| Table 9: Number of offenders with 76 to 100 previous convictions or cautions who did not receive an immediate custodial sentence for an indictable offence by offence category and ethnicity, 2007-09 | |||||||||||||||
| England and Wales | |||||||||||||||
| Number of offenders | |||||||||||||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
|
|
White | Black | Asian | Other | NR | White | Black | Asian | Other | NR | White | Black | Asian | Other | NR |
21 Dec 2010 : Column 1175W
21 Dec 2010 : Column 1176W
| Table 10: Number of offenders with 101 or more previous convictions or cautions who did not receive an immediate custodial sentence for an indictable offence by offence category and ethnicity, 2007-09 | |||||||||||||||
| England and Wales | |||||||||||||||
| Number of offenders | |||||||||||||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
|
|
White | Black | Asian | Other | NR | White | Black | Asian | Other | NR | White | Black | Asian | Other | NR |
| NR = Not recorded. | |||||||||||||||
Slavery
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases relating to (a) domestic slavery and (b) trafficked women have been heard (i) in Coventry, (ii) in the West Midlands and (iii) nationally in each of the last five years; and how many such cases (A) with and (B) without legal aid were upheld. [31509]
Mr Blunt: Cases related to human trafficking in the period 2005 to 2009 (latest available) were proceeded against under Sexual Offences Act 2003 and for forced labour under Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004.
The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for these offences in the west midlands police force area and England and Wales, 2005 to 2009 is shown in the following table. There were no reported proceedings of these offences at individual courts within the Coventry local justice area.
Cases of domestic slavery may also be dealt with under S71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 which came into force on 6 April 2010. Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring of 2011.
Data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice contain information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Information about the circumstances of each case, other than that specified in statute, is not collected centrally. It is not possible to separately identify from proceedings for offences of human trafficking those cases which related specifically to the trafficking of women or whether legal aid was provided.
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| N umber of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 for human trafficking offences (1) in England and Wales and the west midlands police force area, 2005 - 09 (2,) () (3,) () (4,) () (5) | ||||||
| Statute |
|
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Notes: Includes offences under: (1) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 Sexual Offences Act 2003 s.57 —Trafficking into the UK for sexual exploitation —Trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation —Trafficking out of the UK for sexual exploitation Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 s.4(1 ) and (5) —Trafficking people into the UK for the purpose of exploitation —Trafficking people within the UK for the purpose of exploitation —Trafficking people out of the UK (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (5) The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed the number proceeded against as the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in an earlier year and the defendants were found guilty at the Crown Court in the following year; or the defendants were found guilty of a different offence to that for which they were originally proceeded against. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice | ||||||
Work and Pensions
Access to Work Programme
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has plans to review the level of employer contribution to the Access to Work programme. [19992]
Maria Miller: Access to Work is a programme that supports disabled people with the extra costs they may face over and above what would be judged to be reasonable for the employer to cover themselves to fulfil their legal obligations under equality legislation.
The level of contributions made by employers was adjusted from April 2010 so that larger employers contribute more than small employers, with micro employers exempted from contributions. We will keep the level of expected contributions under review, to ensure that employers contribute at a reasonable level and the programme continues to be as effective and efficient as possible.
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on providing employees with specialist adapted equipment through the Access to Work programme. [19993]
Maria Miller: The Access to Work programme provides funding for a wide range of practical support to help disabled people get and keep employment, including specialist or adapted equipment that is beyond what it is reasonable to expect an employer to provide. Access to Work continues to be an important part of the range of employment support that the Government have in place to assist disabled people.
Annuitising Sums
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward proposals to (a) facilitate and (b) reduce the cost of annuitising sums of less than £5,000. [32231]
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Steve Webb: There are already rules in the pensions tax system designed to help those with a low level of overall pension savings, or with individual, small occupational pension pots.
The trivial commutation rule allow individuals who are 60 or over with total pension savings below £18,000 to withdraw all their savings as a lump sum. The first 25% of this lump sum is tax-free, with the remainder taxable as income. In addition, certain small occupational pension pots of less than £2,000 can also be taken as a lump sum, even where an individual has savings in excess of the aggregate limit.
Some people may already be able to amalgamate their savings, or may be offered an annuity by their pension provider. Evidence shows that an annuity can be purchased with pension pots of as little as £5,000.
The Government recognise that some people with pots of less that £5,000 may have difficulties when it comes to annuitisation. DWP is considering the long-term consequences of automatic-enrolment to better understand the implications for employers and schemes in administering small pots and also to help individuals maximise their savings.
DWP is working with HMT, HMRC, FSA and TPR to share knowledge. We will consider whether any action may be needed to address issues around small pots.
Child Poverty Act 2010
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the implementation of the Child Poverty Act 2010; and if he will make a statement. [25865]
Maria Miller: The coalition document reaffirmed our commitment to the goal of ending child poverty by 2020 and the importance the Government place on tackling child poverty and improving life chances cannot be overstated.
We have today published a consultation on our approach to child poverty. The consultation fulfils the requirement in the Child Poverty Act 2010 to consult with specified groups, including children, young people and their parents in developing a child poverty strategy. We will publish our first strategy under the Act in spring 2011.
