Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the effect of the exclusion of universal credit claimants on the overall claimant count in (a) April, (b) May, (c) June, (d) July, (e) August, (f) September, (g) October, (h) November and (i) December 2013. [185690]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Peter Fullerton dated January 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the effect of the exclusion of universal credit claimants on the overall claimant count in (a) April, (b) May, (c) June, (d) July, (e) August, (f) September, (g) October, (h) November and (i) December 2013. (185690)

Prior to the introduction of Universal Credit (UC), the Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiled the Claimant Count from the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentreplus Administrative System. With the introduction of UC it was intended to extend this definition to include those claimants of UC who were out of work and subject to a full set of work search requirements. However, initially the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have not been able to supply ONS with this information in a way that has allowed its inclusion within the Claimant Count, resulting in the exclusion of UC claims from this measure.

ONS initial assessment was that the impact of the exclusion of UC claims would be small, relative to the overall level and changes within the Claimant Count. This was based on the Pathfinder initially being rolled out in a single Jobcentreplus office and for a limited range of claimants. This assessment was supported by monitoring the change in the number of JSA claimants at that Jobcentreplus office relative to the change in the number of claimants of other nearby Jobcentreplus offices. Continued monitoring of the number of JSA claimants at that Jobcentreplus office, along with the other Pathfinder Jobcentreplus offices as UC was rolled-out, confirmed the assessment that the impact on the Claimant Count was small.

On 3 December 2013 DWP published Universal Credit claimants in pathfinder areas—experimental official statistics to September 2013. This showed that at 30 September 2013, a total of 2,030 people were on the UC caseload. This figure would be an overestimate of the effect on the Claimant Count at that point, since it includes the whole UC caseload and not just those who were out of work and subject to a full set of work search requirements. For example, this total would include a number of people who had moved into work and were still eligible for UC subsequent to their initial claim.

On 22 January 2014 DWP published Universal Credit claimants in pathfinder areas—experimental official statistics to October 2013. This showed that at 31 October a total of 2,720 people were on the UC caseload. The increase of 690 in the UC caseload occurred over a similar period to the Claimant Count excluding UC claimants decreasing by 34,300 between 10 October and 14 November 2013.

ONS is continuing to monitor the impact that the roll-out of UC is having on the Jobcentres affected and will continue to assess whether it considers the impact to be small or more significant in the context of the level and changes in the Claimant Count. ONS intends to include UC claimants within the Claimant Count once a suitable timely supply of information becomes available. At this time it is expected that revisions will be made to the periods since the introduction of UC to produce a Claimant Count including the appropriate subset of claimants of this benefit.

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

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Defence

Defence Co-operation

15. Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on defence co-operation between the UK and EU and NATO member states; and if he will make a statement. [902327]

Mr Philip Hammond: The International Defence Engagement Strategy, which is available in the Library of the House, sets out how Defence can contribute towards the Government's foreign policy objectives, including through our relationships with NATO allies and EU member states.

This policy is strengthened by regular attendance of UK Defence Ministers at EU and NATO Ministerial meetings. I look forward to discussions with my NATO colleagues at the next NATO Ministerial, later this month in Brussels.

Helicopter Capabilities

17. John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to upgrade the armed forces' helicopter capabilities. [902329]

Mr Dunne: As my hon. Friend will recall from our exchanges in December, we have so far spent over £2 billion acquiring new helicopters and modernising our existing helicopter fleet, including buying 14 new Chinooks, the release to service of Merlin Mk2 and Wildcat, and we have now taken delivery of nine of 24 upgraded Puma Mk2 at RAF Benson in his constituency.

He will also have seen that the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), announced last week investment of £760 million with Agusta Westland as the largest part of a near £1 billion commitment comprising £454 million to upgrade the Merlin Mk3 fleet to transfer them to the Commando Helicopter Force and some £500 million to provide maintenance and support for our Apache fleet.

British Forces: Germany

18. Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made on the return of British forces from Germany. [902330]

Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence continues to make good progress on the return of British Forces from Germany and remains on target to deliver our 2010 strategic defence and security review commitment to draw down 50% of personnel based in Germany by 2015 and the remainder by 2020.

Approximately 6,000 personnel and their families have returned to the UK to date.

Private Contractors/Agency Workers

19. Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the use of private contractors and agency workers in his Department; and if he will make a statement. [902331]

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20. Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the use of private contractors and agency workers in his Department; and if he will make a statement. [902333]

Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence, like other large complex organisations in both the public and private sectors, makes use of contractors and agency staff when necessary to provide specialised services, or to bridge the gap while recruitment for permanent civilian posts takes place. Ensuring complex projects are fully staffed with suitably qualified individuals is critical in mitigating delays and ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.

Indeed, private contractors form an integral part of the Whole Force Concept within which the service personnel, civil servants and the private sector combine to recruit, train, equip and support our world-class armed forces, as they have been doing magnificently in Afghanistan.

Recruitment: IT System

21. Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he made in improving the IT system used for recruitment to the armed forces. [902334]

Mr Philip Hammond: As I said in response to the question from the hon. Member for Glenrothes (Lindsay Roy), the recruiting element of the Army website was updated in December, a new medical questionnaire was launched last week and a new simplified and mobile and tablet compatible application form will be rolled out later this week.

I do not underestimate the recruitment challenge we are facing. I am aware that there have been difficulties with the recruitment process. These need to be dealt with methodically and that is what we are doing. But we always knew that recruitment was going to be more challenging following the drawdown from Afghanistan and the recent high-profile redundancy campaigns.

Armed Forces Covenant 2014

24. Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his priorities are in respect of the armed forces covenant in 2014. [902337]

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his priorities are in respect of the armed forces covenant in 2014. [902320]

Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), published the Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report on 16 December last year. This set out our commitments for the coming year, across a range of activities, including accommodation, health care, and education.

Accountancy

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much his Department has spent on redundancy payouts for those made redundant within his Department's accountancy department since 2010; [183597]

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(2) how many people were working in his Department's accountancy department in each year since 2010; [183598]

(3) how many officials in his Department working within the accountancy department have been made redundant since 2010. [183599]

Anna Soubry: I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Substantive answer from Anna Soubry to Kevan Jones:

Further to the answer I gave you on 22 January 2014 (Official Report, column 220W) to your questions on the Ministry of Defence's accountancy department, I am now able to provide you with a substantive answer.

