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Pensions: Gender Recognition
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on pension entitlements for transpeople; whether the Government intend to bring forward amendments on this matter to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill on Report; and if he will make a statement. [153949]
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the representations made about pension entitlements for transpeople in paragraphs 9 to 13 of the paper submitted by Helen Belcher to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Public Bill Committee; whether the Government plan to bring forward amendments to the Bill on pension entitlements on Report; and if he will make a statement. [153966]
Steve Webb: The Government said we would carefully consider this issue when it was debated in the Public Bill Committee and will finalise our assessment shortly, which we will make known to the House.
Personal Independence Payment
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the progress made by (a) Atos and (b) Capita in relation to the commitment to engage with organisations representing disabled people in developing training materials in relation to the document entitled DWP Response to the Disability Benefits Consortium report on PIP Assessment Providers. [154019]
Esther McVey: Both Atos and Capita have an ongoing programme of regular engagement with organisations representing disabled people discussing many aspects of PIP including the health professional training. These organisations have also developed specific condition insight reports and briefings to inform both providers' training. There will be a continuing programme of professional development for PIP assessors, monitored by the Department, and we expect this level of engagement to continue.
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the engagement by Atos with organisations representing disabled people in producing its training materials for the assessment of the personal independence payment. [154020]
Esther McVey: Atos has an ongoing programme of regular engagement with organisations representing disabled people including discussing the health professional training. These organisations have also developed specific condition insight reports and briefings to inform Atos training. There will be a continuing programme of professional development for Atos assessors, monitored by the Department, and we expect them to continue with this level of engagement.
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria his Department has used in reviewing Atos training materials for the assessment for the personal independence payment. [154021]
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Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions has reviewed Atos training materials and is content with them. In doing so the Department has judged the training materials against whether they will equip trainee disability assessors with the competence, knowledge and skills necessary to assess personal independence payment claimants against the assessment criteria, taking into consideration such issues as whether claimants can complete activities reliably.
Sign Language
Sir Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on equality of access for deaf people whose first language is British Sign Language in terms of communicating with (a) benefit officers and Jobcentre Plus staff and (b) his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies; and if he will make a statement. [154693]
Mr Hoban: The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on DWP to provide services that are accessible, available and appropriate to all claimants and customers. DWP takes seriously our duties under this Act to provide and make available reasonable adjustments to all our claimants and customers who have specific communication needs. We have in place framework agreements to provide British Sign Language (BSL) or other communicator support to those customers who need it. Guidance on how to access this support is available to our staff via the intranet.
The Department's non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are similarly covered by the requirement to provide reasonable adjustments for deaf people. NDPBs are responsible for making their own arrangements.
Sir Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to ensure that deaf people have the opportunity to communicate in British Sign Language with (a) benefit officers and Jobcentre Plus staff and (b) his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [154694]
Mr Hoban: All DWP staff undertake diversity and equality learning to raise awareness and help them understand issues faced by disabled customers and claimants, including those who are deaf or hearing impaired. This is supplemented by guidance which includes advice on making reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including deaf people, to ensure they have full access to services. This approach ensures staff are fully equipped to deal effectively with the needs of a diverse claimant or customer base.
Training packages also stress the importance of signposting customers and claimants to organisations where they can obtain specialist help and support, when required. The learning includes improving accessibility to DWP services by supporting customers and claimants with specific communication needs. There is also practical advice on talking to customers and claimants with hearing impairments, including making arrangements for the use of British Sign Language interpreters.
The Department's non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are similarly covered by the requirement to provide reasonable adjustments for deaf people. NDPBs are responsible for making their own arrangements.
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Social Security Benefits: Appeals
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will set clear time limits for the new formal reconsideration stage for claimants wishing to appeal; and if he will make a statement. [155161]
Mr Hoban: The Department has no plans to introduce a statutory time limit to complete mandatory reconsideration. The focus of the new process is on ensuring that claimants receive an explanation of a disputed decision and completing a full re-examination of the decision, whilst allowing claimants to provide additional evidence and information that they think may change the decision. Applying an arbitrary time to complete the process would be counter-productive and could result in additional unnecessary appeals.
The time it takes for a decision maker to complete a reconsideration will vary from case to case, particularly depending on whether further information is required from the claimant.