Local authorities and partners are currently taking forward their needs assessments and developing strategies in accordance with the requirements in Part 2 of the Act and a package of support developed with the sector was launched in September.
Child Support Agency
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many clients of the Child Support Agency are registered under the (a) 1993 and (b) 2002 scheme. [29994]
Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
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In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many clients of the Child Support Agency are registered under the (a) 1993 and (b) 2002 scheme.[29994]
To clarify the Child Support Agency runs two child maintenance schemes; the Old Scheme, used for cases assessed between 5 April 1993 and 2 March 2003, and the Current Scheme, used for cases assessed after 3 March 2003.
At September 2010 the Child Support Agency was dealing with 1,153,900 live and assessed cases of which 738,300 cases were operating under Current Scheme rules and 415,600 cases under Old Scheme rules.
The latest figures showing the caseload of the Child Support Agency by scheme are routinely published in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS); the latest version of which is available in the House of Commons Library or online at:
http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/publications/statistics.html
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Cold Weather Payments
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has assessed the accuracy of existing mechanisms to measure temperatures for the purposes of making cold weather payments; and if he will make a statement. [32141]
Steve Webb: The postcode to weather station linkages used for the cold weather payment scheme are reviewed after the end of each winter. Expert advice is sought from the Met Office and changes made where appropriate before the start of the next winter period. Representations made during the previous winter about the suitability of the links between postcode districts and individual weather stations are also considered. Using postcodes linked to representative weather stations is a straightforward way to administer the scheme as the benefit computer systems can identify eligible customers and enables payments to be issued quickly and in the main automatically.
For winter 2010-11 there are seven new weather stations used as part of the cold weather payment scheme, while one will no longer be used. As a result, some of the postcodes that were linked to existing weather stations during winter 2009-10 have been reassigned to the new weather stations.
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether those entitled to receive cold weather payments will be entitled to receive such payments after the introduction of the universal credit. [32354]
Steve Webb: The recent White Paper “Universal Credit: welfare that works” (Cm 7957) set out our intention that those elements of the social fund, such as cold weather payments, which lend themselves to simple automated delivery will be incorporated into universal credit and be paid automatically when the qualifying criteria are met.
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Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether claimants of (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance who are eligible to receive cold weather payments will receive such payments if they begin their claim following the introduction of universal credit. [32355]
Steve Webb: The recent White Paper “Universal Credit: welfare that works” (Cm 7957) set out our intention that those elements of the social fund, such as cold weather payments, which lend themselves to simple automated delivery will be incorporated into universal credit and be paid automatically when the qualifying criteria are met.
Disability Living Allowance
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effects on those who live in residential care homes of the implementation of his proposals to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance from such people; what representations he has received on his proposals; and if he will make a statement. [24855]
Maria Miller: The effect of the measure is that people who live in state funded residential care homes will cease to be paid the mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA) after 28 days. While these residents will not be paid DLA, they will retain an underlying entitlement to the benefit and it will be reinstated if they leave the care home providing they continue to satisfy the conditions of entitlement. The planned implementation date is October 2012. The change will not apply to residents who meet the full costs of the care home themselves; they will continue to be paid any care or mobility components of disability living allowance they are entitled to. The change will affect around 80,000 people.
This is a highly complex area in terms of both funding streams and the different responsibilities of all the parties involved and there are a maze of legal duties, contractual obligations and service levels to take into account. Local authorities have a duty to carry out an assessment of need for community care services for individuals. Based on that assessment a decision is made as to which of those assessed needs should be met by specific services.
We have received a number of representations in the form of parliamentary questions and correspondence since the measure was announced. The Equality Impact Assessment for removing the mobility component of disability living allowance from state-funded care home residents after 28 days will be published with the proposed legislation.
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether the proposed removal of mobility allowance for disabled children after 84 days in residential care will apply to children in residential education settings; [25759]
(2) whether residential schools for disabled children will be classified as care homes for the purposes of the proposed changes to the mobility element of the disability living allowance. [25746]
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Maria Miller: This will be informed by responses to the consultation document which was published on 6 December 2010.
We will be making clearer as we move towards the Bill exactly how the measure to cease paying mobility component of DLA to people in care homes will affect particular groups.
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living in state-funded residential care used the Motability scheme in the latest period for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the number of people likely to be affected by the implementation of his proposals to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance. [28221]
Maria Miller: There are currently around 575,000 people on the Motability scheme and we estimate that around 12,000 of them will be affected by the measure to cease paying the mobility component of disability living allowance to people in residential care after 28 days. The Department is discussing the proposed measure with Motability to enable them to decide how best they can manage the impact of this change on their customers.
We estimate that approximately 80,000 people who claim disability living allowance and live in residential care will be affected by the measure to cease paying the mobility component in Great Britain from October 2012.
Local authority contracts with care homes will cover services to meet a resident’s assessed needs. This will cover activities of daily living which may include providing access to doctors, dentists and local services such as libraries and banks. In addition, care homes are required where practicable to promote the independence, participation and community involvement of their residents.
This is a highly complex area in terms of both funding streams and the different responsibilities of all the parties involved and there are a maze of legal duties, contractual obligations and service levels to take into account. For example, NHS- funded individuals in residential care do not receive the DLA mobility component, while those funded by local authorities do.