The Ministry of Defence does not have an ‘accountancy department’. However, the following table sets out details of civilian staff working in the Finance Job Family (FJF) in each year since 2010. The FJF covers a number of finance-related disciplines, including accounting operations, financial systems management, budget management, financial planning and resource management.

A total of 656 civilian staff working within the FJF have left the Department on Voluntary Early Release terms (VERS) since 2010. Compensation payments to these staff under the terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme amount to around £23 million. However, this figure needs to be seen in the context of the tough decisions made by this Government since 2010; we estimate that by Financial Year 2021-22 we will have achieved cumulative savings of some £23 billion as a result of reductions in service and civilian personnel and greater efficiency in the conduct of non-front line activities.

Armed Forces: Discharges

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to (a) help (i) Army families not eligible for final tour of duty allowance and (ii) other Army families cover the cost of moving out of service families accommodation and into civilian homes and (b) reduce the time between the end of service date and pension and resettlement payments. [185213]

Anna Soubry: Although the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not fund the relocation of personnel on joining or leaving the armed forces, schemes are available to assist Service personnel in purchasing their own homes, including Forces Help to Buy.

The aim of the Final Tour of Duty (FTOD) provision is to assist eligible personnel, in their final tour of duty, with meeting the costs of settling themselves and/or immediate family at a selected place of residence in the UK. When approaching their final tour, personnel select a preferred location and career managers are required to try and locate them within 50 miles or 90 minutes, travelling time of this location. Where this is not possible, a Service person may be eligible for the FTOD provision.

If personnel are moving on assignment and choose to purchase a civilian home from which they will commute, they are entitled to claim movement of effects and disturbance expenses. If they choose to purchase a civilian home from which they do not intend to commute,

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but which is where their immediate family will reside, they may still be entitled to claim movement of effects and disturbance expenses.

The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency is unaware of any issues which have occurred as a result of the timings of pension and resettlement payments after the end of service date.

Armed Forces: Schools

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to ensure service children returning from Germany are not disadvantaged in applications for school places. [185211]

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence's Directorate Children and Young People (DCYP) has created the Education of Service Children Change Programme, which brings together a range of initiatives concerned with changes in Defence and wider Government policy that impact upon Service children.

One element of the Programme primarily addresses the educational needs of Service children returning from Germany between 2014 and 2019, the vast majority of whom will be looking to be placed in the state sector, as well as those affected by major unit moves within the UK.

This work builds upon the close working relationship that the DCYP has with the Department for Education (DFE), Devolved Administrations and local authorities, and all parties are committed to continuing this work to ensure that Service children are not disadvantaged.

Education Planning Groups have been established in Wiltshire, Hampshire, North Yorkshire and Leuchars (Fife) to ensure that data about Service children are shared and the needs of children and young people are taken into account when planning school places.

Armed Forces: Self-harm and Suicide

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether self-harming or suicidal ideation among disaffected armed forces personnel are grounds for medical discharge; and whether he has received legal advice on this matter. [185253]

Anna Soubry: Any episode of self-harm or declaration of suicidal ideation by a member of the UK armed forces will be considered on an individual basis, and any recommendation for further action will only be made following an assessment by a qualified Service psychiatrist. Many such cases will be treated within the Service, and medical discharge will only be recommended if it is assessed the individual's condition is unlikely to improve as a result of further in-service treatment. A representative of the Ministry of Defence's Central Legal Services sits on the Medical Policy Steering Group, through which medical fitness policies are approved.

Armed Forces: Training

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to (a) provide access to training and funding for training for returning service personnel and (b) help spouses of returning service personnel return to work or access training. [185212]

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Anna Soubry: Most Service personnel returning to the UK from overseas postings, including those in Germany, will continue their careers in the armed forces in the normal way. Their training is governed by a systematic approach and is regularly re-assessed to ensure personnel have the right skills to deliver Defence outputs. This process provides the mechanism by which options for further development, including apprenticeships and higher apprenticeships where appropriate, can be examined.

Training is also an integral part of our broader efforts to help Service personnel make the transition into civilian life. Service leavers may qualify for a resettlement training grant and Government-sponsored enhanced learning credits, to help towards the cost of nationally recognised qualifications.

The Career Transition Partnership (CTP) provides a resettlement programme including up to 35 days, retraining time and access to a wide range of accredited vocational training courses and workshops. The CTP service, including resettlement support, is available for up to two years after individuals have left the armed forces.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) appreciates that the mobile nature of Service life can create a particular difficulty for working partners who may have to give up their own jobs to accompany Service personnel on postings. The Armed Forces Covenant recognises that families should not face disadvantage compared to other citizens. Government measures taken to ensure this include working with Jobcentre Plus Armed Forces Champions to assist Service families find employment, and changes to rules for accessing Jobcentre Plus benefits and services.

As part of the New Employment Model, the MOD is looking to improve support for domestic stability and partners' employment. In April 2013, the MOD started a two-year partner employment project to better understand the issues surrounding partner employment and to develop proposals to support it. We continue to work closely with the Families Federations and others to ensure partner employment initiatives are appropriate and make a real difference to the spouses of Service personnel.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many trainee soldiers who enlisted in financial year 2012-13 at (a) Army Foundation College (Harrogate) and (b) Infantry Training Centre (Catterick) subsequently dropped out before the completion of phase two training. [185254]

Anna Soubry: Information relating to the number of soldiers who commenced training at the Army Foundation College Harrogate and the Infantry Training Centre Catterick in financial year (FY) 2012-13, but who were subsequently discharged or withdrew before the completion of Phase two training, is shown in the following table. It should be noted that some soldiers who enlisted during FY 2012-13 are still undertaking training.

Individuals may withdraw or be discharged for a number of reasons, including medical and fitness factors, disciplinary reasons, or voluntary withdrawal. Personnel under 18 have a statutory right to discharge from the armed forces if they wish to leave.

