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Bangladesh
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department has provided for the reduction of poverty in Bangladesh since May 2010. [102401]
Mr Duncan: Since May 2010, the Department for International Development (DFID) has provided over £350 million in aid to Bangladesh. This has helped more children to get a better quality education, reduced maternal and newborn deaths, created more jobs and income, and increased the country's resilience to climate related natural disasters. DFID has also worked with the Government of Bangladesh to strengthen democratic systems and institutions and improve the Government of Bangladesh's public financial management systems.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken with his international counterparts to help maintain respect for human rights in Democratic Republic of Congo. [102978]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office leads on human rights issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The British embassy in Kinshasa works closely with the UN mission (MONUSCO) to increase the international community's understanding of the human rights situation, and it works closely with its EU counterparts to co-ordinate lobbying on human rights issues. I discussed human rights issues during my visit to the DRC in March. The UK Missions to the UN in New York and to the Human Rights Council in Geneva work with international partners to ensure continued focus on the human rights situation in DRC, and the UK has pressed for the DRC to remain on the agenda at the UN Human Rights Council.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions his Department is having with representatives of (a) the Democratic Republic of Congo and (b) neighbouring countries on the outcome of the disputed elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [102979]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK has made clear its very serious concern about the numerous electoral irregularities noted in several observer mission reports. The Department for International Development (DFID), along with other donors, has called for an independent, honest, inclusive and thorough evaluation to be undertaken of the electoral process to date, and for the recommendations of the EU observer mission to be implemented promptly. I raised this with President Kabila during my recent visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), welcoming his public recognition that the process was imperfect and saying that I looked forward to his supporting the independent evaluation so that lessons could be learnt ahead of provincial elections. This message will be taken to the new Government and Parliament once in place. DFID has not discussed the outcome of the DRC elections with representatives of neighbouring countries.
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Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of (a) human rights and (b) the integrity of the recent elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [103034]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) leads on human rights issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and closely monitors the situation as a country of concern. Her Majesty's Government's assessment can be found in the FCO 2011 Annual Human Rights report, a copy of which is placed in the parliamentary Library and also available online on the FCO website
http://fcohrdreport.readandcomment.com/human-rights-in-countries-of-concern/
On elections, I am pleased that the majority of Congolese voters were able to exercise their democratic rights peacefully. However, I am disappointed that irregularities and fraud, particularly during the compilation of results, undermined the credibility and integrity of the electoral process. I raised this with President Kabila during my recent visit to the DRC, welcoming his recognition that the process was flawed and saying that I looked forward to his supporting the independent evaluation so that lessons could be learnt ahead of provincial elections.
Developing Countries: Corruption
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost of corruption to developing countries. [103023]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development has not made its own estimate. It is not necessary to have a financial assessment for there to be widespread recognition that corruption threatens economic growth in developing countries, wastes resources and deters investment. The coalition Government will not tolerate corruption and in all their development programmes do their utmost to eliminate it.
Developing Countries: Females
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's budget support for developing countries was spent on projects promoting women's rights and empowerment in the latest period for which figures are available. [102980]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) puts girls and women at the heart of everything we do. DFID's Strategic Vision for Girls and Women, launched last March, sets out four strategic areas for greater action in all 28 country programmes. It is not possible to calculate the precise proportion of our budget which is spent on this.
Developing Countries: Maternity Services
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he plans to publish his Department's position paper on maternal health; and whether he has any plans to consult civil society organisations before the publication of the paper. [102443]
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Mr O'Brien: The UK Government's Framework for Results for improving reproductive, maternal and newborn health in the developing world, “Choices for women: Planned pregnancies, safe births and healthy newborns”, was launched on 31 December 2010. The publication of the Framework for Results followed the required consultation period and included relevant civil society organisations.
It can be found on the Department for International Development's website at
www.dfid.gov.uk/rmnh
Developing Countries: Primary Education
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the progress on the Millennium Development Goals to achieve universal primary education. [103033]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The past decade has seen marked advances in primary school enrolment, but progress towards universal primary education has slowed. Some 67 million children are still out of school, over half of whom are girls.
The UK Government are committed to playing our part in helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including those for education. By 2015 we will be supporting at least 11 million children in school (9 million in primary and 2 million in secondary). In addition, as part of the recently launched Girls Education Challenge, we will work with charities and businesses to find new and effective ways to educate up to one million of the world's poorest girls.
Developing Countries: Sanitation
Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress he has made on achieving the Millennium Development Goal on sanitation. [102185]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government have committed to achieving a series of challenging targets over the next four years including contributing to the achievement of the millennium development goal target of ensuring that 75% of people have access to basic sanitation by 2015. The UK will ensure that 25 million more people have access to improved sanitation facilities.
We now have water and sanitation programmes in 16 of the highest burden countries in terms of numbers of people without access to sanitation. For more information on individual sanitation projects being delivered through the Department for International Development (DFID) in specific countries, please visit the DFID website at:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/What-we-do/Key-Issues/Water-and-sanitation/
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal targets on sanitation. [103024]
Mr Andrew Mitchell:
Sanitation is the most off track Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target in Sub-Saharan Africa with seven out of 10 people in this
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region having no access to even a basic toilet, compared to the global figure of around 40% of the world's population (2.5 billion people) still lacking basic sanitation—we need to accelerate progress.
Improving sanitation and hygiene are key targets, both important in themselves as well as for their potential public health benefits. The UK Government have water and sanitation programmes in 16 of the top 20 countries in terms of numbers of people without access to sanitation. The Department for International Development is committed to achieving a series of challenging targets over the next four years as part of an overall review of our work. These will contribute to the achievement of the MDG target of ensuring that 88% of people have access to safe drinking water and 75% to basic sanitation by 2015. They include 25 million more people having access to improved sanitation facilities and 15 million more people being reached by promoting the practice of good hygiene.
I will be personally attending the High Level Meeting of the Sanitation and Water for All Partnership in Washington on 20 April, alongside the spring meetings of the World Bank. With the meetings taking place alongside one another it is helpful in securing the attendance of key decision-makers.
