Council Tax: Wales
Mr Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households (a) in each local authority area in Wales and (b) in Wales will have to pay council tax from April as a result of benefit changes for the first time; and how many households (i) in each local authority area in Wales and (ii) in Wales will pay more council tax from April as a result of changes in benefits. [138211]
Steve Webb: This Information is not available. Council tax is a devolved matter and the responsibility of the Welsh Government.
Departmental Responsibilities
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's top three policy implementation (a) successes and (b) failures have been since May 2010. [138387]
Mr Hoban: The policy implementation priorities of the Department for Work and Pensions can be found in the Department's Structural Reform Plan, progress against which is reported on the Government's business plan website:
http://transparency.number10.gov.uk/business-plan
A broader look at implementation progress can be found in the Government's mid-term review document:
http://midtermreview.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
published on 7 January 2013 and the Programme for Government Update:
http://midtermreview.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/programme-for-government-update/
Disability Living Allowance: Tees Valley
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of disability living allowance are resident in each parliamentary constituency in the Tees Valley region. [138730]
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Esther McVey: Statistics on how many claimants of disability living allowance are resident in each parliamentary constituency in the Tees Valley region can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
Guidance for users is available at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
Employment and Support Allowance
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the number of people who as a result of being transferred from severe disablement allowance and incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance will see a reduction in their net income; [138817]
(2) how many people who have transferred from severe disablement allowance and incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance have been paid an additional payment on top of their award. [138833]
Mr Hoban: Claimants who qualify for conversion to employment and support allowance (ESA) and who receive more on existing incapacity benefits than the appropriate ESA rate, will have their existing rate of benefit protected at the point of conversion. They will be awarded additional allowances on a transitional basis (equivalent to the shortfall between the two rates) until the rate of ESA catches up. Information on the number of claimants who receive an additional allowance on a transitional basis could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
If claimants who are eligible for ESA receive less on incapacity benefits than the appropriate ESA rate, their benefit will immediately be increased to the ESA rate on conversion.
Estimates on the number of claimants whose income changes as a result of transferring from incapacity benefits to ESA are not available.
Employment Schemes: Disability
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people accessed employment support through Jobcentre Plus programmes in the most recent period for which data are available. [139926]
Mr Hoban: Disabled people may access employment support through various Jobcentre Plus programmes including Get Britain Working measures, mandatory work activity and skills conditionality, as well as the Work programme and Work Choice.
There were 9,210 Work experience starts for disabled people during the period January 2011 to May 2012
There were 3,460 New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) mentor starts for disabled people during the period April 2011 to May 2012
There were 2,320 Sector-Based Work Academy pre-employment training starts for disabled people during the period August 2011 to May 2012
There were 7,720 Mandatory Work Activity starts for disabled people during the period May 2011 to August 2012
There were 12,610 training starts (part of Skills Conditionality) for disabled people during the period August 2011 to August 2012
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There were 23,770 National Careers Service starts (part of Skills Conditionality) for disabled people during the period August 2011 to August 2012
There were 254,630 Work programme attachments for disabled people during the period June 2011 to July 2012
There were 12,750 Work Choice starts during the period April 2011 to March 2012
Notes:
1. For Work Choice, disability is self-assessed or assessed by a Disability Employment Advisor. For all other schemes, disability is self-assessed.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Sources:
DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate (IGS), DWP LMS opportunities evaluation database June 2012, September 2012 and Work Choice official statistics November 2012
Housing Benefit
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessment he has made of the under-occupancy penalty. [139235]
Steve Webb: Both an impact and an equality impact assessment have been carried out on the effects of the under-occupancy measure on working age claimants in the social rented sector.
The impact assessment can be found at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf
The equality impact assessment is available at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf
Housing Benefit: Disability
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions the Minister for Disabled People has had with social housing representatives on the effects of the new housing benefit rules on disabled people. [139404]
Esther McVey: My ministerial colleagues and I are in regular contact with representatives from a range of organisations including social housing providers.
Our housing reforms will constrain the run-away growth in housing benefit expenditure which reached £23 billion in 2011-12.
From April 2013, social sector tenants of working age will be subject to an under-occupancy deduction. We do not believe that it is reasonable to ask the taxpayer to fund accommodation that is larger than the claimant's household need.
