Work programme questions
Dear Pembrokeshire College
1. Please could you confirm the total cost to Pembrokeshire College in setting up the Work Programme (in conjunction with Working Links).
2. What is the success rate of the Pembrokeshire College Work
Programme since it began in 2011?
3. Have any Pembrokeshire College students been employed on the
Work Programme? If so, were they paid a wage?
4. Does Pembrokeshire College employ any health professionals on
the Work Programme (for ESA people)?
Yours faithfully
Sian Morris
Dear Sian
I am writing on behalf of Pembrokeshire College to confirm that we have
received your Freedom of Information request regarding the Work Programme
and that your request is currently being processed.
Yours sincerely
Angharad Miles
Learner Services Administrator
Pembrokeshire College
Sian
Thank you for your Freedom of Information Request . I am able to provide you with the following response to your questions.
Question 1
This is commercial in confidence information and as such we are unable to disclose.
Question 2
Please see the link to the DWP Data http://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/... 2014
(the latest release came out on the 18 December) . This should illustrate for you the data that you have requested.
Question 3
To date no Pembrokeshire College Students have been employed on the Work Programme.
Question 4
Pembrokeshire College does not employ any health professionals specifically within the Work Programme Team. Access however is made available to the College Health Professionals namely the College Nurse who is an employee of the Health Trust and the College Counsellor, access to their services is based on referral and identified need.
I hope that the information provided is of assistance to you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can assist further.
Yours sincerely
Maxine Thomas
Freedom of Information Officer
Maxine Thomas
Head of Safeguarding and Learner Services
Pembrokeshire College
Haverfordwest
SA61 1SZ
Tel 01437 753245
[mobile number]
Dear Maxine Thomas
The link you provided to Q2 is broken. Please could you supply one that isn't.
Yours sincerely
Sian Morris
Sian
Please see the attached link as previously sent. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics...
Should you have difficulty in gaining access through the link, please copy and paste into your web browser for direct access.
Yours sincerely
Maxine Thomas
Dear Pembrokeshire College,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Pembrokeshire College's handling of my FOI request 'Work programme questions'.
I asked what is the success rate of the Pembrokeshire College Work Programme?
You haven't answered this question.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/w...
Yours faithfully,
sian morris
Please see the forwarded email concerning your FOI request.
Many thanks
Maxine Thomas
Maxine Thomas
Head of Safeguarding and Learner Services
Pembrokeshire College
Haverfordwest
Pembrokeshire
SA61 1SZ
Telephone 01437 753245 / [mobile number]
Please see the forwarded email as notified concerning your Freedom of
Information request.
Kindest regards
Maxine
Maxine Thomas
Head of Safeguarding and Learner Services
Pembrokeshire College
Haverfordwest
Pembrokeshire
SA61 1SZ
Telephone 01437 753245 / [mobile number]
From: Maxine Thomas
Sent: 21 December 2015 13:35
To: [WhatDoTheyKnow contact email]
Subject: Fwd: FOI Request
Richard
Please could this be uploaded to reply to Sian Morris
Many thanks
Maxine
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Maxine Thomas <[1][Pembrokeshire College request email]>
Date: 18 December 2015 16:38:38 GMT
To: sian morris <[2][FOI #243067 email]>
Subject: FW: FOI Request
Maxine Thomas
Head of Safeguarding and Learner Services
Pembrokeshire College
Haverfordwest
Pembrokeshire
SA61 1SZ
Telephone 01437 753245 / [mobile number]
From: Maxine Thomas
Sent: 18 December 2015 16:32
To: '[3][FOI #243067 email]'
<[4][FOI #243067 email]>
Cc: Sian Thompson <[5][email address]>; Caroline James
<[6][email address]>; Janet Davies
<[7][email address]>
Subject: FOI Request
Importance: High
Dear Sian
I write further to communication from the Information commissioner
regarding your request made to Pembrokeshire College on the 7 December
2014 which sought to ascertain firstly the number of people on JSA
referred by the College work programme for benefit sanctions using the
form WP08 . Your request also asked for the total number of people on
ESA referred by the College Work Programme for benefit sanctions using
the form WPO8.
The College in dealing with your request referred the matter
appropriately to Working Links and you received the following response
which was sent directly to you by Working links who uploaded the
response onto the ‘What do they know website’.
