Oral Answers to Questions

Nick Smith Excerpts

Monday 10th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hoban]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There is a shared responsibility, and that requires the HSE and local authorities to work closely together. It requires them to identify the risks in their areas and take the right steps, proportionate to those risks, to tackle the risk of legionella.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

12. If he will make it his policy that Work programme providers should be allowed to share comprehensive data with local authorities on their own performance.

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Mr Mark Hoban)]

From June 2012, providers have been able to share management information on referrals, attachments, job entries, and specified information on job outcomes with local authorities that have signed confidentiality agreements.

[Nick Smith]

The Government’s own Cabinet Office says that publishing data about our public services makes them better, yet the Work programme has been shrouded in secrecy. Will the new Minister let the light shine in?

[Mr Hoban]

The hon. Gentleman should listen to the answer before asking the supplementary. I made it very clear that since June 2012 information has been shared with local authorities that are prepared to sign the confidentiality agreement. We are very keen to ensure the integrity of official statistics. The information is there to be shared and I look forward to local authorities’ working with contractors to use that information to develop effective schemes at a local level.