Prisons: Crimes of Violence
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to improve the support provided in the criminal justice system to prison officers who have been assaulted by offenders in the course of their duties. [81946]
Mr Blunt: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) takes the health and safety of its staff very seriously. Safe systems of work, health and safety assessments, and a violence management information system are in place across the Prison Service estate to ensure that staff work in an environment that is as safe as possible. While NOMS cannot prevent every incident, it takes a zero tolerance approach to assaults of any kind. NOMS is confident that its systems are robust, and that suitable support and training is given to its staff.
Where staff are affected by violence, NOMS provides access to the Post Incident Care arrangements developed with experience of the operational environment in prisons and following guidelines produced by the National Institute of Clinical Health (NICE) on the Management of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Affected staff have access to critical incident debriefs, workplace support advisers, information on coping strategies, and where appropriate counselling services.
NOMS has completed a review of its violence reduction strategy which will be published in early 2012. This looks at good practice and how this can be shared effectively in the future. In addition, work is in hand across Government to harmonise contracts for occupational
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health and employee assistance programmes across the civil service. This will ensure economies of scale whilst ensuring that the civil service meets the best in class employee support provided in the private sector.
Prisons: Private Sector
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what rules govern the recruitment of prison governors by private companies that are interested in bidding to run (a) public sector prisons and (b) a prison at which the individual was previously governor. [81993]
Mr Blunt: The Business Appointment Rules, set out in the Civil Service Management Code, place requirements on all serving civil servants, and on former civil servants for two years after their last day of service, who intend to take an outside appointment or employment after leaving the civil service. Before accepting any new appointment or employment, they must consider whether the rules require them to apply for approval. Serving prison governors, and ones who left the civil service up to two years previously, would be required to apply if their circumstances met one or more of the criteria set out in the rules. Applications from individuals at the level of prison governor are considered by the Department.
The rules would apply equally in all cases, including where a current or former prison governor was seeking employment, with a private company or to manage a former public sector prison establishment, and including where the individual had previously been the governor of that establishment. The nature of the prospective appointment would, however, be taken into account when determining whether any conditions should be placed on the approval of the application.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements govern the employment of former employees of his Department and its associated agencies by private sector companies that deliver justice services on behalf of the public sector. [81994]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Business Appointment Rules, set out in the Civil Service Management Code, place requirements on all serving civil servants, and on former civil servants for two years after their last day of service, who intend to take an outside appointment or employment after leaving the civil service. Before accepting any new appointment or employment, they must consider whether the rules require them to apply for approval.
Prostitution: Criminal Injuries Compensation
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance he provides to (a) Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority case officers and (b) members of the First-tier Tribunal on dealing with unspent convictions for soliciting for prostitution in connection with Rule 13(e) of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance. [82174]
Mr Djanogly:
Responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (the Scheme) lies with CICA. Their claims
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officers interpret the Scheme (which has been approved by Parliament) and take all decisions on individual applications.
CICA produce internal guidance that helps claims officers take account of all relevant issues in making decisions. I have asked them to place a copy of their guidance relating to unspent convictions for soliciting for prostitution in the parliamentary Library.
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), does not provide guidance notes to First-tier Tribunal members because the judiciary are entirely independent of the Government.
Rape: Criminal Injuries Compensation
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance has been given to (a) Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority case officers and (b) members of the First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) since the Stern review into how rape complaints are handled by public authorities in England and Wales to ensure that applicants in rape cases are not disadvantaged by Rules 13(1)a and b of the Scheme; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [82225]
Mr Djanogly: Responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (the Scheme) lies with CICA. Their claims officers interpret the Scheme (which has been approved by Parliament) and take all decisions on individual applications.
CICA produce internal guidance that helps claims officers take account of all relevant issues in making decisions.
I have asked CICA to place a copy of their internal policy guidance on relevant paragraphs in the parliamentary Library. CICA have updated this guidance since the Stem review, most recently on 2 June 2011.
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), does not provide training or guidance notes to First-tier Tribunal members because the judiciary are entirely independent of the Government. The tribunal is drawn from a judicial panel appointed by the Lord Chancellor and makes its decision based on the law.
Sexual Offences: Criminal Injuries Compensation
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration is given to any particular difficulties which may be experienced by rape and adult sexual assault victims in (a) reporting offences to the police and (b) giving evidence in court when applying the criteria which are set out in paragraphs 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the guidance for applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. [81834]
Mr Djanogly:
CICA compensate blameless victims of violent crime according to the rules Parliament set out in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (the Scheme). The paragraphs the hon. Gentleman refers to are in CICA's guide to the compensation scheme, which CICA produce in order to help members of the public apply for compensation. They explain how CICA apply
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paragraphs 13 (1) (a) and 13 (1) (b) of the Scheme. I have today placed a copy of CICA's internal guidance on these Scheme paragraphs in the parliamentary Library in response to question 82225.
