Council tax benefit (CTB) recipients, Great Britain, November 2008 to February 2012
Number
 Total CTB caseloadOf which are in receipt of income supportOf which are not in receipt of income support

November 2008

5,149,390

1,571,740

3,577,650

February 2009

5,305,980

1,559,660

3,746,320

February 2010

5,727,140

1,492,760

4,234,380

February 2011

5,854,110

1,374,530

4,479,580

February 2012

5,919,550

1,199,680

4,719,870

Notes: 1. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 2. Components may not sum to total due to rounding. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. Data for those HB/CTB recipients with income support are not available prior to the introduction of SHBE. Data from November 2008 onwards are derived from the new SHBE extract 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. Figures are derived from published data at: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbctb 6. Figures prior to November 2008 are published at the link below however income support recipients are not separately identifiable as they are combined with pension credit recipients. http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/index.php?page=hbctb_arc Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

Industrial Health and Safety: Stress

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of the effect of long-term trends in workplace stress on the mental and physical health of workers. [110528]

Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has not made any specific assessments of the effect of long-term trends in workplace stress on the mental and physical health of workers. HSE has produced guidance on the management of work-related stress and further information is available on HSE's website.

11 Jun 2012 : Column 264W

Jobcentre Plus: Hearing Impairment

Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements his Department has put in place to ensure that people who are deaf or hearing impaired can communicate with Jobcentre Plus offices. [109519]

Maria Miller: The Department, through Jobcentre Plus, recognises its responsibilities to make reasonable adjustments for those of its clients for whom the standard telephony channel is not suitable. It is also recognised that people sometimes need to contact Jobcentre Plus urgently, for example to rearrange appointments.

To help ensure deaf and hearing impaired people have full access to its services the Department has taken a number of steps.

Hearing loops are available in offices and textphones are offered as an alternative to telephones; textphone numbers are advertised on relevant websites and included in communication materials. The DWP introduced Texbox in late 2009 to improve access to textphone services; this desktop application enables staff to answer textphone calls more effectively using their PCs.

The Department uses a framework of suppliers to provide a range of communication methods, including British Sign Language; lip speakers; sign language communicators and note takers. Jobcentres can arrange for these communicators to be available in offices to support deaf and hearing impaired clients at interviews.

The DWP can also communicate with people via email if this is needed as a reasonable adjustment relating to a disability.

Jobcentre Plus: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many redundancies there have been from Jobcentre Plus in Wales since May 2010. [109651]

Chris Grayling: No employees have been made compulsorily redundant or accepted voluntary redundancy terms in Jobcentre Plus in Wales since May 2010.

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus centres in Wales have been closed since May 2010. [109652]

Chris Grayling: Since May 2010, the following Jobcentre Plus sites have been closed in Wales:

Caerphilly Contact Centre on 10 February 2012

The following sites were temporary Jobcentres opened in response to the economic downturn in 2009 for a specific period. They closed on the dates given and the staff and customers were absorbed back into the existing Jobcentres in these locations.

Wrexham on 28 March 2011

Rhyl on 16 December 2011

Merthyr Tydfil on 9 December 2011

Port Talbot on 16 December 2011

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are employed in Jobcentre Plus in Wales on temporary contracts. [109653]

11 Jun 2012 : Column 265W

Chris Grayling: I can confirm that at 30 April 2012, there are no employees in Wales on a temporary contract.

In answering the hon. Gentleman’s question the following points need to be noted:

From April 2012 Jobcentre Plus ceased to exist for reporting purposes.

I have checked our new reporting structures against the work previously carried out within Jobcentre Plus to provide a ‘best fit’ answer to your request.

We work to ONS definitions for reporting purposes. The definition of ‘temporary contract’ is an employee with a contract lasting or expected to last 12 months or less.

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who worked at Jobcentre Plus in Wales between 2009 and 2012 on temporary contracts are no longer employed at Jobcentre Plus. [109654]

Chris Grayling: Please see table which answers the hon. Gentleman’s question but please note the following points:

We work to ONS definitions for reporting purposes. The definition of 'temporary contract' is an employee with a contract lasting or expected to last 12 months or less.

Fiscal years have been used to provide the most recent information.

Information is provided for both headcount and full time equivalent (FTE) totals.

At March 2010 we had 114 temporary staff leave the Department. By April 2012 there were no staff within Jobcentre Plus in Wales on a temporary contract. Please see response today to PQ 109653.

JCP temporary leavers
 HeadcountFTE

April 2009 to March 2010

114

107.33

April 2010 to March 2011

82

82

April 2011 to March 2012

0

0

Jobseeker's Allowance: Birmingham

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming jobseeker's allowance in Selly Oak constituency have been placed on sanctions in the last year. [109871]

Chris Grayling: Statistics on how many people claiming jobseeker's allowance in Selly Oak constituency who have been placed on sanctions in the last year have not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether to include the statistics requested in part of an upcoming statistics release in line with the Code of Practice on Official Statistics.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Lone Parents

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an assessment of the observation in the University of the West of England / SPAN Longitudinal qualitative study of the journeys of single parents on jobseeker’s allowance, published in May 2012, that meeting a different adviser on each visit is unsatisfactory and of the recommendation in that study that his Department should reinstate the role of lone parent advisors. [110691]

11 Jun 2012 : Column 266W

Chris Grayling: We are committed to ensuring all lone parents have the support they need to find work quickly.

At the outset of the claim to JSA, everyone sees a personal adviser to discuss and agree a jobsearch plan and the support needed from their personal adviser. Since April 2011, personal adviser support beyond the new claims stage is delivered through flexible interventions tailored to individual need and delivered by the same person wherever possible. As part of this, and over and above the flexible interventions agreed at the outset of the claim, claimants can ask to see their personal adviser at any time.

All personal advisers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to support the diverse needs of individual claimants, including lone parents with caring responsibilities.

