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Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are currently in receipt of incapacity benefit; and at what total annual cost. [40848]
Mr. Lilley: At 31 May 1996, the latest date for which figures are available, 1.8 million people were in receipt of incapacity benefit. 1 The estimated cost for the year 1995-96 is £8,120 million2. Sources:
1. 5 per cent. sample from the incapacity benefit computer system. Excludes a small number of cases not on the system. 2. Social Security Departmental Report (March 1996).
Mr. Burt: I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people disallowed incapacity benefit have successfully made claims to unemployment benefits or credits of national insurance in the Employment Service in (a) Doncaster and (b) Mexborough districts in each quarter since April 1995. [40841]
Mr. Lilley: The available information is in the tables.
| Quarter ending | Number of claims for unemployment benefits/National Insurance credits at Employment Service office by people found capable of work under the all work test |
|---|---|
| June 1995 | 3 |
| September 1995 | 19 |
| December 1995 | 30 |
| March 1996 | 67 |
| June 1996 | 108 |
| September 1996 | 75 |
16 Oct 1996 : Column: 1026
| Quarter ending | Number of claims for unemployment benefits/National Insurance credits at Employment Service office by people found capable of work under the all work test |
|---|---|
| June 1995 | 2 |
| September 1995 | 92 |
| December 1995 | 73 |
| March 1996 | 68 |
| June 1996 | 139 |
| September 1996 | 140 |
Consultants
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are his latest estimates of the expenditure on all external consultants, including management consultants, for each year since 1992, in 1996 prices, for his Department and its agencies; and what are the quantified annual cost savings which such expenditure has resulted in. [41187]
Mr. Burt: I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have undergone the all-work test for incapacity benefit; what were the results of the tests; and how many are now employed.[40843]
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Mr. Lilley: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
16 Oct 1996 : Column: 1027
| April 1995 to August 1996 | |
|---|---|
| Number of assessments under the all work test | 1,059,000 |
| Allowed benefit following reference to BA Medical Services on the all work test | 892,000 |
| Disallowed benefit following reference to BA Medical Services on the all work test | 167,000 |
Source:
Monthly scan of the incapacity benefit computer system.
Note:
All information is provisional and could be subject to change.
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list (a) total number of recipients and (b) average benefit paid in respect of (i) invalidity benefit for 1994-95 and (ii) incapacity benefit for 1995-96. [40844]
Mr. Lilley: The available information is in the table.
| Number of recipients | Average weekly amount in payment (£) | |
|---|---|---|
| Invalidity Benefit at 12 April 1995 | 1,767,000 | 84.77 |
| Incapacity Benefit (21) at 31 May 1996 | 1,677,000 | (22)85.54 |
Source:
Invalidity Benefit figures taken from a 1 per cent. sample of cases. Incapacity Benefit figures taken from a 5 per cent. sample of cases from the Incapacity Benefit computer system. These figures exclude a small number of cases not on the system.
Notes:
(21) Excludes recipients of the short term (lower) rate, the equivalent of Sickness Benefit prior to 13 April 1995.
(22) Includes those cases where benefit is in payment at the pre-April 1995 Invalidity Benefit rate (uprated) under the transitional protection rules.
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average administration cost of the incapacity benefit per applicant since its inception. [40846]
Mr. Lilley: The information requested is not yet available.
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the success rate for appeals relating to the all-work test in the December 1995 and March 1996 quarters (a) where the appellant was present or represented at the tribunal hearing and (b) where the appellant was neither present nor represented. [40785]
Mr. Burt: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Percentage of appeals revised in favour of appellant following tribunal hearing | |
|---|---|
| Appellant present or represented | 57 |
| Appellant neither present nor represented | 7 |
Note:
Figures are for December 1995.
Source:
100 per cent. count of all appeals and referrals which have been registered with the Independent Tribunal Service.
16 Oct 1996 : Column: 1028
Income Support
Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the percentage level of income support payments that met the target for accuracy in 1991-92 and 1995-96; what are the reasons for variations; and by what date he expects the target for the accuracy of income support payments to be met. [40986]
Mr. Burt: The administration of income support is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 16 October 1996:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what was the percentage level of Income Support (IS) payments that met the target for accuracy in 1991-92 and 1995-96; what are the reasons for variations; and by what date he expects the target for the accuracy of income support payments to be met.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish the performance targets for each social security office in the county of South Yorkshire for (a) 1995-1996 and (b) 1996-97; and how many of these targets were achieved in 1995-96 in each case indicating how these targets and achievements relate to those set nationally. [40829]
Mr. Roger Evans:
I will write to the hon Member shortly.
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families now claim the child care disregard. [41018]
16 Oct 1996 : Column: 1029
Mr Andrew Mitchell:
The information is not available in the format requested as information on claims is not available. The latest information on the number of awards where the childcare disregard has resulted in extra benefit payment is in the table:
I have provided below the figures for accuracy, including the target set by the Secretary of State and the Benefits Agency achievement for IS for 1991/92 and 1995/96. I should explain that in 1991/92 district staff were responsible for checking and reporting the accuracy for IS. The figures quoted were based on a limited case check carried out on the most recent action on the case. In 1995/96 the target and accuracy figures were based on a full case check involving all aspects of the award. This, in part, accounts for the variation in figures.
The Benefits Agency is committed to improve its accuracy rate and meet the Secretary of State's target. However IS is a complex benefit. For example, on average each IS case needs to be reviewed 4 times per year. Sustained effort over a period of years will be required before a significant and lasting improvement can be achieved. The Agency has a programme of measures designed to bring about improvements in accuracy in the short term and is also undertaking a fundamental review of IS processes and its computer systems. The aim of the review is to improve accuracy, security and efficiency, thereby working towards paying benefit accurately at the outset.
1991-92 1995-96
Secretary of State's target 94.00 87.00
Agency figure 95.7 78.01
| Benefit | (23)Numbers benefitting from childcare disregard |
|---|---|
| Family Credit(24) | 25,000 |
| Disability Working Allowance(25) | 99 |
| Housing Benefit(26) | 4000 |
| Council Tax Benefit(26) | 5000 |
Notes:
(23) All figures are rounded to the nearest thousand except Disability Working Allowance which is an exact figure. Numbers exclude cases where maximum benefit is already payable before the childcare disregard.
(24) Family Credit figures as at 31 May 1996.
(25) Disability Working Allowance figures as at 30 April 1996.
(26) Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit as at 31 May 1995.
Sources:
1. Family Credit Statistics Quarterly Enquiry (5 per cent. sample).
2. Disability Working Allowance 100 per cent. count of all claims.
3. Housing Benefit Management Information System, annual 1 per cent. sample enquiry for those not in receipt of Income Support taken at the end of May 1995.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the Government's original estimate of the number of families who would be eligible for the child care disregard. [40892]
Mr. Mitchell: The original estimate was that, in the long term, 150,000 families would benefit from the child care disregard.
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