People are also invited to put forward their views on this proposal as part of the wider DLA reform consultation document which was published on 6 December 2010. This can be found on the Department’s website at
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2010/dla-reform.shtml.
The consultation ends on 14 February 2011.
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account he took of Article 20 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in formulating his proposals to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance. [28223]
Maria Miller:
The Government take their obligations under the United Nations convention on the rights of disabled people into account as they develop policies and programmes. The report that Government will make to the United Nations next year will demonstrate
21 Dec 2010 : Column 1183W
how across Departments we have taken forward implementation in respect of article 20 and the convention as a whole.
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which (a) organisations and (b) individuals he consulted on his proposals to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance; and what arrangements are in place for consultation on the implementation of his proposals. [28224]
Maria Miller: As part of the spending review all organisations are given the opportunity to contribute to the priorities of the spending review. All measures are subject to the parliamentary process, and we are committed to the involvement of charities, third sector organisations and other disability organisations in the ongoing development of policy in these areas.
People are also invited to put forward their views on this proposal as part of the wider DLA reform consultation document which was published on 6 December 2010. This can be found on the Department’s website at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2010/dla-reform.shtml.
The consultation ends on 14 February 2011.
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consult users of Motability vehicles and their representatives on the implementation of his proposals to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance. [28225]
Maria Miller: Motability users will be able to put forward their views on this proposal as part of the wider DLA reform consultation document which was published on 6 December 2010.
We have already consulted with Motability who are considering how they will manage any impact this measure will have on individuals affected by it.
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average change in the amount of disability allowance received by people (a) who pay for their own care, (b) in residential care funded by the NHS and (c) in residential care funded by a local authority as a result of the implementation of his proposals to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance. [28226]
Maria Miller: The information is as follows.
(a) Disabled people who pay for all care home costs themselves will continue to be paid the care and mobility components of DLA they are entitled to.
(b) Patients in NHS funded hospitals or similar institutions, including NHS funded residents in residential care homes, already cease to be paid both the care and mobility components of disability living allowance after 28 days (84 days in the case of children aged under 16) on the principle of double provision.
(c) Care home residents who are funded by local authorities cease to be paid any care component of disability living allowance they may be entitled to after 28 days. Of those who currently receive the mobility component of DLA, those on the lower rate will no longer receive £18.95 and those on the higher rate will no longer receive £49.85 per week from October 2012.
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Local authority contracts with care homes will cover services to meet a resident’s assessed needs. This will cover activities of daily living which may include providing access to doctors, dentists and local services such as libraries and banks. In addition, care homes are required where practicable to promote the independence, participation and community involvement of their residents.
This is a highly complex area in terms of both funding streams and the different responsibilities of all the parties involved and there are a maze of legal duties, contractual obligations and service levels to take into account. For example, NHS- funded individuals in residential care do not receive the DLA mobility component, while those funded by local authorities do.
Disabled people and their representatives can put forward their views on this proposal as part of the wider DLA reform consultation document, which was published on 6 December 2010.
Disability Living Allowance: Belfast
Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in Belfast East constituency he expects to be affected by the removal of the mobility component of disability living allowance from those in residential care homes. [30662]
Maria Miller: This is the responsibility of Alex Attwood, Minister of Social Development in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects on disabled people of the removal of the mobility component of the disability living allowance for those living in residential care homes. [28673]
Maria Miller: The effect of the measure is that people who live in state funded residential care homes will cease to be paid the mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA) after 28 days. While these residents will not be paid DLA, they will retain an underlying entitlement to the benefit and it will be reinstated if they leave the care home providing they continue to satisfy the conditions of entitlement. The planned implementation date is October 2012. The change will not apply to residents who meet the full costs of the care home themselves; they will continue to be paid any care or mobility components of disability living allowance they are entitled to. The change will affect around 80,000 people.
This is a highly complex area in terms of both funding streams and the different responsibilities of all the parties involved and there are a maze of legal duties, contractual obligations and service levels to take into account. Local authorities have a duty to carry out an assessment of need for community care services for individuals. Based on that assessment a decision is made as to which of those assessed needs should be met by specific services.
Care homes are required, where practicable, to promote the independence, participation and community involvement of their residents.
Consideration was given to the equality impacts of the measure when the proposal was being developed.
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The equality impact assessment for removing the mobility component of disability living allowance from state funded care home residents after 28 days will be published with the proposed legislation.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what legal advice his Department has sought from the Attorney-General on the compatibility of his Department's proposed removal of the mobility component of disability living allowance from long-stay residents of local authority-funded care homes or colleges from October 2012 with the Government's international obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; and if he will make a statement. [29556]
Maria Miller: By long-standing convention, observed by successive administrations and embodied in the Ministerial Code, the fact that the Law Officers have advised (or have not advised) on a particular issue, and the content of any advice, is not disclosed outside government.