In addition to the agreed flexible interventions provided by a personal adviser, claimants are usually required to attend fortnightly jobsearch reviews undertaken by assistant advisers. These relatively short contacts provide regular opportunities to monitor progress and to provide feedback to personal advisers, particularly where additional help is needed. As the report acknowledges, claimants do not always see the same person each time they attend a jobsearch review, but they do see someone from the same team who has undergone the same training route way. Where additional help is required, the claimant is referred to their personal adviser.

In view of the above, I have no plans to reinstate bespoke lone-parent advisers.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Telephone Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time waited was by callers to jobseeker's allowance advice lines in the latest period for which figures are available. [109004]

Chris Grayling: The latest period for which data are available is April 2012.

The average length of time waited by callers to jobseeker’s allowance advice lines during April 2012 was:

First Contact (Jobseekers Allowance New Claims)—April 2012 (07/04—04/05)

Average wait time to answer—two minutes 45 seconds

JSA Inquiries (Jobseeker’s Allowance Existing Claims)—April 2012 (07/04—04/05)

Average wait time to answer—three minutes 59 seconds

Please note that figures for April will have been significantly impacted by both increased seasonal demand at the start of the new business year and condensed demand following bank holidays and so do not necessarily provide representative figures of CCS performance under the conditions encountered during the majority of the operational year.

All figures represent wait time from customer entry into the relevant queue excluding any time spent progressing through any messaging presented prior to the queue being reached. Figures for both service lines will include all calls received including inappropriate/misdirected contact.

11 Jun 2012 : Column 267W

Lost Property

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many items of equipment valued at £10,000 or more his Department lost in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [108938]

Chris Grayling: The Department maintains fixed asset register records of certain high-value property that it owns, such as specialist IT equipment and plant and machinery. During 2011-12 and 2010-11 no items greater than £10,000 in value were reported as lost.

Departmental Staff

Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent employees his Department employed in May 2010; and how many it employed at the latest period for which figures are available. [108161]

Chris Grayling: The number of full-time equivalent staff employed in the Department for Work and Pensions at 31 May 2010 and 31 March 2012 is shown in the following table:

 31 May 201031 March 2012

Full-time equivalent

107,087

88,626

Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent employees have (a) left and (b) been recruited to his Department in the last two years. [108176]

Chris Grayling: The number of full-time equivalent employees who have (a) left and (b) been recruited to the Department in the last two years is shown in the following table.

The Government introduced a recruitment freeze across all civil service and their non-departmental bodies from 24 May 2010. Frontline and business-critical posts and the civil service fast stream are exempt from the recruitment freeze; however specific departmental approval is required for posts recruited under these exemptions.

The recruitment figures shown include recruitment authorised under exemptions to the freeze and where legally binding job offers had been made prior to the freeze commencing.

Department and its agenciesPermanentFixed term appointmentTemporary(1)Total

Leavers

    

2010-11

3,909

6,412

454

10,775

2011-12

4,869

4,432

135

9,436

     

Recruitment

    

2010-11

134

267

156

557

2011-12

44

321

127

492

(1) Temporary staff are staff on the departmental payroll who have been hired on short-term casual contracts.

Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff (a) his Department and (b) its agencies employs in each parliamentary constituency. [108684]

11 Jun 2012 : Column 268W

Chris Grayling: The information has been placed in the Library. The figures refer to the ministerial department. The executive agencies—Jobcentre Plus and the Pension, Disability and Carers Service—ceased to have legal status from October 2011.

Meetings

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what dates (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) senior officials in his Department have met representatives of (i) the Institute for Public Policy Research, (ii) the Taxpayers’ Alliance, (iii) the Institute of Economic Affairs, (iv) the Child Poverty Action Group, (v) ResPublica, (vi) the Centre for Social Justice and (vii) Policy Exchange; and if he will publish the minutes and agendas of these meetings. [108960]

Chris Grayling: The information the hon. Gentleman requested can be found via the following link to the Department’s website at

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ministers-meetings-overseas.shtml

The information for the period 1 October 2011 to 31 December 2011 and 1 January 2012 to 31 March 2012 is currently being collated and will be published in due course.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 16 April 2012 with regard to Noulyn McFarquhar. [110478]

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), replied to the right hon. Member on 9 May 2012.

Mutual Societies

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of full-time equivalent staff who will transfer from his Department, its non-departmental public bodies and Executive agency workforce to a mutual in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [110186]

Chris Grayling: In 2011-12, the Department transferred 503 CSP staff to a mutual. There are currently no further plans to transfer any staff from the Department or its non-departmental public bodies to a mutual in either 2011-12 or 2012-13.

The Department has no Executive agencies.

New Enterprise Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the reasons for the level of the number of black and minority ethnic people that have accessed the new enterprise allowance. [109559]

11 Jun 2012 : Column 269W

Chris Grayling: It is too early to make an informed assessment of reasons behind the percentage of ethnic minority people who have taken up the new enterprise allowance (NEA). We will continue to monitor and evaluate NEA performance and the level of its take-up by ethnic minority groups.

Nuclear Power Stations: Safety

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incidents indicating that the safe operation of any nuclear power station may have been affected have been reported to the Office for Nuclear Regulation in each of the last 10 years. [109800]

Chris Grayling: These statistics are published and available on the Health and Safety Executive's website:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/quarterly-stat/index.htm


Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many investigations of incidents and complaints have been undertaken by the Office of Nuclear Regulation at each nuclear power station in each of the last 10 years. [109803]

Chris Grayling: The Office for Nuclear Regulation does not have detailed records of this specific data for the full 10-year period requested. However, the organisation has investigated 434 incidents since 2007 and conducted seven investigations into six complaints since 2006. These are broken down by site in Table 1 as follows.