Developing Countries: Tuberculosis
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the level of investment in research and development for new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for tuberculosis in developing countries; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of such investment. [102077]
Mr O'Brien: The StopTB Partnership at the World Health Organisation has estimated that an investment of $9.8 billion is required from 2011-15 for tuberculosis research, which includes the development of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for use in developing countries. The size of the problem means that global action is required, rather than work by any one Government or agency.
The Department for International Development (DFID) is working alongside other donors, supporting several public-private product development partnerships (PDPs), to develop new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for tuberculosis (TB):
The Global Alliance for TB Drugs has developed new, faster methods to test new drugs and drug combinations with the aim of reducing current treatment times by at least two months
AERAS—the Global TB Vaccine Foundation has six vaccine candidates in early stages of clinical development.
The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), has developed five new diagnostic tests for TB, including GenXpert for rapid detection of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB.
The UK Government consider that supporting PDPs is an effective research investment. The establishment of PDPs has resulted in accelerated new technology development and there are now more promising drug, vaccine and diagnostic candidates in the development pipeline than at any other point in history. PDPs have portfolios of product candidates and can quickly close down projects that are not successful. They can leverage
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resources from public and private sectors and can increase the speed with which new products can be brought to market.
East Africa
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of the activities of Al Shabaab on delivery of aid in East Africa. [103029]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: In the past six months Al Shabaab has banned 18 humanitarian organisations from operating in areas under their control. Latest United Nations (UN) figures demonstrate that some 400,000 fewer people are able to access food as a result of these actions. The bans have also led to the closure of nutrition and health centres.
The UK is working hard to ensure aid continues to reach those where possible. In the last six months, UK aid has treated over 18,000 starving children, helped provide food for over 300,000 people and vaccinated over 1.3 million children. Despite these successes, gaps remain and the UN estimate that some 2.51 million people remain in need of humanitarian assistance, mostly in southern Somalia.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the period for which emails sent and received by (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in his Department are retained; and whether such emails are recoverable from the IT systems in his Department after that period. [102942]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has one policy for email handling that applies to Ministers, officials and special advisers. Emails are retained for 90 days and automatically deleted after that period. If an email forms part of the official record, then it is saved into the Electronic Document and Records Management System. If the email is not part of the official record it will either be deleted or purged at the end of the 90 day period. Email that has been purged cannot be recovered.
Emails that have been saved as part of the official record are retained by DFID for defined periods or retained for transfer to The National Archive.
EU Aid
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to discuss with his EU counterparts the re-orientation of the EU development budget towards tackling the inter-relationship between environmental management, climate change and poverty alleviation. [102056]
Mr O'Brien:
I welcome the European Commission's commitment to improving the links between its policies on poverty alleviation and other key policies, such as those for environmental management and climate change; but progress on turning this commitment into concrete action has been too slow. Negotiations have now begun on the next long-term EU budget framework covering
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the period 2014-20 and the UK is taking the opportunity to press the EU to make much faster progress on this. We are also seeking to ensure that the Commission develops strong evidence to demonstrate the greater impact achieved of putting poverty alleviation policies into action alongside broader policies.
G20
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's objectives are for the G20 meeting in June 2012. [103028]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: My objective for the G20 summit in June is for G20 Heads of State to agree a set of actions that promote economic growth in low income countries. I fully support the Mexican presidency's development priorities this year of food security, infrastructure and green growth. Linked to this the G20 should demonstrate progress against the actions on food security and infrastructure that it agreed at the Cannes summit last November. The summit should also contribute positively to the Rio+20 conference that immediately follows it.
G8
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's objectives are for the G8 meeting in May 2012. [103027]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The development focus of the G8 summit in May 2012, under the United States presidency, will be food security. We fully support their proposal to catalyse international support and commitment to tackle the severe food security challenges in Africa.
G8 transparency and accountability remain key priorities for the UK. We are continuing to press for a robust and credible G8 Accountability Report in 2012, showing progress against commitments made at earlier summits on food security, health, aid levels and aid effectiveness.
Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the freezing of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria expenditure on the prospects of achieving Millennium Development Goal 6 to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; and how the freeze on new projects will affect his Department's targets for reducing cases of these diseases. [103022]
Mr Andrew Mitchell:
Global Fund financing has not been frozen. The fund still expects to spend between $9 billion and $10 billion over the next three years. The fund's board decided in November 2011 to cancel Round 11 funding because there was insufficient funding to support further scaling-up. But the board agreed to replace it with a Transitional Funding Mechanism and to use existing resources to accelerate changes in line with the fund's new strategy, which will allow a more predictable and strategically focused method of supporting country programmes. While it is still too early to say what the impact of these decisions will be on the fund's overall results, the fund is working on
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such an assessment and is accelerating reforms to implement the new approach to funding, including through the renewal of existing grants.
India
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effects of the construction of the Teepaimukh Dam in India on people living in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh; what representations he has made to the Indian Government regarding their compliance with the 1997 UN Convention on non-navigable watercourses; and if he will make a statement. [102166]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Government are aware of concerns about the Teepaimukh Dam and the effect its construction may have on people living in Bangladesh. The UK has not made any formal representations on this to the Indian Government. However the Department for International Development is already supporting discussions between both countries and others in the region about sharing the Ganges, Indus and Brahmaputra and their tributaries through the South Asia Water Initiative. We are looking at what else we could be doing to support a good resolution of the issues through our programmes.
The 1997 UN Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of Watercourses has not entered into force to date as too few countries have either ratified or acceded to this convention. The UK has not ratified or acceded to the convention and neither has India or Bangladesh. As a consequence, they are not legally bound by the provisions in the convention.
Overseas Aid
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to set official development assistance at 0.7% of gross national product. [99642]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The coalition has set out how we will stand by the UK's promise to invest 0.7% of national income as aid from 2013. The Bill is ready and as the Prime Minister has said we will legislate when parliamentary time allows.
