have been rounded to the nearest 10.
1997 figures come from a 5% sample and have been rounded to the nearest 100 due to their lower level of accuracy.
Lone parent obligations were introduced from 24 November 2008 and by May 2010 the policy was being rolled out to lone parents whose youngest child was aged 10 or 11. This policy led to fewer lone parents claiming income support, and more lone parents seeking work and able to access sustainable employment
Industrial Health and Safety: Construction
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many businesses in the construction industry have been (a) prosecuted and (b) fined for breaches of health and safety regulations in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997. [79633]
Chris Grayling: The following table shows the number of separate prosecutions taken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE(1)) against employers or individuals in the construction industry. These cases may include a number of separate charges. If an employer or individual was prosecuted on more than one occasion, these will be counted separately in the table.
Numbers for the Jarrow constituency cannot be separately identified. In the period shown, there were no prosecution cases in South Tyneside. The figures for the North East are for the Government office region. HSE's jurisdiction does not extend to Northern Ireland, so the national total shown is for Great Britain.
(1) The Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations 1998 allocate enforcement of health and safety legislation in the construction industry to HSE.
| Prosecution cases (1) taken by HSE (2) against employers or individuals in construction (3) 1997-98 to 2010-11 (4) | ||||||||||||||
| Region | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 (5) |
| (1) Figures quoted for each year represent the numbers of cases decided in that year, not the number of cases initiated. (2) ( )In Scotland HSE and local authorities investigate potential offences but cannot institute legal proceedings. HSE and local authorities send a report to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). COPFS makes the final decision whether to institute legal proceedings and which offences are taken. For more information, see www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#enforcement (3) Industry classifications are based on SIC 2007 coding. (4) Provisional. | ||||||||||||||
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many site visits have been carried out by Health and Safety Executive inspectors in the construction industry in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. [79634]
Chris Grayling: This information is not available in the form requested without disproportionate cost.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 443W
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inspectors were employed by the Health and Safety Executive in each year since 1997. [79635]
Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
| As at 1 April each year | Number of inspectors (1) |
10 Nov 2011 : Column 444W
| (1) All figures are for substantive full time equivalents (FTEs), rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) The number and that for the subsequent years excludes 99 FTE inspectors that moved from the Health and Safety Executive to the Office of Rail Regulation when responsibility for rail regulation health and safety matters transferred on 1 April 2006. (3) The figures exclude temporary Inspectors of Construction on two-year fixed term contracts: 22 FTEs at 1 April 2010; 14 FTEs at 1 April 2011. | |
Industrial Health and Safety: Fines
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average fine was imposed on employers for breaches of health and safety regulations in (a) the north-east and (b) the UK in each year since 2007-08. [79513]
Chris Grayling: The data requested are contained in the following table. They include fines for breaches of health and safety regulations and of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The table acknowledges that each prosecution may involve breaches of more than one regulation/statute.
Innovation Fund: Young People
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his contribution of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 3, how many young people have been placed in employment through his Department's £30 million Innovation Fund. [79177]
Chris Grayling: The Innovation Fund was announced on 12 May 2011 and will support disadvantaged young people and those at risk of disadvantage, aged 14 years and over. This programme is currently in the commissioning stages and will begin delivery in early 2012.
Jobcentre Plus
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the Jobcentre Plus risk register. [79150]
Chris Grayling: DWP has recently undergone a restructure, under which Jobcentre Plus formally closed as an Agency from 3 October 2011. The Jobcentre Plus risk register was also formally closed on that date.
The Jobcentre Plus Annual Report and Accounts for period ending 31 March 2011, which include a Statement on Internal Control, were placed in the Library. They are also available on the DWP website at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/jcp-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-2011.pdf
Where appropriate, risks from the Jobcentre Plus Register continue to be managed, along with other DWP risks, at the appropriate level within DWP.