If no further information is required and the case is straightforward, the mandatory reconsideration process could be completed in a relatively short time scale (typically less than a month). However, if further information is required, the law states that we must allow the claimant one month (which can be extended at the decision maker's discretion) in which to provide it, so these cases may take longer to complete.
The Department is considering how best to manage and monitor the process to avoid unnecessary delays.
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Social Security Benefits: Bassetlaw
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) employment and support allowance and (b) incapacity benefit claimants there are in Bassetlaw constituency. [154146]
Mr Hoban: Figures on the number of people claiming (a) employment and support allowance and (b) incapacity benefit, by parliamentary constituency can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
Guidance for users is available at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
Social Security Benefits: Greater London
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households in each local authority area in London whose weekly income will be reduced by (a) less than £20, (b) between £20 and £39.99, (c) between £40 and £59.99, (d) between £60 and £79.99, (e) between £80 and £99.99 and (f) over £100 through the introduction of the benefit cap. [154027]
Mr Hoban: The following table shows for how many households in each local authority area in London, the weekly reduction in benefit will be (a) less than £20, (b) between £20 and £39.99, (c) between £40 and £59.99, (d) between £60 and £79.99, (e) between £80 and £99.99 and (f) over £100 through the introduction of the benefit cap.
| Number of households by effect of cap (£ per week reduction in benefit) | |||||||
| Local authority | Less than £20 | Between £20 to £39.99 | Between £40 to £59.99 | Between £60 to £79.99 | Between £80 to £99.99 | £100+ | Total number households capped |
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| Notes: 1. This table relates to local authorities in Great Britain where at least one household is estimated to be capped in the year 2013-14, when the benefit cap is implemented. 2. The figures relate to the numbers estimated to be impacted at a point in time during 2013-14. | |||||||
Please note that household numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. Areas with fewer than 100 households affected are denoted by “—”, as additional disclosure control has been applied to these areas. For this reason, figures will not sum to the total number of households affected as estimated in an ad-hoc statistics release in April 2013.
The benefit cap is being applied through a phased roll-out which commenced on 15 April 2013 in Bromley, Croydon, Enfield and Haringey. It will be introduced at a national level from 15 July 2013. The figures in the table for Bromley, Croydon, Enfield and Haringey are estimates only of the number of households who may be affected in the year 2013-14.
Also, these estimates assume that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. The Department is identifying and writing to all the households who are likely to be affected by the cap and we are offering advice and support through Jobcentre Plus, including, where appropriate, early access to the Work programme before the cap is introduced.
Social Security Benefits: Immigrants
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of any additional amount of benefits to be claimed as a result of any increase in the number of Romanian and Bulgarian nationals expected to migrate to the UK over the next three years. [154416]
Mr Hoban: It is not possible to accurately forecast the likely inflow from Romania and Bulgaria once restrictions are lifted, the inflow will depend on a variety of factors. Therefore we are unable to predict the additional cost of benefits.
From 1 January 2014 Romania and Bulgarian nationals will have the same benefit entitlement as other migrants who are a ‘qualified person’ from the European Union—i.e. they exercise a right to reside as a worker; a self-employed person; a job seeker; a self-sufficient person or a student.
Contributory benefits, such as contribution based jobseeker’s allowance, are payable to anyone who satisfies the contribution and other conditions for the benefit, regardless of nationality.
For income-related benefits each claimant must satisfy the habitual residence test before they are eligible to claim means-tested benefits.
Economically inactive people, who are neither in work or seeking work, are required to be self-sufficient and have comprehensive medical insurance. Similarly students are required to be self-sufficient. Therefore, under domestic legislation economically inactive EEA nationals and their family members cannot claim income-related benefits.