Table 1: Incidents and complaints on nuclear sites by year
Incidents
 Total incidentsSource of incidentsNumber of incidents

2012

41

Dungeness B

7

  

Hartlepool

3

  

Heysham 1

4

  

Heysham 2

6

  

Hinkley Point B

10

  

Hunterston B

1

  

Sizewell B

5

  

Torness

4

  

Wylfa

1

    

2011

132

Berkeley(1)

1

  

Bradwell(1)

4

  

Chapelcross(1)

1

  

Dungeness A(1)

7

  

Dungeness B

16

  

Hartlepool

6

  

Heysham 1

4

  

Heysham 2

15

  

Hinkley Point A(1)

3

  

Hinkley Point B

12

  

Hunterston B

7

  

Oldbury

8

  

Sizewell A(1)

1

  

Sizewell B

13

11 Jun 2012 : Column 270W

  

Torness

13

  

Trawsfyndd(1)

7

  

Wylfa

14

    

2010

67

Berkeley(1)

3

  

Bradwell(1)

4

  

Chapelcross(1)

4

  

Dungeness A(1)

5

  

Hartlepool

6

  

Heysham 1

4

  

Heysham 2

6

  

Hinkley Point A(1)

1

  

Hinkley Point B

3

  

Hunterston A(1)

2

  

Hunterston B

2

  

Oldbury

1

  

Sizewell A(1)

3

  

Sizewell B

9

  

Torness

7

  

Trawsfynydd(1)

2

  

Wylfa

5

    

2009

51

Bradwell(1)

1

  

Chapelcross(1)

4

  

Dungeness B

3

  

Hartlepool

2

  

Heysham 1

3

  

Heysham 2

5

  

Hinkley Point A(1)

1

  

Hinkley Point B

4

  

Hunterston A(1)

4

  

Oldbury

5

  

Sizewell A(1)

5

  

Sizewell B

2

  

Torness

2

  

Trawsfynydd(1)

1

  

Wylfa

9

    

2008

109

Berkeley(1)

4

  

Bradwell(1)

1

  

Chapelcross(1)

3

  

Dungeness A(1)

3

  

Dungeness B

7

  

Hartlepool

10

  

Heysham 1

5

  

Hesyham 2

10

  

Hinkley Point A(1)

3

  

Hinkley Point B

9

  

Hunterston A(1)

4

  

Hunterston B

8

11 Jun 2012 : Column 271W

  

Oldbury

5

  

Sizewell A(1)

3

  

Sizewell B

5

  

Torness

12

  

Trawsfynydd(1)

5

  

Wylfa

12

    

2007

34

Chapelcross(1)

1

  

Dungeness B

3

  

Hartlepool

4

  

Heysham 1

2

  

Heysham 2

3

  

Hunterston B

3

  

Oldbury

4

  

Sizewell B

2

  

Torness

5

  

Wylfa

7

Complaints
 Source of complaintsNumber of complaints

2012

Hunterston B and Sizewell B

1 (2 sites)

2011

2010

2009

Chapelcross(1), Sizewell A(1)

2

2008

2007

Windscale(1), Dounreay(1)

2

2006

Trawsfynydd(1)

1

(1) These power stations had ceased power production prior to the date the issue was raised.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) tests, (b) inspections and (c) examinations have been carried out at the request of the Office for Nuclear Regulation at each nuclear power station in each of the last 10 years. [109805]

Chris Grayling: The information is not available in the requested format.

Occupational Pensions

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what recent estimate he has made of the total value of pension contributions held by members of pension schemes in additional voluntary contributions accounts related to occupational pension schemes that are locked in and not susceptible of consolidation while the occupational pension remains in place; [109724]

(2) whether he has made any assessment of the potential detriment to members of UK pension schemes with holdings in additional voluntary contributions accounts related to occupational pension schemes that are locked in and not susceptible of consolidation while the occupational pension remains in place; [109725]

11 Jun 2012 : Column 272W

(3) if he will introduce proposals to enable members of UK pension schemes with holdings in additional voluntary contributions (AVC) accounts related to occupational pension schemes that are currently locked in and not susceptible of consolidation while the occupational pension remains in place to access the AVC funds in order to consolidate. [109726]

Mr Hoban: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury Department.

The information requested about additional voluntary contributions accounts is not available.

As is the case with all registered pension schemes, the members of the pension schemes cannot generally receive pension benefits paid out of their additional voluntary contributions until they have reached the normal minimum pension age of 55. If there are other restrictions on members consolidating their additional voluntary contributions account with other pension savings or on when the account may be used to provide a pension, these are not governed by regulation but instead depend on the particular rules of the pension schemes concerned.

Pensioners: Income

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average single pensioner income was for the poorest 10 per cent of (a) male and (b) female pensioners in today's prices in (i) 1982, (ii) 1997, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2012. [110660]

Steve Webb: The following table provides the median single pensioner income for the poorest 10% of (a) male and (b) female pensioners in 2009-10 prices for the periods (ii) 1997-2000 and (iii) 2007-10.

The figures are presented as three-year averages. This is because deciles are relatively small groups and results may be volatile from one year to the next. These figures are therefore not directly comparable to single-year estimates.

Information is not available for 1982 and at present our most recent data are 2009-10, so we cannot provide an estimate for 2012.

Median net income for the bottom decile of the income distribution, 2009-10 prices
 £ per week

Single men

 

Net income before housing costs

 

1997-2000

89

2007-10

107

Net income after housing costs

 

1997-2000

61

2007-10

80

  

Single women

 

Net income before housing costs

 

1997-2000

82

2007-10

93

Net income after housing costs

 

1997-2000

55

11 Jun 2012 : Column 273W

2007-10

67

Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Pensioners' Income Series (PI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The reference period is the financial year. 2. The figures are presented as three-year averages. This is because deciles are relatively small groups and results may be volatile from one year to the next. These figures are therefore not directly comparable to single year estimates. 3. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 4. Figures have been presented on a before housing cost and an after housing cost basis. For before housing costs, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, buildings insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for after housing costs they are. 5. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 6. Weekly incomes have been rounded to the nearest £. Figures may not sum due to rounding. 7. Figures are for Great Britain up to 2001-02 and for the United Kingdom from 2002-03. 8. Unequivalised income is presented, i.e. it is not adjusted to take account of household size and composition. 9. When looking at income statistics, the median is typically used instead of the mean income because the mean can be affected by outlying cases with very high income values. 10. It was announced in May that the 2009-10 results will be revised when the 2010-11 results are released in July. See the DWP PI website for further information. Source: Pensioners' Incomes Series 2009-10.

