Tag: Frank Field

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 396W, on courts, how many calls were made to higher rate telephone numbers for (a) magistrates’ courts, (b) county courts and (c) the county court bulk centre in Northampton in each year since 2009; what the average duration was of calls to the higher-rate telephone numbers in each case in the most recent period for which figures are available; how much revenue was generated from such calls; which individual numbers are used for more than one court; and how many courts are covered by each of these numbers.

Mr Shailesh Vara

Information on volumes and durations for calls to higher-rate telephone numbers for magistrates’ courts, county courts and the county court bulk centre in Northampton in each year since 2009 is not systematically collected by the service providers, and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Between November 2013 to March 2014 the percentage of higher rate calls dropped significantly from 41% to 30% with the increasing use of 0300 numbers. This figure is set to drop even further as 19 higher rate numbers to the county court bulk centre are currently being replaced by 0300 numbers.

During this period 137,763 calls to higher rate numbers were answered at the county court bulk centre with an average duration of 4 minutes 14 seconds. This figure represents 35% of all calls with the remainder being 0300 numbers.

The Department has received no revenue from higher rate telephone numbers for the period under review.

The following individual numbers are used for more than one court:

0844 892 4000 is used by Basildon, Bury St Edmonds, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Kings Lyn, Norwich, Peterborough, Southend County Courts, and by Basildon, Chelmsford, Colchester, Harlow, Southend Magistrates’ Courts.

0844 892 0550 is used by Bedford, Luton, Hertford, St Albans, Watford County Courts.

0845 300 4239 is used by Aylesbury, Banbury, Bicester, East Berkshire (Bracknell), East Berkshire (Maidenhead), East Berkshire (Slough), High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Oxford and South Oxfordshire, Reading, West Berkshire (Newbury) Magistrates’ Courts.

0845 200 2078 is used by Chester, South Cheshire (Crewe), Liverpool and Knowsley, Macclesfield, Runcorn (Halton), Sefton, St Helens, Warrington, Wirral Magistrates’ Courts.

0845 601 0485 is used by Harrogate, Northallerton, Shipton, York Magistrates’ Courts.

0845 310 0575 is used by Cambridge, Peterborough Magistrates’ Courts.

The following Magistrates’ Courts have higher-rate numbers which are not shared:

Leamington Spa (0845 521 2300)

Nottingham (0845 408 3500)

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2014 (191689), 19 higher rate numbers to the County Court Bulk Centre in Northampton are in the process of being replaced by 0300 numbers. The higher-rate number for Central London Combined Court Centre has been discontinued. Taking into account these further reductions in higher-rate numbers, the percentage fall in higher-rate numbers since 2009 is 79% compared to the 55% previously stated.

Magistrates’ Courts’ and County Courts use a total of ten higher-rate numbers, sharing them for queries about fines, family matters, etc. Twenty-one of the Magistrates’ Courts’ using higher rate numbers offer alternative 0300 numbers.

As stated in previous answers to parliamentary questions, the Department’s approach is not to use higher rate numbers and instead, wherever possible, to assign 0300 numbers, for which the tariff is similar to calling an 01 or 02 (geographic) number, whether the caller is using a fixed line or a mobile phone —see: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131120/text/131120w0001.htm#131120113000070

and

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130322/text/130322w0001.htm#13032267000050

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of young people participating in the Youth Contract have been offered permanent employment by their employer once they have completed their placement since the commencement of that programme.

Esther McVey

From April 2012 to November 2013 there have been 99,640 18-24 year olds who have started a work experience placement and 41,360 18-24 year olds who have started Sector based work academy pre-employment training. [Youth Contract official statistics: February 2014]

Research found that 22% of WE participants who completed their placement were offered a job by placement organisers (from a base of 824 survey respondents who completed placement).

42% of sbwa participants who had a placement and completed it were offered a job by their placement organiser (from a base of 126 who completed a placement).

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284017/rr865-youth-contract-customer-experiences.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of single people who will be claiming universal credit in the first year of the roll-out of universal credit in the six boroughs of the Merseyside Jobcentre Plus district.

Esther McVey

[Holding answer 1 May 2014]

The Department announced on 5th December 2013 that Universal Credit would roll out in the North West in Summer 2014. The Department confirmed on 30 April that it is now in discussion with relevant Local Authorities in the North West on the detailed planning to make that happen.

As with Jobseeker’s Allowance, the Department does not hold forecasts of UC claimant numbers split by both borough, and then by marital status within that borough. Claimant numbers at this degree of detail will be influenced by a range of factors; these include likely local demographics and likely economic conditions within each borough. It is not possible to combine these in any meaningful way, and any such estimates might prove to be unreliable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many short-term benefit advances were made between April 2013 and March 2014.

Esther McVey

The total number of Short Term Benefit Advances made between April 2013 and March 2014 was 78,021.