Social Rented Housing: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many additional social rent dwellings were provided by York local authority area in 2009-10 and in each year since then. [163877]
Mr Prisk: Statistics on additional affordable housing provided in each local authority area are published in the Department's live tables 1006 (additional social rented homes) and 1008 (all additional affordable homes), which are available at the following link.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
Urban Areas: Regeneration
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken following the Portas Review to support imaginative community use of empty properties through Community Right to Buy, Meanwhile Use and a new Community Right to Try. [163983]
Mr Foster: A £19 million package to support the community ownership and management of assets was launched in July 2012. This programme is supporting innovative community-led projects to acquire or manage assets. In addition a task and finish group is looking at barriers and enablers to success of the high street and empty property issues, and will report to the Future High Street Forum in the autumn.
Deputy Prime Minister
Special Advisers
7. Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many special advisers there are in his Office. [163795]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Telford (David Wright) on 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 1056W.
House of Lords Reform
8. Ian Murray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his plans are for reform of the House of Lords; and if he will make a statement. [163796]
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The Deputy Prime Minister: The Government have no further plans for major reforms of the House of Lords in this Parliament.
However, recent events have shown that there is still work to do to clean up our political system and restore public confidence. That spans both Houses of Parliament. So as part of developing other reforms, like our proposals for recall of MPs, if there are “housekeeping' changes for the Lords that require legislation we are willing to look seriously at the case for a package covering both Houses.
Voting Reform
9. Lindsay Roy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has for voting reform. [163797]
Miss Chloe Smith: There are no plans at present to propose changes to existing voting systems.
City Deal: Norwich
10. Simon Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made on agreeing a City Deal for Norwich. [163798]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him at topical questions earlier today.
Commonwealth: Succession Laws
11. Mary Macleod: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether there is a timetable for the implementation of the new succession laws in the other Commonwealth realms. [163799]
Miss Chloe Smith: All the realms have expressed their commitment to the changes and have either completed their domestic procedures or are in the process of doing so. We are confident that the provisions of the legislation will be commenced in all realms in the near future.
Privy Council
13. Chris Bryant: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Privy Council will next meet. [163801]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The Privy Council is next scheduled to meet tomorrow, Wednesday 10 July.
Social Mobility
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on improving social mobility. [163802]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I met with my ministerial colleagues, members of the Informal Ministerial Group on Social Mobility, on Wednesday 3 July. We received an update from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector for Schools on the provision of careers advice in our schools, and discussed the forthcoming report from the Independent Commission on Child Poverty and Social Mobility.
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Cabinet Office
Average Earnings: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what estimate the UK Statistics Authority has made of the median gross weekly earnings of (a) men, (b) women and (c) all people employed (i) full-time and (ii) part-time in the areas covered by (A) York travel to work area, (B) York Unitary Authority and (C) York Central constituency in each year since 1997 (1) in cash terms and (2) at 2013 prices; [163879]
(2) what the average weekly gross earnings of full-time (a) men, (b) women and (c) people in York were in each year since 2006-07 in (i) cash terms and (ii) at constant prices. [163880]
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 July 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions. Parliamentary Question 163879 asks the Minister for the Cabinet
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Office, what estimate the UK Statistics Authority has made of the median gross weekly earnings of (a) men, (b) women and (c) all people employed (i) full-time and (ii) part-time in the areas covered by (A) York travel to work area, (B) York Unitary Authority and (C) York Central constituency in each year since 1997 (1) in cash terms and (2) at 2013 prices (163879). Parliamentary Question 163880 asks the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average weekly gross earnings of full-time (a) men, (b) women and (c) people in York were in each year since 2006-07 in (i) cash terms and (ii) at constant prices. (163880)
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence.
The tables show estimates of median gross weekly earnings in the York travel to work area and York unitary authority from 1997 to 2012, City of York parliamentary constituency from 1997 to 2008 and York Central parliamentary constituency from 2009 to 2012. 2012 is the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided for full-time employees, part-time employees, full-time males, part-time males, full-time females, and part-time females and are given separately in cash terms and in 2013 prices.
