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1 Apr 2004 : Column 1621W—continued
Civil Servants
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. [150258]
Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security (DSS) and Employment Service (ES).
Information on the number of staff in DWP at 3.1 January 2004, as in DSS at 1 January 1997, broken down by grade, is in the table. Information by grade in 1997 is not available for ES. However, the total number of staff employed by ES at 1 April 1997 was 34,174.
| 1 January 2004 (Department for Work and Pensions) | 31 January 1997 (Department of Social Security) | |
|---|---|---|
| SCS | 228 | 108 |
| Grade 6 | 445 | 406 |
| Grade 7 | 1,197 | 671 |
| SEO | 2,707 | 1,148 |
| HEO | 7,982 | 4,501 |
| EO | 41,514 | 23,864 |
| AO | 60,922 | 49,502 |
| AA | 10,056 | 13,992 |
| Others | — | 159 |
| Total | 125,051 | 94,351 |
Notes:
Staff numbers are Whole-time Equivalent (WTE) rounded and are consistent with
Cabinet Office definitions other than the inclusion of staff on paid maternity leave.
Source:
Departmental personnel records.
Construction Industry
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures his Department has taken to promote Local Labour in Construction in the (a) public and (b) private sector; and if he will make a statement. [164887]
Maria Eagle: This Department is promoting local labour in construction through Framework for Regional Employment and Skills Action (FRESAs) and more specifically our Ambition: Construction pilots.
Since October 2002 each English region has had in place its Framework for Regional Employment and Skills Action (FRESAs). FRESAs aim to maintain and improve regional labour markets by co-ordinating strategy for employment and skills in each region, and ensuring a more efficient and co-ordinated service for employers and individuals alike. The Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) were asked to lead in the development of FRESAs by DWP, with DfES and DTI. The strategic partners taking forward FRESAs include Government Offices, Jobcentre Plus, the CBI, the TUC, the Learning and Skills Council and local authorities.
Ambition is unique among UK welfare-to-work programmes in terms of the degree to which employers are involved in design and delivery. By meeting the precise entry requirements of employers, Ambition can
1 Apr 2004 : Column 1622W
open up well-paid jobs with career potential to unemployed and disadvantaged jobseekers, while at the same time offering a high-quality recruitment service to employers and helping them to address skill shortages.
Ambition pilots are working with employers at central and local levels. Centrally, a steering group of business leaders from the construction sector oversees the project and reports progress to Ministers. Locally, Jobcentre Plus and contracted training providers engage local employers in the design of the programme and work with them to identify and meet their recruitment needs.
Ambition: Construction pilots are operating in seven locations: Paddington, Nottingham, Leeds, Coventry, Manchester, Merseyside and Aberdeen, with two further pilots in Edinburgh, and the Forth Valley starting in April 2004.
Correspondence
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will answer question reference 148968, tabled by the hon. Member for Northavon on 15 January 2004. [161623]
Mr. Pond [holding answer 23 March 2004]: An answer was given to the hon. Member today.
Department-Sponsored Programmes
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding has been allocated to (a) action teams for jobs, (b) employment zones, (c) neighbourhood nurseries, (d) StepUp and (e) Sure Start in (i) 2004–05, (ii) 2005–06 and (iii) total. [163721]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The information is in the following table.
| Programme | Total to 2003–04 | 2004–05(15) | 2005–06(15) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action Teams for Jobs | (15)181.5 | 58 | 58 |
| Employment Zones | (16)336.5 | 92 | (18)101 |
| Neighbourhood Nurseries | (16)104 | 95 | 54 |
| StepUp | (16)19.6 | 10 | 1 |
| Sure Start(17) | (16)752 | 463 | 507 |
(15) Allocation figures including Employment and Transport Projects Funds.
(16) Includes spend to date and forecast outturn for 2003–04.
(17) Figures for the 500 plus Sure Start Local Programmes across England.
