Departmental Flags
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many flags his Department (a) owns and (b) maintains; and at what cost in the last 12 months. [86250]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has one standard Union flag on one of its buildings at 55 Whitehall.
In the last 12 months, the Department has not incurred any costs in relation to the flag.
Departmental Internet
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what social media presence his Department has. [86244]
Gregory Barker: The Department has a social media presence on Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Facebook.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many unique hits his Department's website received in each of the last 12 months. [86253]
Gregory Barker: The Department's website’s unique hits for each of the last 12 months are as follows:
|
|
Website hits |
Departmental Manpower
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff of his Department are aged over (a) 55 and (b) 65 years. [86246]
Gregory Barker: As of 30 September 2011, the Department of Energy and Climate Change employed (a) 121 people who are aged over 55 years and (b) less than five who are aged over 65 years.
12 Dec 2011 : Column 567W
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff in his Department previously worked for a political party. [86614]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not hold details of the previous employment of its staff on a central database. To search individual records to find this information would incur disproportionate costs.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people were working for his Department on (a) 11 May 2010 and (b) 8 December 2011. [86626]
Gregory Barker: The number of civil servants employed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on specific dates is shown in the following table.
|
|
Civil servants (including senior civil servants) |
The number shown above are quoted as full-time equivalent.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what receptions and events have been hosted by his Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by a third party. [84192]
Gregory Barker: DECC uses a wide range of methods and channels to ensure stakeholders and the public are engaged with its policies. This includes hosting events itself, and where appropriate jointly with stakeholders, across the UK to maximise reach and value for money.
However, a comprehensive list of all receptions and events hosted by DECC since May 2010 is not held centrally and to assemble the information would entail disproportionate cost.
Engagement activity including events is reported regularly on the Department's website at
www.decc.gov.uk
12 Dec 2011 : Column 568W
Departmental Pay
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff in his Department receive salaries over £65,000 per year. [86624]
Gregory Barker: There were 69 civil servants in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) receiving a salary of more than £65,000 as at 30 September 2011.
The salary figures used are base salary and do not include any allowances or non-consolidated performance related pay.
Press Releases
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many press releases his Department has issued in the last 12 months. [86257]
Gregory Barker: DECC has issued 115 press releases in the last 12 months.
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement. [85655]
Gregory Barker: As part of its standard terms and conditions, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) requires its suppliers to provide goods and services in accordance with good industry practice and legal requirements. This includes consideration of areas with a social dimension such as health, safety and welfare and the Equality Act.
Policy Reviews
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what departmental policy reviews his Department has undertaken since 6 May 2010; and on what date each such review (a) was announced and (b) is expected to publish its findings. [85876]
Gregory Barker: The following table sets out, in order of date announced, the policy reviews announced and undertaken by the Department of Energy and Climate Change since 6 May 2010, the date each was announced, and the date each was published, or is expected to be published.
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12 Dec 2011 : Column 570W
Drugs
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's policy is on mandatory drug testing of its employees. [86251]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have a policy of undertaking mandatory drug testing of its employees.
Drugs: Offences
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials of his Department have been disciplined for drug offences in the last 12 months for which information is available. [86258]
Gregory Barker: There have been no cases in the last 12 months where employees of the Department of Energy and Climate Change have been subject to disciplinary procedures for drugs offences.
Energy: Meters
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to encourage the uptake of smart meter time-of-use tariffs. [86074]
Gregory Barker: The Government’s smart meter technical specifications will mandate energy suppliers to install meters with the functionality to support a range of time-of-use tariffs.
Planned changes to the settlement system together with half-hourly data from smart meter readings will enable energy suppliers to benefit to a greater extent from lower wholesale market prices during periods of off-peak demand. We expect suppliers to incentivise customers to shift energy demand to off-peak periods through developing and promoting attractive time-of-use tariffs.
Energy: Pensioners
Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners who will receive the guaranteed £120 rebate on their energy bills under the warm home discount scheme in each (a) region, (b) local authority and (c) parliamentary constituency. [86392]
Gregory Barker: More than 600,000 of the poorest pensioners will receive a core group discount of £120 on their electricity bills this winter. Regional, local authority, or constituency breakdowns for these data are not available.
Energy: Prisons
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the number of jobs that would be created in the energy efficiency sector if all prisons were upgraded to an Energy Performance Certificate grade (a) A, (b) B and (c) C level. [86077]
Gregory Barker: We estimate that Government programmes to promote energy efficiency in homes, businesses and the public sector will support 65,000 insulation sector jobs in 2015. However, job creation figures specific to energy efficiency improvements in the prison sector are not available.
Green Deal Scheme
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2011, Official Report, column 338W, on energy: housing, for what reason the recommendations of his Department’s joint working group with the Ministry of Defence on improving the energy efficiency of service family accommodation were not set out in the consultation document on the Green Deal published this autumn. [85867]
Gregory Barker: The two Departments are still considering whether Green Deal can work in the particular context of service family accommodation, and the alternatives that may be available if not. We were therefore unable to include recommendations in the consultation document, but we will confirm the recommendations next year. None the less, in the consultation, we welcome any comments on the impact of Green Deal and the ECO on particular groups.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the Green Deal Finance Company consortium on the potential for Green Deal-backed securities to reduce the cost of Green Deal finance. [86075]
Gregory Barker:
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and I met with representatives from the Green Deal Finance Company on 2 November
12 Dec 2011 : Column 571W
2011 to understand their proposals for providing low cost finance to Green Deal Providers. The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change also spoke by phone to a member of the consortium on 24 November 2011 following the launch of the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation consultation.