State Retirement Pensions
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of setting the new single tier state pension at (a) £160 per week and (b) £180 per week. [154272]
Steve Webb: The following table presents estimates of the additional cost of setting the single-tier pension at £160 or £180 per week, compared to the current state pension system.
| £ billion, nominal cash terms | |||||
| 2020 | 2030 | 2040 | 2050 | 2060 | |
| Notes: 1. Single tier start levels are presented in 2012-13 earnings terms, consistent with the illustrative start level of £144 per week set out in “The single-tier pension: a simple foundation for saving”. Policy and economic assumptions other than the start rate are consistent with those used in the impact assessment accompanying the Pensions Bill 2013. 2. Additional costs have been calculated using on the Departments Pensim2 model. This is a dynamic micro-simulation model developed to inform analysis of likely future trends in pensioner incomes. The information from this model is then calibrated to provide a more accurate estimate of expenditure. 3. The figures above should only be used as an indication. Please also note that the Pensim2 model is based on a sample of the population so the estimates given above are subject to sampling uncertainty. 4. The estimate for part (b) has been estimated by scaling the results from part (a) and as such should be treated with particular caution. Source: Pensim2 modelling and DWP projections of benefit expenditure | |||||
State Retirement Pensions: Females
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of bringing forward the introduction of the proposed new single tier state pension on women born between April 1951 and April 1953. [154642]
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Steve Webb: The single-tier pension will be implemented in April 2016. Only individuals who reach their state pension age after implementation will be eligible for a single-tier pension. Therefore, all men and women who reach state pension age before the implementation of single tier, including women born between 6 April 1951 and 5 April 1953, will receive a state pension in line with existing rules. The Government have published an analysis of the state pension outcomes of the cohort of women born between 6 April 1951 and 5 April 1953 on the GOV.uk website.
Universal Credit
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to announce arrangements for the treatment of passported benefits under universal credit. [154707]
Mr Hoban: The eligibility criteria for individual passported benefits are the responsibility of the owning Government Departments. Information on passported benefit eligibility for claimants involved in the Universal Credit Pathfinder can be found at:
www.gov.uk/universalcredit
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what amount has been paid to service providers involved in the delivery of IT for universal credit since 2011; and what amount he expects to be paid to such providers over the duration of their contracts. [154708]
Mr Hoban: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my answer of 26 November 2012, Official Report, column 154w. Additional spend since that answer up to and including March 2013 amounts to some £87 million. Future payments will reflect the contractual arrangements with suppliers, and will be drawn down as appropriate, within the budget set for universal credit.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed universal credit in the pathfinder to date; and what estimate he has made of the total number of new claims for universal credit that will be processed by all the pathfinders. [154709]
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Thameside will be receiving universal credit by 30 May 2013. [154028]
Mr Hoban: The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish Official Statistics on pathfinder areas in autumn 2013 and on nationally implemented universal credit from autumn 2014.
We expect around 7,000 claims to be processed in pathfinders.
Mr Byrne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 11 May 2011 to the right hon. Member for East Ham, Official Report, column 1246W, on universal credit, whether his expected timescale for the completion of the IT
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development for universal credit of spring 2013 for live pathfinders and autumn 2013 is on track; and if he will make a statement. [154827]
Mr Hoban: The IT system to support the initial UC Pathfinder went live on time on 29 April 2013. Plans continue to be developed to support the gradual roll-out from autumn 2013.
Vacancies: Internet
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of jobs advertised on the Universal Jobmatch website were for self-employment in each constituency in the UK since that website was introduced. [153957]
Mr Hoban: The information is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Work Programme
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former incapacity benefit claimants have been helped into employment lasting more than six months as a result of the Work Programme in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available. [153950]
Mr Hoban: Statistics on how many former incapacity benefit claimants have been helped into employment lasting more than six months as a result of the Work programme in (a)the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each local authority area in the latest period for which figures were published on 10 December 2012, Official Report, column 56W.
Please note that the next release of the Work programme official statistics on referrals, attachments, job outcome payments and sustainment payments will be on 27 June 2013 covering the period to the end of March 2013. More information can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=news
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Dundee East constituency. [153979]
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency. [153982]
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Moray constituency. [153976]
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Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Angus constituency. [153991]
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Banff and Buchan constituency. [153988]
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Perth and North Perthshire constituency. [153985]
Mr Hoban: The contracts for Work programme providers in the Dundee East, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Moray, Angus, Banff and Buchan, and Perth and North Perthshire constituencies can be found through the following link:
https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/Common/View%20Notice.aspx?site=1000&lang=en¬iceid=192354&fs=true
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) with reference to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Dundee East constituency; [153980]
(2) on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what consideration will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area. [153981]
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency; [153983]
(2) on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what consideration will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area. [153984]
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Moray constituency; [153977]
(2) on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what consideration will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area. [153978]
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Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Angus constituency; [153992]
(2) on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what considerations will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area; and if he will make a statement. [153993]
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Banff and Buchan constituency; [153989]
(2) on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what considerations will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area. [153990]
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Perth and North Perthshire constituency; [153986]
(2) on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what considerations will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area. [153987]
Mr Hoban: The Department will not release financial data below national level while the Work programme contracts are ongoing. The reason for not releasing these data is that it would allow commercial-in-confidence information to be calculated, which puts at risk the Department's ability to procure best value for money contracts in future.