Disability Living Allowance: Glasgow
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of disability living allowance and aged between 25 and 35 years are resident in Glasgow North constituency; and how many of these are in receipt of (a) housing benefit and (b) local housing allowance. [30522]
Maria Miller: The numbers of people in receipt of disability living allowance aged between 25 and 35 in Glasgow North constituency is provided in the following table.
| DLA Claimants aged 25-35(inclusive) in Glasgow North parliamentary constituency, May 2010, aged 25-35 (inclusive) | |
|
|
Number |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures do not include people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 4. Information is available on the number of housing benefit claimants in receipt of a passported benefit, such as income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-based employment support allowance and pension credit (guaranteed credit). Disability living allowance is not a housing benefit passported benefit, therefore the number of DLA claimants also receiving housing benefit is not available. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study | |
The numbers of people in receipt of disability living allowance aged between 25 and 35 in Glasgow North constituency who are also in receipt of housing benefit and local housing allowance is not available.
Disability Living Allowance: Public Finance
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of administering (a) disability living allowance in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13 and (b) his Department's proposed personal independence payment in (A) 2013-14 and (B) 2014-15. [29829]
Maria Miller:
We are currently consulting how the personal independence payment will be assessed and administered and so cannot provide details for costs in
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2011-12, 2013-14 or 2014-15 at this stage. However, in 2009-10 the cost of administering disability living allowance was £193 million.
The Government will set out further detail at the earliest appropriate point.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) disability living allowance in 2010-11 and (b) his Department’s proposed personal independence payment in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15. [29830]
Maria Miller: Benefit expenditure on disability living allowance is forecast to be £12.1 billion in 2010-11.
Combined benefit expenditure for disability living allowance and personal independence payment is projected to be £12.7 billion in 2013-14 and £12.2 billion in 2014-15.
All expenditure is in real terms and is available from the DWP benefit expenditure tables at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/alltables_budget2010.xls
Disability Living Allowance: Sunderland
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of disability living allowance aged between 25 and 35 years are resident in Sunderland Central constituency; and how many of these are also in receipt of (a) housing benefit and (b) local housing allowance. [30366]
Maria Miller: The numbers of people in receipt of disability living allowance aged between 25 and 35 in Sunderland Central constituency is provided in the following table.
| DLA Claimants aged 25-35(inclusive) in Sunderland Central parliamentary constituency—May 2010 Aged 25-35 (inclusive) | |
| Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study | |
The numbers of people in receipt of disability living allowance aged between 25 and 35 in Sunderland Central constituency who are also in receipt of housing benefit and local housing allowance is not available.
Notes:
1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten;
2. Figures do not include people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.
3. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.
4. Information is available on the number of housing benefit claimants in receipt of a passported benefit, such as income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-based employment support allowance and pension credit (guaranteed credit). Disability living allowance is not a housing benefit passported benefit, therefore the number of DLA claimants also receiving housing benefit is not available.
Employment and Support Allowance
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effect on levels of child poverty of the removal of contributory employment and support allowance after one year. [21919]
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Maria Miller: The proposal to time-limit contributory employment and support allowance to one year for those in the Work Related Activity Group is estimated to have no significant impact on child poverty as measured by the equivalised poverty threshold of 60% of the median household income.
Notes:
1. There is unavoidable uncertainty whenever estimating the effect of policy changes on poverty. Uncertainty arises because HBAI poverty statistics are based on survey data which only captures a sample of households from the population—this sampling introduces variability from year to year in statistics as the survey sample is redrawn and new people are interviewed.
2. Uncertainty also arises because estimated policy effects are dependent on modelling assumptions which may be imperfect.
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3. Poverty statistics are routinely rounded to the nearest 100,000. This is a reflection of the degree of confidence we should have when examining and comparing these statistics across groups and over time.
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants receive (a) income-related and (b) contributory ESA. [28745]
Maria Miller: The information requested is provided in the following table:
| Employment and support allowance claimants by payment type as a percentage of all employment and support allowance claimants, as of May 2010 | |||||
|
|
All employment and support allowance claimants | Contribution based | Both income and contributions based | Income based | No payments – credits only |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 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. 3. The type of Employment and Support Allowance is defined as pay status at the caseload date - this may differ to the status at the start or end of the claim, as changes in an individual's circumstances may affect their benefit entitlement. 4. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. 5. Totals may not sum due to rounding. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% | |||||
Employment and Support Allowance
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what financial support will be available for individuals who do not qualify for income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) after 12 months in the work-related activity group of contributory ESA; what entitlement to income-related ESA a person with a partner earning an income of £145 a week or more will have; and if he will make a statement. [30684]
Maria Miller: A claimant who does not qualify for income-related employment and support allowance after they have received 12 months of contributory employment and support allowance in the Work Related Activity Group may be able to claim a number of benefits depending on their circumstances. Depending on their rental circumstances, they may be eligible for housing benefit and council tax benefit. If they are aged 60 or over, they may be eligible for pension credit. If they have a partner who is working 16 hours or more a week, they may be able to claim working tax credit. However, any benefit entitlement will depend on individual circumstances.
A claimant will retain any entitlement to disability living allowance, provided they continue to meet the qualifying conditions.
In the case of a person with a partner earning £145 or more a week, entitlement to income-related employment and support allowance is retained as long as the partner is not working for more than 24 hours a week on average, and does not have net earnings in excess of £148.69 a week. The customer and partner must also not be in possession of savings in excess of £16,000.
This level ensures that the couple have a weekly income equal to the couples' rate of employment and support allowance of £102.75, the Work Relate Activity component of £25.95, and up to £20 a week in additional income from the partner's work income.