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reason he has set the period for the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation consultation at eight weeks. [86083]
Gregory Barker: The consultation length was set for eight weeks on the basis of careful consideration. The tight timetable for delivering the Green Deal legal framework to provide business certainty was the primary reason. This has been accompanied by a comprehensive stakeholder engagement programme in advance of and during the consultation.
In line with best practice, we are also providing additional means for people to express their views, including a dedicated phone line, postal address, e-mail address, blog with commenting function and web chat with officials.
Nuclear Installations: EU Law
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to implement European Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom of 25 June 2009 establishing a Community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations; what steps he has taken in response to infringement proceedings by the European Commission against the UK for non-compliance with Directive 2009/71/Euratom; and if he will make a statement. [85216]
Charles Hendry: The UK notified the European Commission (EC) on 19 July 2011 that we had given effect to the Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom using the existing UK regulatory regime. The EC has sought further information on two aspects of the UK's implementation—the provision of a correlation table and the implementation of the provisions in Gibraltar. A correlation table was provided on 19 July 2011 even though the directive does not require it. We are liaising with the Gibraltarian Government to ensure the necessary legislation is put in place even though there are no nuclear facilities on Gibraltar to which this directive would apply. It is expected that this work will be completed in early 2012. The UK Government will shortly be writing to the EC to confirm that a correlation table has already been provided and to inform it of progress with implementation in Gibraltar.
Nuclear Power
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the potential costs to (a) his Department and (b) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority of information gathering on (i) the market for mixed oxide fuel, (ii) the availability of reactors in which it can be burned and (iii) the costs and timescales for procuring services or facilities. [85788]
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Charles Hendry: Support to the Government on the development of policy on plutonium management is part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's (NDA) approved strategy. It is estimated that DECC and the NDA will spend around £3 million to £5 million to gather all of the information required throughout the next phases of the programme. Costs are anticipated to be met from within the existing budgets.
Renewable Energy
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to promote (a) anaerobic digestion and (b) small hydro developments in Wales. [86189]
Gregory Barker: We are promoting anaerobic digestion and hydropower across the UK, including Wales, through the provision of financial incentives.
We are supporting (a) anaerobic digestion through the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme and the renewables obligation (RO) which support small scale and large scale electricity generation respectively; and the renewable heat incentive (RHI) which supports the production of heat and the injection of biomethane into the gas grid.
We are supporting the development of (b) small hydropower in Wales through FITs (<50kWs) and through FITs and the RO (>50kWs). Since 2009 the number of new hydro schemes licensed in Wales has increased nearly three times.
In addition, DECC continues to work closely with the Environment Agency, which has streamlined its permitting process and is reviewing its Good Practice Guide. DECC is consulting, before the end of this year, on accreditation for those small hydro schemes seeking access to feed-in tariffs. DECC also provides updated information on a range of alternative funding models for community hydro projects on DECC's “Community Energy Online”:
http://ceo.decc.gov.uk/en/ceol/cms/about_ceih/economics_ fund/economics_fund.aspx
Additionally, in January 2010, the Welsh Government launched the Ynni'r Fro programme, a scheme to support community scale renewable energy projects in Wales. So far, the programme has supported eight anaerobic digestion and 65 hydro projects in Wales. The Environment Agency Wales and the Forestry Commission Wales have both carried out detailed surveys of potential hydro sites in Wales. This information is being utilised by the Ynni'r Fro team to match up the sites with communities interested in taking hydro schemes forward.
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with private sector firms on proposals to develop (a) tidal power, (b) shale gas and (c) nuclear power in Wales. [86190]
Charles Hendry: All formal ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and can be found on the Department’s website via the following link:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/ministermtgs/ministermtgs.aspx
12 Dec 2011 : Column 573W
Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions saved through the feed-in tariff system in 2010-11. [84106]
Gregory Barker: We cannot currently make this estimate, as generation data for Year 1 of the FITs scheme have not yet been collated by Ofgem.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what proportion of the spending envelope for the feed-in tariff for each year of the current spending review period is allocated to projects accredited between 1 April 2010 and 31 October 2011; [84388]
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(2) what proportion of the spending envelope for the feed-in tariff for each year of the current spending review period is allocated for new projects accredited in that year. [84389]
Gregory Barker: New installations in any year are not specifically allocated a proportion of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) budget. The available amount in the budget for new installations in any year is impossible to predict in advance, as it will depend on the level of installations in previous years. This is because the budget is cumulative, and must cover the cost of projects accredited in previous years of the scheme as well as new projects.
We estimate the proportion of the levies control framework spending envelope taken up by projects accredited up to 31 October to be as follows:
| Costs to consumers | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | Total |
The table above shows the committed spend on FITs as a proportion of both the original and revised FITs spending limits. The spending limit for FITs as originally published—the fourth line of the table—referred to projected additional expenditure over and above the baseline of installations of less than 5 MW that would have been deployed in the absence of the FITs scheme (because some of those small-scale installations would have come forward under the renewables obligation (RO)).
In the revised estimate of the FITs spending limit—the second line of the table—that baseline has been incorporated into the spending limit for FITs, as we judge that the small scale installations are more likely to take up FITs in preference to the RO. The effect of this adjustment is to increase the FITs spending envelope (as shown in the table) and reduce the RO spending envelope by the same amount, compared with the original spending limits published for each scheme. This is a technical adjustment to the published spending limits which merely provides a more accurate picture of the money that was always available for each of the two schemes. We have not made more subsidy available overall, but DECC still has flexibility on how it meets the overall levies control framework as long as expenditure as a whole is controlled i.e. overspend on one policy can be balanced by underspend in another.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish his Department's response to the comprehensive feed-in tariff review phase 1. [85779]
Gregory Barker: We plan to announce the outcome of the current consultation on feed-in tariffs for solar photovoltaics towards the end of January, and by 8 February 2012 at the latest, in order to make it possible to change rates from 1 April 2012. We are aware that the industry needs certainty as soon as possible, and will strive to announce at the earliest opportunity.