This answer therefore provides the information requested in both Parliamentary Questions.
| Median gross weekly earnings (£, cash prices) for employees(a )in York travel to work area, York unitary authority, City of York parliamentary constituency(b) and York Central parliamentary constituency(b) between April 1997 and April 2012 | |||||||||
| Full-time employees | Full-time males | Full-time females | |||||||
| York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | |
| Full-time employees | Full-time males | Full-time females | |||||||
| York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | |
| Part-time employees | Part-time males | Part-time females | |||||||
| York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | |
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9 July 2013 : Column 200W
| Part-time employees | Part-time males | Part-time females | |||||||
| York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | |
| (a) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (b) Parliamentary constituency estimates are given for 'City of York' for 1997 to 2008 and for 'York Central' from 2009 to 2012. These constituencies do not share the same electoral ward boundaries. (c) 2004 results excluding supplementary survey for comparison with 2003. (d) 2004 results including supplementary survey designed to improve coverage of the survey (for more information see ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk). (e) 2006 results with methodology consistent with 2005. (f) 2006 results with methodology consistent with 2007. (g) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (h) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, 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: CV<5% * CV > 5% and <= 10% ** CV > 10% and <=20% X Unreliable CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics | |||||||||
| Median gross weekly earnings (£, 2013 prices) for employees(a) in York travel to work area, York unitary authority, City of York parliamentary constituency(b) and York Central parliamentary constituency(b) between April 1997 and April 2012 | |||||||||
| Full-time employees | Full-time males | Full-time females | |||||||
| York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | |
| Full-time employees | Full-time males | Full-time females | |||||||
| York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | |
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9 July 2013 : Column 202W
| Part-time employees | Part-time males | Part-time females | |||||||
| York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | City of York parliamentary constituency | |
| Part-time employees | Part-time males | Part-time females | |||||||
| York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | York travel to work area | York unitary authority | York Central parliamentary constituency | |
| (a) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (b) Parliamentary constituency estimates are given for 'City of York' for 1997 to 2008 and for 'York Central' from 2009 to 2012. These constituencies do not share the same electoral ward boundaries. (c) 2004 results excluding supplementary survey for comparison with 2003. (d) 2004 results including supplementary survey designed to improve coverage of the survey (for more information see ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk). (e) 2006 results with methodology consistent with 2005. (f) 2006 results with methodology consistent with 2007. (g) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (h) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, 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: CV<5% * CV > 5% and <= 10% ** CV > 10% and <=20% X Unreliable CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics | |||||||||
Business in the Community
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what funding his Department gave to businesses in the community's business connections scheme in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [164190]
Mr Hurd: In 2011, the Cabinet Office provided £272,642 to support Business Connectors pilots in 20 areas.
Employment: Private Sector
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the net change in the number of private sector jobs in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council area, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) England has been since 2010. [164239]
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 July 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking what the net change in the number of private sector jobs in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council area, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) England has been since 2010 (164239).
Information regarding the number of private sector jobs for parliamentary constituencies is not available. As an alternative, estimates relating to the number of people employed in the private sector have been provided. Employment statistics for local areas are calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS).
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These estimates are compiled from APS interviews held during the period April 2012 to March 2013, the latest period available, and the 12 month period ending in December 2010.
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 of people employed in the private sector(1) and net change between 12-month periods ending December 2010 and March 2013 | |||
| Thousand | |||
| 12 months ending: | |||
| December 2010 | March 2013(2) | Net change(3) between 12-month periods ending December 2010 and March 2013 | |
| (1) Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or 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 below. (3) Net change is calculated on unrounded numbers. 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. CV = Coefficient of Variation. Source: Annual Population Survey. | |||
Vacancies
Mike Freer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his Department's vacancy rate was in 2012-13; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2013-14. [162663]
Mr Maude: Our records show that 340 positions were filled through recruitment competition in 2012-13 against a total staff headcount of 1907 on 31 March 2013. We are finalising resourcing levels for 2013-14 and therefore have not yet assumed a vacancy rate.
Vending Machines
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many vending machines in the Prime Minister's premises contain snack foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional value. [164270]
Miss Chloe Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 July 2013, Official Report, column 108W.
Voluntary Work: Young People
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much funding the National Citizen Service was allocated in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; how much funding it will be allocated in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement. [164189]
Mr Hurd: National Citizen Service funding is calculated by programme year rather than by financial year allocations as the NCS programme runs from January to December.
The independent evaluation of NCS showed that the cost to government for the 2011 programme was £14.2 million. The cost of the 2012 programme is due to be published shortly as part of the 2012 evaluation. For 2013 and 2014, contracts were awarded for both of these years together—these were worth £190 million in total.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the amount of additional income the providers of the National Citizen Service generated from the (a) private sector and (b) charity sector in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; what amount the providers are expected to generate in (A) 2013-14 and (B) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement. [164191]
Mr Hurd: The independent evaluation of the pilots of the 2011 programme shows that an additional £3 million was raised by providers as in kind support. Information for the 2012 programme will be published as part of the 2012 evaluation.
