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WORK AND PENSIONS

Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have appealed disability living allowance decisions in each year since 1997; what proportion were successful in an appeal; and what reasons people give for appealing initial decisions. [128103]

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for Christina Townsend, Chief Executive of the Appeals Service. She will write to the hon. Member.

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Letter from Christina Townsend to Mr. James Wray, dated 17 September 2003:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question regarding the number of people who have appealed Disability Living Allowance decisions in each year since 1997, what proportion were successful in an appeal and what reasons people gave for appealing the initial decisions.

We do not have information on the total number of appeals against Disability Living Allowance decisions nor the reasons why initial decisions were appealed. The attached table shows the number of appeals relating to Disability Living Allowance decisions which were received by the Appeals Service; the number cleared with or without a hearing; the number found in favour of the appellant and the percentage found in favour of the appellant for each year since 1998. We began collecting information for the first full year in 1998 and therefore no information is available for 1997.

I hope this reply is helpful.

Disability Living Allowance appeals received by the Appeals Service, cleared at hearing or without a hearing, found in favour of the appellant at hearing and the percentage found in favour of the appellant each year since 1998.

	Number
	Caseload	Received at the Appeals Service	Non hearing clearances	Cleared at hearing	Found in favour	Percentage found in favour
1998	1,980,200	62,925	2,255	42,950	20,330	47.3
1999	2,042,300	40,260	7,165	51,680	25,170	48.7
2000	2,110,200	95,160	18,270	63,050	31,065	49.3
2001	2,210,600	87,295	22,610	86,285	45,165	52.3
2002	2,322,800	82,345	20,880	72,815	39,490	54.2
January 2003 toJuly 2003	2,468,900	46,940	11,715	41,655	22,470	53.9

Notes:

All figures are subject to change as more up-to-date data becomes available. Figures for the latest months will rise significantly as information feeds through to the Appeals Service. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 and percentages to 1 decimal place.

Source:

1AD Information Centre, 100% sample.

Caseload notes:

1. Cases where payment of benefit has been suspended are excluded

2. Taken from a 5 per cent. sample therefore figures may be subject to sampling variation.

3. Caseload as at February each year rounded to the nearest 100.

Source::

1AD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proposals he has to speed up the appeals process for disability living allowance. [128104]

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for Christina Townsend Chief Executive of the Appeals Service. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Christina Townsend to Mr. James Wray, dated 17 September 2003:

The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question regarding the proposals that are in place to speed up the appeals process for Disability Living Allowance.

The Appeals Service Agency is committed to a twin strategy of reducing waiting times and clearing the backlog of older cases that accrue. We have made a determined effort to tackle older cases based on the policy of "first in first out". Wherever possible cases are cleared at first hearing. The average time from a Disability Living Allowance appeal being received by the Appeals Service to being cleared has reduced from 31.1 weeks, in 1998, to 15.1 weeks for the period January 2003–July 2003.

I hope this reply is helpful.

Disability Handbook

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans the Government have to update the 1998 Disability Handbook to include a guide on the needs of adults with autistic spectrum disorders. [129900]

Maria Eagle: The Department intends to improve and update the medical guidance currently provided to decision-makers. This will be based on information technology that will enable the guidance to be more comprehensive and easier to access. The guidance on all conditions contained in the Disability Handbook, including autistic spectrum disorder in children and adults, will be revised as part of this initiative. A programme for this work is being developed.

Disabled Employees

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures are in place to ensure that companies provide the necessary access improvements and assistance for disabled employees; and what financial support can be made available for companies to make the changes. [129105]

Maria Eagle: The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) requires that employers consider making a 'reasonable adjustment' to premises, working practices, or other aspects of a job, if a disabled employee or job

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applicant would otherwise be at a disadvantage compared to someone else. Improved access, or the provision of various types of personal or technological assistance might constitute reasonable adjustments. The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) advises employees, employers and the general public on the law.

Redress for failure to make reasonable adjustments is via Employment Tribunals.

The Access to Work programme provides a grant towards the additional employment costs resulting from disability. Help available can include adaptations to premises, special aids and equipment, help with travel to work, and personal support in the workplace.

Access to Work pays 100 per cent. of the approved costs where an individual is starting a new job, or has been in their job for less than six weeks. It also pays full costs for people in self-employment and where assistance with travel to work, support workers or communicators for job interviews is required.

In all other cases Access to Work meets up to 80 per cent. of costs above a threshold of 300 and below a ceiling of £10,000 and 100 per cent. of costs above £10,000, over a three year period.

Forestry

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will meet the Association of British Insurers to discuss the level of employers' compulsory liability insurance premiums in the forestry industry. [130426]

Mr. Browne: Ministers will meet the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and insurers to discuss the level of Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance premiums and their impacts on businesses in general. The Department is undertaking a review of Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance and has already had a number of meetings with the Association of British Insurers and other organisations. We will report progress and next steps arising out of this second stage of the review, in autumn.

Jobcentre Advisers

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average number of days wait is before an unemployed person's initial appointment with a jobcentre adviser; what research his Department has conducted into the particular problems faced in waiting for appointments by agency workers who become unemployed for short periods of time on a regular basis; and if he will make a statement. [124020]

Mr. Browne: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive, David Anderson. I have asked him to reply to the hon. Member.

Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Oliver Heald, dated 16 July 2003:

As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the average number of days an unemployed person has to wait for their initial appointment with a Jobcentre Plus advisor and the particular problems faced by agency workers who become unemployed for

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short periods of time on a regular basis. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.

We want to give everyone who needs our help the best possible service, including providing them with prompt appointments when they are needed. Our Customer Charter, which details the level of service customers can expect from Jobcentre Plus, states our aim to make sure interviews, including initial interviews at the beginning of a claim, are undertaken within four working days of the customer making initial contact. This aim applies to all our customers, including agency workers.

We do not collect data about the number of days unemployed people have to wait for an initial interview with a Jobcentre Plus adviser. However, we do have a target for the end to end processing of new claims which includes the time leading up to the initial interview. Our target is to make the first payment within 12 days of initial contact about a claim and I am pleased to say that the average clearance time for Jobseeker's Allowance is currently only 10.5 days.

I hope this is helpful and assures you of our intent to provide people with the best possible service.

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