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8 Feb 2010 : Column 693W—continued
Social Security Benefits: Disabled
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which diseases are in the category of diseases of the genito-urinary system for the purpose of classifying incapacity benefit claims; and how many people claiming incapacity benefit or employment and support allowance have each such disease. [313096]
Jonathan Shaw: The information requested is provided in the following table.
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 an incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits, so for example, the decision for a customer claiming incapacity benefit under the diseases of the genitourinary system category would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities in the personal capability assessment.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of claimants of (a) employment and support allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) severe disablement allowance whose capability for work was limited by obesity in each year since 1997. [313269]
Jonathan Shaw: The detailed classification under which employment and support allowance data will be collected is being developed.
The available information is in the following table.
| Number of claimants of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance with obesity as main disabling condition, GB and Abroad in May of each year from May 1997 to May 2009 | |||
| Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance | Incapacity benefit | Severe disablement allowance | |
| Notes: 1. 100 per cent. figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures for 1997 to 1999 have been derived by applying 5 per cent. proportions to 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study totals and rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Severe disablement allowance figures from May 1997 to May 1999 are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide. 4. 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 incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits, so for example, the decision for a customer claiming incapacity benefit on grounds of obesity would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities in the personal capability assessment. 5. Data by medical condition are not yet available for employment and support allowance claims. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 5 per cent. and 100 per cent. data. | |||
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance claimants there were in (i) the south-west and (ii) Torbay constituency on the latest date for which figures are available. [314621]
Jonathan Shaw: The available information is provided in the following table:
| Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance and employment and support allowance claimants in South West Government office region (GOR) and Torbay parliamentary constituency, May 2009 | ||
| Number | ||
| Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance | Employment and support allowance | |
| Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claimants from 27 October 2008. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate 100 per cent. Longitudinal Study. | ||
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the administrative procedures officials in her Department use in relation to claims made by cancer patients simultaneously for employment and support allowance and disability living allowance; and if she will make a statement. [314933]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 2 February 2010]: Disability living allowance and employment and support allowance are distinct benefits each with their own eligibility criteria which require separate claims.
Entitlement to either benefit is not dependent on a claimant having a particular medical condition. If, however, someone has a progressive disease, which includes cancer, and their death as a result can reasonably be expected within six months, then in addition to being automatically awarded the highest rate care component (or placed in the support group, if claiming employment and support allowance), they are also fast tracked to expedite their claim and consequently the payment of either disability living allowance and/or employment and support allowance. The Department deals with disability living allowance claims such as these within eight working days and aims to make a decision on employment and support allowance claims within five working days.
The Department works closely with stakeholders and charities to improve the claims process.
Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many challenges to determinations made in medical assessment findings by ATOS Medical there have been at tribunals (a) since the start of the ATOS Medical contract and (b) in the last 12 months; and what the cost of such tribunals has been in each case. [311100]
Jonathan Shaw: Decisions about entitlement to benefit are made by Jobcentre Plus and if an appeal is lodged, it is this decision that is appealed.
Data on appeals relating to incapacity benefit claims are not held centrally. Detailed information relating to the work capability assessment for employment and support allowance claims in Great Britain is available at:
A copy is available in the Library. This report contains details of the number of initial assessments carried out since the introduction of employment and support allowance, a breakdown of the result of the assessment, including the fit for work decision and separate information relating to work capability assessment appeals.
Information about the number of work capability assessment appeals is in the table.
| Work Capability Assessment appeals heard on "Fit for Work" decisions-Employment and support allowance claims to December 2008/Appeals heard by end of December 2009 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Includes clerical assessments. 2. Volumes will increase in the coming months as more appeals are processed, giving a more robust picture of appeal volumes and outcomes. It will then be possible to link this information to the Work Capability Assessment data and provide information on proportions appealing. 3. Figure rounded to the nearest hundred. | |
The Appeals Service and related costs fall under the authority of the Ministry of Justice. I am advised that the average cost for completing an appeal against an incapacity benefit/employment and support allowance decision for 2008-09 is £272.
Social Security Benefits: Payments
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of benefits and pensions paid by her Department had payment credited (a) to a pre-paid card, (b) credited to a bank account, (c) credited to a post office card account, (d) credited to a credit card account, (e) credited to another account and (f) and paid by giro on 1 January (i) 2009 and (ii) 2010. [314331]
Helen Goodman [holding answer 29 January 2010]: The full information is not available in the format requested. The latest information that is available is in the following table.
Aside from the Post Office card account, the Department's systems do not differentiate between the type of external accounts that customers choose to use to receive payment of their benefit or pension.
| Number | ||||
| As at August each year | Bank or other account | Post Office card account | Cheque | Total payload accounts |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Total does not sum due to rounding. 2. Figures only relate to accounts live and in payment on the specified date. 3. Data does not include Northern Ireland. 4. Figures refer to payment accounts. Claimants with more than one account will be counted for each account. 5. Child Benefit and War Pensions are no longer administered by DWP and have therefore been excluded. Source: DWP, Information Directorate August 2009. | ||||
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