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30 Apr 2009 : Column 1490W—continued
Incapacity Benefit
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker’s allowance claimants have terminated their claim and immediately claimed incapacity benefit on the grounds of poor mental health in each of the last 24 months. [269016]
Mr. McNulty: Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work which is called the personal capability assessment. Therefore, the medical condition recorded on the incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. For example, the decision for a customer claiming incapacity benefit on the grounds of mental or behavioural disorders would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities in the personal capability assessment.
The available information is in the following table.
| Claimants who flow off jobseeker’s allowance and on to incapacity benefit with mental and behavioural disorders | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. November 2007 data are not available. 3. Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major revision. 4. The table shows the number of people who started an incapacity benefit claim, with a mental and behavioural disorder, within 90 days of flowing off job seeker’s allowance. 5. A monthly breakdown is not available. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Terminations dataset 5 per cent. and Department for Work and Pensions 5 per cent. sample datasets. | |
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people previously in receipt of incapacity benefit have been transferred to contributions-based jobseeker's allowance in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available. [270002]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 22 April 2009]: The available information is in the table.
| Claimants previously in receipt of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance flowing to contribution based jobseeker's allowance in the most recent 12 month period. | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Figures updated to include late notified terminations. 4. Since the data is recorded in three month snapshots, a 90 day window was chosen to make sure that all flows between these benefits were picked up. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate 5 per cent. terminations dataset. | |
Jobseeker’s Allowance
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanisms are in place to inform claimants of contribution-based jobseeker's allowance of (a) the maximum payment period, (b) the date on which entitlement will expire and (c) other benefits to which they may be entitled. [262511]
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.
The Secretary of Stat for Work and for Pensions has asked me to reply to your question regarding the processes that are in place to inform customers claiming contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance of the maximum payment period, the date on which entitlement will expire, and other benefits to which they may be entitled. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Information about entitlement to contribution based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA(C)) is available from a number of sources, including through a range of leaflets and the Jobcentre Plus and Direct Gov websites. In addition, the explanatory notes of all Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claim forms, and the leaflet "Jobseeker's Allowance and getting back to work" which is issued to every person claiming JSA, specifically detail that the maximum payment period for contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance is 182 days.
Customers claiming JSA are kept informed of changes to their benefit by the issue of 'system-generated' notifications as changes occur. When customers have received 165 days of JSA(C), they
are informed by a system generated letter that their entitlement is nearing the maximum payment period. In addition, they are informed when their entitlement has actually expired, and that they may still receive Class 1 National Insurance credits if they continue to attend the Jobcentre and remain available for and actively seeking employment. These notifications ask the customer to contact Jobcentre Plus if they need any further information or if they think the decision is incorrect
If the customer did not apply for income based Jobseekers Allowance JSA(IB) at the outset of their claim, they will be invited to claim once their entitlement to JSA(C) has ended. If the customer decides to claim JSA(IB) they are required to complete a claim form to reassess their entitlement, which will include information about how they can claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, if not already in payment.
Additionally, customers can ask for a 'Better off Calculation' to be carried out at any time during their claim. This calculation will look at a customer's current financial circumstances and their potential entitlement to any other benefits. Information about the 'Better off Calculation' is available via a number of sources, including leaflets and the Jobcentre Plus and Direct Gov websites.
Non-profit Making Associations
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contracts his Department has with social enterprises; and if he will make a statement. [271421]
Jonathan Shaw: Social enterprises are not defined by a particular legal form and as a result are not required to register with any one body or specifically identify themselves as such. Information on how many contracts DWP has with social enterprises is therefore unavailable.
Pension Credit: Overpayments
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff Central of 12 January 2009, Official Report, column 41W, on pension credit: overpayments, how much of the money recovered had originally been overpaid due to (a) fraud, (b) official error and (c) customer error in each month. [252994]
Kitty Ussher: The information is in the following table:
| Pension credit overpayment recovery by classification, 2007-08 | ||||||||||||
| £000 | ||||||||||||
| A pr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | |
| April to September 2008 | ||||||
| £000 | ||||||
| Ap r | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept | |
| Note: April to September 2008 data is indicative only. | ||||||
Fraud classification relates to where the customer has been convicted or admitted fraud, or accepted an administrative penalty.
Other classification includes overpayments that have arisen where the Department has not been advised of a death in time to stop an automated payment into an account, or where an overpayment is identified following death.
Social Security Benefits: Control Orders
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, columns 87-8W, on control orders, how much his Department spent on (a) incapacity benefit, (b) jobseeker's allowance, (c) disability living allowance and (d) income support for individuals subject to control orders in the fourth quarter of 2008. [264687]
Jonathan Shaw: For the period 1 October 2008 to 31 December 2008 the Department for Work and Pensions spent less than £8,000 on those individuals mentioned in Official Report, columns 87-8W.
Unemployment
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of (a) employment vacancies and (b) persons claiming jobseeker’s allowance in each parliamentary constituency. [260120]
Mr. McNulty: The information has been placed in the Library, and provides separate data for unfilled and notified vacancies to give the fullest picture of the number of Jobcentre Plus vacancies in any particular constituency. The labour market is dynamic and many new vacancies are filled so quickly they do not appear in the statistics for live unfilled vacancies, which are based on a snapshot of the vacancies available on a particular day.
The coverage of these figures relates only to Jobcentre Plus notified and unfilled vacancies. Many vacancies come up through other recruitment channels and the proportion accounted for by Jobcentre Plus is likely to vary over time, according to the occupation of the vacancy and industry of the employer, and by local area. Estimates of the number of unfilled job vacancies across the economy as a whole are available from the monthly ONS Vacancy Survey, based on a sample of some 6,000 enterprises. However, the ONS survey is currently designed to provide national estimates only.
In addition, it should be noted that parliamentary constituencies are often a poor match to the area covered by the local labour market. The number and range of jobs available to people within normal travel to work distances often extends well beyond immediate constituency boundaries. For this reason Government statisticians believe that this data should not be used to make assumptions about the availability of vacancies to people living in these constituencies.
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