Palestinians
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps he has taken to promote economic development in Palestine. [102399]
Mr Duncan:
In July 2011, the UK Government announced a four year programme of support to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) designed to promote statebuilding and economic development. This included financial and technical support to Palestinian businesses to stimulate private sector growth and create 8,000 new jobs. With international partners we continue to call on Israel to ease movement and access restrictions, which are the biggest obstacle to economic development in the OPTs. We are also assisting the Palestinian Authority
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to improve economic management and stabilise its finances. This helps create the macro-economic stability needed to promote economic confidence, investment and growth.
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to the public purse was of UK aid spent on Palestinian school textbooks; and what proportion of UK aid this figure represents. [102965]
Mr Duncan: The UK's imputed share of spend on Palestinian school textbooks in 2009 (the latest year in which figures are available) was £50,748. This represented 0.000654% of the UK's overseas aid budget for the same year.
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what processes are in place to monitor the content of Palestinian school textbooks. [102966]
Mr Duncan: The process for developing and monitoring the content of Palestinian school textbooks is set out in the First Palestinian Curriculum Plan 1998 and implemented by the Palestinian Curriculum Development Centre (PCDC). Under the process set out in the Curriculum Plan, the syllabus of each school grade and subject is evaluated both nationally and internationally. Draft textbooks are then presented to teachers' workshops for evaluation before being scrutinised by panels of academics. Following the initial print runs, further evaluation of each textbook is undertaken by the Assessment and Evaluation Centre. This includes feedback from teachers, content analysis by external experts and structured classroom observations.
In addition to the monitoring process undertaken by the PCDC, a number of studies by respected research institutions have also reviewed textbooks used in Palestinian schools. Most recently, the US State Department has commissioned a full independent investigation into the content of Palestinian and Israeli school textbooks. This is due to report in 2012.
Sahel
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his (a) EU and (b) European counterparts on food insecurity in the Sahel. [102981]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Britain has responded quickly to provide assistance to the areas of the Sahel worst affected by the current food security crisis. It is vital that other donors step forward to carry their share of the international response. To this end, I spoke with Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, on 25 January. Officials from my Department also lobbied a group of officials from Nordic countries on 9 February. On the same day, UK officials also raised the issue of the Sahel at a meeting attended by representatives from all 27 EU member states.
In addition, on 28 February, the UK led a round table meeting with senior officials from the European Commission and other donors on European development fund support for African Regional Economic Integration, including pan-African initiatives which could among other things improve food security in the Sahel.
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We will continue to engage in regular discussions with our counterparts in other governments to help ensure an effective response to the crisis.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the extent of food insecurity in the Sahel. [102982]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: According to latest reports by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), over 16 million men, women and children across the Sahel region of West Africa are at risk of food shortages in the coming months. This includes up to over 1.5 million children under the age of 5, who are at severe risk. The current numbers of people at risk are:
5.4 million people in Niger
3.5 million people in Mali
1.7 million people in Burkina Faso
3.6 million people in Chad
0.7 million people in Gambia
0.7 million people in Mauritania
0.7 million people in Senegal
These figures are expected to rise as the annual “hungry” period between harvests has started early this year.
In direct response to severe food shortages in the region, I have announced two urgent packages of UK support to help mitigate the crisis, one in January and the other on 14 March. Through this support, British aid will help treat over 400,000 people across the Sahel in 2012. This will include:
155,000 children and women benefitting from improved nutrition, of which over 87,000 children under 5 will be able to be treated for severe acute malnutrition;
153,000 people who will receive food;
a further 104,000 men, women and children, who will benefit from community livelihoods support such as animal feed and animal vaccinations and cash and or in-kind transfers.
In addition to our direct support British aid is also reaching those in need across the Sahel through the release of £22.8 million from the United Nation's Central Emergency Response Fund—to which Britain is the leading contributor.
My officials continue to monitor the situation closely and liaise with their opposite numbers in other Governments to ensure that other countries take their fair share of the response.
Somalia
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department plans to take to ensure long-term food security for the Somali people. [103018]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is supporting activities to tackle food insecurity by improving opportunities for long-term jobs. These activities include removing constraints to developing the agriculture, livestock, and fishery sectors, and improving the investment climate and regulatory framework for investment. Since 2010 British aid has, for example, rehabilitated 280 km of irrigation canals, thus putting 22,247 hectares of land under irrigation, and provided over 4,000 youths and women with skills training within the agriculture and livestock sectors.
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The Department for International Development also continues to support humanitarian interventions to strengthen the food security of vulnerable people. Since July British aid has provided 75,000 people with seeds and fertiliser, and almost 560,000 people have benefited from activities aimed at improving the health of their livestock.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian effects of the increased troop presence in Somalia announced at the Somalia Conference in February 2012. [103019]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The London Conference Communiqué welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2036, expanding the African Union Mission in Somalia's (AMISOM) mandate and raising the troop ceiling to over 17,000. Discussions are under way with a number of troop contributing nations and donors to raise the necessary troops and funds. The Government will closely monitor any effects on the humanitarian situation once the new contingents are operational.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken to meet the commitment to better coordinate humanitarian efforts and shift the focus towards long-term development needs following the conference on Somalia in February 2012. [103020]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I have written to Valerie Amos, the UN’s Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, regarding the need for strong Office of the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs' (OCHA) leadership. My officials continue to press the UN and other donors to work more closely together.
The UN has developed a draft resilience strategy as requested at the London conference in February. My officials are following up to see how this strategy is co-ordinated with other efforts and how it can be implemented. We hope that the Istanbul Conference in June may provide a further opportunity to promote a greater focus on longer term approaches to livelihoods and basic services.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the outcome of the International Conference on Somalia on 23 February 2012. [103032]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The London conference took place at the start of a critical year in which we have an opportunity to bring about real change in Somalia and break the cycle of violence. The number of partners and the level of ambition of the conference made for a groundbreaking outcome where the international community signed up to a clear set of deliverables.
We are now putting every effort into turning those commitments into action. This includes increasing security by providing more support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and engaging at a local level to support groups who want to work for peace and will
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establish representative administrations, in return for which we will help bring services including clinics, schools and roads.