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what specific training is provided to Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and First Tier Tribunal personnel dealing with rape and sexual assault claimants; and if he will place in the Library a copy of any relevant training documentation. [81837]
Mr Djanogly: CICA staff receive guidance to support them in handling all claims, including claims by victims of sexual assault, quickly, fairly, sensitively and courteously. CICA caseworkers receive full training on the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (the scheme) and its application.
The training and guidance documentation CICA produce goes through the scheme paragraph by paragraph and mentions sexual assault where appropriate, rather than having an individual section dealing with sexual assault. CICA have advised that their claims officers learn through applying this guidance to real cases with an experienced mentor. I have therefore asked CICA to place all parts of their internal guidance that mention claims arising from sexual offences in the parliamentary Library.
CICA have advised that, because this guidance is held in an internal database system, it will take CICA around a week to compile it and make it available in a readable format for general use. The guidance is constantly under review and frequently updated, so the material placed in the Library is valid only on the day extraction began—18 November 2011.
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), does not provide training or guidance notes to first-tier tribunal members because the judiciary are entirely independent of the Government. The tribunal is drawn from a judicial panel appointed by the Lord Chancellor and makes its decision based on the law. This function is headed by the Social Entitlement Chamber President, thereby ensuring the impartiality of the judiciary.
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority refused (a) at first instance, (b) at review and (c) on appeal claims for compensation by claimants for rape and sexual adult assault compensation where there has not been a complaint to police, a charge brought or a prosecution in the last year for which figures are available. [81838]
Mr Djanogly: CICA do not have figures showing how many people were refused compensation categorised by reference to specific crimes. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (the Scheme), which was approved by Parliament in 2008, provides for awards to be assessed primarily by reference to criminal injuries. Injury descriptions, from the Scheme's ‘tariff of injuries', are therefore used as the primary basis for calculating and recording payments actually made, and these would only be applied to someone's case if they were assessed as eligible to receive the associated payment.
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Work and Pensions
Child: Poverty
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of children living in poverty in each council ward in Warrington North constituency. [81728]
Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
The sample size of this survey is not sufficient to provide estimates for small areas such as those requested. However, figures at a regional level for north-west are available. Three survey years have been combined because single year estimates are not considered to be sufficiently reliable.
Statistics covering 2007-08 to 2009-10 are the most recent available.
The following table shows the proportion and number of children living in relative poverty Before Housing Costs (BHC) in the UK, for 2007-08 to 2009-10 in the north-west.
| Number and proportion of children living in relative poverty (BHC) in the north-west | ||
| Region | Number (million) | Proportion (percentage) |
| Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai_arc 2. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 3. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax, payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 4. Figures have been presented on a Before Housing Cost rather than an After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Costs they are. 5. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 6. The reference period for these HBAI figures is three financial years. 7. Numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand children. 8. Proportions of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 9. This measure is defined as: Relative poverty: children living in households with equivalised incomes below 60% of contemporary median household income. 10. The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets three further income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty. Source: Households Below Average Income 1994-05 to 2009-10, DWP | ||
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Disability Living Allowance
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the medical reassessment programme for individuals claiming disability benefits in reducing the number of claimants; and what the change has been in the number of claimants since its inception. [81348]
Chris Grayling: The reassessment of old-style incapacity benefits claimants is a key part of the Government's reform agenda to create and deliver a 21st century welfare system by ensuring that those people who can work are given the correct help and support to do so. The reassessment of existing incapacity benefits customers was rolled out nationally from April 2011.
Incapacity benefit (IB) recipients will undergo a work capability assessment to determine benefit entitlement, and, if eligible, will move to employment and support allowance, which replaced IB for new claims from October 2008. We estimate that about 1.5 million people will go through the IB reassessment process, which is expected to run until 2014.
More details of the likely impacts of IB reassessment are available in the impact assessment from page 5 of the following link:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/875/pdfs/uksiem_20100875_en.pdf
There are currently 2.6 million people of working age on employment and support allowance and incapacity benefits. Early estimates suggest that overall the numbers on these benefits have been gradually decreasing. These can be found at the following link:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=early_ests
Notes:
1. The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the number of work capability assessments completed for claimants in receipt of employment and support allowance. The latest report was published in October 2011 and can be found on the internet at the following link:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
2. Due to the overall length of the incapacity benefits reassessment process, information on the entire process including the final outcomes and subsequent destinations of claimants being reassessed is not yet available. Individual level data are being collected, but it will take time to complete because of the overall length of the reassessment process. The Department plans to publish data on the outcomes of the reassessment process but only once they have been quality assured and is considered robust.
