Child Maintenance
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England use the child maintenance service. [159123]
Steve Webb:
We are carefully observing results of the 2012 scheme, administered by the Child Maintenance Service, and progress so far has been good. However, we are not yet in a position to release statistics. When system data become available and fully assured they will
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be released as part of a managed process, which will be pre-announced and in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
The following table shows, as of March 2013, the number of 1993 and 2003 scheme cases administered by the Child Support Agency in Barnsley Central, South Yorkshire and England.
| Area | Number of cases |
| Notes: 1. The question has been interpreted as the number of live and assessed cases. 2. South Yorkshire has been calculated by adding up the totals for Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield and Rotherham local authorities. 3. England has been calculated by adding up the totals for each parliamentary constituency in England. 4. Cases are allocated to a parliamentary constituency or local authority by matching the parent with care's residential postcode to the Office for National Statistics Postcode Directory. 5. Figures rounded to nearest 10 6. Figures have been rated to include off system performance. | |
Domestic Violence
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the number of victims of domestic violence in each local authority who have been rehoused as a result of a Multi-Age Risk Assessment Conference and in consequence are under-occupying. [158351]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
Employment
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will make an assessment of the employment rate of (a) the working-age male population and (b) all male persons over the age of 16, in the first quarter of 2013 compared with the first quarter of 2008 for (i) each constituent part and region of the UK and (ii) each parliamentary constituency; and what the gap in the number of jobs between the higher and lower of these two figures is in each case; [159215]
(2) if he will make an assessment of the employment rate of (a) the working-age female population and (b) all female persons over the age of 16, in the first quarter of 2013 compared with the first quarter of 2008 for (i) each constituent part and region of the UK and (ii) each parliamentary constituency; and what the gap in the number of jobs between the higher and lower of these two figures is in each case; [159216]
(3) if he will make an assessment of the employment rate of (a) the working-age population and (b) all persons over the age of 16, in the first quarter of 2013 compared with the first quarter of 2008 for (i) each constituent part and region of the UK and (ii) each parliamentary constituency; and what the gap in the number of jobs between the higher and lower of these two figures is in each case. [159217]
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.
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Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for the employment rate of (a) the working-age male population and (b) all male persons over the age of 16, in the first quarter of 2013 compared with the first quarter of 2008 for (i) each constituent part and region of the UK and (ii) each parliamentary constituency; and what the gap in the number of jobs between the higher and lower of these two figures is in each case (159215)
The employment rate of (a) the working-age female population and (b) all female persons over the age of 16, in the first quarter of 2013 compared with the first quarter of 2008 for (i) each constituent part and region of the UK and (ii) each parliamentary constituency; and what the gap in the number of jobs between the higher and lower of these two figures is in each case. (159216);
The employment rate of (a) the working-age population and (b) all persons over the age of 16, in the first quarter of 2013 compared with the first quarter of 2008 for (i) each constituent part and region of the UK and (ii) each parliamentary constituency; and what the gap in the number of jobs between the higher and lower of these two figures is in each case (159217).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions and for regions and the UK from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
Tables 1 to 6 give the number and percentage of people, men and women who were employed according to survey responses, for the requested age bands for the 12 month periods ending December 2008 and December 2012, the latest available period, along with the change between these two periods from the APS for all parliamentary constituencies for Great Britain. Estimates for UK and its constituent regions have also been supplied for comparison purposes. Estimates for parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland are not available directly from this source.
Tables 7 to 12 show the number and percentage of people, men and women who were employed according to survey responses, for the requested age bands for the periods January to March 2008 and January to March 2013, along with the change between these-two periods from the LFS for the UK and its constituent regions.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS and LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the tables based on survey results.
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
As this data is extensive, a copy has been place in the Library of the House.
Employment and Support Allowance
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of employment and support allowance claimants with mental illness have been referred to treatments within the NHS or with subcontractors in the last period for which figures are available; [158762]
(2) what proportion of employment and support allowance claimants are mentally ill; how many of such claimants have been referred for treatment; and if he will make a statement. [158766]
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Mr Hoban: Working with people with who have mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety, we aim to help them rebuild their confidence so they are able to participate in the labour market in a way that is appropriate for them as individuals. However, the Department does not refer employment and support allowance claimants with mental health conditions for treatment.