Pensions: EU Law

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2012, Official Report, column 13W, on apprentices: disability, what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the effect of the Solvency II directive on UK defined benefit schemes. [109400]

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 14 May 2012, Official Report, column 13W.

Personal Independence Payment

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the assessment criteria for the personal independence payment will take into consideration the additional costs incurred by visually impaired people. [107838]

Maria Miller: Like disability living allowance (DLA), the personal independence payment (PIP) is intended to contribute to the additional costs that disabled people face to live independently. However, we do not think it would be feasible to measure the actual costs that disabled people incur. Such an approach would be subjective, inconsistent and expensive to deliver.

We want priority in the benefit to go to those people who face the greatest barriers to living an independent life and who are likely to have the most need and extra costs. As such the assessment for the benefit will focus on the extent to which an individual's health condition or impairment affects their day to day life, by assessing ability to carry out key everyday activities. Entitlement will not be based on the nature of the health condition itself.

11 Jun 2012 : Column 274W

The work to develop the assessment is still ongoing and the criteria have not yet been finalised. On 30 April we completed a 15-week formal consultation, to hear views on our proposals from disabled people and their organisations and to ensure that we get them right. We are now in the process of carefully considering all of the responses we have received, along with feedback from stakeholder meetings held during the consultation period, as we evaluate what changes need to be made to the criteria.

We intend to publish a response to the consultation alongside a revised draft of the assessment criteria later in the year, once our considerations are complete.

Mr David: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to collect written evidence from medical, social care and other specialist professionals prior to establishing face-to-face assessment processes for the personal independence payment. [109298]

Maria Miller: We want the assessment for personal independence payment to be based on the best and most appropriate evidence. Individuals will play an integral role in this, providing evidence and information themselves and advising on which professionals—for example, GPs, hospital consultants or social workers—would be best placed to provide the supporting evidence to inform their claim.

We believe a face-to-face consultation with an assessor should also be a key part of the assessment process for most individuals, allowing an in-depth discussion on their circumstances and how their health conditions or impairments affect their everyday lives. However, we recognise that such consultations may not be required in every case, particularly where there is already strong evidence to support a claim. Before deciding whether a consultation is necessary, assessors will be expected to have reviewed all the information and evidence an individual has supplied and considered whether they need to request any further evidence that might help them in providing advice to the Department in respect of the impact of the individual's condition. Our expectation is that face-to-face consultations will add significant value in most cases but these processes will ensure that the assessment is carried out in an individualised, proportionate and sensitive manner.

Personal Independence Payment: Veterans

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether veterans injured on active service will be exempt from assessment under the personal independence payment. [109536]

Maria Miller: All applicants for personal independence payment will be required to undergo an assessment. Entitlement to personal independence payment will be based on an assessment of an individual's ability to participate in society. While face-to-face consultations will be an important part of the assessment for most individuals, they will not be appropriate in every case.

We are working with the Ministry of Defence to consider what arrangements would best take account of the unique situation of severely injured service personnel.

11 Jun 2012 : Column 275W

Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of payments made by his Department to small and medium-sized enterprises have been paid late since May 2010. [107782]

Chris Grayling: The DWP are currently unable to categorise payments made by supplier type including Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) as these data are not captured on our Accounts payable system. We are working with the Government Procurement Service to agree reliable data source that can categorise suppliers. Therefore, we are unable to provide specific details of the proportion of late payments made to SMEs.

We can provide the following details for our Prompt Payment Performance targets which show that regardless of size, all payments are within Treasury parameters.

Five Day Performance Target—84.6%

10 Day Performance Target—98.15%

30 Day Performance Target—99.5%

Public Sector Mutuals

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new public sector mutuals were created or spun off by his Department in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [108919]

Chris Grayling: This Department has not created or spun-off any sector mutuals in the periods mentioned.

Redundancy

Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's employees have been made redundant in the last two years. [108064]

Chris Grayling: In the last two years the Department for Work and Pensions has not made any employees compulsorily redundant. Two employees at senior civil service level have been issued with notice of redundancy and are due to leave the Department on 31 July 2012.

In addition, a number of employees have accepted release on voluntary redundancy terms as follows:

Six senior civil servants left the Department on voluntary redundancy (VR) terms on 31 March 2012.

The following numbers of staff have accepted VR terms and are due to leave the Department on the respective last day of service as shown:

178 employees at the Administrative Assistant to Senior Executive Officer grades will leave the Department on 31 May 2012;

One employee at Grade 6 level and two at Grade 7 level will leave the Department on 30 June 2012

Two employees at Senior Executive Officer and two employees at Higher Executive Officer level will leave the department on 31 July 2012.

To serve as context, the Department employed 97,963 full-time equivalent staff on 31 March 2011 and 88,626 full-time equivalent staff on 31 March 2012.

11 Jun 2012 : Column 276W

In 2010-11 a total of 10,775 full-time equivalent staff left the Department and in 2011-12 a total of 9,436 full-time equivalent staff left the Department.

Social Security Benefits

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people (a) claimed only the state retirement pension, (b) were over 60 and receiving the state retirement pension and income support, (c) were over retirement age and drew only income support, (d) were over 60 and received housing benefit only and (e) received each of these benefits plus housing benefit in each of the last 30 years. [108291]

Steve Webb: The information requested is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Information regarding the number of people who receive certain benefits, including the state pension and pension credit, is included in published statistics available on the Department's website:

http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html

Information regarding the number of housing benefit recipients is included in published national statistics also available on the Department's website:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbctb

The following link shows benefit combinations by statistical group in November 2011; for example, the number of people in receipt of both the state pension (SP) and pension credit (PC):

http://83.244.183.180/100pc/pa/comb/cnage/a_carate_r_comb_c_cnage_nov11_html

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claimants (a) drew invalidity benefit, (b) drew invalidity benefit and income support, (c) drew invalidity benefit and housing benefit and (d) were long-term sick and drew income support and/or housing benefit in each of the last 30 years. [108292]