For 2013 and 2014 programmes, bidders were invited to demonstrate how they would attract additional funding from private and VCS sectors. This factored into the overall assessments of the value for money offered by bidders.
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Work and Pensions
Construction: Industry
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to “Construction 2025 Industrial Strategy: government and industry in partnership”, published on 2 July 2013, what steps he is taking to improve standards in health and safety on smaller projects. [163486]
Mr Hoban: The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Construction Division has a dedicated programme of work designed to improve the standards of health and safety on smaller construction projects. This includes proactive inspection of smaller projects. Additionally, HSE works with the industry to delivery free or low-cost safety and health awareness events, the provision of easy-to-use web-based guidance and the publication of simple and straightforward guidance. HSE is also currently revising the Construction (Design and Management) regulatory package and accompanying guidance to make it simpler and easier for small businesses to understand and comply with their legal duties.
Food Banks
Luciana Berger:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many food banks the
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Welfare Reform has visited since he took office; [164232]
(2) how many (a) volunteers and (b) service users the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Welfare Reform has met on each of his visits to a food bank since May 2010. [164233]
Mr Hoban: The Minister for Welfare Reform has not visited any food banks since 2010. Food banks are not part of the welfare system.
Housing Benefit
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much in unspent discretionary housing payments has been returned to the Exchequer by each local authority in Wales in the last five financial years; and what comparative assessment he has made of the proportion of such payments returned by local authorities in (a) Wales and (b) England. [163476]
Steve Webb: The following tables show the amount of unspent Government contribution towards discretionary housing payments for each local authority in Wales for the last five financial years. While the Department has not made any comparative assessment between the proportions that has not been used between Wales and England, the tables also include this information.
| £ | ||||||
| Government funding unspent | 2011-12 | Government funding unspent | ||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | Government funding carried forward into 2012-13 | Government funding unspent | 2012-13 | |
| Percentage of Government funding unspent | 2011-12 | Percentage of Government funding unspent | ||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | Percentage of Government funding carried forward into 2012-13 | Percentage of Government funding unspent | 2012-13 | |
| Source: Claim form returns from local authorities | ||||||
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Pensioners: Social Security Benefits
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual mean benefit income was in (a) cash terms and (b) at current prices for (i) pensioner couples and (ii) single pensioners in (A) Yorkshire and the Humber, (B) England and (C) the UK in (1) the period from 2007-08 to 2009-10, (2) the period from 2008-09 to 2010-11 and (3) each three-year period thereafter. [163875]
Steve Webb: The latest year for which data are available is for 2010-11. The 2011-12 edition of Pensioners' Incomes Series will be published by the Department of Work and Pensions on Thursday 11 July 2013 at 09:30. If requested, the period 2009-10 to 2011-12 can be supplied after publication with earlier three-year periods updated to 2011-12 prices.
All figures in the following tables are based on the average of three years of data, as a single year's sample would be too small to derive reliable regional estimates.
Table 1a shows the annual average (mean) benefit income, in cash terms, of pensioner units for each region requested, for the period 2008 to 2011.
| Table 1a: Annual average (mean) benefit income of pensioner units by region/county, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (in cash terms) | ||
| Benefit income in £ per annum | ||
| (i) Pensioner couples | (ii) Single pensioners | |
Table 1b shows the annual average (mean) benefit income, in 2010-11 prices, of pensioner units for each region requested, for the period 2008 to 2011.
| Table 1b: Annual average (mean) benefit income of pensioner units by region/county, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (in 2010-11 prices) | ||
| Benefit income in £ per annum, in 2010-11 prices | ||
| (i) Pensioner couples | (ii) Single pensioners | |
Table 2a shows the annual average (mean) benefit income, in cash terms, of pensioner units for each region requested, for the period 2007 to 2010.
| Table 2a: Annual average (mean) benefit income of pensioner units by region/county, 2007-08 to 2009-10 (in cash terms) | ||
| Benefit income in £ per annum | ||
| (i) Pensioner couples | (ii) Single pensioners | |
Table 2b shows the annual average (mean) benefit income, in 2010-11 prices, of pensioner units for each region requested, for the period 2007 to 2010.