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Armed Forces: Young People

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applicants to the Army were aged (a) 17, (b) 16 and (c) under 16 years of age at the time of submitting their application in each of the last five years. [185255]

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the following table. It should be noted that the minimum age of enlistment for the Army is 16 years of age. Applications for the Regular Army are only accepted from those under 16 who are at least 15 years and nine months old.

Defence Support Group

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department is making with the sale of the Defence Support Group; and if he will make a statement. [185104]

Mr Dunne: We launched the formal sale process before Christmas 2013 and initial expressions of interest are positive. My intent is to complete the sale of the Defence Support Group (DSG) Land Business in financial year 2014-15.

DSG provides maintenance and engineering support to vehicles used by the Army. The sale of DSG is not a new concept—it is entirely analogous to the support arrangements that have successfully been in place for the air and maritime domains for a number of years.

European Commission

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out his Department’s priorities for discussions with the European Commission over their 2014 Work programme; and if he will make a statement. [185306]

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Dr Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), on 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 625W.

Iran

Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2014, Official Report, column 696W, when he or officials of his Department last discussed with Iranian officials or their legal representatives the Court of Arbitration's ruling in the case of International Military Services Ltd v. Iran. [185362]

Mr Dunne: Officials have not been party to the various negotiations that have taken place in the case of International Military Sales Ltd v. Iran. The case is a matter for the company.

Land

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on ensuring that the disposal of the military estate results in maximum benefit to local communities. [902332]

Dr Murrison: Ministry of Defence (MOD) Ministers hold regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of matters, including the sale of surplus MOD property, in support of the Government’s housing target and other initiatives.

Navy: Greenock

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to sell the former Coastguard building in Greenock; and if he will make a statement. [185414]

Dr Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 January 2014, Official Report, column 112W.

Oil and Pipelines Agency

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department is making with the sale of the Oil and Pipelines Agency; and if he will make a statement. [185105]

Mr Dunne: The Government have included clauses within the Energy Act to enable the sale of the Government Pipeline and Storage System (GPSS) which is managed on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) by the Oil and Pipelines Agency. Preparation for the sale of the GPSS has been conducted in parallel with the legislation but some areas of work are still ongoing.

A final decision on the sale has not yet been made. MOD officials are developing the case for sale alongside colleagues from Her Majesty's Treasury, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Department for Transport and the Cabinet Office.

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Reserve Forces: National Insurance Contributions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2014, Official Report, column 306W, on reserve forces: national insurance contributions, if he will make it his policy to pay the national insurance contributions for the two week period of a reservist's annual battle camp. [185734]

Anna Soubry: When reservists are carrying out any period of training they are paid by the Ministry of Defence, who make the relevant employer's national insurance contributions in respect of those payments.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library all assessments of new policy and legislation from his Department since January 2013 which give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. [185041]

Anna Soubry: Since January 2013, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has amended Code C of the Service Police Codes of Practice in October 2013 to mirror changes to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act Codes of Practice. These amendments were made to comply with the divisional court judgment concerning safeguards for 17-year-olds which was itself reached by the reading of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in conjunction with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. These changes are detailed in the MOD's Joint Service Publication 397— Service Police Codes of Practice. A copy of this document is available in the Library of the House.

In addition to the comprehensive welfare system that is in place for all service personnel, MOD policies on under 18s are robust and compliant with both national and international law.

Work and Pensions

Advertising

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what budget his Department has allocated to spend on advertising (a) the under-occupancy penalty and (b) universal credit in the current financial year. [185709]

Mike Penning: The Department has allocated £170,000 for public information to explain the removal of the spare room subsidy so the public understand the changes, including options and support that is available. We have a duty to help the public understand and manage new legal changes and rights, and we ensure that we deliver value for money with these communications.

We have not conducted any paid-for advertising in the universal credit live service areas but have used other value for money ways to ensure potential claimants are informed and prepared. This includes free media, leaflets, and working with local partners to provide accurate information directly to potential claimants. Our approach is proportionate and carefully targeted, reflecting the safe and responsible way that universal credit is being progressively rolled-out.

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Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on advertising in each year since 2010. [185710]

Mike Penning: The Department's spend on marketing and media communication services such as digital advertising, press, radio and TV services in each year since 2010 is detailed as follows.

Like all Government Departments and public bodies, we have a duty to help the public understand and manage new legal changes and rights, helping them get back in to work or save for retirement. We are delivering major reforms to the pensions and welfare systems with levels of spend underlining our commitment to provide essential public information at the appropriate time. We are careful to ensure we deliver value for money with these communications delivering significant benefits for individuals and wider society in understanding vital changes.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on advertising the introduction of the under-occupancy penalty. [185711]

Mike Penning: The Department spent £79,245 (ex VAT) in 2012-13 to provide accurate information to tenants and those supporting them about the removal of the spare room subsidy. The Department worked with local authorities and other stakeholders to deliver a package of targeted and proportionate value for money activity, meeting our essential responsibility to inform tenants of the changes.

Like all Government Departments and public bodies, we have a duty to help the public understand and manage new legal changes and rights. We are careful to ensure we deliver value for money with this public information delivering significant benefits for individuals and wider society in understanding vital change.

Carer’s Allowance

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on the number of people claiming carers' allowance of a rise in the minimum wage; and if he will make a statement. [185514]

Mike Penning: The earnings rule in carer's allowance allows carers to maintain links with the workplace by allowing recipients to work and earn up to £100 per week, net of allowable expenses. This means that some carers can earn in excess of the limit and still be entitled to carers' allowance.

The increase in the national minimum wage will only affect those carers who claim carer's allowance, work 16 hours a week and do not have allowable expenses to take them below the earnings limit. In these circumstances

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a carer who is also receiving working tax credit will have any loss of carer's allowance offset by an increase in working tax credit.

The Department does not hold information on the earnings of carer's allowance claimants—therefore it is difficult to identify the number of people who work 16 hours at the minimum wage. However, the conditions of entitlement are not linked to the number of hours a carer works but to the amount they are allowed to earn.

