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10 Nov 2009 : Column 301W—continued
Jobseeker's Allowance: North West
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average duration of a jobseeker's allowance claim was in each local authority area in the North West in each of the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years. [296438]
Jim Knight: The available information has been placed in the Library.
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of jobseeker's allowance claimants in (a) total and (b) each local authority area in the North West had previously applied unsuccessfully for employment support allowance. [296440]
Jim Knight: The information is not available.
Local Government Services
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her Department's policy is on participating in the Total Place initiative with local councils. [298441]
Jonathan Shaw: DWP's policy is to support the Total Place initiative with local councils and to participate in the pilots, in particular those with a focus on DWP's business areas. DWP has put in place appropriate systems to respond to Total Place and DWP Ministers and officials participate in cross-Whitehall governance arrangements. DWP commits to look at the proposals that emerge from the Total Place pilots.
Area initiatives and strategy division co-ordinate the Total Place work within DWP.
Mark Fisher is the Whitehall Champion for the Bradford Total Place pilot.
Relevant DWP directors are meeting with Mark Fisher on the 11 November to consider the emerging proposals from the Total Place pilots.
The DWP working group on Total Place meets monthly and membership consists of officials from across the Department and JCP.
Local Housing Allowance
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of local housing allowance recipients who are in receipt of the local housing allowance rate for a five bedroom property; and what the rate for a five bedroom property is in each (a) local authority area and (b) broad market rental area. [298870]
Helen Goodman [holding answer 9 November 2009]: Information on the number of local housing allowance recipients in receipt of the local housing allowance for a five bedroom property is not available.
Details of local housing allowance rates for broad rental market areas and local authorities, including the rate for a five bedroom property, is available publicly at
https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk
This information is updated by the Valuation Office Agency each month.
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people in receipt of housing allowance are in rent arrears; [299163]
(2) what percentage of people in receipt of (a) rent allowance and (b) housing benefit are in rent arrears. [299164]
Helen Goodman: The information is not available.
Mesothelioma: Death
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have died from mesothelioma in (a) South Tyneside, (b) the north- east and (c) the UK in each year since 2006. [298398]
Jonathan Shaw: The following table shows the number of mesothelioma deaths for South Tyneside, the north-east and for the United Kingdom for 2006 and 2007 (the latest year for which data are available).
| Number | ||
| 2006( 1) | 2007( 1) | |
| (1) Provisional. Sources: 1. Health and Safety Executive; British Mesothelioma Register. 2. Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland; deaths recorded as mesothelioma as primary or secondary cause of death. | ||
New Deal Schemes
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who have received assistance through New Deal schemes to undertake voluntary work or training subsequently entered employment lasting five weeks or longer. [294060]
Jim Knight:
The information is not held in the exact format requested. However the first table shows the number of people (in thousands) who have left the new deal for young people, from periods of voluntary work or training, up to the latest date for which figures are
available. The second table shows the number of people (in thousands) who have left the new deal 25 Plus, from periods of training, up to the latest date for which figures are available.
| Last activity under new deal for young people | Voluntary sector | Full-time education/training |
| Last activity under new deal 25 plus | Training |
| Notes: 1. Figures are displayed in thousands, and rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The destination from new deal is measured within two weeks of leaving new deal, using information from the Work and Pensions longitudinal study (WPLS). 3. The latest available information is to February 2009. 4. A sustained job is defined as a job from which a participant does not return to jobseeker's allowance within 13 weeks. 5. The total for new deal 25 plus training includes those people whose last activity on new deal 25 plus was recorded as 'Basic Employability Training/Basic Skills', 'IAP Training' or 'Education and Training Opportunities'. The new deal for young people and new deal 25 plus are the only schemes which have the options stage. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate. The figures are available at http://research/dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp | |
Social Security Benefits
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to respond to Question 291499, on social security benefits, tabled on 9 October 2009. [297540]
Jim Knight: I replied to the hon. Member's question number 291449 on social security benefits on 2 November 2009, Official Report, column 733W.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the monetary cost to her Department has been of implementing voice risk analysis technology for the detection of benefit fraud in each year since its introduction. [293866]
Jim Knight [holding answer 20 October 2009]: The Department has not yet introduced voice risk analysis technology, but it has been running pilots to test the effectiveness of the technology since 2007-08.