Employment and Support Allowance
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the effects of time-limiting of contributory employment and support allowance on health and social care budgets. [80474]
Chris Grayling: The Department published an impact assessment of the proposal to time limit contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) to one year for those in the work-related activity group. This is available at the following link:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/esa-time-limit-wr2011-ia-revised-apr2011.pdf
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The main effect is an increased eligibility for income-related benefits which are administered by the Department for Work and Pensions.
The impact assessment also stated that there may be some related impacts for health budgets. For example, those who become eligible for income-related ESA may also be eligible for passported benefits such as free NHS prescriptions. However, the costs of this have not been fully incorporated in the overall costs in the impact assessment due to the uncertainty over the likely take-up of these benefits for the groups affected and variability in the devolved Administrations.
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for employment and support allowance (ESA) were refused in the last 12 months; how many had zero points allocated; how many such claims were by cancer patients; how many claimants were recalled for a further medical assessment for ESA eligibility after 12 months; how many such people were again refused; how many of them subsequently appealed; and if he will make a statement. [80573]
Chris Grayling: Decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) using the work capability assessment (WCA) rest solely with the Department's decision makers taking into account the medical assessment reports from Atos and any other relevant information.
Table 1 provides details of the number of work capability assessments held between June 2010 and May 2011. The figures are broken down for all initial and all repeat WCAs held.
A repeat WCA is the second or subsequent WCA undertaken on an existing, continuous ESA claim. These claimants will have already been assessed as having a limited capability for work at their initial WCA and the repeat WCA will assess if their capability for work has changed.
The table also shows the number of claims that are assessed as being fit for work (FFW) and of these, the number that were awarded zero points. The final column presents the number of claims whose main health condition is cancer related (neoplasms), that were found fit for work and scored zero points at the WCA. The data on health conditions are based on the information recorded on the medical certificate (‘fitnote') provided by a person's GP when they first make a claim for ESA. This represents what their GP considers to be the reason a person cannot work at that time. However, many people applying for ESA will in fact have more than one condition, these conditions may affect each other and may change over time.
| Table 1. WCA outcomes for assessments held between June 2010 and May 2011 | ||||
| Initial or repeat WCA | Total WCA held | Total FFW outcomes | Total FFW with zero points | Total FFW neoplasms with zero points |
Table 2 as follows provides information on the number of completed appeals against a fit for work decision for claims starting between September 2009 and August
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2010 (the latest 12 monthly period for which data is available). Again, this has been broken down for all initial and all repeat WCAs held.
| Table 2. ESA Appeals against a FFW decision. Claims starting between September 2009 and August 2010 | |
|
|
Number |
| Notes: 1. The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessment at the national level. The latest report, published in October 2011 and can be found here: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca 2. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare and appeals data from the Tribunals Service. 3. Data on appeals include ESA claims started from September 2009 up to the end of August 2010 (the latest month where we have sufficient volumes of appeals heard to include in the publication) where the person claiming has been assessed to be Fit for Work, they subsequently appeal the Department's decision and the appeal has been heard by the Tribunals Service. 4. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard. Therefore these figures should be treated as emerging findings rather than final at this stage. 5. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 and are consistent with the official statistics publication referred to in footnote 1 above. | |
Employment and Support Allowance: Atos Healthcare
Mr Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints about medical assessments for employment and support allowance conducted by Atos Healthcare were recorded in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) England in each year since 2008. [81334]
Chris Grayling: Atos Healthcare does not record complaints by parliamentary constituency or by a regional area such as Merseyside but by Medical Services Centre (MSC).
Therefore, data have been provided for Bootle MSC (the MSC responsible for ESA referrals in the St Helens South and Whiston constituency and the Merseyside area) and for the nine MSCs in located in England (Birmingham, Bootle, Bristol, Croydon, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Wembley).
| ESA only | ||||
| Region | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 (1) |
| (1) To date. | ||||
Mr Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many medical assessments for employment and support allowance were conducted by Atos Healthcare in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) England in each year since 2008. [81335]
Chris Grayling:
Decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) using the work capability assessment (WCA) rest solely with the Department's
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decision makers taking into account the medical assessment reports from Atos and any other relevant information.