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available for parts (a) and (b) are included in published statistics available on the Department's website:

http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html

For example, the following link shows the number of working age claimants in receipt of employment and support allowance and incapacity benefits from 1999 to 2011:

http://83.244.183.180/100pc/wa/ccdate/ccstatgp/a_carate_r_ccdate_c_ccstatgp.html

The following link shows benefit combinations by statistical group in November 2011; for example, people in receipt of both incapacity benefit (IB) and income support (IS) or pension credit (PC):

http://83.244.183.180/100pc/wa/comb/ccstatgp/a_carate_r_comb_c_ccstatap_nov11.html

There is also information on long-term trends in incapacity benefits receipt published at the following link. This shows the incapacity benefits caseload (excluding short-term incapacity benefit paid at the lower rate) back to 1979:

http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/timeseriesIBSDA.xls

11 Jun 2012 : Column 277W

The information requested for parts (c) and (d) is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people (a) claimed sick pay or statutory pay only, (b) drew sick pay and income support, (c) drew sick pay and housing benefit and (d) were without sick pay cover and drew only income support and/or housing benefit in each of the last 30 years. [108293]

Chris Grayling: Statutory sick pay (SSP) is administered and paid by employers, the Department does not collect data about payments, duration or the number of employees who receive it. Legislation only requires employers to submit SSP information, if they are seeking reimbursement under the percentage threshold scheme (PTS).

Statistics relating to housing benefit and income support in relation to sick pay have not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether to include the statistics requested in part of an upcoming statistics release in line with the Code of Practice on Official Statistics.

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were given benefit penalties in each of the last 30 years; and for what reasons. [108295]

Chris Grayling: Statistics on the numbers of individuals who received conditionality related benefit sanctions in each of the last 30 years have not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether to include the statistics requested in part of an upcoming statistics release in line with the Code of Practice on Official Statistics.

Statistics on the numbers of jobseeker's allowance conditionality related sanctions since 2000 are published on the Department's website:

http://83.244.183.180/sanction/sanction/LIVE/tabtool.html

Statistics on the numbers of income support lone parent conditionality related sanctions since 2004 are published on the Department's website:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/is/lone_parent_regime/index.php?page=lone_parent_regime

Statistics on the numbers of ESA conditionality-related sanctions since 2008 are published on the Department's website:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_sanc


Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 30 April 2012, Official Report, column 1326W, on social security benefits, whether legislation is required in order to allow tax credit data to be passed to local authorities in order to implement the benefit cap. [109557]

Chris Grayling: Tax credit information when properly required by local authority users can already be disclosed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) under paragraph 7 of schedule 5 to the Tax Credits Act 2002.

11 Jun 2012 : Column 278W

The Department can disclose tax credit information to local authority staff on behalf of HMRC provided we satisfy access controls and security arrangements. For benefit cap implementation purposes, we will be working with HMRC to provide ongoing assurance that the processes work effectively in practice.

Social Security Benefits: Internet

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the percentage of benefits claimants with access to the internet in their homes. [109542]

Chris Grayling: The DWP is working to develop data on home internet access that includes all access channels, however we do not currently hold this information.

Social Security Benefits: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people of working age in Pendle (a) are in receipt of out-of-work benefits and (b) have been in receipt of such benefits for at least nine of the last 10 years. [108987]

Chris Grayling: Information on those who have been in receipt of out of work benefits for at least nine of the last 10 years is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Rotherham

Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of disability-related welfare benefits in Rotherham will become ineligible for such benefits under his proposals for welfare reform. [107857]

Maria Miller: The personal independence payment will replace disability living allowance for disabled people of working age from April 2013. It is being designed to ensure that those who face the greatest barriers to living an independent life will be in receipt of the right level of support that recognises the individual’s needs. Therefore entitlement to personal independence payment will be based on the extent to which an individual’s health condition or impairment affects their day to day life, not on the nature of the health condition itself.

The impact assessment published in January estimates the number of 16 to 64-year-olds in receipt of PIP to be 1.7 million by March 2016. Without reform, 2.2 million 16 to 64-year-olds were forecast to be receiving disability living allowance at that time.

However, it is not possible to break this impact down to smaller geographic locations.

Unemployed People: Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus travel discount cards (a) are valid and (b) have been issued in each year since the introduction of the card. [109939]

Chris Grayling: This information is not collated centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

11 Jun 2012 : Column 279W

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual cost is to (a) train operating companies and (b) his Department of the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card; and what the cost is of providing each card. [109940]

Chris Grayling: We do not hold information of the annual cost to the train operating companies. Each participating member of the Association of Train Operating Companies absorbs the 50% subsidy from its own revenue and this amount varies upon the number of tickets issued against an operating company.

An annual cost to the Department cannot be quantified as we do not collate information about the total number of cards issued and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The Department does not subsidise the operating companies and no work measurement exercise has been undertaken on the administrative cost of providing each card, so this information is unavailable.

The annual cost of maintaining a supply of cards and forms to issue the cards is £20,000.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether there is an equivalent scheme for concessionary travel on buses comparable to the concessionary travel offered by the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card for rail travel. [109941]

Chris Grayling: There is no equivalent national scheme for concessionary travel on buses.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) discounts are available on and (b) restrictions apply to the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card for rail travel. [110007]

Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card holders get 50% discount on selected fares on train services covered by the Association of Train Operating Companies in England and Wales and by train operating companies in Scotland. It can also be used to obtain similar discounts on the London underground, the docklands light railway and other rail services where agreed locally.

In terms of restrictions on rail travel, the discount cannot be used on any first class service, and on specific train services such as the Caledonian sleeper and Eurostar services. Discount tickets are subject to the standard National Rail Conditions of Carriage and are not transferable.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the eligibility criteria are for the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card; and whether his Department plans to review the operation of the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card scheme. [110008]

Chris Grayling: In England and Wales, the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card is available to:

Jobseeker's allowance claimants who have been unemployed for six months up until referral to the Work programme, which is typically at nine months for 18 to 24-year-olds and 12 months for 25 year olds and over.