The size criteria rules have been successfully applied to housing benefit claimants renting in the private rented sector for a number of years. From April they will be extended to claimants renting in the social sector.
As a contingency measure we have added a further £30 million to the discretionary housing payment fund to provide additional support for foster carers and disabled people living in significantly adapted homes.
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Housing Benefit: Reserve Forces
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many members of the reserve forces are claimants of housing benefit. [139810]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
ICT
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from local authorities on the integration of council tax and universal credit IT systems. [139255]
Mr Hoban: We are working closely with local authorities and their representatives to understand the impact universal credit will have on them. The Local Authority Data Sharing Programme that the Department has established, has within its remit the sharing of data between universal credit and local authorities to support the administration of localised council tax reduction schemes.
Independent Living Fund
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who will be affected by the closure of the independent living fund. [139115]
Esther McVey: The independent living fund (ILF) currently has 18,773 users. All those who are receiving support from the fund on 31 March 2015 will be affected by its closure.
ILF users have a diverse range of needs and the funding balance between ILF funding and local authorities funding varies significantly. The Government believe that individual local authorities are best placed to ensure these needs are met in a consistent way alongside the needs of the other disabled people. Funding for the ILF will therefore be devolved to local government in England and to the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales.
I am pleased to reassure ILF users that the Government remain fully committed to maintaining current ILF users' care packages up to the end of March 2015. We will continue to work closely with local authorities and the devolved Administrations during the development and implementation of new local support arrangements to ensure that they are adequately funded. This will mean that the needs of current ILF users will continue to be met according to local authority assessments of eligibility in an equitable and consistent way and that anyone who is assessed as needing care will continue to receive it.
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department conducted an impact assessment before announcing the closure of the independent living fund. [139116]
Esther McVey:
The Government carefully considered all the responses to their consultation on the future of the independent living fund. An impact assessment, “Closure of the Independent Living Fund and integration
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of users into the mainstream care and support system” was published on 18 December 2012 alongside the Government's response to the consultation exercise.
Local Government Finance
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what additional support he plans to put in place to assist local authorities during the introduction of universal credit and crisis support schemes. [139907]
Mr Hoban: We are working closely with local authorities and their representatives to understand the impact universal credit will have on them. However we will comply with the New Burdens Doctrine which states that all new burdens on local authorities will be properly assessed and fully funded by the relevant Department.
Pension Protection Fund
Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure that charges incurred by small pension schemes when challenging risk scores are proportionate to the fund's pension protection levy. [139004]
Steve Webb: The Pension Protection Fund charges schemes, whose members would be eligible for PPF compensation payments in the event of employer insolvency, a scheme-based levy and a risk-based levy annually.
The Pensions Act 2004 requires at least 80% of the levy estimated to be raised in the relevant year to be risk-based. This is on the basis that those who are least likely to call on the PPF should pay less. Three elements form the basis of the risk-based levy: scheme underfunding, employer insolvency risk and the risk-based levy scaling factor. The risk-based levy is capped by the PPF to protect the most vulnerable schemes.
For the employer insolvency risk, the PPF uses Dun and Bradstreet, a provider of business information, to calculate each sponsoring employer's “failure score”. The “failure score” indicates the probability of a business failing.
Schemes can contact Dun and Bradstreet to check their employer's failure score, and can appeal failure scores in a three-stage appeal process. There are no charges for making an appeal.
Personal Independence Payment
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost of the armed forces independence payment. [139437]
Esther McVey: Eligible service and ex-service personnel who are awarded the armed forces independence payment will receive the equivalent of the enhanced rate of both components of personal independence payment components. Individuals who choose to accept an armed forces independence payment award will not also be able to claim personal independence payment.
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As eligibility is limited to the most severely injured service and ex-service personnel we expect that the majority would have received equivalent levels of support under personal independence payment and therefore the scheme is broadly cost neutral.
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support his Department makes available for blind and partially-sighted people to help complete application forms for the new personal independence payment; and if he will make a statement. [139514]
Esther McVey: When a claimant telephones to make a new claim to PIP they will be asked if they have any communication needs such as needing large print or Braille. This will be noted on the computer system and letters will be issued in the format requested.
Claimants will be advised that they can ask someone, such as a family member, friend or customer representative group, for example Citizens Advice Bureau, to help them complete the form.
DWP is providing advice and training to support organisations to ensure that they understand how Personal independence payment works so that they can help with form completion.