Children: Poverty

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children are living in poverty in Birmingham to the smallest area for which figures are available. [185371]

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty (all before housing costs have been taken into account).

Estimates of these are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living. This information is captured using the Family Resources Survey.

Information at authority level is not available as the sample size of this survey is not sufficient to provide robust estimates. The lowest geography at which poverty estimates are reported is regional level.

Three-year averages are used to report statistics by region, as single-year estimates are subject to volatility. The latest figures for relative and absolute low income at regional level covering the period of 2009-10 to 2011-12 can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112

(ISBN 978-1-78153-531-8)

Relevant regional figures can be found in Table 4.17ts (on page 136) for relative low income and Table 4.23ts (on page 142) for absolute low income.

We have consulted on developing better measures of child poverty, which include but go beyond income to provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty and drive the right action. The complexity of the issue means that we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty. We will publish our response as soon as we can.

Consultants

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on public relations and communications consultants in each year since 2010. [185707]

Mike Penning: The DWP has spent the following on consultants:

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As a result of spending controls put in place in 2011 there have been no further costs incurred.

Council Tax Benefits: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington North constituency have been living in the same property since 1996 and in receipt of council tax benefit or a successor benefit during that time; and what estimate he has made of the number of such people who have (a) received transitional support, (b) erroneously had their benefit cancelled and (c) moved home following erroneous deductions from their benefit. [185736]

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.

Information on local council tax reduction schemes, which replaced council tax benefit in April 2013, is not held centrally.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of disability living allowance in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in the latest period for which figures are available. [185143]

Mike Penning: The information requested is shown in the following table.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2014, Official Report, column 264W, on employment and support allowance (ESA), if he will confirm whether it is correct that his Department does not keep precise records of assessments carried out by companies such as Atos but instead relies on a representative sample; whether the sample of ESA cases is provided by Atos or selected by his Department; and what steps he takes to ensure that this sample is accurate and representative. [185178]

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Mike Penning: The Department receives reviews and keeps a copy of every report prepared by Atos Healthcare. In addition, Atos Healthcare is required to undertake a comprehensive audit of the work of their health care professionals. This audit includes a randomly selected monthly national sample which is used to report against their contractual quality target. A random sample of those cases are then subject to further checking by the Department.

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department takes to ensure that people who stop claiming employment and support allowance are removed from the system to prevent the public purse being charged for fraudulent appointments. [185200]

Esther McVey: Operational guidance is in place to ensure that where an award of employment and support allowance is terminated any work capability assessment referral that has been made to the assessment provider is withdrawn.

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been affected by his Department's decision to time-limit contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) to one year; how many claimants are entitled to means tested ESA after their entitlement to contributory ESA has expired; and how much his Department expects to save by time-limiting contributory ESA to one year. [185288]

Esther McVey: Statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) off-flows by payment type and duration of the claim can be found at:

http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html

Guidance for users is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

In 2012-13 around 69,000 claimants were entitled to means tested ESA within a month of their entitlement to contributory ESA expiring, compared to 82,000 who were not. However, 2012-13 data include a number of cases who had been in receipt of contributory ESA for 12 months or more at the point the change was introduced. This estimate is based on the Generalised Matching Service, which is a departmental data capture tool. The data have not been fully quality-assured. This type of information does not form part of the regular official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's code of practice.

Our estimate, at Budget 2012, is that time-limiting ESA in Great Britain would result in spending £350 million less in 2012-13 and £875 million less this year.

Welfare policy costings are generally based on administrative, accounting and survey data, and assumptions about how a new policy might change expenditure. They are scrutinised by the Office for Budget Responsibility, and explained in HM Treasury's policy costings publications when they are announced.

By necessity, these publications also cover areas of uncertainty. Isolating the impact of any policy change becomes increasingly uncertain as new policy beds into

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the benefits system, and becomes the norm. Consequently policy costings are not necessarily revised after the date of implementation. Where revisions are made, savings or costs may go up or down.

Employment Schemes: Kingston upon Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many employers in Kingston-upon-Hull have applied for wage subsidies under the Youth Contract scheme to date; [185580]

(2) how many jobseekers in Kingston-upon-Hull have been supported by wage subsidies under the Youth Contract scheme to date. [185581]

Esther McVey: Information on Wage Incentive applications and payments, broken down by geography, is currently not available. We plan to further develop the data in the future, as part of an Official Statistics series.

The next national Wage Incentive experimental statistics are due to be released later this month.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of the Youth Contract. [185523]

Esther McVey: The Government’s approach is working. For the 19^th consecutive month, we have seen the youth claimant count reduce.

The Youth Contract is successfully providing young people with the support they require, building on support already available via jobcentres and the Work programme. We are providing young people with the support needed including work experience, sector-based work academies and apprenticeships.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employers (a) in the adult entertainment industry and (b) possessing a sexual entertainment venue licence have applied for wage subsidies under the Youth Contract scheme to date. [185583]

Esther McVey: This information is not available.

Wage Incentive guidance is clear that only legal and legitimate jobs are in scope.

European Commission

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will set out his Department's priorities for discussions with the European Commission over their 2014 Work Programme; and if he will make a statement. [185323]

Esther McVey: I refer to the reply given by the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) on 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 625W.

Financial Services

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when (a) Ministers and (b) officials his Department have met (i) Axa, (ii) Aviva, (iii) Friends Life, (iv) Scottish Life, (v) Scottish

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Widows, (vi) Legal and General, (vii) Aegon and (vii) Standard Life in the last four months; and for what purpose. [185454]

Steve Webb: The information is as follows:

(a) Details of meetings with external organisations held by DWP Ministers are published quarterly, three months in arrears, on gov.uk as part of this Government’s transparency drive. Information relating to October to December 2013 is due to be published in April 2014.

(b) Department for Work and Pensions officials have not met Axa in the last four months. In the last four months, officials have met representatives from Aviva three times, representatives from Friends Life twice, representatives from Scottish Life three times, representatives from Scottish Widows four times, representatives from Legal and General six times, representatives from Aegon three times and representatives from Standard Life six times.

Additionally, in the last four months, officials have met with representatives from the NAPF, the CBI, Which?, Age UK and the TUC around 20 times.