11 Jun 2012 : Column 280W

Incapacity benefit (IB)/employment and support allowance (ESA)/income support (IS) claimants actively engaged with an adviser about returning to employment.

In Scotland, the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card is available to:

Jobseeker's allowance claimants who have been unemployed for 13 weeks.

IB/ESA/IS claimants actively engaged with an adviser about returning to employment.

Work programme participants for two periods of no more than 13 weeks each, during the two-year participation period on the programme.

There are no immediate plans to review operation of the scheme, but we will be assessing the impact (on the card) of the introduction of universal credit.

Unemployment: Skilled Workers

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance his Department offers skilled jobseekers to find a job that is suitable to their abilities. [109870]

Chris Grayling: All claimants of jobseeker's allowance, including skilled jobseekers, receive a flexible, personalised service to help them find work as quickly as possible.

This starts at the outset of the claim with an initial meeting with a personal adviser to discuss and agree some realistic and achievable job goals and a job search plan that will offer the best chance of success. As part of this, the adviser provides information about appropriate vacancy sources and additional support available to help improve job prospects and overcome things that may make finding and keeping a job more difficult. Ongoing support from the personal adviser is also agreed and provided subsequently through flexible interventions tailored to individual need. Claimants may also ask to see their personal adviser at any time.

In addition to the support provided by personal advisers, claimants are usually required to attend fortnightly job search reviews to talk about what they have been doing to look for work and to see what help, if any, is needed.

Unemployment: Young People

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an estimate of the level of long-term youth unemployment in Coventry; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce long-term youth unemployment. [110293]

Chris Grayling: In April 2012 there were 395 18 to 24-year-olds in Coventry claiming jobseeker's allowance for 12 months or more. Recent figures have been affected by a change in policy that means young people on Government-funded programmes continue to receive financial support through JSA rather than being moved to a training allowance.

Jobcentre Plus personal advisers offer a comprehensive menu of help that includes jobsearch support and skills provision. Advisers have the flexibility to tailor support to the individual at the most appropriate point in their claim. Get Britain Working measures offer additional

11 Jun 2012 : Column 281W

support, including Work Clubs, Work Experience, New Enterprise Allowance, Enterprise Clubs and sector-based work academies.

The Work programme provides tailored support to those furthest from the labour market. Young claimants are referred to a provider after nine months and those with more challenging barriers to work can be referred at three months. Providers are paid on he results they achieve, and are paid more for supporting the harder to help into work.

The Government recently announced a new Youth Contract, worth around £1 billion, which is designed to prevent a new generation of young people falling into the trap of long-term unemployment. This will provide nearly half a million new opportunities for young people, including wage incentives, incentives to take on apprentices, and extra work experience placements. Extra funding is being made available to support the most vulnerable 16 and 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training into learning, an apprenticeship or job with training.

Universal Credit

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who will be responsible for financing redundancy payments to local authority employees whose contracts are terminated as a consequence of administrative changes associated with the introduction of universal credit; and for what reasons this responsibility was assigned to them. [108384]

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions is working with local authorities to understand the full implications of the transfer of housing benefit administration to universal credit. The specific implications this has for LA staff cannot be fully understood until the design of the universal credit service is finalised, along with that of the wider welfare reform changes, including the localisation of council tax support and elements of the Social Fund. The DWP has every intention of complying with the spirit of the New Burdens doctrine and will not seek to impose any undue burdens on local taxpayers.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions his Department has had with the (a) Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and (b) Scottish Government on the introduction of universal credit. [109007]

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows.

(a) Officials are in regular communication with Members and officers in the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. Contacts are in respect of all aspects of UC implementation as these relate to local authorities in Scotland.

(b) Officials are in regular dialogue with their counterparts in the Scottish Government about welfare reform.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the universal credit pathfinder will include live or dummy benefit claims; and whether it will use PAYE real time information from HM Revenue and Customs. [109991]

11 Jun 2012 : Column 282W

Chris Grayling: The universal credit pathfinder will use live benefit claims and where applicable it will use PAYE real time information from HMRC within the pathfinder geographic area.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether TUPE will apply to staff currently employed by HM Revenue and Customs to administer tax credits who transfer to his Department on introduction of universal credit. [110003]

Chris Grayling: TUPE cannot apply when staff transfer from one Government Department to another as the staff are, and remain, civil servants throughout and there is no change in employer. However, in line with the intent to use the best operational units in the DWP and HMRC for UC service centre delivery, we will seek to move some of the tax credit staff from HM Revenue and Customs into DWP using Cabinet Office protocol for managing change within the civil service.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of staff currently employed by HM Revenue and Customs to administer tax credits who will transfer into his Department on the introduction of universal credit. [110004]

Chris Grayling: The number of staff who will transfer will depend on which current HMRC sites are selected to become UC service centres. The final number of staff that may move will not be known until phase 2 announcements are made in April 2013.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect of universal credit on total hours worked in the UK. [110005]

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available. In the previous version of the impact assessment, it was estimated that there would be a reduction in worklessness in the region of 300,000 households in static state.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department’s business case for universal credit. [110006]

Chris Grayling: There are no plans to place in the Library a copy of the universal credit business case.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department plans to spend on IT development and implementation for universal credit in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15. [110697]

Chris Grayling: Based on current plans, the Department is expecting to spend the following amounts on IT, development and implementation for universal credit:

 £ million

(a) 2013-14

401

(b) 2014-15

317

11 Jun 2012 : Column 283W

Universal Credit: Employment

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of local authority employees whose employment will be affected by the administrative changes associated with the introduction of universal credit payments. [109005]

Chris Grayling: The Department of Work and Pensions is working closely with local authorities on the design of the service for universal credit.