Solar Power
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people employed by solar photovoltaic manufacturing companies based in the UK. [85253]
Gregory Barker: It is difficult to accurately estimate, and forecast, number of jobs associated with any single technology or sector, such as solar PV. However, there are a range of methodologies that can, and are, being used to provide an indication; these inevitably lead to a range of estimates being calculated.
We estimate that, based on the number of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations by the end of October 2011, around 8,000 to 14,000 gross full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs have been supported by solar PV since the introduction of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme. The total number of people doing some solar PV work is likely to be higher than this range because those who are involved in solar PV installations are also likely to undertake other tasks linked to their employment. In addition, this estimate includes manufacturing jobs among a range of other types.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 44W, on solar power: feed-in tariffs, what the evidential basis is for the estimate that 1,000 to 10,000 gross additional full-time equivalent jobs could be created in the solar sector in the three years to 2014-15. [85776]
12 Dec 2011 : Column 575W
Gregory Barker: It is difficult to accurately estimate, and forecast, numbers of jobs associated with any single technology or sector, such as solar PV. However, there are a range of methodologies that can, and are, being used to provide an indication, although these inevitably lead to a range of estimates being calculated.
The range of 1,000 to 10,000 gross full-time equivalent jobs supported by solar PV is calculated by applying estimates of the time taken for various tasks associated with those installations by industry and independent consultants to projected installations between 2012-13 and 2014-15. They are then converted to a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis. The wide range around the estimate is largely due to the uncertainty surrounding how the energy efficiency proposals could affect future take-up of solar PV.
12 Dec 2011 : Column 576W
Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households and businesses in each region of the UK have installed solar panels utilising the Government-subsidised feed-in tariff scheme. [80572]
Gregory Barker: The number of domestic and non-domestic solar photovoltaic (PV) installations registered for feed-in tariffs by region, as at end of September 2011(1), are:
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, columns 315-6W, on renewable energy: feed-in tariffs, if he will make it his policy to ensure that all solar PV installations with a commissioning date before 12 December 2011 are eligible for the existing tariff level. [85777]
Gregory Barker: An installation becomes eligible for feed-in tariffs (FITs) from its eligibility date. The term “eligibility date” is defined in condition 33 of the standard conditions of electricity supply licences, and is the latter of either:
(a) the date on which the installation is commissioned; or
(b) the date on which a valid application for FITs has been received by either Ofgem (in the case of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations with a declared net capacity of over 50kW) or a FIT licensee (in the case of solar PV installations with a declared net capacity of up to 50kW).
Our consultation on FITs for solar photovoltaics (PV) proposes that new tariffs will be implemented from 1 April 2012 but will apply to all new PV installations with an eligibility date on or after a proposed “reference date” of 12 December 2011. For the majority of solar PV installations, the eligibility date will be the date on which a valid application is received by the FITs licensee, normally the applicant's electricity supplier.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2011, Official Report, column 616W, on feed-in tariffs, whether the second consultation on the comprehensive review will seek views on further changes to feed-in tariffs for solar PV. [85868]
Gregory Barker: Phase 2 of the consultation on the comprehensive review will consider all non-solar photovoltaic tariffs and administrative aspects of the feed-in tariffs scheme, including potential cost control measures for all technologies.
Taxation: Nuclear Power
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential introduction of a tax on the revenue generated by nuclear power stations. [85817]
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Charles Hendry: Tax is a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer. DECC Ministers have regular conversations with HM Treasury Ministers on a wide range of issues. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of such discussions.
UK Global Threat Reduction Programme
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has contributed to the UK Global Threat Reduction Programme in each of the last three financial years; on what aspects of the programme such contributions are spent; and what the programme has published in each of the last three financial years. [77287]
Charles Hendry: The UK Global Threat Reduction Programme (GTRP) forms an important element of the UK's counter-proliferation strategy. It delivers the UK contribution to the G8 Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, a $20 billion ten-year programme agreed at the G8 Summit at Kananaskis, Canada in 2002 with an initial focus on the nuclear and chemical weapons legacies of the former Soviet Union.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is responsible for implementing the nuclear and radiological parts of the GTRP. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) manages the chemical and biological elements of the programme. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) holds the overall policy responsibility.
For each of the last three financial years (2008-09; 2009-10; 2010-11) the GTRP had a ring fenced budget of £36.5 million per annum, allocated to DECC for both the DECC and MOD programmes. In 2010-11 DECC contributed an additional £9 million to GTRP, in order that the UK fully met its share of the G8 pledge to the April 2011 Chernobyl pledging conference.
Over the course of the Global Partnership, the UK has developed a mature portfolio of programmes aimed at:
improving the security of nuclear materials;
dealing with the Soviet nuclear submarine legacy in North West Russia;
the destruction of Russia's chemical weapons stocks;
reducing the proliferation risk posed by unemployed former Soviet nuclear weapon scientists by supporting the creation of alternative sustainable employment.
