Tuberculosis
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is currently being commissioned by his Department into tuberculosis. [155017]
Dr Poulter: The Department is funding a wide range of research on tuberculosis through the National Institute for Health Research and the Policy Research Programme and has no current calls for proposals for research on specific aspects of this disease.
Current research includes a £2 million programme of research on improving the management and control of tuberculosis among hard to reach groups, and a £1.7 million study of interferon gamma tests for the rapid identification of active tuberculosis disease.
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Video Games
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of addiction to computer games have been recorded in the NHS in each of the last five years. [154679]
Norman Lamb: This is information is not collected centrally.
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has issued any guidance on the maximum amount of time that individuals should spend in front of computer or television screens each day. [154680]
Anna Soubry: The Department has not issued any guidance on the maximum amount of time that individuals should spend in front of computer or television screens each day.
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effects of computer game addiction on children and young people's mental health. [154682]
Norman Lamb: The Department has made no such assessment.
Warrington Hospital
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been treated in the accident and emergency department of Warrington Hospital in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the number of patients who are likely to require treatment at that department in each of the next five years. [155220]
Anna Soubry: The information is not held in the format requested. The total accident and emergency attendances for Warrington and Halton NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years 2008-09 to 2012-13 are shown in the following table:
| Total A&E attendances | |
| Notes: 1. A&E data are not held at hospital site level so data for the relevant hospital trust have been provided. 2. Estimates of future A&E attendances are not collected by the Department. Source: NHS England 2008-09 to 2010-11 Unify2 Data Collection QMAE and 2011-12 to 2012-13 Unify2 Data Collection Weekly SiteRep | |
Work and Pensions
Child Poverty
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of children expected to be living in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty in each of the next 10 years. [155170]
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Esther McVey: The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020, including the proportion of children living in households with relative low income and absolute low income.
The number of children in poverty based on relative and absolute measures for 2010-11, the most recent period for which figures are available, can be found in the Households Below Average Income series published at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/hbai2011/index.php?page=contents
The Government do not publish forecasts of the number of children living in income poverty. The number of children in poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted, including the median income.
Income matters but considering this in isolation fails to properly reflect the reality of child poverty in the UK today. The most recent figures showed that 300,000 children moved out of relative income poverty. In fact, this was caused by a fall in the median income. For such children, life remained the same: disadvantage continued to limit aspiration and they were no better off. We have recently consulted on developing better measurements of child poverty, which include income but provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty. We are now analysing the responses to that consultation, and will publish our conclusions in the summer.
Disability Living Allowance
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability living allowance claimants are in work. [155217]
Esther McVey: Disability living allowance is a benefit that can be claimed both in and out of work and as a result the Department does not routinely collect information on a employment status during the claim process.
However, the Department has previously published analysis estimating the employment rate of DLA claimants aged 16 to 64, using the Family Resources Survey which can be found here:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2011/analysis_of_disability_living_allowance_DLA_awards.pdf
Employment and Support Allowance: Scotland
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland were underpaid employment and support allowance as a result of error by his Department in each of the last three years; and what the total sum underpaid was in each such year. [155752]
Mr Hoban: The information is not available in the format requested.
G4S
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008. [154563]
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Mr Hoban: The total amount of expenditure by the Department to G4S (and Group 4 before they merged with Securicor in 2010-11) in each financial year since 2007-08 is detailed in the following table.
| Financial year | Merged supplier name | Spend (£) |
G4S were awarded a Work programme contract in 2011-12 which accounts for the large increase in expenditure in the last two financial years.
Homelessness
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will meet homelessness organisations to assess the effectiveness of the toolkit for identification of homelessness by Jobcentre Plus advisers. [155296]
Mr Hoban: There is no specific toolkit for the identification of homelessness. However, Jobcentre Plus advisers are equipped with the necessary guidance and training to identify and provide an appropriate level of tailored support for the homeless, as well as other disadvantaged groups. As a priority group, the homeless are able to access additional support through Jobcentre Plus advisers to enter employment, including early access to the Work programme. The guidance which supports Jobcentre Plus advisers is subject to regular review to ensure its effectiveness for helping to tackle homelessness and the barriers it creates to employment.
Housing Benefit: Greater London
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of how the allocation of discretionary housing payments in respect of the benefit cap reflects the effect of higher rents in London; and if he will make a statement. [155283]
Steve Webb: An additional £65 million funding towards discretionary housing payment (DHP) was made available in 2013-14 to provide short-term support to those affected by the benefit cap. Of these additional funds 90% was allocated based on the estimated volumes of cases geographically, weighted to account for amount that the households lose due to the cap.
Based on this method an equivalent household living in a high rent area would represent a greater weight in allocation of DHP funds. Therefore local authorities within which these households fall were allocated greater amounts towards DHPs.
The remaining funds were allocated uniformly for preventative work and to account for differing supply-side issues.
