Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly

Friday 20 July 2012 Written Answers
total increase in revenue for year one of the Savings Delivery Plan (2011/12) was £1.865m. This total
includes the additional revenue from both the tariff increases and the free to charged car parks.
The projected income for any individual car parks, which were originally free, cannot be considered, as
demand and usage cannot be accurately predicted.
However, Roads Service carries out an annual review of parking charges, and in doing so, the individual
parking needs of all towns, including Bangor, will be considered.
Department for Social Development
Job Seekers Allowance
Mr Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Development to detail (i) how many staff are currently
employed as a result of the entire Job Seekers Allowance process, including tasks such as
registration/application, signing on and making payments; (ii) how this figures compares with each of
the last ten years; and (iii) whether additional staff will be required in the near future.
(AQW 13241/11-15)
Mr McCausland (The Minister for Social Development):
i) The number of staff currently involved in the administration of Job Seekers Allowance processes
is 1,564. This figure includes 478 staff in the Social Security Agency who process and maintain
Jobseekers Allowance and 1086 staff in the Department for Employment and Learning who
undertake a range of roles including Job Seekers Allowance in Jobs and Benefits Offices. The
Department for Employment and Learning figure includes staff that provide a work focused service
to clients in receipt of Incapacity Benefit (since 2005) and Employment and Support Allowance
(since 2008) as well as those in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance.
Staffing levels in the Department for Employment and Learning are determined by the
Department’s workforce planning procedures and it is not possible to give a detailed breakdown of
the staff currently employed to deliver the service to Job Seekers Allowance clients only.
(ii) Comparative analysis is available for the most recent 6 years from 2007 to present as outlined in
the following table.
Financial year Social Security Agency (JSA)
WA 623
Department for Employment
& Learning (Employment
Service)
2012/2013 478 1,086
2011/2012 449 1,103
2010/2011 410 1,029
2009/2010 420 975
2008/2009 237 869
2007/2008 253 801
Social Security Agency staff resources have been established in line with statistical forecasts with
growth in-built for increasing workloads.
The figures shown include the period associated with the increase in unemployment caused by the
economic downturn and the corresponding increase in staff resources over this period.
The Social Security Agency will continue to assess the impact of all issues impacting Job Seekers
Allowance including the ongoing impact of the economic downturn and the recovery of the economy
along with Welfare Reform changes.