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11 Nov 2009 : Column 574W—continued
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the cost to her Department of changing its main benefit claim 0845 telephone numbers to 0300 numbers. [294045]
Jim Knight [holding answer 19 October 2009]: The Department uses 0800 numbers for its main benefit claims, and not 0845 numbers, and the Department's policy is that calls to 0800 numbers should be free. The Department has not therefore estimated the costs of changing its 0800 main benefits claims numbers to 0300 numbers.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming (a) incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance, (b) jobseeker's allowance and (c) income support have been in receipt of that benefit for (i) between five and nine, (ii) between 10 and 11 and (iii) 12 years or over. [297866]
Jim Knight: The available information is given in the following table.
| Numbers claiming incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance; jobseeker's allowance; or income support, by duration of claim, as at February 2009: Great Britain | |||
| Five to nine years | 10 to 11 years | 12 years and over | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. For the purposes of presenting the statistics in this table, benefits are arranged hierarchically and claimants are assigned to the topmost benefit which they receive: (i) Jobseeker's Allowance-Claimant of Jobseeker's Allowance. (ii) Incapacity Benefits-Claimant of either Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance. (iii) Other Income Support-Income support claimants who are not also in receipt of Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study | |||
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research her Department has undertaken on couples known as Living Apart Together and its effect on (a) numbers of benefit claims, (b) amount of benefits claimed and (c) incentives to work. [298644]
Jim Knight: The Department regularly undertakes research on customer behaviour and demographic trends to inform its policy making. The Department has not carried out research as to how Living Apart Together would affect the number of benefit claims, amounts of benefits, or work incentives.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many convictions for benefits fraud there have been in the last five years. [299305]
Jim Knight: The available information for both Department for Work and Pensions and local authority administered benefits is provided in the following tables. Information on local authority convictions is not yet available for 2008-09.
| Department for Work and Pensions administered benefits | |
| Number of convictions for benefit fraud offences | |
| Sources: 1. Conviction data for England & Wales are provided by DWP/DH Legal Group. 2. Conviction data for Scotland from Fraud Information by Sector & Fraud Referral and Intervention Management System. | |
| Local authority administered benefits | |
| Number of convictions for benefit fraud offences | |
| Notes: 1. The decision to prosecute is taken by the appropriate local authority. 2. Figures from HOBOD are subject to revision when new or revised data are received from local authorities and uploaded by the Department. Source: Housing Benefit Operational Database (HOBOD) using local authority administrative returns. | |
Social Security Benefits: Greater London
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received Upfront benefit costs in London since the provision was introduced. [298864]
Helen Goodman: To September 2009, 250 individuals in London have received a payment from the Upfront Childcare Fund.
The Upfront Childcare Fund was trialled in the north and north-east London district (excluding Employment
Zone locations) from 28 January 2008. Since April 2008, the Upfront Childcare Fund has been available to qualifying lone parents in the five remaining London districts.
Social Security Benefits: Inverness
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency there were in receipt of each type of benefit in 2008. [297821]
Jim Knight: The available information is in the table.
| Recipients of benefits in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey parliamentary constituency by statistical group, November 2008 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 4. Case load figures for attendance allowance, carer's allowance and disability living allowance include those cases with entitlement but where payment is currently suspended (for example, because of an extended stay in hospital or an overlapping benefit). 5. Statistical group is a hierarchical variable. A person who fits into more than one category will only appear in the top-most one for which they are eligible. For example, a claimant of disability living allowance and jobseeker's allowance would appear in "Jobseeker", not in "Disabled". 6. From November 2008, the "incapacity benefits group" includes employment and support allowance. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. Prior to this, the "incapacity benefits group" referred to claimants of incapacity benefit (including credits only) or severe disablement allowance including people claiming income support on the grounds of incapacity. 7. These statistics are published at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | |
Social Security Benefits: Young People
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many 18 to 21 year-olds in England and Wales received benefits in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009. [295831]
Jim Knight: The available information is in the following tables.
| N umber of 18 to 21 year-olds in England and Wales receiving all benefits | ||||||||
| February 2007 | ||||||||
| Statistical Group | ||||||||
| All | Job Seeker | Incapacity benefits | Lone Parent | Carer | Others on income related benefit | Disabled | Bereaved | |
| February 2008 | ||||||||
| Statistical Group | ||||||||
| All | Job Seeker | Incapacity benefits | Lone Parent | Carer | Others on income related benefit | Disabled | Bereaved | |
| February 2009 | ||||||||
| Statistical Group | ||||||||
| All | Job Seeker | Incapacity benefits | Lone Parent | Carer | Others on income related benefit | Disabled | Bereaved | |
| Notes: 1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. '-' denotes nil or negligible. 3. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 4. Statistical Group is a hierarchical variable. A person who fits into more than one category will only appear in the top-most one for which they are eligible. For example a claimant of Disability Living Allowance and Jobseekers Allowance would appear in "Job Seeker", not in "Disabled". This is not an exhaustive list of benefits and does not include benefits such as child tax credits etc. only the ones that appear in the following list . Jobseekers: Claimant of Jobseeker's Allowance. Incapacity Benefits are recipients of Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance (also includes Disability Living Allowance cases where the claimant is also in receipt of Employment Support Allowance). Lone Parent: Claimants of Income Support (IS) with a child under 16 and no partner. Carer: Claimants of Carer's Allowance. Other on Income Related Benefit: Claimants of other IS (including IS Disability Premium). Disabled: Claimants of Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance or Industrial Injuries benefits. Bereaved: Claimants of Widow's Benefit, Bereavement Benefit or Industrial Death Benefit. 5. Figures for February 2009 include Employment Support Allowance, which was introduced in October 2008 for new claimants. Source: Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) | ||||||||
Tribunals Services: Employment Support Allowance
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding has been allocated to the Tribunals Service to process employment support allowance appeals in 2009-10; and how much has been spent for this purpose in that year. [293043]
Jonathan Shaw: In 2009-10, the Department for Work and Pensions has transferred £3,996,291 to the Tribunals Service to process appeals in relation to employment and support allowance.
DWP does not hold records of in year expenditure by the Tribunals Service, and this could be identified only at disproportionate cost.
Unemployment Benefits
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former claimants of jobseeker's allowance have moved on to (a) pension credit, (b) a training allowance, (c) the self employment credit and (d) a Future Jobs Fund job in each month of the last two years. [297354]
Jim Knight: Data on people who flow off jobseeker's allowance on to pension credit are not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The information requested on people who have flowed off jobseeker's allowance on to training allowance in each month of the last two years is given in the following table.
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