In 2007-08 a total of £460,000 was paid directly to the seven local authorities piloting voice risk analysis, and £240,333 was spent within the Department for Work and Pensions for a pilot conducted in Jobcentre Plus.
In 2008-09 a total of £1,734,314.07 was paid directly to the 24 local authorities involved in the second phase of pilots. This second phase of piloting is due to come to an end in December 2009.
Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many medical examinations for benefit claimants have taken place outside the 13 week assessment phase in the last two years. [295574]
Jonathan Shaw: The 13-week assessment phase is relevant only for employment and support allowance claims and work capability assessments. Therefore this response is based on data from 27 October 2008 when employment and support allowance was introduced.
Between October 2008 and April 2009 the number of work capability assessments where time from claim start to ATOS advice given was greater than 13 weeks was 113,700.
Customers are able to backdate claims to before they first contact Jobcentre Plus to initiate their claim and backdating was on average two weeks for incapacity benefit and it is expected that this will be the same for employment and support allowance. Therefore, the figures above show the technical time between when the claim was made and the completed work capability assessment, but the true time that Jobcentre Plus and ATOS have to work cases may be shorter.
A more accurate reflection of the time taken to pass through the different parts of the process would be determined by taking into account additional factors, such as the time taken to return paperwork, whether a claimant's condition can be assessed on paper-based evidence alone, whether additional evidence is required and whether a claimant attends their initial appointment or it has to be re-scheduled. This information is not currently available but would provide a fuller answer.
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average waiting time was for a medical examination for claimants of employment support allowance in the latest period for which information is available. [295575]
Jonathan Shaw: The latest reliable cohort of employment and support allowance claims were for claims starting in April 2009. We use this cohort to estimate timings for different parts of the assessment process.
Of assessments completed for the April 2009 cohort of employment and support allowance claims, the average time from claim start to the date ATOS advice was provided to Jobcentre Plus is 96 days.
Customers are able to backdate claims to before they first contact Jobcentre Plus to initiate their claim and backdating was on average two weeks for incapacity benefit and it is expected that this will be the same for employment and support allowance. Therefore, the figures above show the technical time between when the claim was made and the completed work capability assessment, but the true time that Jobcentre Plus and ATOS have to work cases may be shorter.
A more accurate reflection of the time taken to pass through the different parts of the process would be determined by taking into account additional factors,
such as the time taken to return paperwork, whether a claimant's condition can be assessed on paper-based evidence alone, whether additional evidence is required and whether a claimant attends their initial appointment or it has to be re-scheduled. This information is not currently available but would provide a fuller answer.
State Retirement Pensions
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of the payment of the basic state pension to all those reaching the state retirement age in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15. [298854]
Angela Eagle: The requested information is not available.
Public expenditure plans only cover the period to 2010-11, and long-term expenditure projections beyond that period are currently being updated.
Final spending plans for departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be set in relation to the final annually managed expenditure (AME) forecast at the time of the next spending review, so that both DEL and AME are contained within the constraints set out for total public sector current expenditure and public sector net investment.
That AME forecast will depend on both the latest economic assumptions, and also on the whole policy framework, reflecting the government's key choices over spending priorities. It is therefore not sensible to release any partial views of AME components or any other DEL or AME allocations until we have been through the spending review process.
Updated long-term expenditure projections are scheduled to be published with the pre-Budget report 2009, at which time the requested information should become available.
Unemployment Benefits
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether her Department plans to provide transitional payments to jobseekers who have found work; and if she will make a statement. [298191]
Jim Knight: The Government offer a comprehensive package of transitional payments, through Jobcentre Plus, to support customers returning to work after claiming benefits.
Job Grants are paid automatically to customers who are leaving benefit after a continuous period of 26 weeks and are starting a job that is expected to last at least five weeks and is for at least 16 hours per week, or 24 hours for partners. There are two rates of payment, £100 for single customers and couples without children and £250 for lone parents and couples with children.
Housing benefit and council tax benefit run on is available for the first four weeks in work, to customers who have been claiming a specified benefit continuously for 26 weeks or more when they, or their partner, start remunerative work expected to last at least five weeks.
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