(18) Anticipated allocation.
Source:
DfES Sure Start Unit, Jobcentre Plus Finance and DWP Programme Divisions.
Departmental Buildings/Contracts
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) renovation and (b) maintenance projects on buildings (i) owned and (ii) rented by his Department were undertaken in each of the last five years; and what the associated costs were of each. [163944]
1 Apr 2004 : Column 1623W
Maria Eagle: This department occupies approximately 1,800 buildings. The information in the format requested is not available centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Ethnic Minority Outreach
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value is of the contracts awarded to (a) At Work (Talent) North London and (b) Reed in Partnership in North London in connection with the Ethnic Minority Outreach Programme; what targets were agreed when the contracts were awarded; and how many people (i) have been helped into work and (ii) have achieved other job outcomes as a result of those contracts, broken down by ethnic background. [162311]
Maria Eagle: The Ethnic Minority Outreach service, launched in April 2002, was introduced to engage with jobless ethnic minority people who were not regular users of Jobcentre Plus services, and help them compete more effectively in the labour market.
Targets were agreed with providers for a range of outcomes including job entries and work related training. Contracts and targets vary according to the particular barriers faced by the local ethnic minority community and the type of provision supplied.
At Work (Talent) North London and Reed in Partnership North London have been awarded contracts to the value of £240,970 and £294,850 respectively to deliver Ethnic Minority Outreach provision over the period April 2002 to March 2004.
Information on numbers helped into work through the Ethnic Minority Outreach service provided by At Work (Talent) North London and Reed in Partnership in North London, broken down by ethnic background, is in the table.
| Ethnic background | At Work (Talent) North London | Reed in Partnership North London |
|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed | >5 | 12 |
| British | >5 | >5 |
| Irish | >5 | >5 |
| Other White | 18 | >5 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 6 | >5 |
| White and Black African | 9 | >5 |
| White and Asian | >5 | >5 |
| Other Mixed | >5 | >5 |
| Indian | 8 | >5 |
| Pakistani | 10 | >5 |
| Bangladeshi | 7 | >5 |
| Other Asian | 7 | >5 |
| Black Caribbean | 38 | 39 |
| Black African | 52 | 102 |
| Other Black | 10 | 5 |
| Chinese | >5 | >5 |
| Other ethnic group | >5 | >5 |
| Total | 181 | 169 |
(19) All information is to the end of February 2004. Where >5 is indicated, less than five customers from these backgrounds gained jobs. The exact figure is not given to preserve customer anonymity. Job entries through Ethnic Minority Outreach.
Source:
Department for Work and Pensions.
Minority Ethnic Outreach targets for At Work (Talent) North London and Reed in Partnership in North London are in the table.
1 Apr 2004 : Column 1624W
| Target | At Work (Talent) North London | Reed in Partnership North London |
|---|---|---|
| Registration with Jobcentre Plus | 160 | 155 |
| Starts on New Deal | 160 | 60 |
| Completion of New Deal | 120 | 40 |
| Job Outcomes | 291 | 140 |
| Registration with Talent Intermediary Service | 800 | Not applicable |
| Engagement with employers to promote the benefits of diversity | 182 | Not applicable |
Source:
Department for Work and Pensions
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is taking to increase the number of ethnic minority employees within his Department. [163552]
Maria Eagle: The latest figures for February 2004 show that the Department now employs 7.5 per cent. staff from an ethnic minority against the figure of 6.8 per cent. for the UK's economically active population.
Several initiatives are in place to help us to increase further the proportion of our staff from ethnic backgrounds, these include a new recruitment system introduced in December 2002 which is designed to be inclusive, increasing external recruitment into the Senior Civil Service to give us benefits from a wider range of candidates, development of a checklist of recruitment best practice which will enable recruitment at all grades from the widest possible pool, and a pilot of new methods of recruitment to our non-departmental public bodies. This will be based on outreach, marketing and support for applicants.
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