Cabinet Office
Conditions of Employment
John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed on zero-hours contracts in (a) Bassetlaw constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Nottinghamshire. [154152]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office for the number of people employed on zero-hours contract in (a) Bassetlaw constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Nottinghamshire (154152).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), following International Labour Organisation (ILO)
13 May 2013 : Column 73W
definitions. Estimates of the number of zero hour contracts are not available from this source. Estimates of the number of people on zero-hours contracts are available from the Labour Force Survey, but due to sample size are not available for areas smaller than regions.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Employment: Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the rate of underemployment in each UK parliamentary constituency in Scotland in each of the last five years. [153939]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the rate of underemployment in each UK parliamentary constituency in Scotland in each of the last five years (153939).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Estimates of the underemployment rates for each parliamentary constituency in Scotland are not available from this source as the sample sizes are too small.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Fraud
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how much the Taskforce on Fraud, Error and Debt has spent on counter-fraud activities in each of the last five years; [154045]
(2) what estimate he has made in (a) monetary and (b) other terms of the success of the Taskforce on Fraud, Error and Debt's counter-fraud activities in each of the last five years; [154046]
(3) how many full-time equivalent staff worked on counter-fraud activities in the Taskforce on Fraud, Error and Debt in each of the last five years. [154047]
Mr Hurd: The public purse loses an estimated £37 billion a year as a result of fraud, error and uncollected debt. Before the 2010 general election, all too little was done to address these staggering losses. This Government took action by establishing for the first time ever a cross-departmental taskforce.
The Taskforce on Fraud, Error and Debt is a group that brings together Ministers and senior officials from across central Government to work collaboratively on solutions to tackle fraud and error, collect debt more effectively, and improve the administration of grants. The taskforce meets to review progress several times a year. It has no specific budget to spend on counter-fraud activities, but instead coordinates activities and initiatives to tackle fraud and error across central Government.
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In 2012-13, Departments engaged with the taskforce saved an estimated £5.9 billion of taxpayers' money. This was mainly through improved tax compliance and through tackling fraud and error in tax credits and benefits, but also implementation of spend recovery audits and better use of data to support a “check first before paying” approach in the Student Loans Company. In 2011-12, the first full year in which the taskforce became operational, savings achieved were £3.5 billion.
The FED Taskforce does not directly employ any staff; it is supported by a small team in the Cabinet Office. There are currently 19 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the Cabinet Office working on debt, fraud and error, and grants efficiency initiatives. The Fraud, Error and Debt team was first established in the Efficiency and Reform Group in the Cabinet Office in 2011-12 with nine FTE staff. In 2012-13 this was increased to 20 FTE staff.
Infant Mortality: Bassetlaw
John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish infant mortality statistics for Bassetlaw constituency for each year since 1987. [154151]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking if the Minister for the Cabinet Office will publish infant mortality statistics for Bassetlaw constituency for each year since 1987. [154151]
Due to the sensitive nature of infant deaths and the risk of identifying individuals, ONS does not publish infant mortality figures for individual parliamentary constituencies. Consequently, figures for Bassetlaw constituency cannot be provided.
Table 1 provides the number of infant deaths in Bassetlaw local authority, for deaths registered between 1987 and 2011 (the latest year available). Bassetlaw parliamentary constituency falls entirely within the boundaries of Bassetlaw local authority.
Figures for infant mortality in England and Wales are published annually on the ONS website:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/child-mortality-statistics--childhood--infant-and-perinatal/index.html
| Table 1: Number of infant deaths in Bassetlaw local authority—Deaths registered between 1987 and 2011(1,2) | |
| Registration year | Deaths |
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Job Creation: Worcestershire
Karen Lumley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many private sector jobs have been created in Worcestershire since 2010. [154103]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
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As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many private sector jobs have been created in Worcestershire since 2010 (154103).