The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the number of work capability assessments (WCAs) completed for claimants in receipt of ESA. The latest report was published in October 2011 and presents completed assessments to May 11 (which are the latest data available). The report and tables can be found on the internet at the following link:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
(a) Information on the number of WCAs completed for St Helens South and Whiston constituency is unavailable so data for Knowsley and St Helens local authorities have been provided in tables 1and 2. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred and as a result may not sum to the totals shown.
| Table 1: Completed assessments in Knowsley | |||
|
|
Initial assessments | Repeat assessments | Total |
| Table 2: Completed assessments in St Helens | |||
|
|
Initial assessments | Repeat assessments | Total |
(b) The number of completed assessments in Merseyside is shown in table 3. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred and as a result may not sum to the totals shown.
| Table 3: Completed assessments in Merseyside | |||
|
|
Initial assessments | Repeat assessments | Total |
(c) The number of completed assessments in England is shown in table 4. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred and as a result may not sum to the totals shown.
| Table 4: Completed assessments in England | |||
|
|
Initial assessments | Repeat assessments | Total |
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| Notes: 1. Employment and support allowance was introduced in October 2008 therefore most figures for 2008 are small and may round to zero. 2. The latest data available are for May 2011 so a partial year is presented for 2011. 3. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare. 4. Merseyside includes Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral local authority areas. | |||
Employment Schemes
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will investigate reports that prime contractors to the Work programme are referring clients to volunteer centres without making payments to those centres; and if he will make a statement. [81850]
Chris Grayling: The DWP holds contracts with prime providers; we do not therefore get involved in the arrangements between prime providers and other organisations. Those terms are a matter for the interested parties to agree.
While the DWP encourages Work programme providers to forge strategic relationships with local partners, providers and their subcontractors should not be approaching voluntary organisations if they do not have an agreement with them.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he would intervene in a reported breach of contract between a Work Programme prime provider and one of its subcontractors without first receiving a complaint from the subcontractor. [81910]
Chris Grayling: The Department expects subcontractors and prime providers to work together to resolve any issues as this is a commercial matter for the parties involved. We are committed to supporting healthy business relationships between prime providers and their subcontractors. The Merlin standard allows for independent mediation should the prime provider's internal complaints procedure fail to reach settlement.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the data on referrals to the Work programme to be published in April 2012 will be provided at the level of individual Tier 1 and Tier 2 subcontractors. [81911]
Chris Grayling: Work programme Official Statistics for referrals will be published in the quarterly statistical summary in Spring 2012. Details of the lower level geography information that will be published are yet to be decided, however we hope to be able to release figures by local authority, parliamentary constituency and contract package area as well as a standard set of demographic breakdowns. There are no plans to publish below prime contractor level.
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European Union
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in his Department are working on the Government's examination of the balance of existing European Union competences. [81444]
Chris Grayling: The examination of these issues draws on existing resources in the Department for Work and Pensions.
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Ministerial-level meetings have been held in his Department as part of the Government's examination of the balance of existing European Union competences. [81445]
Chris Grayling: The Department routinely holds ministerial meetings on issues covered in the coalition agreement.
Housing Benefit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on predicted savings to the public purse from restrictions on housing benefit based on size criteria of exempting households with a disabled child. [81930]
Steve Webb: Of the estimated 670,000 working-age households in receipt of housing benefit and likely to be affected when the social sector size criteria is introduced in 2013-14, around 20,000 households would be likely to include a disabled child.
Exempting these households from the size criteria would reduce anticipated savings in housing benefit expenditure by around £15 million in 2013-14.
The estimate of 20,000 affected households includes cases where disability living allowance is received by, or in respect, of a dependent child, (regardless of whether it relates to care or mobility, or the rate at which it is paid); or where a child has been registered as blind. Alternative definitions of disability would be likely to produce differing estimates.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on predicted savings to the public purse of exempting the first underoccupied bedroom from the size criteria for housing benefit. [81931]
Steve Webb: Exempting the first underoccupied bedroom for housing benefit claimants living in the social rented sector would reduce the numbers likely to be affected by the size criteria in 2013-14 from approximately 670,000 working-age households, to around 150,000.
The effect of this would be to reduce anticipated savings in housing benefit expenditure by more than £350 million in 2013-14.
Incapacity Benefit
Grahame M. Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who will (a) lose incapacity
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benefit and
(b)
lose all benefits in (i) Easington constituency and (ii) the North East as a consequence of his proposed changes to the benefits system. [81020]
Chris Grayling: No such estimate has been made.
The impacts of the proposed changes to the benefit system as set out in the Welfare Reform Bill are available in the associated impact assessments at the following link:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare%2Dreform/legislation%2Dand%2Dkey%2Ddocuments/welfare%2Dreform%2Dbill%2D2011/impact%2Dassessments%2Dand%2Dequality/
The impacts of these proposals have been calculated at an aggregate, Great Britain, level and cannot be reliably broken down for smaller geographical areas.