A person in the Work Related Activity Group with a partner earning £145 a week would therefore be entitled to £3.70 a week in income-related employment and support allowance. Above the threshold of £148.69 a week, entitlement to income-related employment and support allowance would cease.
Housing Benefit
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of individuals who have been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for over 12 months who are in receipt of housing benefit. [25995]
Steve Webb: The information is not available.
Neither the total number of jobseeker’s allowance claimants receiving housing benefit nor the duration of such claims is available. The relevant analysis has not been quality assured to National Statistics standard, and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average monetary value of weekly housing benefit payments made to individuals who have been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for over 12 months in the latest period for which figures are available. [26089]
Steve Webb: The information is not available.
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Neither the total number of jobseeker’s allowance claimants receiving housing benefit nor the duration of such claims is available. The relevant analysis has not been quality assured to National Statistics standard, and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
We will publish an impact assessment for the proposal 10% reduction to HB in the normal way, accompanying the relevant legislation when introduced in Parliament.
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what restrictions he plans to place on the disbursement of (a) homelessness prevention funding and (b) discretionary housing payments from funds allocated to local authorities since the June 2010 Budget. [28738]
Steve Webb: Discretionary housing payments are only available to people who are entitled to housing benefit or council tax benefit. They are primarily intended to make up shortfalls in entitlement to benefit where the local authority considers that the person concerned is in need of further help with their housing costs. Decisions on awards are made at the local authority’s discretion within the framework contained in the Discretionary Financial Assistance Regulations 2001. We do not intend to change these arrangements but we are trebling the funding we provide local authorities, to £60 million a year, from April 2012 and increasing their budgets by £10 million in 2011-12.
Homelessness funding is made available to local authorities by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and is intended to tackle and prevent homelessness. The grant is un-ringfenced grant and it is for local authorities to determine how the funding is best used to meet the needs of their communities.
Housing Benefit: Homelessness
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has issued guidance to local authorities on ensuring that no person becomes homeless as a result of the planned changes in local housing allowance. [32356]
Steve Webb: We are providing an additional £130 million to local authority discretionary housing payment budgets over the spending review period to support households who need help with retaining an existing tenancy or finding alternative accommodation. We will be issuing further good practice guidance to local authorities early next year with suggestions as to how they might use the funding to best support those households affected by changes to local housing allowance rates.
Housing Benefit: Jobseeker's Allowance
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people who have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for over 12 months also receive housing benefit. [24775]
Steve Webb: The information is not available.
Neither the total number of jobseeker's allowance claimants receiving housing benefit nor the duration of such claims is available. This analysis has not been quality assured to National Statistics standard, and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
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We will publish an impact assessment for the proposal 10% reduction to HB in the normal way, accompanying the relevant legislation when introduced in Parliament.
Housing Benefit: Mortgages
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the potential effects of the change in the rate used to calculate support for mortgage interest payments on the number of people entitled to passported benefits. [32353]
Steve Webb: This information is not available.
Incapacity Benefit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to support people in receipt of incapacity benefit after the existing New Deal for Disabled People contracts end, and before the start of the Work programme. [31132]
Maria Miller: From April 2011 more personalised support will be available through Jobcentre Plus as we introduce a new flexible offer. This support will be available to all customers in receipt of working age benefits and customers on incapacity benefit will be able to access it on a voluntary basis. This support will complement the Work programme, which will be introduced by summer 2011.
Where appropriate, incapacity benefit customers will also be able to access Work Choice, launched on 25 October, which provides tailored support to help disabled people who face the most complex barriers to employment find and stay in work and ultimately help them progress into unsupported employment.
In addition, customers can also access programmes like Access to Work, Remploy and Residential Training for unemployed disabled adults whose needs cannot be met through any other Government-funded programmes.
I announced in a written ministerial statement on 2 December 2010, Official Report, columns 89-90WS, an independent review of the specialist disability employment support the Government provide to disabled people who want to work. This review will be conducted by Liz Sayce, chief executive of the disability organisation RADAR.
Incapacity Benefit: Medical Examinations
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanisms will be in place to ensure that there are employment opportunities for people who (a) cannot stand or walk for any length of time, (b) are classified as capable of some work by the new medical assessment for incapacity benefit claimants and (c) require other adjustments to working conditions to enable them to work. [22310]
Maria Miller: We are committed to ensuring that disabled people have the same employment opportunities and chances as everyone else to find and stay in work, regardless of their disability.
21 Dec 2010 : Column 1191W
As part of this commitment, the Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for a range of employment provision specifically aimed at disabled people.
Work Choice - launched on 25 October, provides tailored support to help disabled people who face the most complex barriers to employment find and stay in work and ultimately help them progress into unsupported employment, where it is appropriate for the individual. Work Choice is voluntary and available regardless of any benefits being claimed.
Access to Work - provides practical advice and financial support to employed disabled people above and beyond what the employer could reasonably provide, to help them overcome obstacles resulting from disability and thus stay in work.
In addition, Remploy is an executive non departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. It delivers a range of employment and development opportunities for disabled people under the Work Choice programme.
The Department for Work and Pensions also funds Residential Training for unemployed disabled adults whose needs cannot be met through any other Government funded programmes.