Syria
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to provide humanitarian relief in Syria. [102984]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government were one of the first to respond to growing humanitarian needs in Syria. UK support to UN efforts and humanitarian agencies working in Syria is delivering vital medical care and supplies for injured civilians, food rations for over 20,000 people, essential household items for 5,500 people forced to leave their homes, emergency drinking water for 2,750 people, and restoration of damaged water and sanitation infrastructure to ensure access to safe water for over 30,000 people. Our total contribution now stands at £4.5 million.
I discussed the humanitarian situation with the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Baroness Amos frequently and most recently on 10 April 2012. We are engaging regularly with UN and other humanitarian partners to ensure the international humanitarian response is effective and co-ordinated to address the needs. Restrictions on access remain a clear difficulty for humanitarian organisations working to assist people in desperate need in Syria. The UK fully supports the efforts of the UN and Red Cross to negotiate for increased access for neutral and impartial humanitarian organisations. We continue to call on the Syrian Government to immediately allow full, free and unimpeded humanitarian access so that aid can reach all those in need.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in (a) Syria and (b) Homs; and what steps the Government is taking to support those affected. [103021]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I discussed the humanitarian situation with the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Baroness Amos, on 10 April 2012. We remain gravely concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria. Thousands have been killed, wounded or forced to flee their homes to other areas in Syria or to neighbouring countries. Some organisations report at least one million Syrians are in need of humanitarian aid. In Horns alone, there are over 200,000 people in need of assistance. Continued restrictions on access and movements of humanitarian agencies make a full, impartial assessment of the situation difficult but we understand from our partners that the priority needs across Syria are protection, medical assistance, food, shelter and other essential items such as bedding and hygiene kits. We continue to call on the Syrian Government to immediately allow full, free and unimpeded humanitarian access so that aid can reach all those in need.
UK support to UN efforts and humanitarian agencies working in Syria is delivering vital medical care and supplies for injured civilians, food rations for over 20,000 people, essential household items for 5,500 people forced to leave their homes, emergency drinking water for
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2,750 people, and restoration of damaged water and sanitation infrastructure to ensure access to safe water for over 30,000 people.
UN Conference on Sustainable Development
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) whether he plans to attend the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development in June 2012; [103025]
(2) what his Department's objectives are for the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development in June 2012. [103026]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is actively engaged in preparations for Rio+20. The Deputy Prime Minister will attend. As the lead Department for the conference, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), will be attending the conference.
The UK is supportive of a strong outcome at Rio+20 and dedicated to being a world leader in international sustainable development and poverty alleviation.
The UK priorities for Rio +20 as laid out by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs include:
1. High-level political affirmation on the centrality of green economy for sustainable development;
2. Better valuation of our natural resources, including through Governments looking beyond GDP as the sole unit of national accounting;
3. Action on food security in the context of rapid population growth;
4. The need for private sector involvement to facilitate green growth at Rio, and beyond—and the potential for more sustainable business practices, including through corporate sustainability reporting.
Rio+20 is a very timely opportunity for the international community to bring the environment and development agendas together in a way that has never been done before and the UK is working to achieve the best outcome possible.
UN Women
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to support the work of UN Women. [103031]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Advancing gender equality and women's rights is a top priority for the UK Government and UN Women has an important role to play in delivering these objectives.
In July 2011 the Government announced funding of £10 million per year for 2011 and 2012 to support UN Women's work to advance women's economic empowerment, prevent violence to women and girls and support women's political empowerment.
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The Government are also providing £3.25 million over three years for a UN Women project to strengthen women's leadership on peace and security and has seconded an expert to assist with their work on women's economic empowerment.
Vodafone Group
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many contracts Vodafone has been awarded by his Department in the last 12 months. [103213]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development has not centrally let any contracts to Vodafone during the past 12 months.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contracts his Department has with Vodafone. [103214]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development has one centrally let contract with Vodafone. This contract is for the provision of mobile voice and data telecommunications services.
Work and Pensions
Access to Work Programme
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many voluntary sector referrals to the Work programme are made (a) on an end-to-end basis and (b) on a spot-purchase basis. [103053]
Chris Grayling: The data requested for voluntary sector referrals to the Work programme are not available.
Action for Employment
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) the cost to his Department was of each jobseeker found work by A4e, (b) the targets were which were set for A4e and (c) his Department's budget allocation to cover expected costs was in 2011-12; and what he expects each to be in each year from 2012-13 to 2016-17. [102157]
Chris Grayling: A4e deliver various welfare to work provision including the Work programme, Jobcentre Plus Support contract (JCPSC) and mandatory work activity (MWA). Only the Work programme attracts a job outcome fee. The maximum financial incentive per participant for all Work programme providers is dependant on the participant group. A table showing the amounts can be accessed via the following link on page 7:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/the-work-programme.pdf
| Maximum payment per participant (£) | ||||||
| Benefit | Participant group | Start | Job outcome | Sustainment | Total | |
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The minimum performance standards set for each Work programme provider including A4e can be accessed via the contracts finder:
http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/Common/View%20Notice.aspx?site=1000&lang=en¬iceid=192354&fs=true
JCPSC and MWA contracts do not have performance targets set; these programmes are paid in relation to starts onto the provision (MWA) and minimum occupancy levels (JCPSC).
DWP does not allocate budgets at provider level but instead by the different programmes the Department operates. A4e provide contracted provision across a range of these programmes.
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2012, Official Report, columns 236-7W, on Action for Employment, what involvement his Department has in the contracts with A4e for delivery of the Offender Learning and Skills Service. [102346]
Chris Grayling: DWP does not contract with A4e for the delivery of the Offender Learning and Skills Service.
Broadband
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his planned extension of online service, what information his Department holds on the proportion of benefit claimants who have broadband at home. [102201]
Chris Grayling: The Department will be publishing research on working age benefit and tax credit claimants in May 2012, which will include information on home broadband access.