In addition DWP will provide assistance to vulnerable customers such as this, who are unable to complete the form. In this instance it is expected that this support would be a face-to-face visit from DWP visiting to complete the form on their behalf, if they do not have assistance from family, friends or other support.
Child Poverty
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of children living in (a) absolute poverty, (b) persistent poverty and (c) low-income and material deprivation in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13. [139333]
Esther McVey: The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty (all before housing costs have been taken into account).
The number of children in poverty based on relative, absolute and combined low income and material deprivation measures for 2009-10 and 2010-11, the most recent period for which figures are available can be found in the Households Below Average Income series published at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/hbai2011/index.php?page=contents
The percentage of children in persistent poverty for 2005-08, the most recent period for which figures are available can be found in the Low Income Dynamics report published at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/low_income/low income dynamics 1991-2008.pdf
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The 2011-12 edition of Households Below Average Income is due to be published by the Department of Work and Pensions in May/June 2013.
The Government are not produced forecasts of the number of children living in income poverty for 2012-13. The number of children in poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted, including the median income.
Income matters but considering this in isolation fails to properly reflect the reality of child poverty in the UK today. We are very interested in developing better measurements of child poverty which include income but provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty and are seeking a wide range of views as part of a consultation on how best to measure child poverty.
Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of procurement contracts offered by his Department has been advertised on the Contracts Finder website since that website's inception. [138877]
Mr Hoban: It is explicit departmental commercial policy to comply with Cabinet Office guidance on the publication of tender opportunities as well as final contract documentation. Since 1 January 2011 the Department has made over 600 individual entries on the Contracts Finder website.
At the moment we do not hold a central record indicating the exact proportion of tender opportunities advertised on Contracts Finder. To provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Social Fund: Denbighshire
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration his Department is giving to the request from Denbighshire county council for an additional £250,000 from its Community Care Grant and £750,000 for crisis loans to help the residents of Denbighshire affected by flooding in November 2012. [138834]
Steve Webb: A full response to the matter raised by Denbighshire county council is contained in my letter to the hon. Gentleman dated 23 January 2013, a copy of which will be placed in the House Library.
Social Fund: Staffordshire
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the Discretionary Social Fund (a) data, (b) awards and (c) spend for East Staffordshire local authority for (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09. [139897]
Steve Webb: The Discretionary Social Fund data for East Staffordshire local authority for 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Social Security Benefits
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on protocols for sharing data with local authorities for the purposes of implementing (a) universal credit and (b) other changes to benefits. [139251]
Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pensions recognises the key role that data sharing will play in the successful delivery of changes to the benefits system and has established a local authority data sharing programme. The programme's aims are to ensure that local authorities continue to receive the data they need to successfully administer housing benefit and, from April 2013, localised council tax reduction schemes. Data sharing requirements to support the implementation of universal credit and other changes to benefits also come within the scope of the programme.
The Department for Communities and Local Government are represented on the local authority data sharing programme steering committee (PSC) (as are the Scottish and Welsh Governments) which meets monthly. The two Departments have been working very closely together, both through PSC meetings and through other ad hoc meetings, to ensure that agreed data sharing requirements are delivered as fully as possible.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of levels of (a) literacy and (b) access to computer terminals on implementation of (i) universal credit and (ii) other changes to benefits. [139252]
Mr Hoban: Online access to universal credit and other DWP services is being designed to be compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2, to level AA, with compliance to some AAA guidelines where these are deemed appropriate. This will ensure that online services are accessible to the vast majority of users.
Universal credit is developing all our products using the DWP guidelines for level of literacy required of between nine and 13 years of age and to be compliant with disability legislation. We are also taking the opportunity to simplify the language we use.
We are installing internet access devices in our jobcentres to help support those who do not have home access to the internet. In total this will provide 2,167 new devices for our customers.
Users with lower levels of IT literacy will be catered for by following web usability guidelines and by following a User Centred Design process, where user feedback is integral to the development of the service. Testing will be performed with real end users with a variety of abilities, with their feedback being used to improve the product throughout the project, until an acceptable level of user experience is achieved.
PIP claimants will be interacting through a mix of channels, including researching online, using the phone, completing a detailed form telling us how their disability affects them and attending a face-to-face consultation.