| Table 2b: Annual average (mean) benefit income of pensioner units by region/county, 2007-08 to 2009-10 (in 2010/11 prices) | ||
| Benefit income in £ per annum, in 2010-11 prices | ||
| (i) Pensioner couples | (ii) Single pensioners | |
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| Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Pensioners' Incomes (PI) Series data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) for years 2006-07 to 2010-11 inclusive. 2. The Pensioners' Incomes Series analysis is for pensioner units, which are defined as either single pensioners (people over state pension age) or pensioner couples (married or cohabiting pensioners where one or more are over state pension age). 3. The SPa is 65 for men born before 6 April 1959. For women born on or before 5 April 1950, SPa is 60. From 6 April 2010, the SPa for women born on or after 6 April 1950 will increase gradually between April 2010 and November 2018. Other changes are planned or have been announced from December 2018 when the state pension age for both men and women will start to increase to reach 66 in October 2020. Further increases to bring the SPa to 67 are proposed to be phased in between 2026 and 2028. 4. Estimates on pensioner incomes are published annually in the Pensioners' Incomes Series available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/pensioners-incomes-series-statistics--3 5. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 6. The reference period for PI figures is the financial year. 7. Annual average (mean) benefit income of pensioner units have been rounded to the nearest £10. 8. Three survey years have been combined because single year estimates are not considered to be sufficiently reliable. Single year estimates are possible for the United Kingdom; however three-year averages have been supplied as requested and also the estimates for Yorkshire and the Humber, England and the United Kingdom are comparable. | ||
Respite Care
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many respite hours per week parents with children who (a) are autistic, (b) have cerebral palsy and (c) have spina bifida are entitled to; [163659]
(2) which body or authority ultimately determines whether a parent receives any respite hours when coping with a child who has spina bifida; [163660]
(3) which body or authority ultimately determines whether a parent receives any respite hours when coping with a child who has cerebral palsy. [163661]
Mr Timpson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Education.
Under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities are required to provide a range of services to meet the needs of ‘children in need' in their area, including disabled children. Where appropriate, section 17 social care assessments will consider and agree services and support for parents and carers where these will help deliver better outcomes for the child.
Additional duties apply in the case of short breaks, or respite, for carers of disabled children and young people, including conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Under regulations introduced in 2011, local authorities are required, so far as is reasonably practicable, to provide a range of short break services to help carers to continue to provide care, or to do so more effectively. Local authorities must also, in consultation with carers in their area, prepare, publish, and keep under review, a “short breaks services statement”, setting out what services are available, the categories of carer who may be eligible to gain access to them, and how they are designed to meet the needs of carers in the area.
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Based on the resources available to them and their assessment of the individual needs of the disabled child or young person, local authorities decide whether to offer short break services and what form that provision should take. In most cases, it will be possible to agree an appropriate level of short break services but where families cannot reach agreement with local authorities they should use the complaints procedures which local authorities must have in place.
The Government do not set out minimum levels of short breaks provision but, in order to support local authorities in meeting their duties, we have made available to them over £800 million between April 2011 and March 2015 through un-ring-fenced grants. In 2011-12 and 2012-13, a further £40 million of un-ring-fenced capital funding per annum was allocated to local authorities, allowing them to invest in additional short breaks equipment and infrastructure.
Social Security Benefits
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that claimant data can be shared when two or more separate benefit claims are made by the same claimant. [164237]
Mr Hoban: The Department has robust checks in place to protect benefit systems against fraud.
When a benefit claim is made, our Department's IT systems can identify duplicate claims where there is shared information such as national insurance number, address or date of birth. We also data match with HMRC and local authorities to ensure information is consistent.
Claimants to benefit need to prove their identity at a number of intervention points, including at the start of their claim to benefit and during any ongoing contact with the Department. This process includes document examination checks to ensure the authenticity of any documentary evidence provided in support of an application; and corroborative checks with third parties, including other Government Departments, to verify information supplied.
The Department is developing an Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service (IRIS), which will be a central hub of data and intelligence to support counter-fraud activity, and also to reduce error. Stage 1 IRIS went live along with the Universal Credit Pathfinder on 29 April.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of the implementation of weekly signing in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015. [164330]
Mr Hoban: Building on the current regime, the spending round for 2015-16 announces a significant reform package, including introducing weekly rather than fortnightly visits to Jobcentres for an increasing number of all jobseekers.
Introducing the measure outlined in the spending round from April 2015 would have an annual cost of £65 million a year.
No estimate has been made for the cost of implementation of weekly signing in 2013 and 2014.