Further details of the annual expenditure breakdown across all GTRP programmes can be found in the GTRP annual reports for 2008 (published spring 2009), 2009 (published spring 2010) and 2010 (published spring 2011), copies of which were placed in the House Library and which can also be found on the DECC website:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/en_security/nonprolif/global_threat/global_threat.aspx
In addition to these three annual reports, in late 2009, DECC published a completion report on its Nuclear Safety Programme, which closed in early 2009. In spring 2010 DECC published the findings of an independent external impact evaluation of the UK-funded “Social and Economic Consequences of Nuclear Power Plant Closure” programme, which closed in 2007. Both these reports are available online at:
12 Dec 2011 : Column 578W
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/en_security/nonprolif/global_threat/reports/reports.aspx
Work and Pensions
Apprentices
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of 16 to 24-year-olds likely to participate in the Youth Contract in (a) the East Midlands and (b) Leicester City. [85783]
Chris Grayling: Over the coming weeks we will be working with Work programme providers, employers and key stakeholders to develop the detail of the recently announced Youth Contract.
Overall the Youth Contract will provide:
160,000 wage incentives, worth £2,275 each, available through the Work programme;
an extra 250,000 work experience or sector-based work academy places over the next three years, taking the total to at least 100,000 a year;
at least 20,000 extra incentive payments worth £1,500 each for employers to take on young people as apprentices;
extra support through Jobcentre Plus for all 18 to 24-year-olds; and
a new £150 million programme to provide support to some of our most vulnerable 16 to 17-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training.
No estimates for participation at local levels have yet been made.
Departmental Assets
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assets his Department owns in Birmingham; and what is the estimated value of each such asset. [85542]
Chris Grayling: This response is based on the definition of assets referring to departmental buildings and their contents. Since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) occupies the majority of its accommodation across the country under a 20-year private finance initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME Contract. Under the terms of this PFI the Department leases back fully furnished and serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium. This covers a variety of building and facility management services. Therefore, the Department does not own building assets in Birmingham, or in any other part of the country.
Design Services
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on design in respect of (a) logos, (b) buildings, (c) advertising, (d) stationery and (e) campaigns in the last year for which figures are available. [80201]
Chris Grayling: DWP spent £1,614,326 in 2010-11 on design, editorial and branding with regard to publicity and marketing carried out by DWP Communications.
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In respect of buildings design, since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions occupies the majority of its accommodation under a private finance initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME Contract. Under the terms of this PFI the Department leases back fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium. This covers the provision of a variety of building and facility management services including the capital expenditure projects (CAPEX) where buildings require alterations to meet changing business requirements. Telereal Trillium's estimate of design costs incurred on CAPEX projects during 2010-11 is £900,000 excluding VAT.
Departmental Information Communications
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available. [84187]
Chris Grayling: Since the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr Weir) on 9 February 2011, Official Report, columns 318-19W, the Department has reduced communications staff by 24%. As a minimum the number will reduce by a further 13% by March 2015.
| Department for Work and Pensions Communications Directorate (1) | |
|
|
Number |
| (1) These figures include JCP and PDCS staff who have now transferred to the Communications Directorate. | |
| Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission | |
|
|
Number |
| Health and Safety Executive | |
|
|
Number |
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| (1) Of which one is an interim. (2) Includes newly created Office for Nuclear Regulation Communications function. | |
| Independent Living Fund | |
|
|
Number |
| National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) Corporation | |
|
|
Number |
| (1) Including four interims. | |
| Pension Protection Fund | |
|
|
Number |
| Remploy Ltd | |
|
|
Note |
| The Pensions Regulator | |
|
|
Number |
| (1 )Plus two non-payroll staff | |
12 Dec 2011 : Column 581W
Departmental Pay
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse was of Christmas bonus payments in each of the last five years; and what proportion was spent on administration of the payment. [84619]
Steve Webb: Christmas bonus expenditure for the last five years is shown in the following table.
The amounts shown exclude the cost of administrating the Christmas bonus payment as this information is not available; the table only shows the actual money paid to customers.
| £ million | |||||
|
|
2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| Notes: 1. Christmas bonus was increased to £70 in 2008-09, for one year only; in all other years it was £10. 2. The majority of Christmas bonus payments are made with a qualifying benefit and, as such, it is not possible to disaggregate the administration cost. However, these costs are minimal as the significant majority of payments are automated. Source: DWP statistical and accounting data. | |||||
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Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any senior staff in (a) his Department and (b) its Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary; and if he will publish his policy on such payments. [85068]
Chris Grayling: The Department’s policy is that salaries are paid into employees’ bank accounts.
Some agency workers are deployed to provide short-term cover for absence or as specialist contractors providing specific expertise that is not available in-house and in these cases, payments may be made to limited companies in lieu of a salary.
There are currently three senior staff (senior civil service level) working in the Department on an agency basis, one in DWP and two in the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, who are paid via Capita Resourcing Ltd. Capita Resourcing Ltd provides a managed service under contract for the supply of contingent labour to DWP and other Government Departments.
In the Office for Nuclear Regulation, an internal agency of the Health and Safety Executive, two senior staff are paid by means of payments to limited companies in lieu of a salary.
Procurement
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years. [84236]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions have specifically outsourced the following services:
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Departmental Audit
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement. [85648]
Chris Grayling: Internal audit services in the Department and its public bodies work to the Government Internal Audit Standards (GIAS), which are mandatory for all central Government Departments, agencies and executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). These are published on the HM Treasury website at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/internalaudit_gias_0211.pdf
This framework applies to in-house internal audit services, shared services and to outsourced arrangements, and requires that:
the chief audit executive must establish risk-based plans to determine the priorities of the internal audit activity, consistent with the organisation's goals (Standard 2010);
the internal audit activity's plan of engagements must be based on a documented risk assessment, undertaken at least annually. The input of senior management and the board must be considered in this process (Standard 2010.A1);
the chief audit executive must identify and consider the expectations of senior management, the board and other stakeholders for internal audit opinions and other conclusions (Standard 2010.A2); and
the chief audit executive should consider accepting proposed consulting engagements based on the engagement's potential to improve management of risks, add value and improve the organisation's operations. Accepted engagements must be included in the plan (Standard 2010.C1).