Carer's Allowance
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to recover overpayments of carer’s allowance in cases where the person to whom the claim relates has died. [102293]
Maria Miller: In cases where overpayments of carer’s allowance have arisen because the person being cared for has died, then recovery will be sought from the carer. This is on the basis that the carer has a duty to inform the Department of any changes that will affect entitlement to the carer’s allowance. In seeking such recovery due, regard will be had of the individual’s circumstances as it is the Department’s policy to seek recovery of overpayments without causing undue financial hardship.
Expenditure: Catering
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on complimentary refreshments for (a) staff and (b) visitors in the latest period for which figures are available. [101450]
Chris Grayling: The Department does not differentiate between staff and visitors in the information it holds on refreshment expenditure.
Reported expenditure on refreshments in 2009-10 was £286,000.
Expenditure for the current year (2011-12) up to and including January 2012, the latest period for which figures are available, is £43,000.
The Department continuously seeks to drive down discretionary expenditure to deliver value for taxpayer's money.
Child Maintenance
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support he is providing to separated parents to help them agree their own arrangements for the payment of child maintenance. [101637]
Maria Miller: The Government-funded child maintenance options service provides impartial information on child maintenance issues and support to help parents make collaborative family-based arrangements. It has a range of tools, including a child maintenance calculator, to help parents work out how much they may pay or receive, a discussion guide to help parents talk to each other about an arrangement, and a family-based arrangement form, which parents can complete when making their own arrangements.
On 25 January, the Government announced £20 million investment to support separating and separated parents. A steering group of voluntary and community sector experts as well as academics is advising on how best this money should be used to co-ordinate existing services and evaluate what works in helping parents through separation.
The steering group will help define what is needed, which could include: a web service that will be able to
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provide diagnosis and online material as well as signposting parents to specialist websites and local support services in their area; a helpline support for separating parents who need information and contact details for specialist and local support services that could help them; and co-ordinated local services to offer help and support.
Contracts for Services
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 489W, on contracts for services, how many offshoring proposals received since May 2010 he has accepted. [101930]
Chris Grayling [holding answer 26 March 2012]:All proposals to carry out work internationally submitted to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) by its suppliers are required to demonstrate compliance with a number of key criteria, before they are formally considered for approval by the Department. These criteria include evidence that the proposal is financially beneficial to the taxpayer and that it meets stringent security standards. In assessing financial benefit to the taxpayer, the Department considers the impact on UK jobs.
Since May 2010, the Department has only accepted proposals from its suppliers to carry out work internationally that meet these criteria, and has not accepted any proposals that would result in the loss of existing jobs within the UK.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many offshoring proposals were received by his Department in each of the last five years; and how many such proposals were accepted. [102347]
Chris Grayling: All proposals to carry out work internationally submitted to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) by its suppliers are required to demonstrate compliance with a number of key criteria, before they are formally considered for approval by the Department. These criteria include evidence that the proposal is financially beneficial to the taxpayer and that it meets stringent security standards. In assessing financial benefit to the taxpayer, the Department considers the impact on UK jobs.
Since May 2010, the Department has only accepted proposals from its suppliers to carry out work internationally that meet these criteria, and has not accepted any proposals that would result in the loss of existing jobs within the UK.
Council Tax Benefits
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who were (a) eligible for and (b) in receipt of council tax benefit in (i) England, (ii) the north-west, (iii) Cumbria and (iv) South Lakeland in each of the last five years. [102503]
Steve Webb: The information requested on the number of eligible people is not available.
The available information, relating to claimants in receipt of council tax benefit, is as follows:
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| Council tax benefit recipients in England, north-west region, Cumbria and South Lakeland: August 2007 | |
| Recipients | |
| Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 and totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100% caseload stock-count taken in August 2007 | |
| Council tax benefit recipients in England, north-west region, Cumbria and South Lakeland: December 2008 to December 2011 | ||||
| England | North West | Cumbria | South Lakeland | |
| Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 4. Data from November 2008 onwards are derived from the new Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) which is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems, whereas earlier years are derived from quarterly aggregate clerical returns. Figures from the two sources may not be directly comparable; the introduction of SHBE has improved the accuracy of HB/CTB statistics as it is based on individual claimant records rather than summary statistics, has a higher completion rate from local authorities leading to less estimation of missing data, and is subject to more thorough quality assurance 5. Data on HB/CTB can be found on the Departments website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbctb Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) | ||||
Council Tax Benefits: Take-up
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he is taking steps to increase the take-up of council tax benefit. [102502]
Steve Webb: Council tax benefit will be abolished from April 2013 and replaced in England with localised schemes of support. The Department for Communities and Local Government are taking forward legislation to allow local authorities to apply reductions in council tax liability to those on low income.
Local authorities will be responsible for the design and administration of local schemes, including the approach with respect to take-up.
Devolution: Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) discussions he has had and (b) consideration he has given to the transfer of responsibilities from his Department to the Welsh Government. [102194]
Chris Grayling: My ministerial colleagues and I are in regular contact with ministers in the Welsh Government about a range of matters relevant to Wales. My department continues to work closely with the Welsh Government on changes to Department for Work and Pensions responsibilities relevant to the Welsh Government.
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Two changes to the benefit system will lead to the transfer of funding to the Welsh Government to implement schemes which in England will be administered by local authorities.
Firstly, council tax benefit is being abolished and the Welsh Government will be funded to bring forward a replacement scheme in Wales.
Secondly, the Welfare Reform Bill 2011 abolishes the discretionary social fund, introduces payments on account to replace crisis loan alignment payments and eventually budgeting loans. It also paves the way for the delivery of new local provision to replace community care grants and crisis loans for general living expenses. The Welsh Government will be funded to bring forward replacement arrangements. The Minister with responsibility for Welfare Reform has met Leighton Andrews, Welsh Minister for Education and Skills, to discuss issues including council tax benefit and the social fund on 21 March 2012. The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions, my hon Friend the Member for Thornbury amd Yate (Steve Webb), who has responsibility for pensions, has been in contact with Carl Sargeant, Welsh Minister for Local Government and Communities, to keep him fully informed of progress with respect to developments on the social fund. The devolved administrations will determine the most appropriate arrangements for Wales and Scotland.