The main forthcoming change to incapacity benefits is the proposal to time limit contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) to one year for those in the Work Related Activity Group. This is expected to affect around 700,000 people by 2015/16, of which around 60% are expected to be fully or partially compensated by income-related ESA, so will retain entitlement to ESA.
The remaining 40% are not expected to qualify for income-related ESA because they have other income, including that from a partner. These people will no longer receive ESA benefit payments, but will be able to retain National Insurance credits by becoming an ESA credits-only claimant. They may also see increases in other benefits such as tax credits and housing benefit.
Incapacity Benefit: Jobseeker’s Allowance
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of (a) the likely change in the number of (i) incapacity benefit claimants and (ii) those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and (b) the number of people who will cease to receive benefit while not in employment (A) in each local authority area and (B) of each gender by 2014. [81729]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The available information is in the table:
| Great Britain (total claimants) | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013 - 14 | Change 2010 - 11 to 2013 - 14 |
(b) The information requested is not available. Projections for the numbers of people receiving benefits are not produced by employment status or below Great Britain level. Forecasts for Great Britain to 2015 can be found on the DWP's website at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure
Note:
The Department's forecasts for the numbers of people receiving benefits were published following the Office of Budget Responsibility's
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March Budget 2011 forecast, as set out in Table C1. An update to those forecasts will be published on 21 December 2011 following the Office for Budget Responsibility's publication of their autumn forecasts on 29 November 2011.
Source:
Budget 2011 forecasts and DWP statistical data
Railways: Employment
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department plans to estimate the (a) number, (b) type and (c) duration of jobs created by the (i) Intercity Express Programme and (ii) Thameslink Rolling Stock Programme. [76541]
Mrs Villiers: I have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 3 November 2011, Official Report, column 771W.
Jobcentre Plus
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Jobcentre Plus has employed staff to visit other EU countries to offer advice to EU nationals considering applying for jobs in the UK since its inception. [81152]
Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus employs 12 staff who specialise in giving advice to jobseekers looking for work in another EU member state. This is part of our commitment to the network of public employment services in Europe called EURES. EURES—the European Employment Services network—was established in 1994 by the European Commission to facilitate the free movement of workers within the EU. Jobcentre Plus EURES advisers organise job fairs for UK jobseekers wanting to work in Europe and attend job fairs in other EU countries to inform EU nationals about the UK labour market. Their advice is centred on deterring unplanned migration to the UK and discouraging applications to sectors where there is already intense competition and high unemployment.
The legal base for EURES dates back to Commission Decision 93/569/EEC of 22 October 1993 on the implementing of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 on freedom of movement for workers within the Community as regards, in particular, the establishment of the EURES network.
Jobcentre Plus has by far the least number of EURES advisers per capita of all the participating countries (12 compared to 100 in both France and Germany). There are more than 800 EURES advisers in the European public employment services. In the UK team, as well as the 12 EURES advisers there are six other staff members whose responsibilities cover a wide range of duties. In total, those staff who work on EURES related work are:
2 Band Es—EURES manager, EURES delivery manager,
2 Band Ds—EURES adviser line manager, EURES co-ordinator,
1 Band C—Budget co-ordinator and 1 Band C—Communications co-ordinator
12 Band C—EURES advisers (11 in post, one vacant)
All Jobcentre Plus travel costs, subsistence and other operational costs for EURES activities are reimbursed by the European Commission through an annual grant agreement with DWP (annual value of €350,000).
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Jobcentre Plus exchanges vacancies with other EU countries through the EURES website:
www.eures.europa.eu
From July to November 2011 Jobcentre Plus EURES advisers attended 35 job fairs in 19 EU/EEA countries (France: five; Italy: four; Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Norway: three; Poland: two; Ireland, Netherlands, Estonia, Malta, Iceland, Portugal, Czech republic, Hungary, Greece, Latvia, Austria, Slovenia: one).
Personal Records: Departmental Co-ordination
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the devolved administrations about the Tell Us Once service with particular reference to whether they can participate. [82197]
Chris Grayling: The Tell Us Once programme has worked very closely with officials from the devolved Administration in Scotland, initially to support the introduction of TUO there, and have consulted with and kept them informed throughout all stages of the piloting and implementation. A letter was sent to MSPs on 14 November advising them of the national rollout of TUO in Scotland. To date 13 local authorities (40.6%) are live with TUO, 29 (90.6%) of LAs have agreed to deliver the service with only three LAs remaining undecided on whether to offer the service.