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement. [85667]
Chris Grayling: As part of the commissioning process, all contracts above £10,000 in value are advertised on Contracts Finder with those suitable for small and medium enterprises and voluntary organisations identified accordingly.
The Department, and its public bodies, consider social value in the initial stages of commissioning services by using sustainable procurement risk assessment methodology (SPRAM).
SPRAM is mandatory for all new contracts and considers the impact of diversity and equality, people with disabilities, the use of supported factories and businesses, the suitability of small and medium enterprises and voluntary organisations and questions whether or not there are unacceptable labour standards in the supply chain.
Where relevant and proportionate, social value factors can be scored as part of the evaluation process during the commissioning phase. Following contract award, suppliers are asked to complete periodical returns demonstrating how they have implemented those social value aspects of the contract they are delivering.
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Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what risk registers are held by the public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement. [85714]
Chris Grayling: The risk registers held by the public bodies for which my Department is responsible are shown as follows:
Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission
There is an overarching risk register for each directorate within the commission.
Health and Safety Executive holds a corporate risk register which is supported by subsidiary project and directorate risk registers as appropriate.
The Independent Living Fund maintains a number of risk registers:
a strategic risk register;
five internal directorate risk registers; and
project risk registers.
National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) Corporation
National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) Corporation maintains two risk registers. The principal register supports the identification and management of all business and delivery risks within the organisation. The second register is focused on NEST Corporation's information security risks.
The pensions ombudsman has the following risk registers:
operational risk register; and a
strategic risk register.
Pension Protection Fund has the following registers:
Risk Universe;
team risk registers;
information risk registers;
key process risk registers;
topic-based risk registers;
financial risk register;
project risk registers; and a
tri-partite risk register.
a strategic risk framework (register);
high level business risk frameworks; and
individual business and departmental registers.
The Pensions Advisory Service has the following risk registers:
corporate risk register;
pensions risk register;
service area risk registers; and
project risk registers for major projects.
The Pensions Regulator has one risk register.
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Employment and Support Allowance: Expenditure
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the projection made by the Office for Budget Responsibility that expenditure on employment and support allowance will be £1 billion more than previously expected by 2015-16; and if he will make a statement. [85809]
Chris Grayling: The new projections made by the Office for Budget Responsibility of employment and support allowance (ESA) expenditure reflect the latest data on the number of claimants assessed as fit for work, the most up to date assumptions on the composition of the caseload and the number of new claims.
Employment and Support Allowance: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in Peterborough constituency currently in receipt of employment and support allowance in the Work Related Activity Group with a prognosis of six months are being migrated into work; and if he will make a statement. [85338]
Chris Grayling: The Department regularly publishes National Statistics which provide information on the caseloads of various different benefits to the constituency level. This information can be found by using the tabulation tool (‘Tabtool’) on the departmental website here:
http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
The Tabtool shows that as at May 2011, the latest data available, there were 1,620 people on employment and support allowance in the Peterborough parliamentary constituency and of these, 550 were in the Work Related Activity Group.
Information on the prognosis given by the Atos Healthcare Professional following the work capability assessment is available for claims flowing on to employment and support allowance by local authority area rather than parliamentary constituency. Note that on-flow figures are not directly comparable to the caseload figures provided above.
Between March 2010 and February 2011 (the most recent period for which data are available) there were 2,090 new claims for employment and support allowance (ESA) in the Peterborough local authority area. Of these 530 went into the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) following the initial work capability assessment. Of those claims going into the WRAG, 140 (26%) were given a prognosis of three months, 260 (49%) had a prognosis of six months and the remaining 130 (25%) were given a prognosis of 12 months or longer.
This information is taken from administrative data held by DWP, and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
ESA claimants in the WRAG will have the opportunity to join the Work programme, when the outcome from their work capability assessment is known. The Work programme was launched on 10 June 2011 and is now in place nationally. This is the biggest single payment by results employment programme Great Britain has ever seen, providing personalised support to an expected 2.4 million claimants over the next seven years.
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Information on the numbers leaving ESA to move into work is not currently available. The Work programme has only been in place for six months, and the measures of its success are long term. The Department is closely monitoring all aspects of the Work programme, and will publish this information as soon as reliable and meaningful data are available, in accordance with guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority. Official statistics on referrals will be available from spring 2012, and on job outcomes from autumn 2012.
Employment Schemes
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average duration of work experience placements has been since January 2011. [85536]
Chris Grayling: This information is not available. Work experience placements are expected to last for a period of between two and eight weeks, with an optional extension to up to 12 weeks if the employer decides they would like to offer the participant an apprenticeship and that offer is accepted.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure Prime Contractors to the Work programme are using the Compact with the voluntary sector in their discussions with subcontractors from the voluntary sector; and if he will make a statement. [85681]
Chris Grayling: The principles of the Compact have been taken forward through the Code of Conduct which underpins the DWP Commissioning Strategy. These principles are further embedded through the Merlin Standard which all Work programme providers are required to achieve as a condition of their contracts. Merlin assessments will take place from spring 2012 and biannually thereafter.