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The introduction of PIP offers an opportunity to work with disability organisations to redesign business processes and facilitate a move to digital. We are engaging with these support groups, staff and claimants to explore what elements of the process should be made available digitally.
As part of the engagement with these groups we are looking at how they can provide more support for claimants using digital channels.
Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of additional benefit claimants there may be by 2016 as a result of the end of transitional immigration controls on Romanian and Bulgarian nationals in January 2014. [140031]
Mr Hoban: It is impossible to accurately forecast likely inflows from Romania and Bulgaria once restrictions are lifted. This will depend on a variety of factors and we need to ensure that free movement rights are not abused. From 1 January 2014 Romania and Bulgarian nationals will have the same benefit entitlement as other migrants who are exercising a right to reside as an EEA worker; self-employed person; or job seeker. There is a legal duty to provide support but we also need to ensure the rules do not allow people to take advantage of benefit system.
This is very different to 2004, when Britain was one of the few countries not to introduce transitional controls on the new EU member states. This time every EU country will be lifting restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian nationals at the same time. In addition Romanian and Bulgarian nationals have already had free movement rights, access to some sectors of the UK labour market, and the ability to enter the UK and work on a self-employed basis.
Social Security Benefits: Uprating
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) proportion of the work force and (b) number of people in work to be affected by the proposed one per cent rise in benefits in each constituency. [136264]
Sajid Javid: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.
It is not possible to provide an answer as there is not a sufficient sample size in the Department for Work and Pension's Policy Simulation Model to break the data down to a constituency level.
There are published data on the number of recipient families receiving child tax credit and working tax credit in each Westminster and Scottish parliamentary constituency at 1 December 2012, including the number of out-of-work recipient families. These can be found in Tables 4 and 4a of the Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Geographical Analyses December 2012:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/prov-geog-stats/cwtc-geog-dec12.xls
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Unemployment: Bolton
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been unemployed in Bolton South East constituency for (a) six, (ii) 12 and (iii) 24 months by (i) ward and (ii) ethnicity. [139661]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested ethnicity, durations and geographies are not available due to small sample sizes.
As an alternative, in Table 1 we have provided the number of persons by ethnicity, claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), in Bolton South East parliamentary constituency for (a) up to 6 months, (b) 6 to 12 months, (c) 12 to 24 months and (d) 24 months and over, for November 2012.
In Table 2 we have provided the number of persons claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for all wards within Bolton South East parliamentary constituency for (a) up to 6 months, (b) 6 to 12 months, (c) 12 to 24 months and (d) 24 months and over, for November 2012.
November 2012 is the latest period for which both ethnicity and ward data are available. The number of people claiming JSA by ethnicity at ward level is not available.
The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around two thirds of the total unemployment level.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1. Number(1) of people by ethnicity claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for (a) up to 6 months, (b) 6 to 12 months, (c) 12 to 24 months, and (d) over 24 months, in Bolton South East parliamentary constituency, November 2012 | ||||
| Ethnicity(2) | Up to 6 months | 6 to 12 months | 12 to 24 months | 24 months and over |
| (1) Note data rounded to the nearest 5. (2) Ethnicity data is only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7% of all claims. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System | ||||
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| Table 2. Number(1, 2 )of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for (a) up to 6 months, (b) 6 to 12 months, (c) 12 to 24 months, and (d) over 24 months, for all wards within Bolton South East parliamentary constituency, November 2012 | ||||
| Up to 6 months | 6 to 12 months | 12 to 24 months | 24 months and over | |
| (1) Note data rounded to the nearest 5. (2) Data is only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7% of all claims. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System | ||||
Universal Credit
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of monthly amendments required to the IT system supporting universal credit; what estimate he has made of the average monthly cost of administering such changes; whether the amendments will be made automatically; and from which budget the funds for such operations will be drawn. [139236]
Mr Hoban: We have not concluded our analysis of the likely number of changes which will be required once the universal credit IT system goes live. As a result, we are unable to provide details of likely cost, or the manner in which changes will be made.
Once we have finished our IT testing programme we will have an indication of the level of change, and the support required to maintain the IT system in the future.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the ease of use of the universal credit IT system by benefit claimants. [139239]
Mr Hoban: Universal credit has developed its online user interface using a blue print which includes customer insight and work to determine claimant needs. The design has been user tested through a research company and through our own people and existing claimants in order to continually improve and create an easy-to-use online service.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what additional funding his Department is making available to local authorities to assist the introduction of universal credit and other benefit changes. [139593]
Mr Hoban: We are working closely with local authorities and their representatives to understand the impact universal credit will have on them. However we will comply with the New Burdens Doctrine which states that all new burdens on local authorities will be properly assessed and fully funded by the relevant Department.