Pembrokeshire College are a sub-contractor to the prime provider,
Working Links, it may be helpful if I explain that where a participant
fails to comply with a mandated activity , it is not the prime providers
or their subcontractors , who sanction their participants .
Pembrokeshire College have therefore not implemented any benefit
sanctions.
In response to a further request regarding the success rate of the
Pembrokeshire College Work Programme I would once again have to refer
you to my response of the 21 January 2015 where you were sent a link as
previously attached to [8]http://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/...
programme-statistical summary-data -to 30 September -2014. You were also
asked that if there were any difficulties with this you were to copy the
link into your web browser.
I can also confirm that DWP do not provide statistics on individual
sites so this is not information that would be available.
In all of our dealings and responses to you we have been fair and have
at all times done our utmost to assist you and provide the information
that you have requested. We have also as you requested reviewed our
dealings with yourself and have ensured that we have dealt with your
requests in the appropriate manner.
The College will be closed from the 23 December 2015 until the 4^th
January 2015. I will be absent from the College from the 18^th December
2015.
I hope that this resolves matters and answers any queries that you may
have .
Yours sincerely
Maxine Thomas
Maxine Thomas
Head of Safeguarding and Learner Services
Pembrokeshire College
Haverfordwest
Pembrokeshire
SA61 1SZ
Telephone 01437 753245 / [mobile number]
Dear Maxine Thomas
Regarding your reply. This is the question I asked.
“Dear Pembrokeshire College
Please could you supply the total number of people on JSA referred
by the Pembrokeshire College Work Programme (Working Links) for
benefit sanction using the form WP08.
Please could you supply the total number of people on ESA referred
by the Pembrokeshire College Work Programme (Working Links) for
benefit sanction using the form WP08.”
To which you replied in your e-mail:
“Pembrokeshire College are a sub-contractor to the prime provider,
Working Links, it may be helpful if I explain that where a participant
fails to comply with a mandated activity , it is not the prime providers
or their subcontractors , who sanction their participants .
Pembrokeshire College have therefore not implemented any benefit
sanctions.”
However, it is a fact that as the prime provider, Working Links can refer a participant to the DWP/Job Centre for non-compliance, using the form WP08, therefore I feel that your reply is disingenuous, as it appears that Pembrokeshire College is indeed involved in the implementation of the DWP's sanctions policy.
The only way that Pembrokeshire College could claim non-involvement with a policy that plunges people into extreme financial hardship, and maybe even homelessness, would be to withdraw completely from involvement with the DWP's Work Programme.
Yours sincerely
Sian Morris
Dear Sian
Thank you for your contact. I am unclear as to what you are asking here. I have however forwarded your letter to Working links who will be happy to correspond with you directly and answer any queries that you may have.
Yours sincerely
Maxine Thomas
________________________________________
From: sian morris <[FOI #243067 email]>
Sent: 28 January 2016 22:08
To: Maxine Thomas
Subject: Re: FW: FOI Request
Dear Maxine Thomas
Regarding your reply. This is the question I asked.
“Dear Pembrokeshire College
Please could you supply the total number of people on JSA referred
by the Pembrokeshire College Work Programme (Working Links) for
benefit sanction using the form WP08.
Please could you supply the total number of people on ESA referred
by the Pembrokeshire College Work Programme (Working Links) for
benefit sanction using the form WP08.”
To which you replied in your e-mail:
“Pembrokeshire College are a sub-contractor to the prime provider,
Working Links, it may be helpful if I explain that where a
participant
fails to comply with a mandated activity , it is not the prime
providers
or their subcontractors , who sanction their participants .
Pembrokeshire College have therefore not implemented any benefit
sanctions.”
However, it is a fact that as the prime provider, Working Links can
refer a participant to the DWP/Job Centre for non-compliance, using
the form WP08, therefore I feel that your reply is disingenuous, as
it appears that Pembrokeshire College is indeed involved in the
implementation of the DWP's sanctions policy.
The only way that Pembrokeshire College could claim non-involvement
with a policy that plunges people into extreme financial hardship,
and maybe even homelessness, would be to withdraw completely from
involvement with the DWP's Work Programme.
Yours sincerely
Sian Morris
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