On Thursday 2 December, I announced in a written ministerial statement an independent review of the support the Government provide to disabled people who want to work. This review will be conducted by Liz Sayce, Chief Executive of the disability organisation RADAR.
Independent Living Fund
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has undertaken on the performance and effectiveness of the Independent Living Fund since May 2010. [32162]
Maria Miller: The Independent Living Fund is a non-departmental public body managed by a board of trustees. The fund operates within the terms of a trust deed and conditions of grant agreement. The Department has agreed key performance targets with the Independent Living Fund and performance against these targets is monitored regularly. The Department has six monthly accountability meetings with the Independent Living Fund, the most recent was on 27 September 2010.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what disability organisations he has met to discuss the future of the Independent Living Fund since his appointment; [32163]
(2) on what dates he has met (a) disability organisations, (b) local government representatives and (c) ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health to discuss the future of the Independent Living Fund since his appointment. [32164]
Maria Miller: I have met with a number of disability organisations and other bodies to discuss the future of the Independent Living Fund: the Chair of Equality 2025 on 8 June 2010; the all party parliamentary group on disability on 21 June 2010; and the Disability Charities Consortium and the Disabled People's Organisations Group on 28 July 2010. I have met with other disability organisations individually, including speaking with the National Centre for Independent Living (NCIL) most recently on 13 October 2010, and will continue to do so as we consider the future on the Independent Living Fund in the context of the forthcoming spending review.
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I met with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health on 9th June, 27 July, 13 October and 15 November.
I met the Trustees and management of the Independent Living Fund on 1 June 2010, 22 July 2010 and 15 September 2010.
Independent Living Fund
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding was allocated through the Independent Living Fund (ILF) to each local authority in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many service users received support through the ILF towards their case costs in each such authority. [31193]
Maria Miller: The Independent Living Fund does not allocate funding to local authorities. The Independent Living Fund is a discretionary trust which makes direct cash payments to severely disabled people to purchase personal care or help with domestic duties from a care agency or privately employed personal assistant.
The available information on the number of Independent Living Fund users and the amount of money paid in each local authority area for the latest period available has been placed in the Library.
Inflation: Consumer Prices Index
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what discussions he has had with the Royal Statistical Society on the use of the consumer prices index as a measure for inflation compensation; and if he will make a statement; [32228]
(2) what discussions he has had with the UK Statistics Authority on the use of the consumer price index as a measure for inflation compensation; [32229]
(3) what discussions he has had with the Office for National Statistics on the use of the consumer price index as a measure for inflation compensation. [32230]
Steve Webb: The Government believes that CPI is the appropriate index for measuring changes in the cost of living. It may be helpful if I set out some of the consideration that were factors in our reasoning:
1. The CPI is the headline measure of inflation in Great Britain, forming the target for the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee;
2. The CPI excludes mortgage interest payments, which are not relevant to the majority of pensioners and benefit recipients;
3. The methodology used the calculate the CPI takes into account the fact that many people tend to trade down to cheaper goods when prices rise which the RPI does not;
4. In terms of population coverage the Retail Price Index (RPI) excludes a significant group of pensioners (pensioner households who receive 75% or more of their income from the State). The CPI includes those pensioners.
The decision to switch to the CPI for price measurement for benefit and pension uprating, and provide the statutory minimum for occupational pension indexation, was taken by DWP Ministers with advice following discussions between DWP, HMT and other Departments, using appropriate evidence including that made available by the Office for National Statistics, over which the UK Statistics Authority has oversight. No discussions have taken place between the Department and the Royal Statistical Society on this matter.
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Jobcentres: Sanctions
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether Jobcentre Plus has set any targets for the number of sanctions to be issued by each Jobcentre Plus officer; [31121]
(2) whether Jobcentre Plus has established any targets for the number of sanctions to be issued by each Jobcentre Plus office. [31065]
Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked Darra Singh to reply to your question asking whether Jobcentre Plus has set any targets for the number of sanctions to be issued by each Jobcentre Plus officer and whether Jobcentre Plus has established any targets for the number of sanctions to be issued by each Jobcentre Plus office. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to Darra Singh as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Darra Singh is currently unavailable, I am replying in his absence.
Jobcentre Plus is responsible for ensuring customers are compliant with the conditions of entitlement and remain eligible to receive
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Jobseeker's Allowance. To help ensure the associated sanctions regime is applied efficiently, effectively and consistently across Districts, Jobcentre Plus has established the following internal benchmarks:
A minimum of 6% of the JSA live load is referred to Decision Makers to consider areas of doubt arising from entitlement and sanctions, and
At least 50% of these referrals result in decisions adverse to the customer
These are benchmarks and not targets. There is no 'right level' of referrals. The intention is that, if District performance is significantly different from this benchmark, either above or below, this is a signal to management to assure themselves that processes are being followed correctly, fairly and consistently.