Employment statistics for local areas are calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey. In the APS the distinction between public and private sector is based on respondents' views about the organisation for which they work. The public sector estimates provided do not correspond to official Public Sector Employment estimates. Those are derived directly from employers and are based on a National Accounts' definition and are not available for areas smaller than regions.
Information regarding the number of private sector jobs created is not available. As an alternative, estimates of the net change between APS survey estimates for the 12 month periods January 2010 to December 2010 and January 2012 to December 2012 have been provided.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Number and net change of people employed in the private sector(1) in Worcestershire | |
| 12 months ending: | Thousand |
| (1) Individuals in the APS are classified to the private sector according to their responses to the survey. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV <5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ? 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes Source: Annual Population Survey | |
Public Sector: Mutual Societies
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with trades unions about proposals to spin off elements of the Civil Service as public service mutuals. [154041]
Mr Maude: I meet regularly with representatives of trade unions to discuss a range of issues. As part of my Department's transparency programme, details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on the Cabinet Office website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/series/ministers-transparency-publications
Senior Civil Servants: Pensions
Pamela Nash: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he plans to publish details of the remuneration rates for all those in receipt of civil service pensions who are (a) senior civil servants and (b) paid by non-departmental public bodies at rates in excess of the minimum applicable to the Senior Civil Service. [154828]
Miss Chloe Smith: The details requested are not held by the Cabinet Office. Departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies publish information on the salaries of their senior staff in structure charts that are published every six months on their websites, linked to:
http://www.data.gov.uk
Under the current civil service pension scheme anyone in receipt of a civil service pension and employed in the civil service (or any organisation covered by the scheme) has their pension abated. This means that their total pay and pension is limited to the same level of salary that they were earning in the civil service before drawing their pension. Further information on the abatement rules can be found at:
http://resources.civilservice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WhatisabatementFeb2013.pdf
Unemployment: Clwyd
Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) women and (b) men in Clwyd South constituency were unemployed in each of the last five years. [154119]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
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Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) women and (b) men in Clwyd South Constituency were unemployed in each of the last five years (154119).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for men and women in Clwyd South constituency are not available due to small sample sizes.
As an alternative, in table 1, we have provided the number and proportion of men and women aged 16 to 64 claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for March 2013, the latest available period, and for March 2009 to 2012. The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around two thirds of the total unemployment level.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1: Number of men and women claiming jobseeker's allowance resident in Clwyd South constituency | ||||||
| Male | Female | Total | ||||
| Number | Proportion (%) | Number | Proportion (%) | Number | Proportion (%) | |
| Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System | ||||||
Unemployment: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the unemployment level is in each of the principal seaside towns in England. [154585]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the unemployment level was in each of the principal seaside towns in England (154585).
The ONS compiles unemployment statistics for local authorities using a model based on the Annual Population Survey (APS) and Claimant Count.
Estimates of unemployment are not produced for the principal seaside towns in England. Instead we have provided estimates relating to the Local Authorities associated with each of these towns.
These figures along with a wide range of other labour market data for parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are also published on the Office for National Statistics' Nomis website:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
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| Table 1: Unemployment level and rate for people resident in local authorities, January 2012 to December 2012 | |||
| Principal seaside town | Local authority | Level (thousand) | Rate (percentage) |
| Source: Model Based Estimates of Unemployment | |||
Unemployment: Tees Valley
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency within Tees Valley. [154074]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office for the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency within Tees Valley (157074).
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The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested age band and parliamentary constituencies are not available due to small sample sizes.
As an alternative, in table 1, we have provided the number and proportion of persons aged 18 to 24 claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for 12 months or more for the requested geographies for March 2013, the latest available period. The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around two thirds of the total unemployment level.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1: Number and proportion of people aged 18 to 24 years claiming jobseekers' allowance for 12 months or more, May 2013 | ||
| Level(1) | Proportion (%) | |
| (1) Data rounded to nearest 5. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System. | ||
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employers in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England have received funding for training an apprentice in each of the last three years. [153921]
Matthew Hancock: Table 1 shows the number of employer workplaces in Liverpool Walton constituency, Liverpool local education authority and in England that trained apprentices. Final data are shown for the 2009/10 to 2011/12 academic years.