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Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a parent with a dependent child aged 13 or over is at risk of sanction under universal credit rules if there are no jobs available locally that are compatible with their caring responsibilities; and if he will make a statement. [139927]
Mr Hoban: By age 13, virtually every child has moved to senior school and the family will have made adjustments to this next stage of a child's life. However, the responsible carer of a child aged 13 or over may have the hours that they are expected to undertake work-related activities and be available to undertake paid work, tailored to the specific care needs they have in relation to the child. These claimants will need to show that the restricted hours still offer reasonable prospects of finding paid employment.
In establishing whether a claimant has “reasonable prospects” of obtaining paid work, we will consider whether the claimant is restricting the hours they are available to such an extent that no jobs in the local labour market would be compatible with those restrictions.
A claimant is expected to do all that is reasonably possible to fit in responsibilities with employment on offer. Where there are no current vacancies that fit with the claimant's caring responsibilities in their particular locality, the adviser will consider whether nevertheless the claimant is doing all that they can to give themselves reasonable prospects of finding work when it becomes available in their locality. If so, the restrictions will be permitted. Each case will be considered on its own merits taking all the individual circumstances into account.
If, after considering the matters set out above, a claimant is required to look for work or to apply for a particular vacancy they will only receive a sanction if they fail to meet that requirement without good reason. When determining good reason, a decision maker will take all the claimant's circumstances into account including the availability of child care and the nature and hours of work of a particular vacancy.
Welfare State: Northern Ireland
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of progress in his ongoing discussions with the Minister for Social Development in Northern Ireland on the flexibilities required in respect of welfare reform; and if he will make a statement. [140102]
Mr Hoban: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), is content that my noble Friend, Lord Freud, continues to support the Minister for Social Development to enact welfare reform implementation in Northern Ireland as it works through its Welfare Reform Bill.
Welfare Tax Credits
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what change there has been in the average amount of tax credits claimed by individuals over the last five years. [139276]
Sajid Javid: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.
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This information is not yet available for 2011-12. The average annual tax credit entitlement among recipient families in each of the five years from 2006-07 to 2010-11 is shown in the table:
| Average annual tax credit entitlement (£) | |
Work Capability Assessment
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2012, Official Report, column 388W, on work capability assessment, how many work capability assessment reassessments took place within (a) three months, (b) six months, (c) nine months, (d) 12 months, (e) 15 months, (f) 18 months and (g) more than 18 months of the claimant's previous work capability assessment in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [138692]
Mr Hoban: The following table shows the duration between the date of decision by the Department’s decision maker at the initial work capability assessment (WCA) and the date of decision by the Department’s decision maker at the second WCA. The table shows all claims with repeat decisions taken on them in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) between January and May 2012 (the latest data available).
| Duration between decision maker decision at initial WCA and decision maker decision at first repeat WCA | |||
| Year of decision on second WCA | |||
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 (January-May) | |
| Source: The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. | |||
All volumes are rounded to the nearest 10. Hence totals may not sum exactly.
The number of repeat assessments in 2010 is lower than in subsequent years, as ESA had only been introduced in October 2008 and therefore the caseload was lower in earlier years. Therefore one would expect an increase in repeat assessments over time.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2012, Official Report, column 388W, on work capability assessment, how many claimants in each category were in the support group at the time of their reassessment. [138698]
Mr Hoban:
The following table shows the duration between the date of decision by the Department’s decision maker at the initial Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and the date of decision by the Department's decision
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maker at the second WCA for claims where the claimant was placed in the Support Group at their initial WCA (including those placed in the Support Group after appeal). The table shows all claims with repeat decisions taken on them up to May 2012 (the latest data available).
