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21 July 2009 : Column 1286W—continued
Future Jobs Programme
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans she has to evaluate the effectiveness of the (a) Future Jobs Programme and (b) Young Person's Guarantee. [288704]
Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions will assess the implementation and impact of the Young Persons Guarantee, including the Future Jobs Fund. The key aim of the evaluation will be to understand the impact that the package has had on getting customers into sustained work and off benefits. We will monitor delivery against key performance and success measures during the programme and an overall assessment will be conducted at the programme's end.
Glasgow
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether she plans to visit Glasgow on official business during the summer Adjournment. [288939]
Yvette Cooper: At present I have no such plans.
Housing Benefit
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will commission research into the effect of local housing allowance on vulnerable tenants who find it difficult to manage their personal finances. [288282]
Helen Goodman: The Department has committed to completing a review of the local housing allowance (LHA) scheme over a two-year period, starting from the commencement of its roll-out in April 2008. The aim of the review is to monitor the impact of the LHA at a national level, against the original LHA policy objectives.
The review will include a qualitative study of tenants and advisers, which will consider the impact of LHA on tenants who find it difficult to manage their finances. Safeguards are in place that enable local authorities to make payments of LHA to the landlord in circumstances where tenants are in arrears or where they are likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for reassessment for housing benefit from (a) council tenants, (b) private tenants and (c) housing association tenants were made in each quarter in each of the last five years. [288751]
Helen Goodman: The latest available information is in the table. The question asked for numbers of applications for reassessment for housing benefit. The figures supplied relate to the number of changes of circumstances reported by customers and decided by local authorities.
| Quarter ending | Local authority tenants | Private tenants | Housing Association tenants |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded the figures to the nearest 1,000. 2. Quarterly Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Administration Data Quarterly Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit administration data are supplied to DWP by local authorities and are un-audited. | |||
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of applications for reassessment for housing benefit resulted in a reduction in payments in each quarter of the last five years; and what the average (a) increase and (b) decrease was in reassessed housing benefits claims. [288752]
Helen Goodman: The information requested is not available.
Housing Benefit: Morecambe
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency were in receipt of housing benefit on the latest date for which figures are available. [287995]
Helen Goodman: Housing benefit information is not available at constituency level.
Incapacity Benefit
Hugh Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) the UK, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) York (i) applied for
incapacity benefit, (ii) were required to attend a personal capability assessment, (iii) had their incapacity benefit refused following an assessment and (iv) had their incapacity benefit reinstated following a review or appeal in the latest 12-month period for which information is available. [283108]
Jonathan Shaw: The available information covering Great Britain is provided in the following tables. Information is not available on the number of people who had their incapacity benefit award reinstated following a review or appeal in the last 12 months.
| Incapacity benefit applications received June 2008 to May 2009 | |
| Number | |
| Note: York Benefit Delivery Centre processes incapacity benefit applications for North Yorkshire area. Source: Jobcentre Plus Management Information System Programme. | |
| People required to attend a Personal Capability Assessment from June 2008 to May 2009 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Not all applications for incapacity benefit will require a Personal Capability Assessment. 2. The figures given for York include all those postcodes commencing with YO. Source: Commercial Employment Provision. | |
The number of assessments is greater than the number of applications received for the same period. This is because it includes all current incapacity benefit recipients who were required to have an assessment.
| Incapacity benefit claims terminated for failing a Personal Capability Assessment/Own Occupation Test between December 2007 and November 2008 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Figures do not include any late notifications and are subject to change. 2. Figures rounded to nearest 100. 3. Figures for York not provided as nil or negligible due to small sampling size. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate five per cent. Samples. | |
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of incapacity benefit are receiving age-related additional payments; how many such recipients experienced a reduction in the monetary value of such additions in April 2009; and what the total monetary value was of the reductions in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2008-09. [286093]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 13 July 2009]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison) on 16 March 2009, Official Report, column 866W.
Mr. Harper:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work-focused interviews her Department plans to conduct for recipients of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support
allowance aged between (i) 18 and 24, (ii) 25 and 49 and (iii) 50 and 64 years old in each of the next two years. [288621]
Jonathan Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead, (Mrs. May) on 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 70W.
From October 2009 we plan to provide three work-focused interviews to existing incapacity benefits claimants under the age of 25 in Jobcentre Plus-led Pathways to Work areas. We estimate that there will be 28,000 individuals in this group.
From October 2010 we shall be providing existing incapacity benefit claimants aged 25 to 49 with three work-focused interviews as they migrate to employment and support allowance. Those aged over 50 will receive one work-focused interview, also on migration.
New customers to employment and support allowance from October 2010 will receive quarterly work-focused interviews as well as the six-monthly work-focused interviews that current employment and support allowance customers receive.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claimants of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance, are recorded as receiving the benefit and not making a job start after having attended (i) one work-focused interview, (ii) two or three work-focused interviews, (iii) between four and six work-focused interviews and (iv) more than six work-focused interviews. [288622]
Jonathan Shaw: This information could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate her Department has made of the average cost of conducting a work-focused interview for a claimant of either incapacity benefit or employment and support allowance; and how many work-focused interviews have been undertaken for (a) existing incapacity benefit claimants and (b) new employment and support allowance claimants in each month of the last three years for which figures are available. [288623]
Jonathan Shaw: The estimated cost of conducting a work-focused interview for a claimant of either incapacity benefit or employment and support allowance within Jobcentre Plus is £35. This does not include the costs of any subsequent work-focused provision that a claimant may be referred to.
Information on the number of work-focused interviews conducted could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
Incapacity Benefit: Morecambe
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency received incapacity benefit in the latest period for which figures are available. [287836]
Jonathan Shaw: The available information is in the following table.
| Number of people receiving incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance in Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Figures rounded to nearest 10. 2. Data cover quarter ending November 2008. Source: Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data | |
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