Disclosure of Information
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to improve data transparency in his Department. [103047]
Steve Webb: The Department regularly publishes National Statistics on its DWP website at:
http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?paae=tabtool
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/
the official website for labour market statistics.
Both sites allow individuals to construct tables to meet their own requirements.
In addition DWP information is regularly published through the Government's Transparency website:
http://data.gov.uk
This includes the following range of data:
Government Procurement Card Data (GPC) over £500
Financial spend data over £25,000
Job titles, organograms and salaries of senior civil servants in DWP Workforce Management Information including details on staff numbers, pay bill costs
Non consolidated performance related pay
Business Plan Quarterly Data Summaries—quarterly snapshots on how each Department is spending its budget, the results it has achieved and how it is deploying its workforce
The Department has also set up a Welfare Sector Transparency Board which includes membership from industry and academia. The board will help drive greater transparency by identifying further anonymous DWP datasets for release and wider re-use.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to require Work programme providers to publish all performance data. [103048]
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Chris Grayling: The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority in order to comply with the code of practice for official statistics and to protect the integrity and accuracy of data; as such, we aim to publish official statistics on job outcomes from autumn 2012.
However, we propose to allow providers to publish data that do not compromise the official statistics and aim to issue guidance to providers by the end of April.
Emma Harrison
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what role he played in the appointment of Emma Harrison as the Government's adviser on troubled families. [97623]
Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), was made aware in advance of the Prime Minister's announcement and was advised that there was no conflict of interest with Emma Harrison's role in A4e. At this stage Ministers had not been informed of any allegations of fraud that led to the current investigation.
Emma Harrison had no formal role in advising Government. Emma Harrison's involvement in the workless families' initiative was on a purely personal and voluntary basis.
Employment Agencies: Young People
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many under (a) 18s and (b) 21s currently work as agency workers. [102068]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many under (a) 18s and (b) 21s currently work as agency workers. 102068
Estimates of agency workers come from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). For the period October-December 2011 it is estimated that there were 18,000 people aged 16 to 20 inclusive who were in temporary employment through an employment agency. It is not possible to provide an estimate for those under the age of 18 because the sample size for the survey is too small.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. It is estimated that the true value is likely to be between 8,000 and 29,000.
Employment and Support Allowance
Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of appeals to employment support allowance tribunals were successful in each of the years from 2008 to 2011. [102552]
Chris Grayling:
The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA). The
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latest report was published in January 2012 and can be found on the internet at the link as follows:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
Table 3 in the publication gives the outcomes of completed appeals by the month the claims started. The latest information available relates to claims beginning before end November 2010 and includes outcomes of appeals on these cases heard up to the end of November 2011.
Note that these figures do not include WCAs completed on incapacity benefits reassessment claims.
Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when he expects to publish data on the number of appeals and successful appeals against employment and support allowance fit for work and work-related activity group decisions; [103051]
(2) what proportion of people making new claims for employment and support allowance who were (a) placed into the work-related activity group and (b) found fit for work have lodged an appeal against the decision. [102458]
Chris Grayling: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA). The latest publication was released in January 2012 and can be found on the Departmental website at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
The next provisional release date is 24 April 2012.
Table 3 of the publication mentioned above covers the number and outcomes of appeals heard on Fit for Work decisions in the initial functional assessment. Information on appeals heard on work-related activity group decisions is not available. Note that information of the number of claimants found fit for work who have lodged an appeal that has not yet been heard is not available.
Employment and Support Allowance: Coventry
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many referrals have been made to Work programme providers in Coventry of employment and support allowance claimants in each of the last six months. [102967]
Chris Grayling: Official statistics on Work programme referrals and attachments up to the end of October 2011 were published on 21 February. The information requested can be found via the tabulation tool which is published on the Department’s website at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wp
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals against employment and support allowance decisions there were in Coventry in each of the last six months; and how many such appeals were upheld. [103049]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.
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Employment Schemes
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people aged 18 to 24 years have participated in the Government's work experience programme in Birmingham Ladywood constituency; and what proportion of participants have since gained employment with the organisation with which they undertook work experience. [102067]
Chris Grayling: Between January and November 2011, there were 190 starts from people aged 18-24 years on work experience placements in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency.
The jobseeker's allowance claimant count figures are published on NOMIS: for example, the number of people aged 18-24 on the claimant count in April 2011 in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency was 2,095.
We do not collect information in respect of whether or not work experience participants subsequently gained employment with their host employer. There is no requirement for jobseeker's allowance claimants to tell us the name of their employers when they move into work, and neither are they obliged to inform us they have found work.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average number of people in receipt of training allowance was in each of the last five years. [102263]
Chris Grayling: The figures are in the table:
| Average number on training allowance 2007-2011 (1) | |
| Average | |
| (1) For 2011 the data is only available from January to November 2011. The November 2011 data is provisional, 2007 - October 2011 data is final. Notes: 1. The figures are presented for calendar years. The figures are an average of the numbers on training allowance on the first day of each month in the year. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Source: DWP administrative data (JUVOS Training Allowance), January 2012 | |
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals received training allowance between 1997 and 2010. [102267]
Chris Grayling: The number of people who received training allowance between 2000 and 2010 is 1,396,300.
Notes:
1. Training allowance data are only available from 2000; therefore we are unable to provide information back to 1997.
2. An individual could have received training allowance on more than one occasion, and therefore would be counted multiple times in this figure.
3. The figure is rounded to the nearest hundred.
Source:
DWP administrative data (JUVOS Training Allowance), January 2012
Stephen Timms:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his indicative forecasts for
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employment and support allowance clients joining the work programme take account of the first revised descriptors; and what assessment he has made of their effect on the number of people found fit for work. [102467]
Chris Grayling: The indicative forecasts for employment and support allowance clients joining the work programme are based on a number of assumptions, one of which is the number of people found fit for work. The assumption for fit-for-work rate takes account of the first revised descriptors, amongst a number of other factors, such as the Harrington review. Therefore, it is not possible in our forecasts to isolate the effect the revised descriptors have had on the number of people found fit-for-work.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he next plans to analyse Work programme supply chains to establish how many referrals are being made to voluntary sector providers. [103052]
Chris Grayling: The next stock take is planned for 30 July 2012 and every six months thereafter.
