§ Mr. Duncan SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what the estimated average salary for personal advisers will be under the Single Gateway to Benefit; [73992]
(2) what the average cost of employing a personal adviser is under (a) the Single Gateway to Benefit and (b) the New Deal for Lone Parents, including training, office space, employers' national insurance contributions and other overheads. [73986]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 2 March 1999]: For the Single Gateway, the personal adviser role has been graded at Executive Officer or equivalent in the Employment Service, the Benefits Agency and in Local Authorities. A personal adviser's salary will reflect the pay rate for the job within their employing agency. Their position on that scale will depend on how long they have been in the grade, their levels of performance in previous years and their location. Their average salary (excluding ERNIC; superannuation and other costs) is estimated to range between just over £16,000 and just under £18,000. We do not yet know the total average costs, including ERNIC, training etc—one of the reasons for piloting the proposals is to determine the total cost of employing personal advisers.
The average salary for personal advisers working on the New Deal for Lone Parents (including ERNIC and superannuation) is estimated at £20,783. The average cost of training, including travel and subsistence, is £4,337 per adviser. New Deal for Lone Parent advisers occupy existing space in Jobcentres and are considered part of the Employment Service's core business: no extra costs are incurred.