| Table 1: Employer workplaces that trained apprentices by geography, 2009/10 to 2011/12 | |||
| 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | |
| Notes. 1. The figures are a count of number of individual employer workplaces (site level). 2. Parliamentary constituency and local education authority figures are rounded to the nearest 10, national figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Geographic information is based on the delivery location of the apprenticeship. Note that some employer workplaces deliver apprenticeship in more than one location. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |||
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how much funding for training an apprentice was received in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England in each of the last three years; [154086]
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(2) how many local authorities have received funding to train apprentices in each of the last three years; and how much funding each such local authority has received. [154087]
Matthew Hancock: The Skills Funding Agency is responsible for allocating and managing the funding and contracts for apprenticeship provision. I have therefore asked Kim Thorneywork, the chief executive of Skills Funding Agency, to reply directly to the hon. Member and a copy of that letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships in (a) Bassetlaw constituency, (b) South Yorkshire, (c) Nottinghamshire and (d) England which were completed in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 led to a permanent job. [154161]
Matthew Hancock: We do not collect data that allow us to answer the specific questions on how many apprenticeships led to a permanent job by sub-region.
However, we do have relevant data from a survey of apprentices in England (published 15 May 2012) which show that 85% of apprentices who completed their apprenticeship in the last 12 months were employed by an employer at the time of the survey, with a further 4% being self-employed and a further 3% in education.
We are not able to break these findings down by electoral constituency or by sub-regions (such as South Yorkshire) as the survey is not large enough to do this robustly.
Information on the number of apprenticeship achievements by parliamentary constituency, local education authority and region are published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR):
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/60297A67-6111-4D21-B0C1-0FF90B108012/0/March2013_Apprenticeship_Achievements.xls
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/Statistics/fe_data_library/Apprenticeships/
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to increase the proportion of apprenticeship places for those over 24. [154220]
Matthew Hancock: We are committed to boosting apprenticeship opportunities and to improving quality across the programme to better meet employer needs.
We will continue to support apprenticeships for people of all ages to progress in their careers.
The National Apprenticeship Service is working closely with businesses, local authorities, colleges and training providers to promote apprenticeships across the country.
Business: Regulation
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference the Queen's Speech on 8 May 2013, what measures relating to (a) apprenticeships and (b) traineeships he intends to introduce as part of the proposed Deregulation Bill. [154640]
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Matthew Hancock: The Government are seeking an appropriate legislative vehicle within the next Session to implement changes to apprenticeships. Regulatory change will allow the Government to realise their vision for apprenticeships following the Richard review and subsequent consultation on the future of apprenticeships.
We do not expect to include in the Bill measures specifically relating to traineeships.
Centre on Migration, Policy and Society
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding was granted (a) directly and (b) indirectly by the Economic and Social Research Council to the (i) Centre on Migration, Policy and Society and (ii) Migration Observatory in each of the last four years. [154269]
Mr Willetts: The following funding has been granted by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC):
| (i) Direct funding for the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), excluding the Migration Observatory | |
| £ | |
| (ii) Indirect funding for the Migration Observatory | |
| £000 | |
All of this funding goes direct to COMPAS.
The Migration Observatory is an offshoot of COMPAS—essentially its “outreach” and communications arm—as such, some of the staff time funded by ESRC at COMPAS, as well as some of the Centre's communications budget, is used by the Migration Observatory, hence this is described as indirect funding.
This staffing contribution will vary over time, hence the indirect figures provided should be treated as best estimates based on an approximate percentage of staff time allocated on an annual basis, although the overall figures (i.e. the total funding for COMPAS and the Migration Observatory combined) are accurate.
Higher Education: Admissions
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1039-40W, on higher education: statistics; how many full-time first degree enrolments for the first year of academic study at university there have been since 2000; and how many of those students went on to (a) qualify and (b) obtain employment within six months of leaving university. [153971]
Mr Willetts:
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on student enrolments
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at UK higher education institutions (HEIs), as well as the destinations of graduates six months after qualifying through their Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. Information tracking individual entrants through to their destinations six months after leaving university is not held centrally. As an alternative the cohort of students for each academic year has been given. The number of full-time first degree entrants, qualifiers and graduate employment activity six months after graduating UK HEIs for the academic years 2000/01 to 2011/12 is provided in the table.