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Pay
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether staff employed by Telereal Trillium in his Department's premises in Leeds are paid the living wage of £7.45 per hour. [154649]
Mr Hoban: Telereal Trillium employees, and their contractors based in Leeds at DWP buildings are as follows:
Telereal Trillium: all staff are paid above the living wage rate.
Telereal Trillium cleaners: paid at, or in excess of, the minimum wage rate. Some staff will be paid in excess of the living wage rate.
Telereal Trillium catering staff: paid at, or in excess of, the minimum wage rate. Some staff will be paid in excess of the living wage rate.
Telereal Trillium furniture suppliers and porters: all staff are paid in excess of the living wage rate.
Telereal Trillium maintenance engineers: all staff are paid in excess of the living wage rate.
Telereal Trillium security guards: public facing guards are paid in excess of the living wage rate. Non-public facing guards are paid in excess of the minimum wage.
Personal Independence Payment
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will undertake unannounced and anonymous mystery shopper visits at new assessment centres for personal independence payments. [155207]
Esther McVey: Personal independence payment (PIP) assessments will take place in existing healthcare centres, at claimants' homes and in specific PIP assessment centres. All assessment centres must meet the Department's published requirements for accessibility, security, travel time and claimant experience. DWP is visiting a sample of these centres to ensure these requirements are being met. In addition, we are seeking feedback from claimants and the companions they are encouraged to bring to their assessment.
Disabled Children: Poverty
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of disabled children living in poverty in Bassetlaw constituency. [154165]
Esther McVey: It is not possible to provide figures for Bassetlaw due to small sample sizes. In 2010-11 across the UK there were 100,000 disabled children living in families with below 60% of relative median income, Before Housing Costs. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000. Low income figures are published annually in the Households below Average Income publication available here:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai
The Government launched a consultation on measuring child poverty on 15 November 2012. The consultation sought views on changing the way child poverty is measured to ensure accurate measurement of the number of children affected in the UK. The Government believe that, in addition to median income, it is important to take other elements into account, such as housing and health. The consultation closed on the 15 February
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2013. The responses to the consultation are currently being analysed, and the Government's response will be published in the, summer.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of tax and benefit reforms implemented since 2010 on levels of child poverty. [154782]
Esther McVey: I refer the hon. Member to the answers to questions 135069 on 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 312W, 135070 on 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 313W, and 135071 on 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 313W.
The Government do not believe that measuring income in isolation captures the reality of poverty in the UK, which is why they have consulted on better measures of child poverty. We will publish our response to that consultation in the summer.
Social Security Benefits: Veterans
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many former service personnel who have served in either Iraq or Afghanistan are in receipt of work-related benefits; [154572]
(2) how many former service personnel who have served in either Iraq or Afghanistan are in receipt of disability-related benefits. [154573]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not available.
State Retirement Pensions
Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people will be affected by the planned increase in the number of qualifying years needed to gain a full state pension due to take place in April 2016. [154131]
Steve Webb: Under the current system, 30 qualifying years of paid or credited national insurance contributions are required for a full basic state pension, currently £110.15 a week. Additional state pension entitlement is based on national insurance contributions paid or credited over the full course of working life.
Entitlement to the full amount of the single-tier pension, assumed to be £144 a week, (in 2012-13 earnings terms, as detailed in the Single Tier Impact Assessment) will be based on a test of 35 qualifying years of national insurance contributions or credits. It is estimated that around 85% of people reaching state pension age in 2020 will have at least 35 qualifying years. It is estimated around 5% of people reaching state pension age in 2020 will have between 30 and 35 qualifying years.
Where someone does not have the full 35 years needed for the full single-tier pension, they will receive a pension that is pro rata to this amount according to the number of qualifying years that they have built up, subject to them satisfying the Minimum Qualifying Period of between seven and 10 years. Someone with 30 years with no additional state pension and never contracted out would therefore get a pension of 30/35 of the full rate or around £123 per week (based on the illustrative £144 starting rate used in the single-tier White Paper).
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For those people with pre-implementation national insurance records, at the point we implement the new system, we will calculate their national insurance records under the rules of the old system (basic state pension plus additional state pension, less any adjustment for contracting out) and under the new system (single-tier pension less any adjustment for contracting out). We will then base someone's state pension on the higher of these two values; in the single-tier White Paper we call this figure a 'Foundation Amount'.
Where someone's Foundation Amount in 2016 is below the full single-tier rate, many people will have the opportunity to increase this amount through additional single-tier qualifying years they gain before reaching state pension age, at a rate of 1/35th of the full single-tier rate. This could be through qualifying years of national insurance contributions through work or paying voluntary contributions or national insurance credits.
Note:
Results are based on the Department's PENSIM2 model. This is a dynamic micro-simulation model designed to project pensioners' incomes to 2100. As such, the model is best suited to comparing long-term trends and differences between groups rather than to providing short range estimates. The figures should only be used as an indication of state pension outcomes and estimates are subject to sampling uncertainty and are rounded to the nearest five percentage points.