The Merlin Standard will require that all subcontractors are treated fairly in their dealings with Prime Contractors and that supply chains remain robust and healthy. Primes that do not fulfil their obligations will be subject to action for breach of contract and may lose their contracts.
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people in (a) the East Midlands and (b) Leicester City have participated in the work experience programme. [85785]
Chris Grayling: Details of the number of young people who have participated in work experience from the East Midlands region, and Leicestershire parliamentary constituencies is available and shown in the following table.
| Work experience participants up to August 2011 | |
|
|
Number |
12 Dec 2011 : Column 587W
| Notes: 1. Data source—DWP LMS opportunities evaluation database September 2011. 2. Due to data protection protocols, any figures above 10 are rounded to the nearest 10. Due to rounding, totals may not be the sum of the individual cells. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Labour Market Interventions Strategy Division. | |
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people (a) were referred to and (b) took up work experience placements in each month since January 2011. [85532]
Chris Grayling: Figures are not available for the number of young people referred to work experience.
The most recent statistics for work experience starts were published on 16 November 2011, for the period January to August 2011. There have been a total of 16,360 work experience starts between January and August 2011. A breakdown of this information can be found in the following table:
| Work e xperience starts | |
| 2011 | Number |
| Notes: 1. Values are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Values less than 10 are suppressed and marked with a dash. 3. Due to rounding totals may not be the sum of the individual cells. 4. Months are calendar months. Source: DWP LMS opportunities evaluation database September 2011. | |
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many 16 to 24 year olds in (a) the East Midlands and (b) Leicester City have found sustainable employment following participation in the work experience programme. [85782]
Chris Grayling: This information is unavailable. However recent early analysis, based on a national sample of 1,300 participants, indicates that less than half of participants are claiming working age benefits after 13 weeks of starting a work experience placement.
Enterprise Allowance Scheme
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people registered as unemployed who are eligible for the enterprise allowance (a) in Merseyside and (b) nationally. [86356]
Chris Grayling: The new enterprise allowance is available to unemployed people aged 18 and above who have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for six months or more and who are not on the Work programme.
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In October, there were 11,010 people in Merseyside and 314,355 nationally aged over 18 who had been claiming JSA for six months or more. These figures include claimants who may have been referred to the Work programme and are therefore higher than the number of people actually eligible.
Housing Benefit
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many social tenants he estimates will lose some housing benefit because they are under-occupying their home; and how many and what proportion of these he expects to be (a) pensioners and (b) disabled people. [84772]
Steve Webb: From April 2013 we intend to restrict housing benefit for working-age claimants living in the social rented sector where the claimant and the claimant's household under-occupy their accommodation.
We estimate that approximately 670,000 housing benefit claimants are likely to be affected by the introduction of size criteria in the social rented sector, and experience reductions in housing benefit as a result.
A breakdown of the categories of working age households affected is included in the equality impact assessment of the social sector size criteria, published to accompany the Welfare Reform Bill.
The equality impact assessment can be found at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf
Notes:
1. For housing benefit, the threshold between working-age and pension-age is determined by reference to the qualifying age for state pension credit. This is linked to planned changes in the state pension age for women.
2. Exceptionally, a pensioner may choose to claim a working-age benefit, such as income-based jobseeker's allowance, rather than claiming pension credit. In these situations the claimant would be assessed in line with the working-age rules for housing benefit.
3. Alternative definitions of disability would produce differing estimates of the number of disabled households affected by the social sector size criteria.
Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of fathers aged (a) 16 to 24 and (b) 25 to 34 who will be affected by the extension of the shared accommodation rate of local housing allowance. [86348]
Steve Webb: The shared accommodation rate already applies to single people under 25, so no fathers aged 16 to 24 will be affected by the change in the age threshold.
It is estimated that around 10,000 of the people affected by the extension of the shared accommodation rate are non-resident parents who have some contact, although not necessarily overnight contact, with children who live elsewhere.
All of these are aged 25 to 34, and most are fathers. This excludes parents who do not currently have any contact with their children.
Source:
DWP analysis of Single Housing Benefit Extract, 2008/09 Family Resources Survey and 2008 Families and Children Survey. This estimate is based on a small number of sample survey cases and is subject to a large degree of uncertainty.
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Housing Benefit: Wales
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many recipients of local housing allowance (LHA) in Wales the level of payment will change if (a) LHA rates are set at the 30th percentile of local market rents and (b) LHA levels are restricted to the four bedroom rate; and what proportion of those affected will be women. [85908]
Steve Webb: Estimates of the numbers affected in Wales by the local housing allowance (LHA) changes are published on the Department for Work and Pensions website:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/impacts-of-hb-proposals.pdf
(Table 16 shows the impact of setting LHA rates at the 30th percentile, and Table 20 shows the impact of restricting LHA levels).
Estimates of the proportion of those affected in Wales who are women are not available. The published Equality Impact Assessment for the measures shows the estimated proportions affected by gender for Great Britain. This is available at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lha-eia-nov10.pdf
(Annex E, Table 25 shows the impact of setting LHA rates at the 30th percentile, and Annex D, Table 20 shows the impact of restricting LHA levels).
Incapacity Benefit: Aberdeen
Stephen Timms:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the results of the incapacity benefit reassessment pilots in Aberdeen and Burnley informed the recalculation of the future costs of
12 Dec 2011 : Column 590W
employment and support allowance reported at the Autumn Statement by the Office for Budget Responsibility; and if he will make a statement. [86178]
Chris Grayling: The first stage of incapacity benefit reassessment began in October 2010 with a trial involving 1,700 customers from the Burnley and Aberdeen benefit centres. This trial was designed to provide early indicators about customer and staff reactions to the reassessment process.