| Full-time first degree entrants(1), qualifiers(2) and graduate employment activity six months after qualifying: UK higher education institutions academic years 2000/01 to 2011/12 | |||
| Academic year | Entrants | Qualifiers | Proportion employed(3)(%) |
| (1 )Covers students in their first year of study. (2) Covers students gaining a HE qualification in the reporting period 1 August to 31 July. (3) Employed refers to HE leavers employed in full-time, part-time and voluntary work including those in a combination of both work and study. Percentage is given as a proportion of those with known employment circumstance and excludes those who explicitly refused to answer as well as non-respondents to the survey. Note: Numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record and Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey | |||
Other than obtaining a job, there are other positive outcomes six months after graduating higher education such as further study, internships/work experience or travel. Taking these into account the 2010/11 Higher Education Performance Indicators showed that, overall, 90.3% of full-time first degree leavers were in employment or further study six months after graduating. Further information on employment indicators is available from the HESA Performance Indicators publication:
http://www.hesa.ac.uk/content/view/2072/141/
Other graduate destinations surveys existed prior to the DLHE survey, but it is not possible to provide employment rates from these on a consistent basis. Information on the destinations of graduates six months after qualifying the academic year 2011/12 will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in June 2013.
Higher Education: Research
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of Medical Research Council funding is donated to research in Welsh universities. [153995]
Mr Willetts: The Medical Research Council spend for the last three financial years is in the following table. 2012-13 data has not yet been reported.
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Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of research funding from research councils went to Welsh universities in each of the last three years. [153996]
Mr Willetts: The RCUK spend on research grants in universities for the last three financial years is in the following table. 2012-13 data have not yet been reported.
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to the merits of the UK resuming its membership of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna; and what assessment he has made of the benefits of UK academics taking up research partnerships at the IIASA. [154749]
Mr Willetts: The UK has no plans to resume membership of the International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA). No assessment has been made of the benefits of UK academics taking up research partnerships at the IIASA.
Minimum Wage
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the number of people who will earn no more than the national minimum wage over the course of their working lives. [154712]
Jo Swinson: Information is not available on the number of people who will earn no more than the national minimum wage over the course of their working lives.
The Low Pay Commission (LPC) estimated in their 2013 report that at a point in time in April 2012, around 5.3% of all jobs were minimum wage jobs (approximately 1.4 million jobs).
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According to the Office of National Statistics, more than 11 million people moved between employment, unemployment and inactivity in 2012; and even more people remained in employment that moved from job to job. It is therefore very unlikely that there are many individuals who will remain in the same job, paid at the minimum wage for the entirety of their working life.
Prisons: Education
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which educational courses are available to prisoners; what the uptake rate is of each such course; and what proportion of prisoner students see their course through to completion. [153961]
Matthew Hancock: I have placed information in the Libraries of the House that shows learning aim titles and the number of enrolments on each by offenders aged 18 or over in the prison system in the 2011/12 academic year.
In 2011/12, 227,700 learning aims were achieved by offenders aged 18 or over in the prison system.
These offenders were funded via the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) budget.
Private Finance Initiative
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which private finance initiative projects under his Department have been refinanced in each year since May 2010; what the value is of each such project; what the refinancing gain has been in each such case; and how much of any such gain the relevant Government body received through a (a) lump sum and (b) reduction in the unitary charge. [154715]
Jo Swinson: Our records show that since May 2010 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not had any PFI contracts that have been refinanced.
Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998
Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions powers under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 have been used in each year since it was enacted; and in how many such cases in each year the person under investigation was (a) identified and (b) penalised. [154842]
Jo Swinson: The Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA) 1998 does not contain any investigatory powers. The Act contains a power to prescribe a list of persons or bodies to whom a whistleblower may make protected disclosure. Any investigation as a result of these disclosures would be a matter for the person or body to whom the disclosure is made. Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service collects data on the number of PIDA cases that go to employment tribunal, but the Government do not hold any statistics on the number of disclosures investigated.
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Sign Language
Sir Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what his policy is on equality of access for deaf people whose first language is British Sign Language in terms of communicating with (a) businesses and (b) his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies; and if he will make a statement; [154691]
(2) what steps his Department has taken to ensure that deaf people have the opportunity to communicate in British Sign Language with (a) businesses and (b) his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [154692]
Matthew Hancock: The Department complies with its legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and ensures all reasonable adjustments are made for people with hearing difficulties to communicate effectively with the Department. We continue to seek opportunities to engage deaf people in creating the conditions for business success, promoting innovation, enterprise and science and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to succeed.