Jobcentre Plus: Manpower
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff are employed in a Jobcentre or Jobcentre Plus office in (i) Great Britain, (ii) England and (iii) the west midlands. [78301]
Chris Grayling: The following tables sets out the information on how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff work in a Jobcentre or Jobcentre Plus in (i) Great Britain; (ii) England; and (iii) the west midlands as of August 2011 and August 2010.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 445W
| August 2011 | ||||
| Jobcentre Plus | Jobcentres | |||
|
|
Full-t ime | Part- time | Full-t ime | Part- time |
| August 2010 | ||||
| Jobcentre Plus | Jobcentres | |||
|
|
Full-t ime | Part- time | Full-t ime | Part- time |
| Notes: 1. The information is set out on a staff in post basis, i.e. employees are counted as a single unit irrespective of the hours they work. 2. The August 2011 data represent the latest date for which published information is available. The August 2010 data are included for comparison purposes. 3. Much of the difference in the staffing figures being reported between August 2010 and August 2011 is accounted for by people employed on fixed-term appointments having left Jobcentre Plus on or before their contract end dates. 4. Jobcentre Plus—covers the whole of the agency previously known as Jobcentre Plus before being absorbed into the new DWP structure. The staff numbers quoted in the response for Jobcentre Plus comprise the three operational arms of Jobcentres, Benefit Centres and Contact Centres and also the corporate and support functions (Finance, Change and Products, Strategy Planning Employers and Stakeholders, Operational Support). 5. Jobcentres—covers purely the network of local customer facing offices located in towns and cities across the country and is one of the three operational arms within Jobcentre Plus. The numbers quoted in the response for Jobcentres cover staff located in Jobcentres that undertake and directly support the front line operational work of delivering labour market interventions. | ||||
Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many special advisers are employed in his Department; [79159]
(2) if he will list the salaries of special advisers in his Department. [79160]
Chris Grayling: The Government publish, on a regular basis, information about the numbers and costs of special advisers. A list was published on 19 July 2011. See:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/special-adviser-data-releases
New Deal Schemes: Contracts
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's estimate is of the (a) contract closure costs for the Flexible New Deal and (b) costs associated with procurement of Work programme contracts. [79152]
Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
(a) It is not possible to provide an estimate of the cost of closing Flexible New Deal contracts while the Department is still engaged in confidential commercial discussions with providers.
(b) The costs associated with the procurement of Work Programme contracts were £3.57 million, these costs cover a central procurement team and associated services required to complete the procurement.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 446W
Pensions
Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to take steps to mitigate the effects of quantitative easing (QE) on (a) pension funds due for statutory triennial valuation during the current phase of QE and (b) other pension funds. [79637]
Steve Webb: The Pensions Act 2004 introduced a scheme-specific approach to regulating pension scheme funding. The Pensions Regulator, which is operationally independent of Ministers, has made it clear that funding objectives must be set prudently, to uphold stability during various economic climates. The scheme funding regime is sufficiently flexible, in terms of both the form and duration of recovery plans, to support pension schemes in meeting long-term liabilities through fluctuations in the economic cycle. It allows trustees the flexibility to develop prudent funding strategies which take account of the particular circumstances of their particular scheme.
Pension scheme funding strategies are designed to deliver members' benefits over the long-term, during which time there will inevitably be fluctuations in the economic cycle. I understand that the Regulator will continue to apply the system pragmatically looking for outcomes in the best interests of the scheme and sponsor. This will be the case whether schemes are due their triennial valuation during the phase of quantitative easing or at a later date.
Social Security Benefits
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit sanctions were (a) issued and (b) enforced in each month since June 2010. [79157]
Chris Grayling: Information on the number of benefit sanctions (a) issued and (b) enforced in each month since June 2010 for jobseeker's allowance (JSA), employment and support allowance (ESA), and income support (IS) is provided in the following tables.
The number of benefit sanctions issued has been interpreted to mean the total number of cases that have been referred to a decision maker for a sanction decision. Information relating to the number of such cases is only available for jobseeker's allowance.
The number of sanctions imposed has been interpreted to mean the number of those cases where an adverse decision has been given. This information is available for JSA, IS and ESA.
