Previous Section Index Home Page

10 Nov 2008 : Column 908W—continued

Council Tax Benefits

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much council tax benefit subsidy was paid to local authorities in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland in each year since 1999. [234329]


10 Nov 2008 : Column 909W

Kitty Ussher: The information is in the table.

Council tax benefit subsidy paid to local authorities: Great Britain
£ million (nominal terms)

England Wales Scotland

1999-2000

1,888

99

278

2000-01

1,909

109

280

2001-02

1,978

113

286

2002-03

2,184

120

294

2003-04

2,518

130

307

2004-05

2,948

156

345

2005-06

3,118

170

354

2006-07

3,276

178

359

2007-08

3,375

184

353

Notes:
1. Information sourced from local authority claims for council tax benefit subsidy.
2. Figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are not yet fully audited, and represent provisional out-turn for the year.

Departmental Responsibilities

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what speaking engagements (a) he and his predecessor and (b) Ministers in his Department have attended in the last 12 months; and at whose invitation. [230085]

James Purnell: This information requested is not readily available and could be supplied only at a disproportionate cost to this Department. Attendance at speaking engagements by Ministers is undertaken in line with the guidance and principles set out in the ministerial code.

Disability Living Allowance

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of those receiving the mobility component of disability living allowance and declaring (a) Parkinson's disease, (b) renal disorders, (c) skin diseases, (d) stroke-related conditions and (e) other debilitating conditions have had their awards reassessed in the last 12 months. [230176]

Jonathan Shaw: The information is not available.

Employment and Support Allowance

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington on 20 October 2008, Official Report, columns 6-7, how many of the additional staff recruited to administer the employment and support allowance will be customer-facing; how many will work on a (a) full-time and (b) part-time basis; how many will be on (i) fixed term and (ii) permanent contracts; in which offices they will work; and from what regions they have been recruited. [230098]

Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:


10 Nov 2008 : Column 910W

Contact centres Benefit processing Jobcentre plus offices

Yorkshire and the Humber

15

86

70

West Midlands

16

122

125

Wales

0

30

74

South West

32

100

0

South East

0

148

40

Scotland

35

133

141

North West

153

112

97

North East

10

92

81

London

0

44

79

East Midlands

53

40

49

East of England

11

75

62

Total

325

982

818


Employment: Health

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Government plans to publish its response to Dame Carol Black’s review of the health of the working population; and if he will make a statement. [234062]

Mr. McNulty: We are not yet in a position to confirm the publication date of the Government’s response to Dame Carol Black’s review of the health of the working age population.

We expect to publish the response by the end of the year.

Housing Benefit

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in housing benefit in respect of tenants of local authority-owned properties in each month in 2007-08; and how much has been paid in each month in 2008-09 to date. [234343]


10 Nov 2008 : Column 911W

Kitty Ussher: Monthly housing benefit expenditure information in respect of local authority tenants is not available.

The provisional out-turn for 2007-08 housing benefit expenditure in respect of local authority tenants is £5,452 million. The provisional out-turn for the total housing benefit expenditure for the same period is £15,732 million.

Information for 2008-09 is currently not available.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the national average number of days taken by local authorities to process new housing benefit claims was in the latest period for which figures are available; and which 10 local authorities took the (a) most and (b) least average time to process such claims. [234349]

Kitty Ussher: The national average number of calendar days taken by local authorities to process new housing benefit claims was 27 days in 2007-08.

The 10 local authorities that took the most time to process such claims in 2007-08 were: Weymouth and Portland, Newcastle upon Tyne, London borough of Hounslow, Blyth Valley, Blackpool, London borough of Ealing, East Devon, Rother, Luton, and Isle of Anglesey.

The 10 local authorities that took the least time to process such claims in 2007-08 were: St Albans, South Norfolk, Maidstone, Crawley, Tendring, South Lanarkshire, Fenland, Sedgemoor, Chiltern, and Cannock Chase.

Incapacity Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of non-means tested awards of incapacity benefit had a duration of (a) less than 13 weeks, (b) between 13 weeks and 28 weeks, (c) between 28 weeks and one year, (d) between one and two years, (e) between two and three years and (f) more than three years in the most recent period for which figures are available. [224155]

Jonathan Shaw: Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance are wholly non-means tested benefits. The available information is in the following table.


10 Nov 2008 : Column 912W
Proportions of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claims by duration

February 2008 (percentage)

Below 13 weeks

4.8

13 to 28 weeks

4.9

28 weeks to one year

5.6

One to two years

8.9

Two to three years

7.1

Three years and over

68.7

Notes:
1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
2. Durations refer to the latest award only.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate100 per cent. WPLS

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what alternative financial support will be available to drug users who have had their access to out-of-work benefits restricted for failing to complete drug treatment under the terms of the Government's Drug Strategy 2008 to 2011. [234554]

Mr. McNulty: The 2008 drug strategy “Drugs: protecting families and communities” published in February, gave a commitment to explore the case for introducing a new regime which provides more tailored and personalised support than that which is currently provided by the existing incapacity benefit and jobseeker's allowance regime and that in return for benefits payments, claimants will have a responsibility to move successfully through treatment and into employment.

A new regime for problem drug users was proposed in the welfare reform Green Paper—“No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility”, Cm 7363, which was published in July.

The public consultation has recently closed and we are currently considering representations received. We will respond to the consultation in due course.


Next Section Index Home Page