The data from the trial influenced changes to the initial assumptions for IB reassessment used in the expenditure forecasts. The trial results suggested the fit for work rate was higher than originally assumed. Additionally, a higher proportion of claimants being moved on to ESA were placed in the support group than initially assumed. However, the trial data need to be used with caution as they may not reflect the national picture. We will continue to monitor the assumptions used in the expenditure forecasts as more data become available.
Income Support: Mortgages
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of expenditure on support for mortgage interest for people who receive employment and support allowance in the (a) Support Group, (b) Work Related Activity Group and (c) Assessment Phase in each financial year to 2015-16. [86079]
Chris Grayling: The following table shows forecasts of housing requirements. Housing requirements include support for mortgage interest and other housing elements not included in housing benefit.
| £ million | |||||||||
|
|
2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 |
Jobseeker’s Allowance: Young People
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of introducing weekly signing for all 18 to 24-year-olds on jobseeker's allowance from the fifth month of their claim. [85584]
Chris Grayling: The cost of providing weekly signing was included as part of a package of support within the Youth Contract that is expected to cost nearly £1 billion over the next three years. The final costs for weekly signing will be driven by the volume of claimants and the Department for Work and Pensions does not forecast unemployment levels.
National Benefit Fraud Hotline
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many referrals through the National Benefit Fraud Hotline were made by hon. Members in each of the last five years; and how many investigations were launched as a result of such referrals. [86006]
Chris Grayling: All information received by the Department in relation to an allegation of benefit fraud, including that received through the National Benefit Fraud Hotline (NBFH) is treated as confidential. All referrals to the NBFH are therefore anonymised so the information requested is not kept by the Department.
Older Workers: East Midlands
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the Youth Contract on older employees in (a) East Midlands and (b) Leicester City. [85816]
Chris Grayling:
Our existing programmes will be supporting up to 350,000 young people over the next two years, but we recognise that the current economic situation means that some young people are still finding
12 Dec 2011 : Column 591W
that getting work is not easy. The Youth Contract is being introduced with the aim of getting more young people involved in meaningful jobs and training early in their working lives to ensure that they are not left behind.
This renewed effort is not expected to be to the detriment of older workers, and we will continue to offer a full and effective package of support to help older unemployed people through a range of flexible support offered by Jobcentre Plus. For those at risk of long-term unemployment there is the Work programme, and for those interested in setting up a business there is the new enterprise allowance.
PAYE
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department plans to participate in the April 2012 pilot of PAYE real time information; and if he will make a statement. [86180]
Chris Grayling: DWP has been working closely with HMRC to ensure readiness for the implementation of PAYE real time information. DWP's intention is to participate during the pilot year but will not be part of the initial pilot. HMRC has confirmed that there is sufficient employer representation for the pilot at April 2012.
Poverty: Children
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who would be living in poverty (a) before and (b) after housing costs in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15 on the basis of (i) the policies in place prior to the Autumn Statement and (ii) implementation of those policies. [86179]
Maria Miller: The Government have not forecast how many children they expect to be in poverty before and after the introduction of the policies announced in the autumn statement for each year to 2014-15. Child poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted.
Analysis shows an estimated increase of around 100,000 in 2012-13; on the measure used previously (i.e. the impact of tax and benefit changes on the number of children living in households with an income less than 60% of the median).
But this does not represent a forecast of the actual change in child poverty year on year. When, as is currently and exceptionally the case, CPI is substantially higher than average earnings growth, uprating benefits by CPI will act to reduce child poverty, all other things being equal.
This measurement also does not take into account the value of public services which benefit children, such as education and health care. These are very important tools in improving life chances, particularly among poorer households.
Social Fund
Kate Green:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria are used to prioritise who will receive payments from the Social Fund; how these
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criteria will be affected by implementation of the Welfare Reform Bill; and if he proposes to issue guidance on the distribution of the Social Fund under the new legislative framework. [85437]
Steve Webb: The eligibility criteria for an award from each type of Social Fund Payment is set out in the Department for Work and Pensions' publication SB16—A guide to the Social Fund available on the departmental website:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/sb16-a-guide-to-the-social/
The Welfare Reform Bill introduces universal credit. With the exception of pension credit, the qualifying benefits that are part of the eligibility criteria for most Social Fund payments will eventually be replaced by universal credit. The Social Security Advisory Committee has been commissioned to carry out an independent review of passported benefits and the links with universal credit, including Regulated Social Fund. 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 its response by the end of April.
Winter fuel payments are Regulated Social Fund payments. Eligibility is not linked to receipt of benefits as they are paid to most people over women's state pension age. There are no plans to change the current eligibility criteria for winter fuel payments.
Clause 70 of the Welfare Reform Bill will allow budgeting loans to be awarded for funeral and maternity expenses. This change will be implemented two months after Royal Assent and the guidance will be updated accordingly.
Only Community Care Grants have a local funding allocation and this will not be affected by the Welfare Reform Bill. Clause 69 of the Welfare Reform Bill ends discretionary Social Fund payments. Crisis loans and community care grants will come to an end in April 2013. They will be replaced by a combination of local provision and a national scheme of payments on account of benefit, neither of which will be part of the Social Fund. Budgeting Loans will be phased out as universal credit is introduced and will be replaced by budgeting advances within universal credit.
After April 2013 the remaining Social Fund Payments have a national funding allocation and therefore guidance on distribution of funding is not necessary.