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Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library details of the data sources, methodology and calculation he used to establish that net median household earnings before benefits are £500 a week for the purposes of the benefit cap. [164331]
Mr Hoban: Benefit payments will be capped at around the median earnings after tax and national insurance for working families. The household benefit cap is set at £500 per week for couple and single parent households, and for single adult households it is £350 per week.
The figures of £500 and £350 a week were proposed in 2010 and derived using DWP's policy simulation model (a static microsimulation model), which uses the Family Resource Survey (FRS) as its source of information. Based on data from the 2008-09 FRS and assumptions around future earnings growth, median earnings were projected to 2013-14.
Social Security Benefits: Post Offices
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans the Government have to allow jobseekers and other welfare claimants to be able to register and sign on at post offices; and if he will make a statement. [157807]
Mr Hoban: There are currently no plans for these to be undertaken in post offices.
Social Services: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding his Department allocated to City of York council for expenditure on social services for people aged 65 years or over in each year from 2008-09 in (a) cash and (b) real terms. [163883]
Norman Lamb: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.
Social care is a local service, delivered by local authorities for their local populations. Local spending on social care is therefore not set by the Department of Health, but determined by councils, according to their local priorities and pressures. The best source of information on spending decisions in York is the council itself.
The Department for Communities and Local Government also publishes expenditure data for local authorities, which are available online at gov.uk.
Telephone Services
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department receives any financial or non-financial benefit from its telephone providers for telephone lines that (a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which he is responsible operate, including but not limited to (i) a share of call revenue, (ii) a reduction in the Department's telephone bill or tariff and (iii) telephony services for free or at a reduced price. [157745]
Mr Hoban: The Department procures its services on a competitive basis and receives no direct benefit from call revenue earned by its suppliers.
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Work Programme
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of (a) the benefit savings made as a result of the job outcomes achieved by the Work programme from June 2011 to March 2013 and (b) the benefit spending which would have been incurred if there had been no programme in that period. [164328]
Mr Hoban: It is too early to make an assessment of the impact of the Work programme. This will be considered as part of the evaluation.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department allocated for (a) attachment, (b) job outcome and (c) sustainment to Work programme providers between June 2011 to March 2013. [164329]
Mr Hoban: The 2012-13 budget for all Employment Programmes is due to be published in the Departmental Annual Report and Accounts and the Work programme figures are part of that amount. For the period of June 2011 to March 2012 these figures are included within the £1,015 million budget already published in the 2011-12 Departmental Annual Report and Accounts.
Justice
Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average waiting time for an employment and support allowance appeal was in (a) the UK and (b) Hull for each of the last 24 months; and what proportion of such appeals were successful. [161597]
Mrs Grant: Appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on an individual's entitlement to social security and child support are heard by the First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).
The SSCS tribunal covers Great Britain but not Northern Ireland, which has its own Appeals Service.
The following tables show the average waiting time for employment and support allowance (ESA) appeals and the proportion found in favour of the appellant from April 2011 to March 2013 (the latest 24-month period for which statistics have been published) for (a) Great Britain and (b) the SSCS venue in Hull. These show that waiting times nationally have reduced since April 2011.
HMCTS has significantly increased its venue capacity by 27% over 2012-13, utilising hearing capacity across the court and tribunal estate. We have continued to increase the use of Saturday sessions and are developing pilots with the tribunal's judiciary to increase session flexibility throughout the tribunal.
Almost 200 additional fee-paid judges were recruited in 2012-13 and will be trained between June and September. Working with the Senior President and Chamber President, we proposed to the Judicial Appointments Commission an accelerated recruitment process for medical members. This has resulted in a record number of 230 candidates
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being appointed, with 20 further offers of appointment awaiting a response. These members will also be trained between June and September. The additional judicial and medical members will be a significant factor in HMCTS' efforts to deliver increased levels of appeal disposals throughout 2013-14.
| (a) Average clearance times and outcomes for ESA appeals Great Britain April 2011 to March 2013 | ||||
| Average clearance time in weeks for all disposals | Total number of appeals cleared at hearing only | Number of decisions in favour of the appellant cleared at hearing | Percentage in favour of the appellant cleared at hearing | |
| (b) Average clearance times and outcomes for ESA appeals at the Hull SSCS venue April 2011 to March 2013 | ||||
| Average clearance time in weeks for all disposals | Total number of appeals cleared at hearing only | Number of decisions in favour of the appellant cleared at hearing | Percentage in favour of the appellant cleared at hearing | |
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