In Wales the Tell Us Once programme has worked closely with the Office of the Chief Information Officer, initially to support the take up of the Tell Us Once service among unitary authorities in Wales and more recently to keep them informed of the progress that has been made in the delivery of the service across all 22 Welsh local authorities.
My officials have been engaged with officials in Northern Ireland to discuss how the TUO service may be made available there in future. This level of engagement will continue and further consultations will take place once the service has been implemented across England, Wales and Scotland.
Remploy
Mr Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in St Helens South and Whiston constituency Remploy employment services has assisted to find (a) part-time and (b) full-time employment lasting more than (i) three months, (ii) six months and (iii) a year in each of the last five years. [80954]
Maria Miller: The information is provided in the following table:
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | ||||||
|
|
PT | FT | PT | FT | PT | FT | PT | FT | PT | FT |
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| PT = part-time FT = full-time Note: Between 2006-07 and 2010-11 Remploy assisted 73 people into employment of less than three months. Source: Remploy | ||||||||||
Social Exclusion
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methodology his Department uses to estimate the number of people experiencing social exclusion; and whether this methodology has changed since May 2010. [81935]
Chris Grayling: Social exclusion is a multi-faceted concept. Departmental analysts use a variety of methodological techniques, as appropriate, to analyse survey and administrative data relevant to social exclusion
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Work programme on tackling social exclusion. [81941]
Chris Grayling: It will be some time yet before it is possible to assess the performance of the Work programme in getting people back to work. As participation lasts for two years, we expect to see substantial indications of the success of the Work programme from spring 2013. A full independent evaluation has been commissioned for that year and I look forward to sharing the results with the House in due course. We will closely monitor the effectiveness of the programme in the interim.
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the risk of people aged 16 to 24 claiming jobseeker's allowance experiencing long-term cycles of deprivation. [81942]
Chris Grayling: There is a risk that an extended period of unemployment when young can impact on later earnings potential, increase the probability of a future spell out of work, or have a wider detrimental effect on health and well-being.
As a result the Government's policies focus on keeping young people active in their job search and helping them to engage in real work with employers. This is supported by access to work experience opportunities and referrals to apprenticeships and sector-based work academies.
This ensures that most young people flow off jobseeker's allowance quickly. Of the around 125,000 16 to 24-year-olds currently joining JSA each month, 60% leave within the first three months and 80% within six months. Those who need more intensive support or who become long-term unemployed are referred to the Work programme at three or nine months.
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Social Security Benefits
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the costs have been of administration of (a) disability living allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) employment and support allowance for each of the last three years. [80363]
Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
| Direct staff administration costs | |||
| £ million | |||
|
|
2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 |
| Source: Activity Based Management system | |||
Figures shown cover the last three financial years for which final audited accounts are available. Costs are the total administration costs including the cost of appeals. Existing incapacity benefit claimants began migrating to employment support allowance in the latter half of 2009/10.
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what average period a claimant of (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance was claiming the allowance in the financial year (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11. [81550]
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Chris Grayling: When asked for average duration, our normal practice is to provide a distribution of length of current claims (caseload) or completed claims (off-flows). This is more informative than a single summary figure, as it provides information on how varied the lengths of the claims are as well as the length of a typical claim.
Table 1 shows the average (median) duration for jobseeker's allowance off-flows—the median is the standard measure for average duration.
Table 2 shows employment and support allowance off-flows by duration. Some development work has taken place on calculation of average (median) durations for benefits other than JSA but further development needs to be undertaken on better understanding the robustness and interpretation of the results.
| Table 1: Jobseeker's allowance median duration of off-flows in Great Britain for each year shown | ||
| Date | Total off-flows | Median duration (weeks) |
| Notes: 1. Off-flows have been rounded to the nearest 10, duration to one decimal place. 2. Data are published at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk Source: 100% Count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus Computer Systems | ||
| Table 2: Employment and support allowance off-flows in Great Britain by duration of claim: May 2009 to February 2011 | ||||||
| Date | Total | Up to three months | Three to six months | Six months up to one year | One year up to two years | Two years and over |
| "*" = Denotes nil or negligible. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Employment and support allowance (ESA) replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 4. Off-flows are total number of spells on ESA that ended within the quarter. A person may flow on and off the same benefit more than once during a quarter. 5. Data are published at: http://83.244.183.180/flows/flows_off/esa/tabtool_esa.html Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% | ||||||
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants have had their benefits stopped because of failure to respond to Benefits Integrity Centre telephone spot checks in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many complaints in each complaint category his Department has received concerning these checks. [81715]
Chris Grayling: Following a review of entitlement by a Benefit Integrity Centre, 16,317 claims have been closed in the period 1 April 2011 to 31 October 2011. This figure includes claims that have been closed due to claimants failing to respond to requests for information, and claims where a decision has been made that there is no longer an entitlement to benefit after reviewing the claim. Claims closure data are not kept by category.