Social Security Benefits
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received more than £10,000 in benefits in each parliamentary constituency in the most recent year for which figures are available. [84888]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.
While information on DWP administered benefits is available at constituency level we do not hold complete information on those benefits administered by other Government Departments and organisations. Restricting analysis to those benefits administered directly by DWP may present a misleading picture of benefit receipt. In addition, we estimate that developing an appropriate
12 Dec 2011 : Column 593W
methodology and quality assuring any analysis of DWP administrative data would exceed disproportionate cost limits.
The table provides estimates of the number of benefit units in receipt of benefit and tax credit income in excess of £10,000 in 2009-10 based on the latest release of the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
The FRS is a clustered sample designed to produce robust estimates at former Government Office Region (GOR) level. Sample sizes below this level will be small, and not every area within a GOR will be covered by the FRS in any year, therefore we are not able to produce estimates at the constituency level.
| Number of benefit units in receipt of benefit and tax credit income in excess of £10,000 per year | |
|
|
Number |
| Notes: 1. The Family Resources Survey is a nationally representative sample of UK households. Data for 2009-10 was collected between April 2009 and March 2010. 2. The figures from the Family Resources Survey are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to former Government Office Region population by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error. 3. Results have been rounded to the nearest 100,000. 4. The Family Resources Survey is known to under-record benefit receipt and so estimates should be treated with caution. 5. A benefit unit is defined as a single adult or a married or cohabiting couple and any dependent children; from January 2006 same-sex partners (civil partners and cohabitees) are included in the same benefit unit. 6. A benefit unit has been defined as in receipt of a benefit or tax credit if at least one member of the benefit unit is in receipt of income from at least one benefit or tax credit. Source: Family Resources Survey, 2009-10 | |
Social Security Benefits
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely change in (a) benefits expenditure and (b) number of claimants for each benefit for which his Department is responsible during the forecast period. [85439]
Chris Grayling: The latest forecasts of benefit expenditure, which are consistent with the 2011 Autumn Statement have been published at the following address:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/autumn_2011_table_1a_ and_1b.xls
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The available information has also been placed in the Library.
Caseload information which is consistent with the Autumn Statement will be published on 21 of December at the following address:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=medium _term
A copy will also be placed in the Library.
Social Security Benefits: Foreign Nationals
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many non-UK citizens were in receipt of each type of welfare benefit in each of the last five years; [84411]
(2) how many non-UK citizens were registered with Jobcentre Plus in each of the last five years. [84412]
Chris Grayling: The UK's benefit payment systems do not record the nationality of claimants as nationality itself is not a condition of entitlement. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the number of non-UK nationals claiming benefit or registered with Jobcentre Plus from administrative data.
I have commissioned work to release information regarding the nationality of benefits claimants at the point of registration for a national insurance number. I hope to make these preliminary statistics available shortly. In addition, I have asked my officials to look in to ways of capturing nationality information at source.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to tackle benefit fraud in Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement. [85225]
Chris Grayling: Fraud in the benefit system is a serious problem, which is currently costing the taxpayer £1.6 billion a year in benefit and tax credit fraud. This loss is unfair, unaffordable and unacceptable. This is why our joint DWP and HMRC fraud and error strategy published last October and measures in the Welfare Reform Bill are necessary and show that the Government are absolutely committed to reducing the level of fraud in the benefit system.
These initiatives focus on preventing fraud and error from entering the system in the first place, detecting and correcting mistakes when they do happen, delivering tough punishments for those who defraud the system, and deterring those who would try to abuse the system in the future.
Social Security Benefits: Young People
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the off-flow rate has been of 16 to 24-year-olds from benefits into work since January 2011. [85535]
Chris Grayling:
About 90% of young people who made a new claim for jobseeker’s allowance in January 2011 had left the count by October, the latest month for which data are currently available. These figures cover 18 to 24-year-olds as those aged under 18 are not
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routinely eligible for JSA. Individuals are not required to tell Jobcentre Plus the reason they ended their claim and a significant minority of exits are to unknown destinations. This means that, although many of those whose destination is not known are likely to have taken up work, it is not possible to calculate an off-flow rate into work.
Tax Credits: Universal Credit
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the changes to tax credits announced in the Autumn Statement on his Department's target for the number of (a) children and (b) adults to be taken out of poverty through the universal credit; and if he will make a statement. [85611]
Chris Grayling: Universal credit will unify the current system of means-tested out of work benefits, tax credits and support for housing. As a result of the changes to tax credits announced in the autumn statement, it is estimated that (a) an additional 50,000 children will be lifted out of poverty through universal credit, over and above the number quoted in the Universal Credit Impact Assessment, and (b) no significant change to the number of adults lifted out of poverty.
Unemployment
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the Office for Budget Responsibility's new unemployment forecasts on the ability of Work programme providers to deliver existing contracts. [85550]
Chris Grayling: An assessment will be made following discussions about the new unemployment forecasts between DWP officials and Work programme providers.
Work Capability Assessment: Mental Illness
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to publish the reports by the Mental Health and Fluctuating Conditions groups on the work capability assessment; and when any such publication will occur. [86347]
Chris Grayling: We currently have no plans to formally publish the reports submitted by Professor Harrington to us on the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors and the fluctuating conditions descriptors.
Professor Harrington's second independent review of the work capability assessment was published on 24 November. This contains a précis of the two reports’ recommendations as well as an update on the current position regarding their consideration.
A copy of the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors report is available in the House Library. A copy of the fluctuating conditions descriptors report will be made available in the House Library once the Department has had a chance to consider it in detail and has provided feedback to Professor Harrington and those involved in the production of it.