Jobseeker's Allowance
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) claimants receive (a) income-related and (b) contributory JSA. [28746]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is in the following table. These data can be accessed via the Department’s website at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
| Number of people in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance, May 2010 | |||||
|
|
|
Contributory jobseeker’s allowance only | Income-based and contributory jobseeker’s allowance | Income-based jobseeker's allowance only | No payments-credits only |
| Notes: 1. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Figures have been uprated using 5% proportions against 100% WPLS totals. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 4. Percentages are shown to one decimal place. Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) Information Directorate, 5% samples. | |||||
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of support for mortgage interest who claimed jobseeker's allowance after 5 January 2009 will lose their entitlement to support for mortgage interest if they are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in (a) January 2011, (b) February 2011, (c) March 2011, (d) April 2011, (e) May 2011 and (f) June 2011; and if he will make a statement. [32359]
Steve Webb: The two year limit on payment of support for mortgage interest to income-based jobseeker's allowance claimants is underpinned by the principle of providing short-term help through the benefits system.
When claimants who are subject to the two year limit are first awarded support for mortgage interest on their income-based Jobseeker's Allowance claims, they receive a decision notification. This letter gives the end date of their support for mortgage interest, which is the two year limit. In addition to this, the leaflet IS8, that is issued to claimants with mortgages when they claim benefit, contains a section that explains how the two year limit operates and who it applies to.
Claimants who are subject to the two year limit will receive a letter eight weeks before the two year limit date, which advises them that their mortgage interest payments will be withdrawn.
In line with commitments made when the measures were introduced on 5 January 2009, officials will complete an analytical evaluation of the two year limit in January 2011, which will include affected caseload. When complete, and subject to quality assurance tests, we will consider publication of this report in early 2011.
Jobseeker's Allowance
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of working age have claimed jobseeker's allowance (a) twice, (b) three times, (c) four times, (d) five times and (e) more than five times in a 12 month period in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [31770]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many claimants of working age have claimed jobseeker's allowance (a) twice, (b) three times, (c) four times, (d) five times and (e) more than five times in a 12 month period in each of the last five years. (31770).
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Table 1 gives the information requested for the 12 month periods ending November from 2006 to 2010. These estimates have been derived using data from the Jobcentre Plus 5% cohort. This is a sample of the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
| Table 1: Number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance by number of claims in a 12 month period | |||||
| 12 month period ending | |||||
| Number of claims | November 2006 | November 2007 | November 2008 | November 2009 | November 2010 |
| Source: Jobcentreplus 5% cohort | |||||
Multi-Occupancy Lets: Edinburgh
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of multi-occupancy lets of each tenure type in Edinburgh East constituency. [31398]
Steve Webb: The information is not available.
Pensions: Consumer Prices Index
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish each policy paper which informed his decision to uprate pensions and benefits in line with the consumer price index rather than the retail prices index. [32062]
Steve Webb: The decision to uprate pensions and benefits in line with the consumer prices index rather than the retail prices index was based on a range of factors including the fact that the CPI is the headline measure of inflation in Great Britain, and the coverage and methodology of each index. Policy advice to Ministers is not generally published.
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account he took of his obligation under section 150 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 to reflect the general level of prices obtaining in Great Britain in deciding to uprate pensions and benefits in line with the consumer prices index. [32063]
Steve Webb: The Secretary of State took full account of his obligation under Section 150 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 to reflect the general level of prices obtaining in Great Britain, considering several factors when coming to a decision that the consumer prices index was the most appropriate way of measuring that level of prices. These included the facts that the consumer prices index is the headline measure of inflation in Great Britain, and that it has a basket of goods and methodology relevant to benefit recipients.
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Personal Independence Payment
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who will see their incomes (a) rise and (b) fall on introduction of the proposed personal independence payment in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15. [29831]
Maria Miller: Support through the proposed personal independence payment will be focused on those with the most need. The detailed criteria that will be used in the new assessment to determine eligibility for the rates of the benefit are currently being developed and a consultation process is also under way. At this stage, it is therefore not possible to provide an assessment of the impact of the personal independence payment on existing disability living allowance, or future recipients.
Poverty: Children
Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to reduce child poverty in (a) South Thanet constituency and (b) England. [24587]
Maria Miller: The Government are committed to their goal of ending child poverty by 2020. We are committed to finding the right long-term solutions through prioritising opportunity, fairness and social mobility across our society.
Under the duties of Part Two of the Child Poverty Act, Kent county council is required to co-operate with its named partners to tackle child poverty in its local area. The county council is required to prepare and publish needs assessments—detailing the child poverty-related issues specific to the area, and develop a joint child poverty strategy which sets out how it plans to address those issues.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were assessed as living in poverty (a) before and (b) after housing costs in (i) Scotland and (ii) Glasgow East constituency in each year since 2000. [32161]
Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty in Scotland are published in ‘Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland: 2008-09’. This uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
As they are based on survey data, child poverty estimates published in Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland do not allow analysis by parliamentary constituency. However, figures for Scotland are set out the following table.
| Percentage and number of children living in relative poverty before housing costs (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC) | ||||
| Relative poverty in Scottish households | ||||
| Period | BHC (%) | BHC (thousand) | AHC (%) | AHC (thousand) |
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| Notes 1. The source of this information is the ‘Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland: 2008-09’ publication. 2. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication ‘Households Below Average Income’ series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 3. The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors. 4. Figures are based on survey data and as such are subject to a degree of sampling and non-sampling error. 5. Numbers of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 10,000 children. 6. The measures is defined as: Relative poverty: percentage of children living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income. 7. Income after housing costs (AHC) is derived by deducting a measure of housing costs from the before housing costs (BHC) measure of income. These include (1) rent (gross of housing benefit), (2) water rates, community water charges and council water charges, (3) mortgage interest payments, and (4) structural insurance premiums (for owner occupiers), ground rent and service charges. Source: Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland: 2008-09 | ||||
Private Rented Housing: Edinburgh
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of private rented homes with (a) one and (b) two bedrooms with a rental in the bottom 30% of local market values in Edinburgh in the first six months of 2010. [31388]
Steve Webb: This information is not available.