Discussions have covered defined contribution quality; automatic transfers; commission; proposals outlined in the consultation on charging and decumulation.

Officials have regular telephone conversations with a range of providers, including some of the above, to discuss automatic enrolment capacity planning.

The above lists are not exhaustive, as officials also have contact with stakeholders through working groups, roundtables, open workshops and other collective forums.

Health and Safety Executive

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much income the Health and Safety Executive earned from commercial sources in each of the last 10 years. [185524]

Mike Penning: The requested information is shown in the following table.

Helmets: Sikhs

Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to extend to industrial premises the exemption for Sikhs from requirements to wear safety helmets on construction sites. [185731]

Mike Penning: As the law currently stands, turban-wearing Sikhs are exempt from wearing head protection in a high hazard industry, construction, but may be required to wear it in lower hazard workplaces.

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I am seeking to table an amendment to the De-regulation Bill, which is currently before Parliament, to extend this exemption to all workplaces, including industrial premises. The amendment will also extend the limitation on liability for employers to any work situation where a turban-wearing Sikh chooses not to wear head protection. There may be very limited exceptions, such as for specific roles in the emergency services or armed forces. The Health and Safety Executive is currently consulting on the proposals.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of social housing tenants affected by the implementation of the under occupancy penalty in wheelchair standard properties have been given exempt status. [185269]

Esther McVey: Working-age social sector tenants are not exempt from the removal of the spare room subsidy.

£180 million has been allocated to the discretionary housing payment scheme to help vulnerable people, of which £25 million has been specifically added to help those living in significantly adapted accommodation;

Discretionary housing payment data published in December indicate that local authorities are supporting people in significantly adapted homes as intended.

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of social housing tenants affected by the implementation of the under occupancy penalty have downsized to a smaller property. [185270]

Esther McVey: The information is not available.

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of disabled social housing tenants affected by the implementation of the under occupancy penalty have downsized to a smaller property. [185271]

Esther McVey: The information is not available.

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has allocated in discretionary housing payments to cover the effects of the implementation of the under occupancy penalty on social housing tenants. [185272]

Esther McVey: In 2013-14 the Government contribution to discretionary housing payments was increased to £180 million.

In 2014-15 the government will continue to support those affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy. With a total government contribution to discretionary housing payments of £165 million.

DWP also provided local authorities with £4 million in 2012-13 and a further £7.5 million in 2013-14 for the administrative costs associated with the implementation of the removal of the spare room subsidy.

In addition, in July 2013 the Government provided £10 million in new in-year transitional funding for local authorities to help support housing benefit claimants to adjust to the removal of the spare room subsidy.

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Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of social housing tenants affected by the implementation of the under occupancy penalty live in wheelchair-standard properties. [185290]

Esther McVey: This information is not available.

However, £25 million has been specifically added to the Discretionary Housing Payment fund to help those living in significantly adapted properties.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of the under-occupancy penalty on the level of child poverty in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [185522]

Esther McVey: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure there is sufficient capacity in Jobcentre Plus to process individuals returning after completion of the Work Programme. [185735]

Esther McVey: DWP have plans in place to deliver the necessary support for individuals returning from the Work programme. This includes the staff resource to deliver the additional interventions and adjustments to Jobcentres to cope with additional claimant activity.

Jobcentre Plus: Heywood

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints about (a) staff behaviour, (b) contested sanction decisions and (c) telephone line waiting times have been made by residents of Heywood and Middleton constituency about local Jobcentre Plus offices in each year since 2010. [185167]

Esther McVey: As complaints are not recorded by constituency, this level of data is not available. No data are held regarding contested sanction decisions.

It is possible to provide the following information recorded by the North West Working Age Complaints Resolution Team regarding the number of complaints received regarding staff behaviour since July 2012 (when the team was established) for Heywood and Middleton Jobcentres as follows:

Heywood JC—five complaints received regarding staff behaviour of which three raised by Jim Dobbin MP. (four complaints not upheld and one complaint partially upheld).

Middleton JC—eight complaints received regarding staff behaviour of which one raised by Jim Dobbin MP. (six complaints not upheld and two complaints partially upheld).

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess whether jobseeker's allowance claimants who are sanctioned are more likely to find employment afterwards. [185132]

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Esther McVey: Claimant surveys have found that conditionality backed by sanctions has a positive impact on job-search behaviour. 63% of JSA claimants said that awareness that their benefit could be stopped if they did not comply with certain rules increased their likelihood to look for work or take steps to prepare for work.

Land

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is for each site; whether each site already has planning permission for the expected planning use; what the market value of the site is; and whether the site will be sold for the full market value. [184990]

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 514W.

National Insurance Fund

Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the (a) appropriate level of balance in the National Insurance Fund and (b) appropriate level of reserve for that fund. [184910]

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

The appropriate level of the balance of the National Insurance Fund (NIF) is recommended by the Government Actuary. The NIF has no borrowing powers and so historically the Government Actuary has recommended a balance for the NIF of at least 16.6% (two months or one sixth) of projected benefit expenditure to ensure that the NIF maintains a working balance and can deal with short term fluctuations.

When necessary, additional funding in the form of a Treasury Grant from the Consolidated Fund can be made to the NIF. The maximum Treasury Grant that can be made available in any one tax year is set by primary legislation at 17% of the National Insurance Fund's annual benefit expenditure.

The balance of the NIF on (a) the 31 May 2013 was £28.48 billion and (b) on 31 December 2013 was £21.39 billion. This reply assumes that ‘accumulated surplus’ refers to the balance in the NIF at the dates stated.

Pension Credit

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners who receive pension credit in (a) Scottish parliamentary constituencies, (b) Fife region, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK; and what the cost to the public purse is of that provision for each category; [185867]

(2) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing pension credit in each of the last five financial years; [185868]

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(3) what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of providing pension credit in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) England and (d) Wales in the current financial year; [185869]

(4) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of pension credit since it was introduced. [185870]

Steve Webb: The cost to the public purse of providing pension credit in each of the last five years, and the total cost since introduction, can be found in the following published table:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/273833/outturn-and-forecast-expenditure-201213.xls

Estimates of expenditure for the current financial year are based on forecasts, as outturn is only available for part of the year. Forecasts are only available at a national (GB) level and we do not provide details for current year forecasts that are not published.