Official statistics on Work programme referrals and attachments up to the end of October 2011 were published on the Department's website on 21 February:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wp
In addition a one-off exercise identified that up to 17 November 2011 20% of all Work programme attachments were referred to the tier 1 and tier 2 voluntary sector organisations.
Employment Schemes: Birmingham
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of those aged 18 to 24 have received benefit sanctions as a result of their non-participation in the mandatory work experience programme in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency. [102010]
Chris Grayling: The Department does not run a programme called mandatory work experience.
Work experience helps young unemployed people get valuable work experience through a placement with a local business. This can help them build their CVs and make them more marketable to potential employers. While participating in work experience claimants continue to receive jobseeker's allowance subject to meeting the availability and actively seeking work requirements.
On 29 February 2012, the Government announced that sanctions would only apply to work experience participants when they lose their placement due to gross misconduct.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish his Department's risk register for the (a) Work Programme and (b) Youth Contract; and if he will make a statement. [95430]
Chris Grayling: This information is being withheld under the exemption in section 36 (2) (b) and (c) of the Freedom of Information Act.
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Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people under the age of 24 who had been claiming jobseeker's allowance or training allowance or were in a Government-funded placement on the Future Jobs Fund in each of the last three years. [102266]
Chris Grayling: The data required to give an estimate of the number of people under the age of 24 who had been claiming jobseeker's allowance or training allowance or were in a Government-funded placement on the Future Jobs Fund in each of the last three years are not readily available and would incur disproportionate costs to the Department to provide.
Figures are available separately for new claims to jobseeker’s allowance, training allowance and Future Jobs Fund only. The figures are in the following tables.
| Jobseeker's allowance new claims for claimants aged 18 to 24, 2009 to 2011 | |
| New claims | |
| Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. Source: NOMIS, March 2012 | |
| Training allowance starts for claimants aged 18 to 24, 2009 to 2011 | |
| Starts | |
| (1 )The figures are presented for calendar years. For 2011 the data are only available from January to November 2011. The November 2011 data are provisional, 2009 to October 2011 data are final. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP administrative data (JUVOS Training Allowance), January 2012 | |
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision has been made within the Youth Contract for the participation of young disabled adults. [102356]
Chris Grayling: The Youth Contract, worth nearly £1 billion, builds on the substantial support already available to help unemployed young people enter work. The Youth Contract includes more intensive support for all 18 to 24-year-olds claiming jobseeker's allowance, including those with disabilities, such as additional work experience and sector-based work academy places, and a new wage incentive which covers all 18 to 24-year-olds who are on the Work programme.
The Department also offers a range of specialist employment provision specifically aimed at disabled people whose needs cannot be met through other mainstream provision, such as Work Choice and Access to Work.
Hartlepool Power Station
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer of 8 March 2012, Official Report, column 1007, on the loss of a memory stick containing data relating to Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station, if he will make a statement on the investigations his Department has undertaken into the data loss. [102933]
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Chris Grayling: The loss of the unencrypted memory stick by a member of Office for Nuclear Regulation staff while in India occurred in November 2011. It contained a draft report relating to Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station. This did not contain any significantly sensitive information and the final version of the report has now been put into the public domain. An internal investigation was conducted by ONR management, which concluded that there was a breach of internal policies and practices. Work continues to ensure that lessons are learnt. Any further measures that may be needed to reinforce ONR's protective arrangements will be addressed by ONR management in the light of this work.
Housing Benefit: Scotland
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of claimants of housing benefit for (a) a single room in shared accommodation, (b) one-bedroom properties, (c) two-bedroom properties, (d) three-bedroom properties and (e) four or more bedroom properties in each (i) local authority area in Scotland and (ii) parliamentary constituency in Scotland. [92186]
Steve Webb: Estimates of the number of housing benefit claimants subject to local housing allowance by local authority and property type are published on the Department for Work and Pensions website:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-hb-shared-accommodation-age-threshold.pdf
Figures by parliamentary constituency are not available.
Housing Benefits
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of housing benefit claimants who were (a) evicted and (b) deemed intentionally homeless as a result of rent arrears in each of the last five years. [102290]
Steve Webb: No estimate has been made.
Housing Benefits: Greater London
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to each London borough of transitional payments in lieu of housing benefits cap in each of the last six months. [102368]
Steve Webb: No estimate has been made. The Government contribution towards discretionary housing payments allocated to each London borough in 2011-12 are presented in the following table. Local authorities may award total discretionary housing payments of up to 2.5 times the contribution from Government.
The total national Government contribution towards discretionary housing payments for 2011-12 included an additional £10 million to help smooth the transition to the reformed rates of local housing allowance.
| Government contribution towards discretionary housing payments in 2011-12 | |
| Borough | Allocation (£) |
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Jobseeker's Allowance
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of off-flows from jobseeker's allowance (JSA) in each of the last 48 months related to transfers from JSA to training allowance. [102262]
Chris Grayling: The information is in the tables:
| Proportion of off-flows from jobseeker's allowance (JSA) related to transfers from JSA to training allowance—December 2007 to November 2011 | |||||
| Year | |||||
| Month | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| (1) For 2011 the data is only available from January to November 2011. The November 2011 data is provisional, 2007 - October 2011 data is final. Source: DWP administrative data (JUVOS Training Allowance), January 2012 | |||||
The proportion of people starting training allowance started declining from June 2011 compared to previous years. This is because claimants benefiting from our new range of employment initiatives such as the Get
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Britain Working measures, the Work Programme, and Mandatory Work Activity are kept on jobseeker's allowance, and consequently continue to form part of the claimant count.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed either jobseeker's allowance or training allowance in each of the last 48 months. [102264]
Chris Grayling: The data required to give an estimate of how many people claimed either jobseeker’s allowance or training allowance in each of the last 48 months are not readily available and would incur disproportionate costs to the Department to provide. Figures are available separately for new claims to jobseeker’s allowance and training allowance only. The information is in the following tables:
| Number of people starting jobseeker's allowance by month, December 2007 to November 2011 | |||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. 2. Data on jobseeker's allowance has been provided up to November 2011 so that they cover the same period as data on training allowance. Source: NOMIS, March 2012. | |||||
| Number of people starting training allowance by month, December 2007 to November 2011 | |||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| (1 )For 2011 the data are only available from January to November 2011. The November 2011 data are provisional, 2007 to October 2011 data are final. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP administrative data (JUVOS Training Allowance), January 2012. | |||||
The number of people starting training allowance has declined in 2011 compared to previous years. This is because claimants benefiting from our new range of employment initiatives such as the Get Britain Working measures, the Work Programme, and Mandatory Work Activity are kept on jobseeker's allowance, and consequently continue to form part of the claimant count.
