HC Deb 28 May 2004 vol 422 cc85-6W
Dr. Cable

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when Sure Start maternity grant leaflets were distributed to Job Centre Plus local offices; and what steps he has taken to ensure that(a)all Job Centre Plus local offices were supplied with leaflets from the start of the scheme and (b)staff were fully briefed about it. [176771]

Mr. Pond

The "Good News for Babies" leaflet was produced in March 2000 when the Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG) replaced the Maternity Payment. Over 440,000 leaflets were distributed to local offices using

£ million real terms 2004–05 prices
Unemployment

benefit

Supplementary benefit/

income support paid to the

unemployed

Jobseeker's

allowance

(contribution based)

Jobseeker's

allowance (income

based)

Total
1979–80 2,091 1,675 3,766
1980–81 3,469 2,152 5,621
1981–82 4,211 3,741 7,953
1982–83 3,467 5,932 9,399
1983–84 3,308 7,195 10,503
1984–85 3,314 7,832 11,146
1985–86 3,166 8,396 11,562
1986–87 3,348 8,372 11,720
1987–88 2,684 7,286 9,971
1988–89 1,892 5,205 7,097
1989–90 1,171 4,201 5,372
1990–91 1,287 4,352 5,639
1991–92 2,238 5,861 8,099
Note
The GDP deflator used to convert figures to real terms was published at Budget.

Unemployment

benefit

Supplementary benefit/

income support paid to the

unemployed

Jobseeker's

allowance

(contribution based)

Jobseeker's

allowance (income

based)

Total
1992–93 2,378 7,268 9,646
1993–94 2,172 7,546 9,718
1994–95 1,684 6,718 8,402
1995–96 1,388 6,074 7,462
1996–97 715 2,872 405 2,232 6,223
1997–98 564 4,059 4,623
1998–99 547 3,558 4,106
1999–2000 518 3,157 3,675
2000–01 498 2,714 3,213
2001–02 510 2,320 2,830
2002–03 545 2,214 2,760
2003–041 543 2,074 2,617
12004 figures are in 2004–05 prices.
Notes:
1.Supplementary benefit for the unemployed was replaced by income support for the unemployed in April 1988.
2.Unemployment benefit and income support for the unemployed were replaced by jobseeker's allowance contribution based and jobseeker's allowance income based in October 1996. 3.Totals may not sum due to rounding to nearest million. 4.Figures for 2003–04 are estimated ou Turn.

the Department's internal distribution network. The leaflet was also available on the DSS/DWP website. In addition a number of other departmental leaflets were revised to include information on SSMGs and were available to local offices from April 2000.

Staff dealing with the Social Fund and those with customer contact were briefed in advance of the proposed SSMG scheme in November 1999. A detailed procedural bulletin, covering initial training and guidance, was issued on 16 February 2000. The Social Fund new entrant training was also amended to include SSMG procedures by April 2000.