Food Banks
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of whether welfare changes and benefit delay, error and sanctions have led to an increase in people using food banks since 2010. [159002]
Mr Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold or collect information of referrals to or usage of food banks.
Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will make an estimate of the amounts paid out in discretionary housing payments by each local authority in England, Wales and Scotland to local residents in March, April and May (a) 2012 and (b) 2013. [157917]
(2) if he will estimate the proportion of the annual allocation in respect of discretionary housing payments for the current financial year which each local authority in England, Wales and Scotland spent on such payments to local residents in April and May (a) 2012 and (b) 2013. [157918]
Steve Webb: This information is not available.
The Department currently only receives annualised summary data on discretionary housing payments and does not hold details relating to monthly payments.
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of service personnel affected by the Housing Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (SI 2003 No. 665). [158024]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
The Department is unable to make an estimate from survey data of non-dependant armed services personnel normally residing with working age housing benefit claimants in the social sector as the sample size is too small. As a result estimates would be subject to a high degree of sampling error. Furthermore, administrative data relating to employer details of non-dependants of housing benefit households are not gathered as it is not necessary for the administration of the benefit.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance he has given to local authorities on whether and how a panic room would be taken into account in the under-occupation rules. [158352]
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Steve Webb: We issued guidance on the removal of the spare room subsidy to local authorities in July last year. This guidance did not refer to panic rooms, as we do not define what is meant by a bedroom in legislation. It is for the landlord to accurately describe the property in line with the actual rent charged.
An extra £25 million has been allocated in addition to the £20 million baseline discretionary housing payment funding to specifically help those who live in specially adapted homes.
There is no definition of significantly adapted accommodation. It is up to local authorities to decide, based on local knowledge and individual circumstances. This could include installation of a panic room.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to monitor the effect of the under-occupation rules on the safety of victims of domestic violence who have been rehoused in properties which they are deemed to under-occupy. [158353]
Steve Webb: The Department has commissioned a consortium led by Ipsos MORI to undertake an independent monitoring of the introduction of the removal of the spare room subsidy measure.
The measure will be monitored and evaluated over a two-year period from April this year. Initial findings will be available in 2014 and the final report in late 2015.
The evaluation and monitoring will include effects of the measures on supply issues; rural impacts; people unable to share rooms (couples, disabled children); foster carers; prospective adopters and prospective special guardians.
The research will also consider the impact on vulnerable individuals; financial status; health and well-being; family life and social networks.
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the practicality of requiring the chain of command of a member of the armed forces to confirm that he or she is deployed overseas for purposes of securing an exemption to the under-occupancy penalty during such a deployment. [159114]
Steve Webb: The Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the action to take when a claimant advises that an adult child who is normally a member of their household is a member of the armed forces deployed on operations. The Ministry of Defence were consulted about the guidance and agreed with the approach it outlined.
Early indications are that as expected the number of cases where this action has been taken is extremely low.
Legal Costs
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by his Department were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom such payments were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought. [158628]
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Mr Hoban: Information relating to the amount paid for external legal advice is not recorded in the form of calendar years. The figures in the tables therefore show the 20 highest amounts paid in legal fees for the 2010-11, the 2011-12 and the 2012-13 financial years. In addition, it is not possible to distinguish between fees paid for legal advice and fees paid for legal representation without incurring disproportionate cost so these figures represent the total legal spend for both advice and representation.