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Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who left jobseeker's allowance (JSA) to claim training allowance and subsequently returned to claiming JSA in each of the last five years. [102265]
Chris Grayling: The data required to give an estimate of the number of people who left jobseeker's allowance (JSA) to claim training allowance and subsequently returned to claiming JSA in each of the last five years are not readily available and would incur disproportionate costs to the Department to provide.
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will ensure that Territorial Army soldiers taking on additional duties do not lose entitlement to jobseeker's allowance. [102571]
Chris Grayling: Reservists undertaking an additional duties commitment are treated in the same way as other reservists. As such, they already receive special treatment in the benefit system, including an exemption from the jobseeker's allowance (JSA) remunerative work rule and they have a higher £20 a week disregard applied to their earnings. Providing the reservist's earnings (less their disregard) do not exceed their JSA entitlement, then they would normally be expected to continue to receive JSA while undertaking an additional duties commitment.
McKinsey and Company
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department paid to McKinsey and Company in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [100571]
Chris Grayling: No payments were made to the management consultants McKinsey & Company Inc. in 2010-11.
A one-off payment of £350,000 was paid to McKinsey & Company Inc. in June 2011. This contract titled "Universal Credit Delivery Model Phase 2" was to provide strategic advice on the UC Delivery Model.
Parkinson's Disease
Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are excluded from continued assessment for medical-related back to work benefits. [102456]
Chris Grayling: Entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) is based on an individual's functional ability rather than the condition itself. Anyone claiming ESA will undergo the work capability assessment (WCA). Because the WCA is an assessment of someone's functional capability, not just their condition, and a disability or health condition will affect different people in different ways, it does not list ‘exempted’ conditions. It is important to treat people as individuals and assess their capability for work, rather than labelling them because of their condition.
As part of the WCA, a health care professional will give advice on when they think a customer's condition may have changed sufficiently that a return to work may
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be possible. They must also give a justification for this advice. The Department uses this advice to decide when to reassess claimants.
A claimant for whom a return to work is considered unlikely within two years will be reassessed after two years. This is because, even for claimants who are unlikely to see an improvement in their health and who are unlikely to sufficiently adapt to their condition, it is important that we do not write them off completely. However, this reassessment will not necessarily involve a face-to-face assessment—where possible, the Department may make a decision using paper-based evidence.
Personal Independence Payments
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department plans to take as part of the piloting of personal independence payments to monitor the effects on disabled people who become ineligible for support in respect of (a) care home use, (b) avoidable hospitalisation, (c) Motability vehicles, (d) receipt of other support including carer's allowance and (e) other matters; and what steps his Department plans to take to ensure the results of such monitoring are taken into account in the roll-out of personal independence payments. [101822]
Maria Miller: On 12 March 2012, Official Report , columns 9-10WS, I published a written ministerial statement which detailed the Government’s plans regarding the introduction of personal independence payment.
Our intention is to phase the introduction of personal independence payment. This is not a pilot exercise.
When the personal independence payment is introduced in April 2013, we will limit the number of new claims to a few thousand per month. This will help ensure that processes and procedures are working fully before processing large volumes of new claims.
We will evaluate the introduction of personal independence payment. The precise scope of the evaluation is yet to be finally determined but results will be made publicly available.
We will also publish a report to Parliament, two years after the introduction of personal independence payment, on the assessment.
Procurement
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contracts his Department had with (a) Capita, (b) Serco and (c) ATOS in the last 12 months. [103169]
Chris Grayling: In the 12 month period from 30 March 2011 to 29 March 2012, the Department for Work and Pensions awarded the following number of contracts to the following suppliers:
| Supplier | Number of contracts |
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Remploy
Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support he plans to provide to workers made redundant from Remploy. [101576]
Maria Miller: I recognise that announcements regarding the future focus of specialist disability employment support involve difficult news for the staff in Remploy factories and I understand that they will have concerns about the future. As part of the collective consultation, the Remploy Board will consider all proposals with regards to the future of Remploy.
A comprehensive support package will be in place to support every disabled member of staff who is affected by the announcements on the future of Remploy factories. Each affected disabled member of staff will receive individualised support for up to 18 months to help with the transition from Government funded sheltered employment to mainstream employment.
This package of support is designed to be flexible so that support can be tailored to meet each individual’s specific needs and will draw on the skills of organisations such as Remploy and Jobcentre Plus, but will also benefit from the experience of organisations such as the Employers’ Forum on Disability, and that of local charities and user-led organisations.
Remploy: Wales
Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons he has decided not to devolve funding for Remploy to the Welsh Government. [101577]
Maria Miller: The UK Government have taken a considered policy decision to reduce funding to Remploy, and move to supporting individuals rather than institutions. We firmly believe that this will allow us to support thousands more disabled people into work.
It would not be beneficial to disabled people for the UK Government to transfer a subsidy to the Welsh Assembly Government to continue to support Remploy factories as this would not allow us to implement our UK-wide policy.
As part of the collective consultation at stage 1, the Remploy Board will consider proposals for the exit of parts of businesses or contracts from those factories proposed for closure along with other proposals for avoiding compulsory redundancies.
The Remploy Board would be happy to discuss any proposals from Wales or the Welsh Assembly Government for Remploy factories in Wales identified in stage 1 or stage 2 of the proposals.