It is still too early to say how many staff and what skills and experience will be required for universal credit. As this becomes clearer we will understand the impact on existing staff and work with the affected organisations to manage it.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2012, Official Report, column 226W, on the work capability assessment, what performance targets are included in the contract between his Department and Atos. [109486]

Chris Grayling: The performance targets referred to are the key performance indicators negotiated by the Department for Work and Pensions. These are set out in Schedule 5 (Service Levels) of the Medical Services contract. An edited copy of the document (DEP2010-1704) is available in the House of Lords Library and can be accessed from the following link:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?max=100 &page=3&y=2010&house=2&sort=1&sortasc=False#togale-1704

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 668W, on work capability assessments, what information his Department holds on the back-to-work prognosis of claimants who have been assessed under the work capability assessment. [109558]

Chris Grayling: The Department holds information on Atos' recommendations for prognosis periods for standard prognosis periods of three, six, 12, or 18 months, not for two years, not in the longer term, terminally ill and unknown. These are recommendations only and the final decision on prognosis periods rests solely with the Department's decision makers taking into account the medical assessment reports from Atos and any other relevant information.

The Department's computer systems track the decision makers' decisions on prognosis periods. This information, however, is not extracted from the computer systems and therefore this information is not included in management information or administrative datasets.

11 Jun 2012 : Column 284W

Business, Innovation and Skills

Aerospace Industry

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what recent steps his Department has taken to stimulate growth in the UK aerospace manufacturing and support sectors and their supply chains; [109849]

(2) what discussions he has had with representatives of the UK aerospace industry on investment and skills development in Britain. [109852]

Mr Prisk: The Government have a continuous and wide-ranging dialogue with representatives of the UK aerospace industry. A major part of that dialogue is through Aerospace Business Leaders group (chaired by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and the Aerospace Growth Partnership group (which I chair), which brings Government and business together to take action to stimulate growth, boost exports and grow the number of highly skilled jobs available in the UK. Detailed work is underway through these groups involving around 80 senior business people and BIS officials.

The process is being supported by industry, which has made available eight full-time secondees. It is addressing issues of strategic importance to the future competitiveness of the sector including investment in technology, skills, supply chain competitiveness, manufacturing capability and external engagement. As part of this work, we recently announced £60 million of new funding to create a UK virtual centre for aerodynamics.

To assist the retention of engineering skills, in late 2010, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), appointed Allan Cook to set up a Skills and Job Retention Group. This led to the creation of the Talent Retention Solution system, in mid-2012, through which engineers made surplus by one company can be quickly redeployed into employment elsewhere across the advanced manufacturing sector. In addition, we are working closely with SEMTA (the Sector Skills Council) and ADS (the national trade association for aerospace) on a wide range of skills issues to stimulate investment and assist growth across the whole aerospace supply chain. As part of this activity, BIS is a sponsor of Futures Day at the Farnborough International Air Show on 13 July which will host 10,000 young people to showcase the growing aerospace sector and the exciting careers opportunities it offers.

Aerospace companies are also expected to benefit from other more general support provided by the Department. For instance, up to £125 million has been made available through the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative.

Apprentices

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average length was of a modern apprenticeship in the most recent period for which figures are available. [108372]

Mr Hayes: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 May 2012, Official Report, column 512W.

11 Jun 2012 : Column 285W

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress he has made in increasing the number of apprenticeships and in developing new apprenticeship models to engage higher value-added sectors. [110100]

Mr Hayes: Final data for the 2010/11 academic year show that we have grown apprenticeships by 177,500 since 2009/10 (up by 63.5%) and 217,300 since 2008/09 (up by 90.5%).

We have also targeted £25 million extra funding for developing advanced and higher level apprenticeship frameworks to address skills gaps. It is estimated that around 25,000 higher apprenticeship places will be created in key sectors including construction, renewable energy, advanced engineering, insurance and financial services.

Apprentices: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many apprenticeships have been completed in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency in each of the last five years; [109963]

(2) how many apprentices did not complete their training in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency in each of the last five years. [109964]

Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship framework achievements and success rates for Birmingham, Ladywood constituency between 2006/07 and 2010/11, the latest full year for which final data are available.

Table 1: Apprenticeship framework achievements and success rates for Birmingham Ladywood constituency, 2006/07 to 2010/11
Birmingham, Ladywood constituency2006/072007/082008/092009/102010/11

Achievements (number)

140

150

170

210

410

Success rate (percentage)

58.4

60.9

64.5

68.3

75.0

Notes: 1. Apprenticeship achievements figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures are based on the geographic boundaries of regions as of May 2010. 4. Success rates are based on the individual aims that were expected to end in the academic year. They are calculated as the number of learning aims achieved divided by the number started, excluding the aims of any learners that transferred onto another qualification within the same institution. Source: Individualised Learner Record

Information on the number of apprenticeship starts, achievements and success rates is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012:

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Breakdowns by geography are published in Supplementary Tables at the following links:

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables/

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/success_rates_sfr_supplementary_tables/

11 Jun 2012 : Column 286W

Apprentices: Horticulture

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the number of apprenticeships registered and completed in (a) ornamental horticulture, (b) production horticulture and (c) amenity horticulture in each of the last five years. [109589]

Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of Apprenticeship programme starts and achievements in the Amenity Horticulture, Horticulture, and Production Horticulture apprenticeship frameworks between the 2006/07 and 2010/11 academic years, the latest full year for which final data are available. Data for the ornamental horticulture framework are not available.

Table 1: Apprenticeship Starts and Achievements by Framework, 2006/07 to 2010/11
 Framework2006/072007/082008/092009/102010/11

Starts

Amenity Horticulture

980

1,110

1,250

70

*

 

Horticulture

*

*

*

1,440

2,100

 

Production Horticulture

20

10

20

*

*

 

All Frameworks

184,400

224,800

239,900

279,700

457,200

       

Achievements

Amenity Horticulture

580

540

620

800

320

 

Horticulture

*

*

*

40

730

 

Production Horticulture

10

10

10

20

10

 

All Frameworks

111,800

112,600

143,400

171,500

200,300

'*' Indicates a base value of less than five. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except for totals which are rounded to the nearest 100. Source: Individualised Learner Record

Information on the number of Apprenticeship starts by framework is published as a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012:

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/

Business: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of UK-registered businesses employ fewer than (a) 100, (b) 50, (c) 20, (d) 10 and (e) five people, by region. [109691]

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 May 2012:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what proportion of UK-registered businesses employ fewer than (a) 100, (b) 50, (c) 20, (d) 10 and (e) five people, by region. [109691]

11 Jun 2012 : Column 287W

Annual statistics on the number of enterprises are available from the ONS release; UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at:

www.statistics.gov.uk

These estimates relate to the count of live businesses in March of each year.