Unemployed People: Internet
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of jobseekers who lack skills to use the internet in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK. [154595]
Mr Hoban: Employers are increasingly advertising vacancies only via the internet, and requiring IT skills as part of the specifications for jobs. So we are currently piloting a Digital Skills Assessment Tool in four Jobcentres in the East of Scotland. This is used by advisers to assess claimant’s digital ability. The Department has not made any such estimate however The Carnegie Trust has published a report on Digital Exclusion in Glasgow which can be found at:
http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/publications/2013/across-the-divide---full-report
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with Jobcentre Plus staff about whether jobseekers do not accurately portray their internet and IT skills. [154596]
Mr Hoban: There have been no such discussions. However, all claimants have a Personal Adviser whose role it is to support them back into work. If an Adviser identifies the need for IT skills training they can discuss this with the jobseeker and arrange for suitable training. We are currently piloting a Digital Skills Assessment Tool in 4 Jobcentres in the East of Scotland. This is used by advisers to assess claimant's digital ability.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has done into the accuracy of self-assessment of internet and IT skills by jobseekers. [154597]
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Mr Hoban: We have done no such research. We are however trialling a digital skills assessment tool in four jobcentres in Scotland. This is designed to assist advisers identify and assess claimants digital skills.
Universal Credit
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the £2 billion universal credit spending envelope was spent in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and how much he forecasts will be spent in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15. [155216]
Mr Hoban: Of the £2 billion budget, spend in 2011-12 was 5%, and in 2012-13 16%. Plans continue to be developed to support the gradual roll-out from autumn 2013 within budget.
Universal Credit: North West
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) for what reasons acceptance of claims for universal credit in pathfinder project areas of Wigan, Warrington and Oldham has been deferred; [154300]
(2) what assessment he has made of (a) the financial implications and (b) the administrative cost of the deferral of acceptance of claims for universal credit in the pathfinder project areas of Wigan, Warrington and Oldham; [154301]
(3) what assessment he has made of the number of claimants who are affected by the deferral of acceptance of claims for universal credit in the pathfinder project areas of Wigan, Warrington and Oldham. [154302]
Mr Hoban: We have always made clear that the Pathfinder had been planned as an early implementation of universal credit. Any question of deferring the take-on of claims, or any costs associated with deferral, does not therefore arise. Our Jobcentres in Oldham, Wigan, and Warrington are already trialling elements of universal credit, including the new Claimant Commitment and signing people onto Universal Jobmatch. People living in Ashton-Under-Lyne are the first able to make new claims to universal credit. That will expand to Wigan, Warrington and Oldham when we are satisfied, on the basis of experience in Ashton-Under-Lyne, that it is appropriate to do so.
Universal Credit: Scotland
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any changes have been made to the designated date for the introduction of universal credit in Scotland; and whether he anticipates any future changes to the timetable for the introduction of that programme. [154299]
Mr Hoban: Decisions on the timing of the roll-out of universal credit in Scotland have not yet been finalised.
Work Programme
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of employment and support allowance claimants in (a) the work related activity group and (b) support group find paid employment; [155218]
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(2) what the off flows from the (a) work related activity and (b) support groups have been to date, by reasons for leaving. [155219]
Mr Hoban: The information requested on off-flows from ESA claimants in (a) work related activity and (b) support groups 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
The information requested on the reasons for leaving employment and support allowance (ESA) is not available but in 2012 the Department published research on the destinations of a sample of claimants leaving jobseeker's allowance, income support and employment and support allowance. The research report is available here:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2011-2012/rrep791.pdf
Section 4.4 looks at the outcomes of claimants leaving ESA in this sample, including the proportion going into paid work.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the spending budget in the Spending Review for the Work Programme was in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14. [155291]
Mr Hoban: The spending review 2010 settlement included the following resource DEL budgets for the Work programme:
| £ million | |
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will strengthen the minimum service standards for the Work programme to provide a better service for homeless people; [155297]
(2) what steps he is taking to improve job outcomes for homeless people in the Work programme. [155288]
Mr Hoban: Providers set out their minimum service standards as part of their bids for Work programme contracts. These standards have been published and providers must make them clear to all participants when they join the Work programme. The Department for Work and Pensions carries out regular compliance checks to ensure these standards are being met.
If a participant is concerned that their provider is not meeting their minimum service standards, then they are able to raise the issue with their provider. If the participant is not satisfied with their provider’s response, they are then able to escalate the complaint to the Independent Case Examiner.
I have also set up the Work Programme: Building Best Practice group, which is independently chaired by Andrew Sells. This group will set up a framework to promote the sharing of best practice, with a particular focus on the harder to help such as claimants who are homeless. It will also explore best practice for minimum service levels, to ensure that they are transparent and measurable.