The following table shows this number of referrals made and the number of sanctions imposed by month since June 2010 as requested:
| Year/ Month | Number of referrals | Number of sanctions |
10 Nov 2011 : Column 447W
| Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database | ||
Employment and support allowance (ESA)
Between 1 June 2010 and 31 May 2011, there were 11,530 sanctions imposed on ESA claimants in the Work-Related Activity Group (WRAG). The following table shows this number of ESA WRAG sanctions by the month the sanction was imposed:
| Year/ Month sanction was imposed | Number of sanctions |
| Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, totals may not sum due to rounding. Source: DWP ESA WRAG sanctions database | |
Between 1 June 2010 and 31 March 2011, there were 62,860 sanctions imposed on lone parents claiming IS. The following table shows this number of IS lone parent sanctions by the month the sanction was imposed:
| Year/ Month of sanction | Number of sanctions imposed |
10 Nov 2011 : Column 448W
| Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP Income Support Lone Parent Regime database | |
Social Security Benefits: Publicity
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2011, Official Report, column 1091W, on social security benefits, how much funding was spent on take-up campaigns for each benefit in each of the last five years; and how much he plans to spend on campaigns for each benefit in the next three years. [78253]
Chris Grayling: The following figures are for actual spend and refer to media spend, design, PR, production and any other associated costs (e.g. outbound telephony for specific campaigns) and are exclusive of VAT.
We are not able to provide figures for spend on campaigns for each benefit in the next three years as no data are available as yet on future spend.
| Pension credit | |
|
|
Cost (£ million) |
| Winter fuel payments | |
|
|
Cost (£ million) |
Unemployment: Dudley
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions his Department has had with its partner agencies on the rate of (a) long-term, (b) youth and (c) overall unemployment in Dudley borough; and what steps he is taking to reduce the rates. [78296]
Chris Grayling: The rate of unemployment, including youth and long-term unemployment, is still far too high and the Government are taking significant steps to reduce it. In particular we are supporting young people into work by investing in flexible, personalised employment support, apprenticeships, work experience and training. I am undertaking discussions with a wide range of agencies, work programme providers and partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors at both local and national level to help ensure that young people are able to take advantage of these opportunities.
Jobcentre Plus in Dudley has been working closely with colleges and providers to support the Dudley borough in a variety of areas such as jobs, training, apprenticeships and work experience.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 449W
The Jobcentre Plus employment manager for Dudley borough has developed close working relationships with both Dudley and Stourbridge colleges as well as a local provider—Mercury Training—using local labour market information to establish the employer/customer supply and demand data to then identify suitable provision.
Specific examples of Jobcentre Plus current and planned activity across the Dudley borough are as follows:
Developed a Hospitality Academy with Stourbridge college which has resulted in positive job outcomes with the Copthorne Hotel through pre-employment training and work experience.
Working with Mercury Training to identify security training provision and employment opportunities for claimants within the Dudley borough.
An event is planned for jobseekers seeking employment in the care sector on the 29 November 2011. This event has been developed through local partnership work with colleges across the Black Country through the Care to Make a Difference programme.
A joint retail jobs event was recently held at the Merry Hill Centre through work between the Jobcentre, Westfield Retail Academy, local colleges and providers in supporting customers in recruitment processes for seasonal vacancies, in particular supporting jobseekers with the online application process.
Stourbridge College has been successful in a recent Flexible Support Funding bid to deliver HGV training to 100 customers within the Dudley borough.
The Jobcentre has recently held an event in the borough specifically for customers aged over 50 to maximise on recruitment and training opportunities.
Jobcentre Plus also is represented locally at:
Dudley Employment and Skills Group which looks at how to improve the local economy and tackle unemployment. All three work programme providers also send a representative to the group.
Dudley Means Business Group where we provide regular updates on what is being done to combat unemployment in the borough.
A number of other Dudley borough partnerships working groups such as Neighbourhood Employment and Skills groups and the NEETS Steering Group.
Universal Credit
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the inclusion of passported benefits in universal credit; and if he will make a statement. [79169]
Chris Grayling: Universal credit provides a new single system of means-tested support for working-age people who are in or out of work. As a result, some existing means-tested benefits will no longer be needed. The Government recognise the importance of passported benefits such as free school meals and free prescriptions to claimants and to their decisions about moving into work. The Government aim to ensure that passported benefits are targeted to people that require them most.
