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20 Oct 2009 : Column 1344W—continued
Once the Child Support Agency has received the payment from the non-resident parent's employer, the average length of time it takes the Agency to process the payment and pass it on to the parent with care is one day. Cash and postal orders can be passed on to the parent with care on the same day as they are received into the Agency's bank. Many automated methods of payment such as child maintenance received from the non-resident parent by direct debit are forwarded once the banking system has cleared the funds. In these cases the parent with care receives maintenance three days later on average. This process takes longer if payments are made to the parent with care by cheque.
It should be noted that employers are required to pass on maintenance deducted from employee's earnings by the nineteenth day of the following month, parents with care may therefore experience a delay in receiving their first payment.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Employment and Support Allowance
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the average (a) cost of carrying out and (b) time taken to carry out a work capability assessment for the employment support allowance; and if she will make a statement. [294032]
Jonathan Shaw: It is not possible to supply the cost of medical examinations. This is because if the information was disclosed it would prejudice the commercial interests of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and/or Atos Healthcare IT Services Ltd., the Medical Services contractor. This falls under the exemption in section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act.
The time taken to carry out a work capability assessment (WCA) for employment support allowance varies dependant on the customer's medical condition. This is because the examining health care professional's (HCPs) aim is to obtain the necessary information that is required by the Decision Maker, whose task it is to make the decision on benefit entitlement. The examination will therefore take as long as necessary to obtain sufficient information for the purpose of determining entitlement to benefit.
Incapacity Benefit: Appeals
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2009, Official Report, columns 1287-8, on incapacity benefit, what proportion of incapacity benefit claimants in (a) the UK and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber who had their claims terminated for failing a personal capability assessment/own occupation test between December 2007 and November 2008 (i) appealed and (ii) had their benefit reinstated on appeal. [290005]
Jonathan Shaw: The information is not held centrally.
Incapacity Benefit: Employment Support Allowance
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants in each region she estimates will be migrated to employment support allowance in each quarter until 2013; and if she will make a statement. [293578]
Jonathan Shaw: The information requested is not available.
We are still making detailed plans for the migration of existing incapacity benefits claimants to employment and support allowance.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many assessors (a) there are and (b) there are expected to be in 2010 to assess (i) existing incapacity benefits claimants and (ii) new employment and support allowance claimants; and if she will make a statement. [293582]
Jonathan Shaw: Currently there are 526 health care professionals who are fully trained to undertake incapacity benefit (IB) medical examinations and 687 health care professionals trained to undertake employment and support allowance (ESA) medical examination. I can advise that Atos Healthcare are undertaking a training programme to enable health care professionals to undertake both IB and ESA medical examinations.
Projected figures relating to the expected HCP resources for the year 2010 are currently not available.
Industrial Diseases: Compensation
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of claimants for industrial disease claims for coalminers beat knee and osteoarthritis were refused a claim in the first three months of eligibility of claim for medical assessment. [292765]
Jonathan Shaw: Information on the number of disallowed claims for prescribed disease A6 (beat knee) is not available.
The number of cases for osteoarthritis of the knee decided following a medical examination was 375. Of these 234 were either refused industrial injuries disablement benefit (IIDB) or refused an increase in IIDB. This equates to 62 per cent. of claimants.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment her Department has made of the incidence of coactivity in claimants when assessing industrial disease claims for coalminers beat knee and osteoarthritis. [292766]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions has made no specific assessment of the incidence of coactivity in industrial disease claims for coalminers beat knee and osteoarthritis. The medical assessment in these claims would assess all the relevant loss of faculty and resulting disability from osteoarthritis of the knee or beat knee or both.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what health assessment process her Department uses to assess industrial disease claims for coalminers beat knee and osteoarthritis. [292767]
Jonathan Shaw: Following receipt of a claim, a Jobcentre Plus decision maker will decide whether the claimant satisfies the occupational criteria for the prescribed disease. If the prescription is satisfied, a referral is made to Atos Healthcare who will request any previous X-rays and/or any relevant hospital letters relating to the condition. All claimants are subsequently examined by a doctor working for Atos Healthcare. The doctor will, through a combination of history and examination findings, provide advice to the decision maker as to whether the condition is diagnosed, and if it is, on the level of disablement with reference to a person of the same age and sex whose physical and mental condition is normal.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what use her Department makes of the WOMAC index questionnaire in assessing industrial disease claims for coalminers' beat knee and osteroarthritis. [292768]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions does not use the WOMAC index questionnaire in assessing coalminers' beat knee and osteoarthritis.
