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Housing Benefit: Antisocial Behaviour

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many families in each local authority have had their housing benefit withdrawn because of their anti social behavioural practices under the Government’s Respect Agenda housing benefit trials; [186148]

(2) what level of proof is required for housing benefit to be removed under the Government’s Respect Agenda housing benefit trials; and if he will make a statement. [186149]

Mr. Plaskitt: Eight local authorities are taking part in the pilot for the sanction of housing benefit (HB) related to antisocial behaviour. The pilot began on the 1 November 2007. To date no sanctions have been applied.

A local authority can sanction HB as a result of anti-social behaviour where a person or partner (“a household”) is the subject of an order for possession on grounds of antisocial behaviour and subsequently leaves the property; and, if in receipt of HB following re-housing, the household unreasonably refuses to engage with the help and support offered as specified in a written warning notice.

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In most cases, HB would be reduced, not removed.

The local authority must be satisfied that the necessary conditions have been met for a sanction to be imposed and that the household did not comply with the requirements of the warning notice without “good cause”. In making any decisions in this respect, the local authority must act reasonably.

Housing Benefit: Applications

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken to process a housing benefit application by each local authority was in 2006-07. [174802]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit: Wales

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants there were in Wales in each of the last five years, broken down by main disabling condition. [180768]

Mrs. McGuire: The available information is in the following table:

Number of working age incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants in Wales by main disabling condition
	May
Main disabling condition	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
All	217,660	213,250	208,630	203,450	197,060
Claimants without any diagnosis code on the system	0	60	20	10	0
Certain infectious and parasitic diseases	1,210	1,170	1,140	1,080	1,020
Neoplasms	2,410	2,470	2,500	2,610	2,580
Diseases of the blood and blood forming organs and certain diseases involving the immune mechanism	320	310	310	330	310
Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases	3,320	3,190	3,080	2,940	2,820
Mental and behavioural disorders	72,790	74,220	74,760	75,500	75,420
Diseases of the nervous system	9,920	9,850	10,010	10,010	9,910
Diseases of the eye and adnexa	1,170	1,160	1,130	1,100	1,090
Diseases of the ear and mastoid process	1,150	1,110	1,080	1,030	960
Diseases of the circulatory system	16,380	15,240	14,100	13,040	11,830
Diseases of the respiratory system	6,580	6,070	5,630	5,270	4,850
Diseases of the digestive system	3,620	3,520	3,380	3,210	3,090
Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous system	1,650	1,600	1,540	1,500	1,440
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue	49,380	47,260	45,180	42,920	40,340
Diseases of the genitourinary system	1,690	1,600	1,540	1,530	1,470
Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium	410	390	360	330	320
Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period	0	0	10	0	0
Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities	1,590	1,590	1,590	1,580	1,570
Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified	28,050	26,710	25,820	24,650	23,610
Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes	14,070	13,750	13,400	12,820	12,450
Factors influencing health status and contact with health services	1,970	1,980	2,040	2,000	1,970
Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

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Incapacity Benefits: Industrial Diseases

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims have been received and how many disablement benefit awards have been made for sensorinueral loss to claimants with vibration white finger PD A11 in the same period since the prescription of the disease was amended, broken down by region. [178605]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 31 January 2008]: Information about the number of awards is not yet available. Information is not available at regional level. The available information is in the following table.

PD A11 claims, examinations and diagnoses: GB
	Number
PD A11 claims received	2,148
PD A11 medical examinations completed	491
PD A11 cases diagnosed on vascular symptoms	64
PD A11 cases diagnosed on sensorinueral symptoms	74
Notes: 1. The figures in the table are very early indicative figures. 2. Figures are not validated and may be subject to revision at a later date.

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims have been received from coal miners or former coal miners and how many disablement benefit awards have been made in relation to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease since 1999, broken down by region. [178606]

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 31 January 2008]: The available information on industrial injuries disablement benefit claims has been placed in the Library.

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disablement benefit awards have been made to coal miners or former coal miners with pneumoconiosis since 2004; and how many of those have been paid compensation under the (a) 1974 Coal Industry Scheme and (b) Pneumoconiosis etc. (Working Compensation) Act 1979, broken down by region. [178607]

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 31 January 2008]: Information about the number of awards of industrial injuries disablement benefit (IIDB) made to coal miners or former coal miners with pneumoconiosis is in the table.

It is not possible to say how many of these were also paid compensation under the 1974 Coal Industry Scheme and Pneumoconiosis etc. (Working Compensation) Act 1979.

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IIDB first diagnosed PD D 1 pneumoconiosis assessments made to people who worked in the mining/quarrying industry: cases in payment
	March 2004	March 2005	March 2006	March 2007
North East	30	10	10	20
Yorkshire and Humber	40	40	30	20
East Midlands	130	80	50	40
London	—	—	—	—
South East	—	—	—	—
South West	—	—	—	—
West Midlands	—	—	—	10
North West	—	10	10	0
Wales	40	50	30	20
Scotland	10	—	—	—
Overseas	—	—	—	—
Notes: 1. ‘—’denotes nil or negligible. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: IIDB Clerical Record System, 100 per cent. data.

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