Defining entitlement to certain passported benefits is the responsibility of other Government Departments and devolved Administrations. Policies and provision vary by country and the value of benefits can also vary by country or local authority.
The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) has been commissioned to carry out an independent review on passported benefits on behalf of the Government. This review is still taking place and the Committee has been asked to report by the end of January 2012. The Department will publish the final report alongside our response in April.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 450W
UNUM Ltd
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions (a) he and (b) his Department has had with representatives of UNUM Ltd since May 2010. [78256]
Chris Grayling: In January 2011 representatives from Unum approached both the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), and the Minister for Welfare Reform, my noble Friend Lord Freud, to discuss a research paper. Neither Minister met with Unum representatives, but did forward the details of departmental officials involved in the independent review of sickness absence in Great Britain. Following this, on 14 February 2011 representatives of UNUM met with these officials.
In addition, on 18 October 2010 a UNUM representative—as part of a delegation from UK Rehabilitation Council—met with the Minister for Welfare Reform and Department for Work and Pensions officials. A full list of ministerial meetings with external organisations is available at
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ministers-meetings-overseas.shtml
An extensive search of records has not found any further discussions between the Department's officials and representatives of Unum. However, it should be noted that there are approximately 100,000 officials within the Department and it would not be possible, except at disproportionate cost, to ask each of them whether they have engaged in any such discussions.
Work Capability Assessment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 109W, on work capability assessment, what assessment his Department has made of the employability of people with a terminal illness who have a prognosis of over six months. [78101]
Chris Grayling: The Department has not made any assessment of the employability of people who have a terminal illness and a prognosis of over six months. However, if a claimant is not awarded ESA on the grounds of terminal illness they may still be placed in the support group for other reasons such as the treatment they are receiving or as a result of their disabling symptoms. In addition, if they do not meet any of the support group criteria they may still be placed in the work related activity group depending on the impact of their condition. All cases are reviewed after an appropriate period and would be placed in the support group if their condition has deteriorated to a point where they fulfil the criteria.
Work Programme
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which voluntary and third sector organisations expressed an interest in signing Work programme contracts; and if he will make a statement. [79368]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 451W
Chris Grayling: The DWP received Prime Contractor bids from 30 organisations, five of which were from the voluntary/third sector. Work programme contracts were awarded to two organisations from the voluntary/third sector (Careers Development Group and Rehab).
The DWP has published the Work programme contracts on the Contracts Finder website.
Contract details can be accessed through the following website:
http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/?site=1000&lang-en
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many voluntary and third sector organisations are in the supply chain of Work programme provider Maximus; how many referrals from Maximus such organisations have received (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the total number of referrals to its supply chain; and if he will make a statement; [79957]
(2) how many voluntary and third sector organisations are in the supply chain of Work programme provider (a) Avanta and (b) G4S; how many referrals from those providers such organisations have received (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of the total number of referrals to their supply chain; and if he will make a statement; [79958]
(3) how many voluntary and third sector organisations are in the supply chain of Work programme provider Ingeus; how many referrals from Ingeus such organisations have received (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the total number of referrals to its supply chain; and if he will make a statement; [79959]
(4) how many voluntary and third sector organisations are in the supply chain of Work programme provider Seetec; how many referrals from Seetec such organisations have received (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the total number of referrals to its supply chain; and if he will make a statement; [79960]
(5) how many voluntary and third sector organisations are in the supply chain of Work programme provider A4E; how many referrals from A4E such organisations have received (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the total number of referrals to its supply chain; and if he will make a statement. [79961]
Chris Grayling: A total of 699 supply chain places are occupied by voluntary and community sector organisations. This represents a total of 423 different voluntary and community sector organisations in tiers 1 and 2. DWP does not hold an exact numbers of voluntary and community sector subcontractors broken down by prime provider across the full supply chain as figures are liable to change.
The Department intends to publish official statistics on referrals to the Work programme from spring 2012 and on job outcomes from autumn 2012. This is in line with guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure published statistics meet the required high quality standards.