In total, 97 written inquiries and complaints have been received by Benefit Integrity Centres in the period but these data are not kept by category.
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Unemployment: Northern Ireland
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the unemployment rate was in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [82013]
Chris Grayling: Northern Ireland has had a separate social security system and a separate national insurance fund for many years and is responsible for its own employment policy.
The request for this information should, therefore, be addressed to the Northern Ireland Executive.
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people of working age were on unemployment benefits in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [82014]
Chris Grayling: Northern Ireland has had a separate social security system and a separate national insurance fund for many years.
The request for this information should, therefore, be addressed to the Northern Ireland Executive.
Universal Credit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what definition he plans to use of “in work” when setting the universal credit household benefit cap. [81912]
Chris Grayling: We are introducing the benefit cap to promote fairness between those in and out of work and to increase incentives for people to move into work or increase their hours of employment. In support of these objectives, households which contain a member who is eligible for working tax credit will be exempt from the cap. We are still considering the precise criteria for a corresponding exemption under universal credit.
Welfare Reform: Northern Ireland
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effects of his welfare reform proposals in Northern Ireland. [82011]
Chris Grayling: Northern Ireland has had a separate social security system and a separate National Insurance Fund for many years. Responsibility for social security, child support and pensions in Northern Ireland rests with its Department for Social Development. It is, therefore, a matter for the Minister for Social Development to arrange for any assessment of the possible effects of the welfare reform proposals in Northern Ireland.
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential effects of his planned welfare reform proposals. [82012]
Chris Grayling:
Responsibility for Social Security in Northern Ireland rests with the Northern Ireland Executive. However, as required under Section 87 of the Northern Ireland Act, the Department of Work and Pensions
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keeps in regular contact with the Northern Ireland Executive on the subject of welfare reform at both ministerial and official levels.
This includes recent trips to Northern Ireland by both the Minister for Disabled People, the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), and my noble Friend the Lord Freud. These trips included meetings with Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive. Officials also meet regularly.
Work Capability Assessment
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration he has given to people undertaking a work capability assessment who suffer from medical conditions that fluctuate. [81982]
Chris Grayling: The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) has been specifically designed to give people with conditions which fluctuate the opportunity to explain how their condition varies over time. The questionnaire that customers are sent has been redesigned so that people are directly asked if their mental or physical functions vary, and asked to give more details of how this affects them as an individual.
The health care professionals who carry out the WCA are trained to ask about and take account of fluctuation. The assessment is not a snapshot. If a person cannot carry out a function repeatedly and reliably they will be treated as unable to carry out that function at all.
The activities and descriptors used in the assessment were developed in consultation with medical experts and representative groups to ensure that they are appropriate for all conditions. The consultation involved considerable discussion about the variability of some conditions and we have now made some changes in this area.
We are committed to continuous improvement of the WCA to ensure the assessment is as fair and accurate as possible. Professor Malcolm Harrington, a highly respected occupational physician, is due shortly to publish his second independent review of the WCA. Recognising that particular concerns have been raised about the way the WCA works for people with fluctuating conditions, Professor Harrington asked leading charities, including the MS Society, to make recommendations to refine the descriptors used in the WCA as part of this review.
We look forward to publishing Professor Harrington's recommendations.
Work Capability Assessment: Multiple Sclerosis
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration he has given to having only medical practitioners who are specialists in multiple sclerosis carrying out work capability assessments for sufferers of the disease. [81981]
Chris Grayling: The contract between the DWP and Atos Healthcare requires that face-to-face WCA assessment of claimants with multiple sclerosis must be carried out by a doctor.
There is, however, no requirement for Atos to employ specialist doctors to conduct assessments because entitlement to benefit is based upon the functional
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impairment associated with the underlying medical condition, rather than the nature of the medical condition itself.
For this reason all doctors who carry out assessments for benefit purposes are trained in disability assessment medicine and this includes assessment of people with multiple sclerosis.
All doctors working for Atos are provided with an evidence based protocol on multiple sclerosis as part of their initial training. In addition, there is learning set on multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease available to all doctors as part of Atos’ continuing medical education programme.