The cost to the public purse for receipt in Scottish parliamentary constituencies and Scotland are in the following table:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/266825/pc-tables-201213.xls

and the cost to the public purse for provision in Fife local authority can be found in the following table:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/266828/la-tables-201213.xls

The number of pensioners who receive pension credit in Scottish parliamentary constituencies, the Fife local authority, and Scotland are available from the Tabulation Tool here:

http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/pc/tabtool_pc.html

Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:

http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

Personal Independence Payment

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of Capita's performance as a personal independence payment assessment provider; and what steps he takes to monitor their performance. [185101]

Mike Penning: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 58-59W, to the hon. Member for Edinburgh East (Sheila Gilmore).

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) average and (b) longest time is between a personal independent payments assessment provider having a face to face consultation with a claimant and passing their assessment report to his Department. [185103]

Mike Penning: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 January 2014, Official Report, column 164W, to the hon. Member for Dudley North (Ian Austin).

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Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under what conditions new personal independence payment claimants are granted a home assessment. [185112]

Mike Penning: The Department for Work and Pensions has set out the minimum requirements for providers as to when a home consultation should be offered—in particular where the claimant is unable to travel to a consultation as a result of their health conditions or impairments.

The contract between DWP and providers sets out the circumstances in which face-to-face consultations will take place in the claimant's home. These are:

at the claimant's request, if the assessor agrees that their health condition or disability means they are unable to travel;

when the claimant provides confirmation, through the professional providing evidence to support their claim, that indicates they are unable to travel on health grounds; or

at the DWP's request, although these will be exceptional circumstances.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many new personal independence payment (PIP) claims have been made since the inception of PIP; and how many such claims were (a) assessed at an assessment centre, (b) assessed at home and (c) have not yet been assessed following a claim made more than six months ago; [185113]

(2) what the average time personal independence payment claimants (a) able to travel to an assessment centre and (b) awaiting a home assessment have to wait to be given an assessment date is. [185116]

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Dudley North (Ian Austin) on 21 January 2014, Official Report, column 164W.

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Coventry South of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 57W, on personal independence payment, if he will make it his policy to collect data on how many complaints personal independence payment assessment providers receive. [185141]

Mike Penning: DWP has invested a significant amount of effort to improving its complaint resolution processes and procedures.

The Department requires providers to have an appropriate complaints process in place and to be responsible for the quality of their complaint handling. Providers also have to report on claimant satisfaction as part of the contract.

Claimants are directed to raise complaints directly with the provider. If the claimant remains dissatisfied after completing the provider's complaints process they will be able to escalate their complaint directly to the Independent Case Examiner's service (ICE). The ICE will investigate a complaint against a provider in the same way as that of any other DWP business and report on performance annually.

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If the claimant is unhappy with the service that they have received from both DWP and the provider, DWP will take ownership of the complaint. DWP collects data on these complaints.

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh East of 9 December 2013, Official Report, columns 45-6W, on personal independence payment, what data his Department plans to release in early 2014; and when such data will be released. [185142]

Mike Penning: The personal independence payment (PIP) release strategy explains how DWP will manage the release of statistics and related information on PIP:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-release-strategy

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what target or limit is set as the maximum time a new claimant for personal independence payment must wait to receive an assessment date. [185174]

Mike Penning: As you will appreciate, personal independence payment (PIP) is a new benefit and processes are currently bedding in. There are no statutory (legal) requirements to complete action on a claim to PIP within a specified time. Clearly, we want to minimise the length of time claimants have to wait for assessments but the key requirement is to produce high-quality assessments, to enable DWP decision makers to make the right decisions about benefit entitlement.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what target or limit is set on the maximum distance a new claimant of personal independence payment must travel to an assessment centre. [185183]

Mike Penning: Claimants will travel no more than 90 minutes (single journey) by public transport to their personal independence payment consultation and in most cases far less than that.

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people in receipt of personal independence payment are not receiving their benefit payments; [185470]

(2) how many claims for personal independence payments are outstanding for each of the last three years. [185472]

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Dudley North (Ian Austin) on 21 January 2014, Official Report, column 164W.

Please note that personal independence payment new claims have not yet been running for a whole year.

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the causes of delays in the delivery of personal independence payments. [185471]

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Mike Penning: As you will appreciate, personal independence payment (PIP) is a new benefit and processes are currently bedding in. There are no statutory (legal) requirements to complete action on a claim to PIP within a specified time; however, we are committed to ensuring PIP claimants receive high-quality, objective, fair and accurate assessments.

Our latest analysis is telling us that the end-to-end claimant journey is taking longer than expected. We are working with the assessment providers to address this. The most important thing is to ensure assessments are of high quality.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many personal independence payment (PIP) claims (a) have been made, (b) received assessments and (c) been awarded to date; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest time it has taken for a claimant to receive a decision from when the claim was first made in (A) Wales and (B) Newport East constituency. [185535]

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Dudley North (Ian Austin) on 21 January 2014, Official Report, column 164W.

Poverty

Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of (a) children, (b) pensioners and (c) households were living in poverty in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since 2002. [185148]

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Esther McVey: Not all of the information requested is available.

Estimates of children and pensioners in low income households are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living. This information is captured using the Family Resources Survey.

The latest figures for children and pensioners in relative low income, absolute low income, persistent low income and combined low income and material deprivation for children can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112

(ISBN 978-1-78153-531-8).

Information at constituency or local authority level is not available as the sample size of the Family Resources Survey is not sufficient to provide robust estimates. The lowest geography at which poverty estimates are reported is regional level.

Figures on the number and proportion of children, pensioners and households in relative low income for the UK from 2002/03 to 2011/12 are provided in Table 1 as follows.

Three-year averages are used to report statistics by region, as single-year estimates are subject to volatility. As such, figures on the number and proportion of children, pensioners and households in relative low income for the North East covering the periods of 2002/03-2004/05 to 2009/10-2011/12 are provided in Table 2 as follows.