11 Jun 2012 : Column 288W

The latest statistics on the number of enterprises in each region have been provided in the accompanying spreadsheet. The table provides the number and percentage by employee size bands for each region.

United Kingdom: Number of VAT and PAYE-based enterprises in 2011, region by employee size band
 Employee size bands
 0 to 45 to 910 to 1920 to 49
 NumberPercentageNumberPercentageNumberPercentageNumberPercentage

North East

40,830

74.5

6,715

12.3

3,705

6.8

2,155

3.9

North West

154,335

76.8

23,310

11.6

12,235

6.1

6,825

3.4

Yorkshire and the Humber

111,500

76.1

17,430

11.9

9,270

6.3

5,190

3.5

East Midlands

109,060

77.4

15,935

11.3

8,240

5.8

4,755

3.4

West Midlands

130,220

77.7

18,880

11.3

9,595

5.7

5,490

3.3

East of England

166,560

79.0

23,055

10.9

11,115

5.3

6,185

2.9

London

265,915

79.5

34,505

10.3

17,610

5.3

9,090

2.7

South East

260,745

79.5

34,450

10.5

17,235

5.3

9,400

2.9

South West

154,745

78.7

21,865

11.1

10,690

5.4

6,010

3.1

Wales

68,785

78.7

9,665

11.1

5,045

5.8

2,430

2.8

Scotland

110,530

76.4

17,005

11.8

9,430

6.5

4,510

3.1

Northern Ireland

54,270

79.9

6,815

10.0

3,580

5.3

2,105

3.1

Total

1,627,495

78.2

229,630

11.0

117,750

5.7

64,145

3.1

 50 to 99100+ 
 NumberPercentageNumberPercentageTotal

North East

700

1.3

665

1.2

54,770

North West

2,245

1.1

2,110

1.0

201,060

Yorkshire and the Humber

1,710

1.2

1,505

1.0

146,605

East Midlands

1,525

1.1

1,430

1.0

140,945

West Midlands

1,745

1.0

1,655

1.0

167,585

East of England

2,030

1.0

1,900

0.9

210,845

London

3,480

1.0

3,795

1.1

334,395

South East

3,080

0.9

3,105

0.9

328,015

South West

1,745

0.9

1,550

0.8

196,605

Wales

800

0.9

705

0.8

87,430

Scotland

1,605

1.1

1,565

1.1

144,645

Northern Ireland

655

1.0

535

0.8

67,960

Total

21,320

1.0

20,520

1.0

2,080,860

Business: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has held with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the potential effect of proposals by Adrian Beecroft on business in Wales. [109236]

Norman Lamb: The Beecroft report is one of many submissions provided to the Red Tape Challenge and the Employment Law review. The analysis and recommendations in the report are his own and do not represent the views of Government. The Government has called for evidence on the no fault dismissal proposal contained in the report, for micro-businesses of fewer than 10 employees. The call for evidence closes on 8 June and the Government will respond in due course based on this evidence. Ministers have had no discussions with their counterparts in the Welsh Government on this report. We will continue to engage in the normal way with devolved administrations as we take forward work on employment-related law issues.

Capital Investment: North East

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what capital spending projects his Department has funded in the North East region since May 2010; and what projects his Department plans to fund in the period to May 2015. [108647]

Mr Prisk: The following list shows capital projects in the north east with a value of over £500,000.

Some of the planned projects for the Regional Growth Fund Projects are subject to agreement with the applicant as to terms.

A: Ongoing Projects

Regional Growth Fund

A&P Tyne

Able UK Ltd

Aesica Pharmaceuticals

AKS Precision Ball Europe Limited

AV Dawson Limited

Bridon International Limited

11 Jun 2012 : Column 289W

Calsonic Kansei Sunderland Limited

Carlton & Co

Cleveland Potash Limited

Cummins Manufacturing

Darchem Engineering Limited

DUCO ltd

Durham County Cricket Club

Earthly Energy Ltd

Eutechnyx Ltd

Fine Industries Ltd

Gateshead College

Greencroft Bottling Co Ltd

Heerema

Huntsman Hartlepool

J&B Recycling

Johnson Matthey

Kromek

Lotte Chemical UK Ltd

Narec Development Services Ltd

NE England Process Industry Cluster

Newcastle Central Gateway

Newcastle Engineering Hub

Nifco UK Ltd

Nissan Motors B

Nissan Motors C

Nissan Motor Powertrain

PD Teesport Limited

Permoid

Responsive Engineering Group

Riverside Flooring Ltd

Shepherd Offshore Limited

Teraverdae Bioworks Ltd

Thaursus Engineering

ThyssenKrupp Tallent Limited

Tinsley Special Products Ltd

TRW Systems Ltd

Unipres

Vantec Europe Ltd

Wellstream International Ltd

Zegen (Wilton)

Grant for Business Investment

Nissan

Rolls Royce

Other

NAREC site infrastructure

National Wind Development Centre

Neptune Phase II

Offshore wind test centre

B: Projects funded between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2012

Grant for Business Investment

BOC Limited

Cleveland Potash Limited

Santander Cards UK Limited

Tesco Personal Finance Plc

Nissan

Other

UK Steel Enterprise (TVIP)

Tees Valley Programme (TVIP) Enabling Costs

11 Jun 2012 : Column 290W

Health Sciences Complex

NAREC Site Infrastructure

NAREC Innovation Facilities Infrastructure

NEPTUNE Phase II

TVIP Innovation—Industrial Bio-Technology