The purpose for which the advice or representation was requested could only be ascertained by interrogation of individual files and this would incur disproportionate cost.
| 2010-11 | |
| Supplier | Paid (£) |
| 2011-12 | |
| Supplier | Paid (£) |
| 2012-13 | |
| Supplier | Paid (£) |
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Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012. [158653]
Mr Hoban: Our consolidated records of legal spend do not identify which barristers are Queen's Counsel and which are junior Counsel. In addition, some Counsel were appointed to the rank of Queen's Counsel part-way through the relevant periods. Answering this question would therefore involve looking at individual invoices for these factors and would incur disproportionate cost.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by his Department since 7 May 2010 was. [158688]
Mr Hoban: External legal advice is charged on the basis of an hourly rate, as opposed to a daily rate. However, we only record the full invoice amount on our finance system. In order to establish the highest day rate paid for external legal advice, we would need to look at every individual invoice and this would incur disproportionate cost.
Social Security Benefits
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to shorten the time taken to process appeals against decisions of the employment and support allowance and disability living allowance departments. [158049]
Esther McVey: DWP and HMCTS are working closely to introduce improvements to the disputes and appeals process. Mandatory reconsideration will improve the disputes process and effectively shorten the journey for all DWP-administered benefits, not just those referred to, by making sure that as many disputes as possible are resolved without the need to appeal.
The introduction of direct lodgement means that anyone who still wishes to appeal following a mandatory reconsideration will need to submit their appeal directly to HMCTS, instead of going through DWP. This will speed up and clarify the appeals process. The current
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arrangement, where claimants submit their appeal to a DWP decision maker who transfers the appeal to HMCTS, causes delays in arranging tribunals, and confusion for people who may not realise which organisation is responsible for their appeal at any point.
The introduction of time limits for appeals responses will provide people with a timeframe within which they can expect DWP to process the response to an individual appeal.
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of (a) benefit payment delays, (b) errors in benefit payments and (c) sanctions on levels of food poverty. [158943]
Mr Hoban [holding answer 10 June 2013]: We have no evidence that the welfare system has had a negative impact on food poverty in the UK. The current welfare reforms and introduction of universal credit will simplify the system considerably, helping further minimise delays and errors in payment as well as ensuring families are better off in work. Our aim is to pay people the benefits to which they are entitled accurately and on time and this happens in the overwhelming majority of cases. Benefit sanctions are applied only in appropriate circumstances, i.e. where the claimant was made fully aware of what was required of them and the potential consequences of failing to comply, a genuine doubt has been identified and a decision made in the light of all available information, including that provided by the claimant.
Mr Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people (a) currently receive disability living allowance and (b) are expected to receive the personal independence payment in 2013-14 in (i) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) England. [159326]
Esther McVey: The available information on personal independence payment recipients in 2013-14 is published in the budget tables available at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure_tables_Budget_2013.xls
Information on current disability living allowance case loads at a parliamentary constituency, regional and local authority level can also be found on the Department's website at:
http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 890, on benefits (immigration), what estimate he has made of the number of EEA/EU jobseekers and workers who (a) are involuntarily unemployed and (b) do not have a genuine chance of finding a job within six months. [159261]
Mr Hoban:
Currently we are unable to estimate the number of EEA/EU jobseekers and workers who are involuntarily unemployed and do not have genuine chance of finding a job within six months, as the
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nationality and immigration status of benefit claimants is not recorded as part of the payment administrative systems.
Looking forward, the Government are looking at ways to record nationality and immigration status of migrants who make a claim to universal credit so that we have more robust management information about our claimants.
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 890, on benefits (immigration), what estimate he has made of the number of EU citizens from outside the UK who have no entitlement to work in the UK but are currently claiming contributory benefits. [159264]
Mr Hoban: It is not currently possible to produce estimates of the numbers of EU citizens who are claiming contributory benefits. This is because whilst currently we check the nationality and immigration status of benefit claimants to ensure the benefit is paid properly and to prevent fraud; this information is not recorded as part of the payment administrative systems.
Contributory benefits, such as contribution based jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance, are payable to anyone who satisfies the contribution and other conditions for the benefit, regardless of nationality. Generally someone would need to have been working and paying national insurance in the UK for around two years to qualify for contributory benefits. For example an EU national who has a legal right to reside in the UK as a worker who becomes temporarily unemployed, or temporarily incapacitated, may qualify for contributory jobseeker's allowance or employment and support allowance on this basis.
Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment was made of the effects of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 on those experiencing difficulties with their mental health. [159283]
Mr Hoban: A series of impact assessments were carried out for the measures introduced under the Welfare Reform Act 2012. The assessments consider the equality groups covered by the equality legislation including: disability (including physical and mental impairment); age; gender (transgender); ethnicity; religion; sexual orientation; pregnancy/maternity; and civil partnerships. We are committed to monitoring the impacts of our policies and use evidence from a number of sources on the experiences and outcomes of the protected groups.
State Retirement Pensions
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the amounts of the 10 largest state pensions paid to individuals are in the latest year for which figures are available. [156156]
Steve Webb: As at November 2012, the 10 largest state pensions paid to individuals were above £450 per week.
Notes:
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1. The 10 highest amounts received by the 12.8 million state pension recipients are by their very nature atypical. In the main these ten people were receiving all components of the state pension either in their own right or with some inherited amounts which included an increase derived from a significant period of deferral. The various components include graduated retirement benefit, basic and additional pension and, in some cases, an adult dependency increase.
2. 99% of state pension recipients at that date received a weekly amount of £240 or less.
3. Individual amounts have not been supplied, as they would be potentially disclosive, when combined with other information.
Source:
DWP Information, Governance and Security, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study
Unemployment: Older People
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to help unemployed people over the age of 64 years in (a) Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK return to work. [158720]
Mr Hoban: Advisers in local jobcentres now have the flexibility to offer all claimants, including older people, a comprehensive menu of help which includes skills provision and job search support. All claimants who are long term unemployed can access the tailored, back to work support, on offer from the Work Programme.
Universal Credit
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will carry out an impact assessment for the introduction of housing costs contributions under universal credit; [158416]
(2) what assessment he has made of the potential effects on levels of youth homelessness of the introduction of housing costs contributions under universal credit. [158419]
Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Bradford East (Mr Ward), on 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1252W.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of potential savings to the public purse arising from the introduction of housing costs contributions under universal credit. [158417]
Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Bradford East (Mr Ward), on 5 June 2013, Official Report, columns 1214-15W.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households will be affected by the introduction of housing costs contributions in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK. [158418]
Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Glasgow North East (Mr Bain), on 3 June 2013, Official Report, columns 1050-52W.
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Universal Credit: North West
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date jobcentres in (a) Wigan, (b) Warrington and (c) Oldham will start to accept applications for universal credit. [158584]
Mr Hoban [holding answer 10 June 2013]: We are on track with the successful roll-out of pathfinder. As we announced earlier this year, Wigan, Warrington and Oldham jobcentres will start taking claims during July.
Work Programme
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals are expected to return to the supervision of Jobcentre Plus by 30 June 2013 having completed two years on the Work programme. [159222]
Mr Hoban: Projections of people expected to take up post-Work programme support would be based on data the Department plans to release as official statistics. We are therefore unable to provide estimates in response to this PQ without compromising the integrity of the statistical release.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of jobseekers returning to Jobcentre Plus after being on the Work programme for two years have received a sanction in the last two years. [159223]
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Mr Hoban: The information requested is not currently available. The data required are not yet ready for analysis.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which jobcentres will have a specialist adviser working with people who have returned to Jobcentre Plus after two years on the Work programme. [159224]
Mr Hoban: All jobcentres have made arrangements to ensure that there are advisers in place with the necessary skills to help support these claimants returning from the Work programme after two years.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which jobseekers returning from the Work programme will be expected to meet their Jobcentre Plus adviser each day. [159282]
Mr Hoban: Advisers will consider a number of interventions for use with claimants on a case by case basis.
Advisers may choose to call in claimants daily for a number of reasons, including:
to test compliance, e.g. time keeping;
to improve motivation, self-confidence, and work ethic; and
to follow up regular activities the adviser has set the claimant.
Jobcentres receive employer vacancies on a daily basis. Claimants who attend the jobcentre more often have early access to such opportunities and may be referred straight away if suitable.