The Department fully funds British Sign Language (BSL) training courses for young people as a first Level 2 or Level 3 qualification. The Government also fully fund BSL training where it is needed to help unemployed people find work.
Unfair Dismissal
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the operation of the decision to allow employment judges to sit alone in unfair dismissal cases. [153910]
Jo Swinson: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) holds central data on sitting alone days carried out by employment judges for all employment tribunal jurisdictions. It also collects information on the overall number of unfair dismissal claims that were disposed of at hearing.
For the period April to December 2012 employment judges sat alone on 14,414 days across England, Wales and Scotland including 6,778 unfair dismissal cases.
The number of judges who have been sitting alone in unfair dismissal cases is not collected centrally by HMCTS. This information can currently be provided only by manually checking hard copy tribunal files or judgments. The Department are exploring with HMCTS how we might collect this information in the future.
Vocational Training
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) when his Department will confirm its final proposals for traineeships; [154638]
(2) when his Department will publish its response to its consultation on traineeships. [154639]
Matthew Hancock: A Framework for Delivery on traineeships was published on 9 May 2013. Copies have been placed in the House Libraries and is available online at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-young-people-to-develop-the-skills-for-apprenticeships-and-sustainable-employment-framework-for-delivery
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Justice
Offenders: Rehabilitation
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when his Department expects to publish an impact assessment for the proposals contained in the consultation paper, “Transforming Rehabilitation”, published in January 2013. [154141]
Jeremy Wright: On 9 May, the Ministry of Justice published the response to the “Transforming Rehabilitation consultation—Transforming Rehabilitation: a Strategy for Reform”—and introduced the Offender Rehabilitation Bill, which contains provisions to support our reforms. We have published an impact assessment of the Bill's provisions and further analysis of our proposals is included in the “Transforming Rehabilitation: A Strategy for Reform” document.
Prison Service
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many allegations of criminal activity in the workplace have been made in the Prison Service in each year since 2003, by category of offence; [154284]
(2) how many times employees of the Prison Service have been charged with criminal activity in the workplace in each year since 2003, by category of offence; [154285]
(3) how many allegations of criminal activity against employees in the Prison Service were (a) referred and (b) not referred to the police by category of offence in each year since 2003; [154360]
(4) how many allegations of each category of criminal activity against employees in the Prison Service were (a) referred and (b) not referred to the police in each year since 2003; [154383]
(5) how many allegations of each category of criminal activity in the workplace have been made in the Prison Service in each year since 2003; [154384]
(6) how many times employees of the Prison Service have been charged with each category of criminal activity in the workplace in each year since 2003; [154393]
(7) on how many occasions employees of the Prison Service have been found guilty of each category of criminal activity in the workplace in each year since 2003. [154394]
Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Prisoner Escapes: North East
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners absconded from each prison in the (a) north-east and (b) Yorkshire and Humber region in each year since 2005. [153968]
Jeremy Wright:
Absconds are at their lowest level for over 10 years. In 2011-12—the last full year when figures were available—there were 179 absconds compared to 782 in 2001-02. To date, over 97% of prisoners who absconded between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2012
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have been re-captured and returned to custody. On re-capture the prisoner will be returned to a closed prison and referred to the police for consideration for prosecution for having been unlawfully at large.
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The following tables provide details of the number of absconds, by financial year and geographic area between 2004-05 and 2011-12, the most recent period for which data are available:
| Table 1: Absconds from prisons in the north-east between 2004-05 and 2011-12, by establishment and financial year | ||||||||
| Prison | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| (1) HMP Acklington and HMP Castington merged to form HMP Northumberland in2011. (2) HMP Frankland is a high security prison and managed outside of the north-east prison area. There have been no absconds from Frankland. | ||||||||
| Table 2: Absconds from prisons in Yorkshire and Humberside between 2004-05 and 2011-12, by establishment and financial year | ||||||||
| Prison | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| (1) HMP Full Sutton and Wakefield are high security prisons and managed outside of the Yorkshire and Humberside prison area. There have been no absconds from these prisons. Note: These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. | ||||||||