Jobcentre Plus: Manpower
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many dedicated mental health experts are working in the Jobcentre Plus network. [294500]
Jonathan Shaw: 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, dated October 2009:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many dedicated mental health experts are working in the Jobcentre Plus network. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
We are introducing the post of Mental Health Coordinator within each Jobcentre Plus District. We currently have 42 coordinators in post, with a further six to take up post in November. It is not our advisers' nor that of the Mental Health Coordinators' role to be expert in mental health conditions. However, the coordinators have an important role in improving and facilitating links between local mental health organisations and employment services. They also ensure that Jobcentre Plus advisers are aware of the mental health support available in their district for those customers who would benefit.
Pensioners: Poverty
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate she has made of the number of pensioners living in poverty in Leeds West constituency; and if she will make a statement. [293939]
Angela Eagle: Estimates of poverty, published in the Households Below Average Income series, only allows a breakdown of the overall number of people in poverty at Government office region level. Therefore, information for Leeds, West constituency is not available.
Latest information for Yorkshire and the Humber Government office region, is based on three-year averages and is provided in the following table:
Pensions: Costs
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the effect on the Exchequer of a change in the eligibility age for the state retirement pension for (a) men and (b) women to (i) 66, (ii) 67 and (iii) 68 years. [293621]
Angela Eagle: Estimates of the net savings from increasing State Pension age for men and women to 66, 67 and 68 as part of the additional benefit spend of the overall package of reforms in the 2007 Pension Act package of reforms can be found in the pension reform factsheet. The relevant tables are Figure 16 (spend in cash terms), Figure 19 (spend in 2007-08 prices terms) and Figure 22 (spend in per cent. of GDP terms). A copy of the factsheet has been placed in the House of Commons Library and is also available at the following link:
Work Capability Assessment
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the likely effect of the new Work Capability Assessment on the proportion of existing incapacity benefit claimants expected to (a) pass the assessment and move into the work-related activity group of the employment and support allowance, (b) pass the assessment and move into the support group of the employment and support allowance and (c) fail the assessment when they are reassessed between 2010 and 2013. [290731]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 9 September 2009]: When the new Work Capability Assessment is applied to existing incapacity benefits claimants, our initial estimates are that overall, around 65 per cent. will be assessed to be in the work-related activity group of employment and support allowance, 20 per cent. will be assessed to be in the support group, and 15 per cent. will be disallowed employment and support allowance.
These are working assumptions that will continue to be evaluated and updated in light of new evidence.
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of applicants in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland (i) failed and (ii) failed with no points the work capability assessment in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many of those in each category had their employment support allowance re-instated after appeal. [293042]
Jonathan Shaw:
National level statistics on the work capability assessment covering Great Britain were published on 13 October 2009 and are available via the ONS
publication hub. A copy of the publication has been placed in the Library and can be accessed directly on the following website:
The published data summarises work capability assessment results for employment support allowance claims up to the end of February 2009. The Department does not assess people on the basis of passing or failing the work capability assessment. At the work capability assessment people can be assessed as falling into one of three categories:
Support group (for those with severe disabilities)-they receive a higher rate of benefit entitlement overall and exemption from mandatory involvement with pathways;
Work related activity group-they receive higher rate of benefit than those on jobseeker's allowance and are mandated to engage with Pathways to Work;
Fit for work-individuals can ask for a reconsideration or appeal if they disagree with the decision.
The following table summarises the published figures for Great Britain and the equivalent figures for Scotland.
| ESA on-flows October 2008 to February 2009 by result of medical assessment | ||||
| Great Britain | Scotland | |||
| Work capability result | Volumes | Percentage | Volumes | percentage |
| Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 | ||||
Home Department
62 South Eaton Place
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the home information pack for 62 South Eaton Place was updated to reflect the fact that the freehold was being sold with the leasehold. [293112]
Mr. Woolas: The Department has served notice under the Leasehold Reform Act to acquire the freehold to merge with its leasehold interest of 62 South Eaton Place so as to achieve better value for money on its outright disposal. Until the freehold is acquired the home information pack cannot be amended.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a property information questionnaire has been produced as part of the home information pack for 62 South Eaton Place. [294083]
Mr. Woolas: There was no legal requirement to prepare a property information questionnaire with the home information pack for 62 South Eaton Place. The sale particulars and supporting information held by the selling agent has met the requirements of prospective purchasers.
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