3 Feb 2014 : Column 107W

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Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what future plans he has for reducing spending on working-age benefits. [185525]

Esther McVey: The Government’s latest forecast of future spending plans, including forecasts for working-age benefits and the impact of reform measures announced, was published at the autumn statement on 5 December 2013, Official Report, columns 1101-13.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on targets for the number of sanctions placed on jobseekers; and if he will place in the Library a copy of any such guidance. [185182]

Esther McVey: We have no targets for the number of sanctions placed on jobseekers.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claimants have been sanctioned at any one time in the (a) last month, (b) three months, (c) six months and (d) year; and if he will publish the unemployment figures for the (i) last month, (ii) three months, (iii) six months and (iv) year if people on sanctions were included in the figures. [185691]

Esther McVey: The information we have is shown in the following table and is for jobseeker’s allowance claimants with a sanction applied.

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The claimant count includes all cases of claimants who are serving sanctions, provided the claimant continues to keep their claim live during the sanction period, by keeping in contact with Jobcentre Plus through the normal signing on process. If a claimant chooses to not keep their claim live during a sanction period, the claim is no longer live and they would not be included. There is no way of identifying whether those individuals who are subject to sanction, but do not maintain contact with Jobcentre Plus are doing so because of the sanction or some other reason.

Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) working and (b) non- working single parents are in receipt of benefits in Birmingham to the smallest area for which figures are available. [185370]

Esther McVey: Information as requested is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Training

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on communications and media training for (a) Ministers and (b) senior civil servants in each year since 2010. [185708]

Mike Penning: In 2010-11 the Department spent £3,525 on media training for Ministers. We do not hold data on the number of senior civil servants that received training in this year.

From 2011 media training has been delivered through Civil Service Training and we do not hold data breaking down attendees into further categories.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the effects on (a) Exchequer receipts and (b) individual incomes of eligibility for universal credit being established using gross rather than net income with disregards and the taper rate maintained at the levels currently proposed. [185521]

Esther McVey: Using gross earnings to calculate the universal credit award would fundamentally undermine the objectives of universal credit as it would lead to a substantial reduction in the financial incentives to work. In steady state such a change would reduce the benefit entitlements of around 2.6 million households on universal credit. The Department would not recommend such a policy change.

Calculating the universal credit award based on gross income would reduce Government expenditure and individuals’ income by around £3 billion per annum once universal credit is fully rolled out. This assumes that the existing taper and work allowances are maintained. The estimated financial impact does not take account of the expected adverse effect on work incentives.

The reduction in expenditure is driven by higher earnings being taken into account, reducing households’ universal credit award.

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Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any provision has been made to transfer funds between the DEL and AME allocations for universal credit within his Department's overall allocation. [185611]

Esther McVey: The original allocation for universal credit (UC), at the spending review in 2010, allocated £2 billion to the running costs of UC, and a limit of £2.5 billion additional AME funding. At autumn statement 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-882, universal credit AME expenditure moved into the Department's baseline AME forecasts, alongside all our other benefits. There are currently no plans to transfer any further funds between AME and DEL in any one financial year.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total DEL budget allocated to the development, implementation and running of the Universal Credit programme was in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15, (f) 2015-16, (g) 2016-17, (h) 2017-18 and (i) total. [185692]

Esther McVey: Universal credit programme was allocated a budget totalling £2 billion as part of the Department’s spending review 2010 settlement covering the period from 2011-12 through end of 2014-15.

Of the £2 billion budget, spend in 2011-12 was 5%, and in 2012-13 16%. Current forecast spend for 2013-14 is £192 million.

Budgets for 2014-15 and 2015-16 are subject to ongoing programme planning.

Budgets for years beyond 2015-16 are subject to future spending review discussions.

Vacancies: Internet

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many complaints have been received by (a) Jobcentre Plus and (b) his Department over Universal Jobmatch; and what the reasons were for each complaint; [185694]

(2) what provisions his Department has put in place to monitor the maintenance of Universal Jobmatch by Monster; [185705]

(3) how many claimants referred to Universal Jobmatch have entered employment for (a) less than one month, (b) between one and three months, (c) between three and six months and (d) more than six months to date. [185733]

Esther McVey: Universal Jobmatch is part of the Government's plan for providing easy online access to Government services for all and is one of the services we use to help claimants back into work.

We are unable to produce data for the number of claimants referred to Universal Jobmatch who have entered employment. However, we know that the majority of JSA claimants are now registered on UJ with an account and are applying for jobs using the service. Our most recent figures show the claimant count is 1.25 million, down 24,000 in December—the 14th consecutive fall, and nearly 250,000 below May 2010.

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The detailed complaints information you request is not collated to this level and to do so would incur disproportionate costs.

Maintenance for Universal Jobmatch is the responsibility of Monster Worldwide Ltd. As per the terms and conditions of the contract, DWP hold a range of weekly and monthly meetings with Monster, at a number of levels, to monitor provision of the service.

Welfare State: Reform

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of regional variations in the cumulative impact of the Government's welfare reform programme; and if he will make a statement. [185737]

Esther McVey: The Government regularly produce analysis of the cumulative impact of all coalition changes, including welfare, on households across the income distribution. This information is produced by the Treasury and is published alongside every Budget and autumn statement, in the interests of transparency. The previous Government did not provide this type of analysis. The most recent update was published with the autumn statement on 5 December 2013, and can be found using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263548/impact_on_households_ autumn_statement_2013.pdf

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many homeless people have been referred to the Work programme since June 2011; and how many of those people have secured a job outcome. [185846]

Esther McVey: Information on how many homeless people have been referred to the Work programme is not currently available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

However, information on the number of Work programme referrals and job outcomes, by payment group, is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool

Guidance for users is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Work Programme: Clackmannanshire

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of direct payments to sub-contractors of prime providers made by his Department under the Work programme related to delivery of the Work programme in Clackmannanshire; [185510]

(2) what proportion of direct payments to individual prime providers made by his Department under the Work programme related to delivery of the Work programme in Clackmannanshire. [185511]

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Esther McVey: The total paid to Work programme providers in the UK is £1,047 million from the start of the programme through to 30 September 2013, the period covered by the December 2013 Statistical Release.