Some people placed in the Support Group are expected to see a change in their health and capability for work related activity or work soon after their first WCA and therefore are given short prognosis periods and thus re-tested soon. This ensures that people are not written off on to benefits because they have a health condition or impairment.
| Repeat assessments for those placed in the Support Group at initial WCA (adjusted for appeals heard) and duration between initial and first repeat WCA | |
| Number | |
| Note: All volumes are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. | |
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have undertaken a work capability assessment to date; and how many such people secured a positive score on (a) physical descriptors only, (b) mental descriptors only and (c) both physical and mental descriptors. [139923]
Mr Hoban: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). The latest statistics were released in January 2013 and can be found here:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
Statistics on incapacity benefits reassessment were released in November 2012 and can be found here:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_ibr
For new ESA claims starting between October 2008 and May 2012, there have been 1,437,600 initial WCAs completed.
Claimants can be placed in the Support Group if they meet certain additional requirements, separate from any points scored at the WCA; or after a successful appeals tribunal. They may also be placed in the WRAG based on reasons other than the points recommendation made by Atos:
if they are treated as having a limited capability for work due to medical reasons;
if the DWP DM assesses the evidence differently to the Atos HCP;
after a successful appeals tribunal.
In addition some WCAs are conducted clerically and as such data on the points scored are not available.
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In total 451,400 WCA outcomes were awarded for reasons other than the points scored at the initial WCA.
Of the remaining WCAs where claimants who were either found fit for work or placed in the Work Related Activity Group following the WCA:
(a) 199,700 were awarded points against physical descriptors only;
(b) 158,500 were awarded points against mental descriptors only;
(c) 32,800 were awarded points against both the mental and physical descriptors;
(d) 595,300 either scored zero points at the WCA or information on the points scored at the WCA is missing.
For the same dates there have been 681,500 repeat WCAs on ESA claims. In total 403,400 WCA outcomes were awarded for reasons other than the points scored at the initial WCA.
Of the remaining WCAs where claimants who were either found fit for work or placed in the Work Related Activity Group following the WCA:
(a) 68,300 were awarded points against physical descriptors only;
(b) 64,600 were awarded points against mental descriptors only;
(c) 17,000 were awarded points against both the mental and physical descriptors;
(d) 128,200 either scored zero points at the WCA or information on the points scored at the WCA is missing.
Equivalent information is not available for IB reassessment WCA outcomes.
All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. Note that the above figures may not sum exactly to totals shown due to rounding.
Work Capability Assessment: Sunderland
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Sunderland Central constituency have undergone a work capability assessment; how many such people appealed against the results of their assessments; and how many appeals were successful to date. [139599]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not available.
Work Programme
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Work programme have been placed on zero-hour contracts in (a) the UK, (b) the north-east and (c) Sunderland. [139011]
Mr Hoban: The Department does not hold information on the number of people on the Work programme who have been placed on zero-hour contracts.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of those who have found work through the Work programme (a) had been unemployed for (i) over three years, (ii) between two and three years and (iii) between one and two years, (b) had been identified as having a drug or alcohol addiction or diagnosed with a mental health condition and (c) were functionally illiterate immediately before joining the programme. [139248]
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Mr Hoban: Statistics on those who have found work through the Work programme are not available.
Statistics on how many job outcomes have been claimed by Work programme providers can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
Guidance for users can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) with reference to the report by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) entitled The Work Programme: What is the role of skills? published in December 2012, whether he plans to accept NIACE's recommendation that he should commission research on the impact of skills interventions on the ability of Work programme participants to secure and sustain employment; [139924]
(2) whether he plans to respond to the recommendation made in December 2012 by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education that his Department should regularly publish details of the skills provision accessed by Work programme participants. [139925]
Mr Hoban: We will consider the recommendations made in the NIACE report.
Xerox Corporation
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Xerox in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [138033]
Mr Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions awarded no contracts to Xerox in 2010, 2011 or 2012.
Health
Ambulance Services
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Hull and East Yorkshire Ambulance Service. [139769]
Anna Soubry: The ambulance service covering the Hull and East Yorkshire area is covered by Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) National Health Service Trust. All ambulance services are performance measured against three standards for ambulance response times and each trust should perform above all three standards over the year. The latest published data cover November 2012 and show YAS National Health Service Trust is performing appropriately against two of the three standards. The Department monitors ambulance trust performance closely, and will ensure the relevant strategic health authority takes appropriate action to improve performance where a trust is operating below standard.
Beef: Horse Meat
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the recently discovered products contaminated with horse meat were (a) frozen and (b) fresh. [138975]
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Anna Soubry: The 27 beefburger products surveyed by Food Safety Authority Ireland to detect the presence of equine or porcine DNA were frozen.