Social Security Benefits
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of people who have moved off jobseeker's allowance onto (a) incapacity benefit and (b) income support in each of the last three years. [27443]
Maria Miller: The information is not available.
Although some information is available on NOMIS regarding destinations from jobseeker's allowance, the percentage of people leaving with an unknown destination recorded has increased over the last 10 years, and is now over 50%.
As the collection of these data is voluntary, they do not have sufficient coverage to be reliable.
Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effects on problem drug users in receipt of benefits of his proposed changes to the benefits system. [25897]
Maria Miller: Our aim is to increase the number of drug and alcohol dependent benefit claimants who successfully engage with treatment and rehabilitation services and ultimately find employment, which is a key contributor to a sustained recovery.
Our welfare reforms will support this strategy by making sure that work always pays.
As announced in the Drug Strategy, “Reducing Demand, Restricting Supply, Building Recovery: Supporting People to Live a Drug Free Life” which was published on 8 December 2010 (a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library) the Government will take a holistic approach to helping benefit claimants beat their drug and alcohol dependency, so they have every chance of competing in today's labour market.
Benefit claimants who decide to go into treatment will be offered every support to help overcome their addiction. Those who refuse treatment will still be able to claim unemployment benefits but, if as a consequence they are unable to comply with the normal conditions for receipt of benefits, they will face the same sanctions as every other jobseeker.
Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that his proposals for medical examinations for claimants of disability benefits include provision for the examination to be undertaken by a Welsh speaker. [16142]
Chris Grayling: The Medical Services Contract currently states that Atos Healthcare shall comply with the provisions of the Welsh Language Act to provide a bi-lingual service for those claimants who are resident in Wales in respect of correspondence, telephone and face to face communications, published and printed materials. Moving forward, the Department will of course continue to meet our obligations to comply with the provisions of the Welsh Language Act as part of the implementation of our proposals in this area.
Unemployment Benefits
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of out-of-work benefits there were (a) in Brighton and Hove and (b) nationally in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009. [27231]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
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| Number of claimants of out of work benefits, in Great Britain and abroad and Brighton and Hove local authority | ||||
|
|
|
JSA | Incapacity Benefits | IS/PC |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The data has been analysed by Statistical Groups which are hierarchical. A person who fits into more than one category will only appear in the top-most one for which they are eligible. JSA - claimants of Jobseekers Allowance Incapacity Benefits - claimants of Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance/Employment and Support Allowance IS/PC - claimants of Income Support (and males age 60-64 claiming Pension Credit) that are not also claiming IB/SDA Source: DWP Information Directorate: 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | ||||
Welfare State: Reform
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish his Department’s impact assessment of the likely effects of proposed reductions in benefit payments on communities with a high dependence on welfare. [28165]
Chris Grayling: We will be publishing assessments of the impact of the changes the Government are making to benefits when the Welfare Reform Bill is presented to Parliament in the new year.
Internships: Greater London
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to encourage employers to offer internships to young people in (a) London and (b) Maidstone and the Weald constituency. [14730]
Chris Grayling: A comprehensive employer engagement strategy is used to encourage employers to offer work experience/internships. This strategy includes dedicated employer account managers who encourage a wide range of employers to register their work experience/internship opportunities on dedicated websites.
As of 13 October 2010 there are currently available 4,793 work experience opportunities. Over 900 of these opportunities cover the constituencies named. Since the programme started, we have successfully placed over 1,800 young people in a variety of opportunities across many occupations, industry sectors and employers—463 of these placements occurred in the constituencies named.
Deputy Prime Minister
North East England
Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what dates he has visited the North East since his appointment; and for what purpose were such visits. [31794]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I visited the north-east in August to promote regional growth.
Defence
Armed Forces: Young People
Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces service personnel under the age of 18 years (a) in training and (b) at trained strength were discharged in 2009-10; and what the reasons were for discharge in each case. [31573]
Peter Luff: Information is not held in the format requested. However, the data on the numbers of personnel under the age of 18 who left the services in 2009-10, where available, are provided in the following table.
|
|
Outflow reason | Trained | Untrained | Total |
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| (1) Zero (2) A value less than five. (3) Not available Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts. | ||||
While it is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to identify the reason for leaving in each case, the Recruit Trainee Survey, January 2009 to December 2009, suggests that by far the majority of recruits leaving do so through their own choice. Of those, the most common reasons for leaving were missing family and friends too much, not liking the lifestyle or because the service was not what they expected. A copy of this survey is available on the MOD website at the following link:
http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1EF9A1F7-0C65-4053-820F-8BD386EBD6F1/0/rts_annual_report_2009.pdf
A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.