Home Department
2010 Drugs Strategy
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has set terms of reference for the annual review of the 2010 Drugs Strategy; and whether she plans to publish the findings of the review. [81723]
James Brokenshire: The Government's Drug Strategy “Reducing Demand, Restricting Supply, Building Recovery: Supporting People to Live a Drug Free Life”, published in December 2010, included a commitment to an annual review. This will review the strategy and provide a status update on the first full year of implementation. We are aiming to publish by the end of March 2012.
Asylum
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many legacy asylum cases concerned people resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in each year since March 2007; and how many such asylum seekers received support from the National Asylum Support Service. [81456]
Damian Green: Information is not held in relation to the specific date that individuals move to certain areas. We have therefore provided figures for the number of legacy asylum cases based on the applicant's last known address with postcodes in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency. The total number of people with legacy asylum cases who are resident in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency is 40.
The National Asylum Support Service has not provided support to any asylum seekers within the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.
Source:
Local Management information provided by the UK Border Agency, North West Region Planning and MI team. It is not a national statistic. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.
Asylum: Libya
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on Libyans stranded in refugee camps who wish to claim asylum in the UK. [82026]
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Damian Green: As a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, the UK fully considers all asylum applications lodged in the UK. However, the UK's international obligations under the convention do not extend to the consideration of asylum applications lodged abroad and there is no provision in our immigration rules for someone overseas to be given permission to travel to the UK to seek asylum.
Bolivia: Drugs
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect on the maintenance of the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of (a) Bolivia re-acceding to the Convention with a reservation on coca leaf and (b) Bolivia's re-accession being denied due to their requirement of a reservation on coca leaf; [82202]
(2) if she will take into account (a) the right of Bolivia to make use of article 14 of the 1988 UN Convention on Drug Trafficking stating that signatories shall take due account of traditional licit uses, where there is historic evidence of such use and (b) Bolivia's need to adhere to its constitution and the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People in her response to the Bolivian application for re-accession to the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs with a reservation on coca leaf. [82203]
James Brokenshire: The Government are currently considering how to respond to Bolivia's withdrawal from and forthcoming reapplication to the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961, and in doing so are taking into account all relevant international agreements, including the UN convention against the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances 1988 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People 2007, as well as the Bolivian Constitution. The Government are also assessing the effect of all possible outcomes on the maintenance of the convention.
British Nationality
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the citizenship data tables Immigration Statistics April-June 2011 table cz.09, refusals of citizenship by reason, how many refusals were due to the applicant being not of good character as a result of committing a criminal offence in the UK. [82108]
Damian Green: The available statistics are given in the following table. It is not possible to separately identify refusals of British citizenship due to a criminal conviction within the published figures before December 2007 when a specific code for this outcome was introduced to the UK Border Agency Case Information Database.
| Refusals of British citizenship by selected reason | ||
| Year of refusal | Not of good character—criminal conviction | Total refusals and withdrawals |
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| n/a = Not available. Notes: 1. Derived from table cz.09 published in ‘Immigration Statistics—April to June 2011’. 2. Data for 2010 are provisional figures. 3. Data presented relate to number of persons. 4. Cases dealt with in the United Kingdom. Source: Migration Statistics | ||
The latest Home Office immigration statistics on persons refused British citizenship, from which the data in this reply are derived, are given in table ‘cz.09' of the statistical release ‘Immigration Statistics April-June 2011'. This publication is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q2-2011/
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) with reference to the citizenship data tables Immigration Statistics April-June 2011 table cz.09, refusals of citizenship by reason, how many applicants not of good character were subsequently removed from the UK; [82109]
(2) with reference to the citizenship data tables Immigration Statistics April-June 2011 table cz.01, citizenship applications, grants and refusals, how many (a) applicants for British citizenship and (b) successful applicants for British citizenship were individuals who originally came to the UK as an asylum seeker in each of the last five years. [82110]
(3) with reference to the citizenship data tables Immigration Statistics April-June 2011, table cz.01 citizenship applications, grants and refusals, how many (a) applicants and (b) successful applicants for British citizenship were from individuals who had spent a period of time illegally residing in the UK in each of the last five years. [82111]
Damian Green: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost as it would require a substantial data—matching exercise which would exceed the cost threshold.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the citizenship data tables Immigration Statistics April-June 2011, table cz.01 citizenship applications, grants and refusals, how many (a) applicants and (b) successful applicants for British citizenship were from each country of origin or birth in each of the last five years. [82112]
Damian Green: The following tables provide information relating to the country of birth for the applications for British citizenship and those successful, for the last five years:
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| Applications received for British citizenship and successful applications by country of origin or birth 2006-10 | ||||||
| Applications received | ||||||
| Country of origin or birth | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Total |
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