Cancer
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate his Department has made of the funding that will be available for the National Cancer Peer Review Programme in each year up to 2016; [139575]
(2) in which NHS organisation staff responsible for the National Cancer Peer Review Programme will be located from April 2013. [139576]
Anna Soubry: Funding to support the National Cancer Peer Review Programme (NCPR) is provided through what is called the Strategic Health Authority (SHA) bundle. In 2012-13, the Department identified an amount of £2.385 million in the bundle to support the NCPR, based on an estimate of the funding required to deliver this programme of work. NHS London SHA manages the NCPR bundle line and it is responsible for deciding how much funding is allocated to the NCPR programmes.
From 1 April 2013, peer review will be overseen by the new NHS improvement body and decisions about funding to support peer review will be the responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board.
Depression: Young People
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the work and research of Dr Martin Seligman on depression in pubescent teenagers. [139275]
Norman Lamb: The Department has no such plans.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence takes account of the available research evidence when developing guidance on the treatment of particular conditions.
Health Services: North West
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on survival rates of implementation of the vascular services review in Lancashire and Cumbria. [139703]
Anna Soubry: Decisions about local services are a matter for the local national health service. The Department has therefore made no assessment of the effect of implementation of the vascular services review in Lancashire and Cumbria.
Vascular services are being reviewed locally across England in response to robust evidence, which shows that better patient outcomes are achieved when complex procedures, such as vascular surgery, are provided by units which treat higher volumes of patients.
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Health: Debts
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the potential effect on the (a) physical and (b) mental health of individuals of higher levels of debt. [139241]
Norman Lamb: No such discussions have taken place.
The links between worklessness and mental ill-health are well established. The Foresight Report ‘Mental Capital and Wellbeing’, published by the Government Office of Science highlighted the link between mental ill-health and social factors, particularly debt. A copy of the report is available at the following link:
www.bis.gov.uk/foresight/our-work/projects/published-projects/mental-capital-and-wellbeing/reports-and-publications
Through provisions in the Financial Services Act, which received royal assent on 19 December, the Government have clarified the role of the Money Advice Service so that it is required to work with other organisations which provide debt services, with a view to improving the availability, quality and consistency in the services available, in the way in which they are provided and in the advice given.
Homeopathy
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of (a) the appropriateness of NHS funding of homeopathy and (b) scientific evidence that homeopathy is a placebo. [140069]
Anna Soubry: The Department has not made any such assessments of homeopathy.
It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to make decisions on the commissioning and funding of any health care treatments for NHS patients, such as homeopathy, taking account of their safety, efficacy and clinical and cost-effectiveness and the availability of suitably qualified practitioners.
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Hospitals: Waiting Lists
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the longest waiting time in days for patients in (a) England and (b) London was for each of the following hospital procedures in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12 (A) fibreoptic endoscopic examination of upper gastrointestinal tract and biopsy of lesion of upper gastrointestinal tract, (B) computed tomography of head, (C) insertion of prosthetic replacement for lens NEC, (D) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of bladder, (E) computerised tomography NEC, (F) continuous intravenous infusion of therapeutic substance NEC, (G) unspecified diagnostic fibreoptic endoscopic examination of upper gastrointestinal tract, (H) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of colon, (I) diagnostic fibreoptic endoscopic examination of colon and biopsy of lesion of colon and (J) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of lower bowel using fibreoptic sigmoidoscope; [140062]
(2) if he will publish figures for London in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 on (i) total finished consultant episodes, (ii) mean waiting time and (iii) median waiting time for each of the following hospital procedures (A) fibreoptic endoscopic examination of upper gastrointestinal tract and biopsy of lesion of upper gastrointestinal tract, (B) computed tomography of head, (C) insertion of prosthetic replacement for lens NEC, (D) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of bladder, (E) computerised tomography NEC, (F) continuous intravenous infusion of therapeutic substance NEC, (G) unspecified diagnostic fibreoptic endoscopic examination of upper gastrointestinal tract, (H) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of colon, (I) diagnostic fibreoptic endoscopic examination of colon and biopsy of lesion of colon and (J) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of lower bowel using fibreoptic sigmoidoscope. [140063]
Anna Soubry: The Department does not collect these data for individual procedures. The information available for these procedures from the National Health Service Information Centre is shown in the following tables:
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