Hansard - United Kingdom Parliament

31W
Written Answers
20 JUNE 2011
Written Answers
32W
Following the WCA, for most ESA customers placed
in the Work Related Activity Group, this support will
be mandatory either through Jobcentre Plus or through
the Work programme.
The vast majority of ESA customers who want the
more intensive support offered by the Work programme
will be able to access it as soon as the outcome of the
WCA is known. This includes contributory ESA customers
who can remain on the programme after their benefit
has come to an end, ensuring that they receive all the
support they need to help them return to work. The
Work programme will place customers in the best possible
position to return to work once they are well enough to
do so.
Alternatively those with the most severe disabilities
may receive support through Work Choice.
Employment and Support Allowance: Mental Health
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work
and Pensions what discussions he has had with
representatives of mental health charities on the potential
effects of implementation of changes to employment
and support allowance on the mental health of applicants.
[58960]
Chris Grayling: The Department values the views of
disability groups and we engage in ongoing and helpful
dialogue both at ministerial and official level with group
representatives. For example, since December 2010,
Jobcentre Plus partnership teams have been engaging
with customer representative and advisory groups at a
local level. My officials have also recently met with
MIND, Mencap, National Autistic Society, and RNIB
to discuss the work capability assessment.
We have also consulted with a broad range of
stakeholders including independent providers of mental
health services at various national forums and events.
Our customer communications and awareness learning
materials for staff have been developed in response to
feedback received at these events.
We recognise that attending any medical assessment
can be a stressful experience, and these will not be
carried out if there is enough existing evidence to decide
benefit entitlement. The healthcare professionals who
carry out the examinations are trained in assessing
vulnerable customers, and when people are asked to
come for an assessment claimants are encouraged to
bring a friend or relative with them.
We are committed to engaging with third party
organisations, including mental health charities, on an
ongoing basis so that they can support their customers
through the incapacity benefit reassessment journey.
Employment Schemes
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State
for Work and Pensions if his Department will provide
training for voluntary groups who are assisting the
long-term unemployed as part of his proposals for the
Work programme; and if he will make a statement.
[59969]
Chris Grayling: Work programme providers will be
free to design support based on individual and local
need.
This means determining all their own arrangements,
including assembling and managing their own supply
chains. The payment model has been designed so that
providers will always want to maximise performance, so
it will be in their interest to ensure that their subcontractor
staff are appropriately trained.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State
for Work and Pensions how much funding for the Work
programme he plans to allocate to the west midlands in
each of the next five years; and if he will make a
statement. [59970]
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work
and Pensions how much Work programme funding he
plans to allocate to Scotland in each of the next five
years; and if he will make a statement. [60585]
Chris Grayling: Work programme funding has not
been allocated by country or region. Funding will ultimately
come down to individual prime providers, and the amount
they are awarded will very much depend on the performance
they achieve. We estimate the overall spend for the
Work programme to be between £3 billion to £5 billion
over the life of the contracts.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions what proportion of Work programme
participants he expects to deal with (a) private sector,
(b) voluntary sector and (c) other providers at the
point of service delivery. [60949]
Chris Grayling: The Work programme will provide
personalised support to an expected 2.4 million claimants
over the next seven years.
We expect 630,000 people to start the Work programme
in the 10 months between June 2011 and March 2012.
By the end of 2012-13 the Work programme could be
supporting up to 1.2 million people.
The organisations delivering the Work programme,
including first and second tier subcontractors, are split
as follows (a) private sector 38% (b) voluntary sector
46% and (c) public sector 16%. At this stage it is not
possible to say whether participants will be dealt with
by each sector in precisely the same proportions. The
proportions will become clearer over time as participants
are referred to the programme.
Employment Schemes: Voluntary Organisations
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 13 June
2011, Official Report, column 662W, on employment
schemes: voluntary organisations, how many of the
voluntary sector organisations in the Work programme
supply chain will operate in each of the 18 regions.
[60866]
Chris Grayling: The Work programme supply chain
information, including the number of voluntary sector
organisations, has been published on the Supplying
DWP website:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/supplying-dwp/what-we-buy/welfareto-work-services/work-programme/