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Housing Benefit Bill

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to introduce the Housing Benefit Bill; why it has been delayed; whether it is his policy to include a pilot scheme for the social rented sector and housing benefit sanctions for anti-social neighbours; and if he will make a statement. [31196]

Mr. Plaskitt: In the Queen's speech we made a commitment to legislate on reform of support for housing costs during this Parliamentary session and that remains the position.

We would want to discuss any proposals to reform housing benefit in the social rented sector in more detail with interested organisations as we determine our priorities for wider welfare reform.

We are continuing to keep all measures for tacking antisocial behaviour under review. Sanctions could be one of a number of measures that would help to address the misery caused by antisocial behaviour.

Human Resources

Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who the Director of Human resources is in his Department; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what are the details of his or her career to date. [26331]

Mrs. McGuire: The Group Human Resources Director General for the Department for Work and Pensions is Kevin White. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has been working in Human Resources for 12 years. His contact details, responsibilities and key staff are published in the Civil Service Yearbook—the official online directory for all Government Departments. His biography, including information about his present job, career history and education are reproduced in The Whitehall Companion.

Incapacity Benefit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living in (a) Wakefield
 
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and (b) Hemsworth constituency (i) left and (ii) joined the register of persons in receipt of incapacity benefit in the last 10 years. [34668]

Mrs. McGuire: The information is in the tables.
Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) commencements in the Wakefield metropolitan district council area and the Hemsworth parliamentary constituency in each year since 1996

Year ending 31 May:	Great Britain	Wakefield	Hemsworth
1996	1,019,900	8,300	2,400
1997	998,700	8,700	2,400
1998	905,000	8,600	2,900
1999	837,300	6,800	2,500
2000	801,100	7,200	2,300
2001	788,700	6,400	1,800
2002	731,100	6,400	2,400
2003	722,400	6,200	1,800
2004	695,300	5,700	1,800
2005	624,400	5,800	2,000

Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) terminations in the Wakefield metropolitan district council area and the Hemsworth parliamentary constituency in each year since 1996

Year ending 31 May:	Great Britain	Wakefield	Hemsworth
1996	1,060,500	8,900	2,900
1997	987,000	9,000	3,200
1998	955,600	8,800	2,800
1999	866,200	7,200	2,700
2000	837,900	8,000	2,600
2001	725,800	5,800	1,800
2002	720,200	6,400	2,200
2003	698,200	6,000	1,900
2004	717,400	6,400	1,900
2005	665,100	6,400	2,300

Notes:
1.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
2.These figures have been updated to include late notified commencements/terminations.
3.All figures back to 1995 have been revised, and may be subject to further change:
a.Figures prior to 2005 are subject to minor changes.
b.Figures for 2004 include fewer late notifications than previous quarters and will be subject to greater change in future.
c.Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. Samples.




 
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Ed Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people living in the Normanton constituency claimed incapacity benefit in each year since 1997, [37851]

(2) what proportion of the working age population in the Normanton constituency claimed incapacity benefit in each year since 1997. [37852]

Mrs. McGuire: The information necessary to determine the proportion of the working age population claiming incapacity benefit or severe disability allowance is not available, because population estimates are not available for parliamentary constituencies.

The available information is in the table.
Incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants in the Normanton parliamentary constituency: May 1997 to 2005

	Number of claimants
May 1997	3,900
May 1998	3,700
May 1999	3,800
May 2000	3,900
May 2001	4,000
May 2002	4,000
May 2003	3,900
May 2004	4,000
May 2005	3,800

Notes:
1.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2.'Claimant' figures include all IB/SDA claimants (including IB credits only cases).
3.May 1997, 1998 and 1999 have been adjusted by applying detail from 5 per cent. data to 100 per cent. totals.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data. Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample May 1997, 1998, 1999.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of people of working age are in receipt of incapacity benefit within each (a) local authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency. [38131]

Mrs. McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested, because population estimates are not available by parliamentary constituency. The available information has been placed in the Library.

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the types of mental health problems experienced by incapacity benefit claimants who have been claiming for (a) less than a year and (b) more than a year. [38250]

Mrs. McGuire: The information requested is in the table.
Types of mental or behavioural disorders experienced by incapacity benefit claimants who were claiming at 30 June 2005

Mental or behavioural disorder type	Claiming for greater than one year	Claiming for a year or less	Total
Depressive episode	377,250	88,540	465,790
Other anxiety disorders	91,580	19,930	111,510
Other neurotic disorders	71,510	7,300	78,810
Reaction to severe stress	35,380	16,760	52,140
Drug abuse	33,220	13,200	46,420
Alcoholism	37,200	8,550	45,750
Schizophrenia	36,180	2,450	38,640
Mental disorder not otherwise specified	19,420	3,960	23,370
Unspecified nonorganic psychosis	12,420	1,590	14,010
Specific development disorders of scholastic skills	10,070	1,980	12,050
Phobic anxiety disorders	7,540	790	8,340
Unspecified mental retardation	6,410	140	6,550
Unspecified mood disorder	4,150	740	4,890
M&B disorders associated with puerperium, not elsewhere classified	3,030	910	3,940
Specific personality disorders	2,330	370	2,700
Persistent delusional disorder	1,810	410	2,220
Persistent mood disorder	2,040	50	2,090
Eating disorder	1,180	280	1,470
Manic episode	910	80	990
Pervasive development disorders	600	270	870
Recurrent depressive disorder	740	90	820
Unspecified dementia	480	100	580
Dissociative disorders	100	20	130
Somatoform disorders	10	0	10
Total	755,570	168,510	924,070

Notes:
1.Data are to the end of August 2005.
2.Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
3.The statistics quoted in this response are taken from the Department's 100 per cent. Benefits Database.





 
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Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the proposed reforms of the incapacity benefit system will be in place by the end of 2008; what recent meetings he has had to discuss such reforms; when he will publish a Green Paper on these reforms; and if he will make a statement. [38539]

Margaret Hodge: We intend to publish our proposals for welfare reform, including reforming incapacity benefits, in a Green Paper in January. I have continued the process of engagement with stakeholder groups and others which has been an on-going feature of our consultation on welfare reform. As we have said before, we plan to have the main elements of the reforms in place by 2008.

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