Due to commercial in confidence considerations we are not able to release financial data below the national level at this time.

The Work programme is payment by results. Not only does the Work programme support people into employment, it is also designed with the crucial aim of keeping them there. It encourages long-term private sector employment, not a short-term fix. Providers are paid according to the results they deliver, not rewarded for failure.

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been submitted to prime providers of the Work programme in Clackmannanshire. [185512]

Esther McVey: From the start of the Work programme up to 29 January 2014, prime providers in Clackmannanshire have (through their subcontractor Triage) received 10 complaints.

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what oversight his Department has of contracts between prime and sub contractors delivering the Work programme in Clackmannanshire. [185513]

Esther McVey: Contracts between Work programme prime providers and their subcontractors are commercial matters between the parties concerned, and in which the Department has no direct involvement.

However, to promote excellent supply chain management and fair treatment of subcontractors by prime providers, the Department worked with the welfare to work industry and representative bodies to develop the Merlin Standard. The Department requires all Work programme prime providers to achieve accreditation under the Merlin Standard, which involves independent scrutiny of the relationships between prime providers and their supply chain partners.

House of Commons Commission

Early Day Motions

Andrew Bingham: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost of preparing, publishing and monitoring Early Day Motions has been in each year of this Parliament. [185380]

John Thurso: Costs relating to early day motions are calculated in terms of financial years

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The cost of early day motions has fallen considerably since the House ceased printing early day motions which had appeared in print for a full sitting week. A saving of approximately £355,000 was realised between 2009-10 and 2010-11.

No costs are incurred in 'monitoring' early day motions, although a small cost will be incurred by the Department of Information Services, which adds subject tags to assist in finding early day motions online.

The IT support costs do not include the cost of developing a new back-office system for early day motions (around £50,000), which accounts for the reduction in support costs for 2012-13.

Justice

Alternatives to Prison: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received community sentences in Barrow and Furness constituency in each category of offence in 2013. [184400]

Jeremy Wright: Statistics on the number of offenders sentenced to a community sentence in the calendar year 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.

Information available centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by parliamentary constituency area.

Civil Proceedings: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases have been adjourned because a litigant in person in a private law case was not considered sufficiently prepared as directed by a judge in (a) Gwent civil and family and tribunals sub-cluster and (b) Wales civil and family tribunals cluster, since April 2013. [184377]

Mr Vara: An adjournment because a litigant in person was not considered sufficiently prepared would not be recorded on HMCTS's central case management system in a way the data could be collated. That level of information may be held on individual case files but even then may require some interpretation of the judge's directions. Manually checking every private law case file heard in Wales since April 2013 would incur disproportionate costs. HMCTS has produced a new leaflet, which complements a suite of online videos to assist litigants in person prepare for court proceedings.

Crime: Business

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review the adequacy of current legislation on corporate criminal liability. [901842]

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Damian Green: The Government have no specific plans to review the adequacy of the current legislation on corporate criminal liability, although this area, like all criminal law, is subject to general monitoring.

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is. [185003]

Mr Vara: The Department does not hold any contracts with (a) Curzon Education and (b) Curzon Institute. The Department does not hold information centrally as to whether we have received contact with companies. We do not record or log telephone conversations and therefore can not confirm if there has been any contact by this medium. To determine if there has been any email correspondence the department would have to review every member of staff email accounts, this would be a disproportionate cost.

Driving Offences

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many holders of a foreign-issued driving licence were prosecuted for non-speeding road traffic offences in the last three years; [184169]

(2) how many holders of a foreign-issued driving licence were prosecuted for speeding offences in the last year; [184170]

(3) how many owners of foreign-registered vehicles have been prosecuted for failure to register their vehicles after remaining in the UK beyond six months in each of the last five years; [184171]

(4) how many holders of a foreign-issued driving licence were convicted of drink driving offences in each of the last five years. [184172]

Jeremy Wright: All drivers on our roads must abide by the same rules whether their vehicles are registered here or abroad. Failure to do so may lead to prosecution and conviction.

The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case. It is not possible to separately identify from this centrally held information whether, in all the cases for the offences listed which resulted in a prosecution or a conviction, the defendant was the holder of a foreign-issued driving licence or whether the vehicle involved in the committing of a criminal offence was foreign-registered. This detailed information may be held by the courts on individual case files which due to their size and complexity are not reported to Justice Analytical Services. As such, this information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

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Driving Under Influence: Convictions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many convictions there were for driving with excessive alcohol where a fatality or fatalities occurred in each of the last three years; and how many such convictions resulted in a non-custodial sentence; [184733]

(2) how many convictions there have been for death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs in each of the last three years; and how many such convictions resulted in a non-custodial sentence; [184736]

(3) how many convictions there were for driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs where a fatality or fatalities occurred in each of the last three years; and how many such convictions resulted in a non-custodial sentence; [184737]

(4) how many convictions for causing death by dangerous driving whilst under the influence of alcohol in England and Wales there were in each of the last three years; and how many such convictions resulted in a non-custodial sentence; [185011]

(5) how many convictions for being drunk whilst in charge of a motor vehicle there were in respect of incidents where a fatality occurred in England and Wales in each of the last three years; and how many such convictions resulted in a non-custodial sentence. [185013]

Jeremy Wright: Parliament has made sure that significant penalties are available for those who cause death on the roads: the two most serious offences, of causing death by dangerous driving and causing death whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, are both punishable by up to 14 years, imprisonment. The court must also disqualify the offender from driving for at least two years (frequently longer) and order an extended retest.

The number of offenders found guilty and sentenced for causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs in England and Wales, from 2008 to 2012, can be viewed in the table. The overwhelming majority of offenders who are convicted of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs receive a custodial sentence.

It is not possible to separately identify from centrally-held information whether or not any other findings of guilt for causing death by dangerous driving involved an offender who was found to have either excessive alcohol or drugs in their systems. This could only be obtained from the individual courts in England and Wales at disproportionate cost.

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