Social Security Benefits
Sir Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claims were submitted for each benefit in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many claimants applied for such benefits; and what estimate he has made of the number of claimants who applied for more than one benefit in that period. [160939]
Mr Hoban: The number of benefit claims that were received for each benefit in each of the last 12 months are shown in the following table:
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| Table (a): Benefit claims received | ||||||||
| Number | ||||||||
| AA | CA | DLA | ESA | IS | JSA | PC | SP | |
We are unable to provide an estimate of the number of claimants who applied for such benefits or the number of claimants who applied for more than one benefit as our management information systems do not report this level of detail and to do so would be at disproportionate cost.
Source:
Management Information System Programme (MISP). MISP is a departmental performance management, data capture and reporting tool. This type of internal management information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's Code of Practice.
Department for Work and Pensions—RDA60201 report—Disability Living Allowance Management Information Statistics.
Sir Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that claimant data can be shared when two or more separate benefit claims are made by the same claimant. [160990]
Mr Hoban: The Department has robust checks in place to protect benefit systems against fraud.
When a benefit claim is made, our Department's IT systems can identify duplicate claims where there is shared information such as national insurance number, address or date of birth. We also data match with HMRC and local authorities to ensure information is consistent.
Claimants to benefit need to prove their identity at a number of intervention points, including at the start of their claim to benefit and during any ongoing contact with the Department. This process includes document examination checks to ensure the authenticity of any documentary evidence provided in support of an application; and corroborative checks with third parties, including other Government Departments, to verify information supplied.
The Department is developing an Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service (IRIS), which will be a central hub of data and intelligence to support counter-fraud activity, and also to reduce error. Stage 1 IRIS went live along with the Universal Credit Pathfinder on 29 April.
Social Security Benefits: Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who claim (a) employment and support allowance, (b) disability living allowance and (c) incapacity benefit have alcoholism or drug abuse as their main disabling condition. [161489]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA), employment support allowance (ESA) and disability living allowance (DLA) recipients with alcoholism and/or drug abuse recorded as the main disabling condition—Great Britain, November 2012 | |||
| Alcoholism | Drug abuse | Alcoholism and drug abuse | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10."—" denotes not applicable. 2. To qualify for incapacity benefit claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work called a personal capability assessment. Under the employment support allowance regime, new claimants have to undergo the work capability assessment. From April 2011 incapacity benefit recipients began also to undertake this assessment. The medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefit or employment support allowance. So, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming IB or ESA on the basis of drug abuse would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities assessed by the personal/work capability assessment; or on the effects of any associated mental health problems. 3. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 4. Medical condition is based on evidence provided at the start of the claim, this in itself does not confer entitlement to IB/SDA or ESA and may not represent a claimants most recent medical condition. Please also note that where someone has more than one diagnosis or disabling condition only the predominant one is currently recorded. 5. DLA case loads give the number of people in receipt to DLA and so excludes people where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 6. A diagnosed medical condition does not mean that someone is automatically entitled to DLA. Entitlement is dependent on an assessment of how much help someone needs with personal care and/or mobility because of their disability. For example, a customer would not be awarded DLA on the basis of a diagnosis of drug/alcohol abuse the decision is based upon the care/supervision and difficulty getting around as a result of the substance dependency and any associated physical or psychological complications. These statistics are only collected for administrative purposes. 7. For DLA it is not possible to break down drug abuse or alcoholism into separate categories. Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS | |||
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Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the likely number of (a) personal independence payment and (b) employment and support allowance claimants in 2017 with alcoholism or drug abuse as their main disabling condition. [161490]
Mr Hoban: We do not forecast numbers of claimants by medical condition.
Social Security Benefits: Drugs
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people claiming (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) income support are problem drug users; [161487]
(2) if he will estimate expenditure on benefit claimants who are problem drug users. [161488]
Mr Hoban: The information concerning the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance or income support who are problem drug users is not readily available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
We cannot therefore provide complete estimates of expenditure for benefit claimants who are problem drug users for these benefits. In addition disability living allowance is only available jointly for alcoholism and drug abuse categories. The information we have is included in the following table:
| £ million | ||
| Expenditure 2011-12 | ||
| Drug users | All | |
| Notes: 1. Severe disablement allowance is included alongside incapacity benefit. 2. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £100,000. 3. Expenditure below £50,000 is shown as #. 4. Incapacity benefit began to be replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. employment and support allowance also replaced income support for those in receipt of incapacity benefit or incapacity national insurance credits. Information on income support spending is not included in this analysis. 5. Medical condition is based on evidence provided at the start of the claim. This in itself does not confer entitlement to the benefit and may not represent a claimant's most recent medical condition. Please also note that where someone has more than one diagnosis or disabling condition, only the predominant one is currently recorded. 6. May not add due to rounding. | ||
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people employed in (a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which he is responsible have been convicted of benefit fraud. [161083]
Mr Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions treats fraud of the benefits system extremely seriously and does not tolerate any fraud by employees. We have rigorous processes for preventing and detecting fraud by employees within the Department.
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Fraud against the benefits system is regarded as gross misconduct under the Department's disciplinary policy. The normal penalty for gross misconduct is dismissal. The Department's computer system records dismissals due to gross misconduct but does not sub-categorize misconduct into convictions for benefit fraud; consequently the information requested is not available.
Termination of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions (a) a compromise agreement, (b) a confidentiality clause and (c) judicial mediation was used when an employee of (i) his Department and (ii) the public bodies for which he is responsible left their employment in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160917]
Mr Hoban: The information in respect of the Department is not available because it is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Such information that is available is as follows:
| DWP departmental public bodies | |||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
| (1) All compromise agreements included a confidentiality clause. There were no other confidentiality clauses. | |||
Universal Credit
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to publish the caseload figures for the universal credit pathfinder. [161496]
Mr Hoban: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I provided him with on 21 May 2013, Official Report, column 675W, and 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1253W.
The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish Official Statistics on pathfinder areas in autumn 2013.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what written information claimants will receive on the breakdown of their universal credit entitlements; how frequently such information will be provided; and if he will make a statement. [161655]
Mr Hoban: Claimants will receive a universal credit decision letter at the point their claim has been determined which will explain their single new universal credit payment, when it will be paid each month and how it has been calculated.
The breakdown will include which elements they are eligible for, the amounts and how any earnings, income or other deductions have affected their payment.
Further decision letters will be issued following any changes in claimant's circumstances that affect the elements or amount they receive.
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Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the amount that will be spent on universal credit in (a) this year and (b) each of the next four financial years. [161656]
Mr Hoban: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 1053W, on 15 May 2013, Official Report, column 329W and on 13 June 2013, Official Report, column 425W.
Of the £2 billion budget, spend in 2011-12 was 5%, and in 2012-13 16%. Plans continue to be developed to support the gradual roll-out from autumn 2013 within budget.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of introducing a universal credit second earner disregard at (a) 30 per cent and (b) 50 per cent of the first earner disregard. [161662]
Mr Hoban: Introducing a universal credit second earner work allowance at (a) 30% of the first earner work allowance would cost around £750 million per year in steady state in 2014-15 prices; at (b) 50% of the first earner work allowance would cost around £1,300 million per year in steady state in 2014-15 prices.
The figures above do not take account of the potential dynamic effects from these changes.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of increasing the level of universal credit earnings disregard by (a) 10 per cent, (b) 20 per cent and (c) 30 per cent. [161663]
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Mr Hoban: Increasing the level of universal credit work allowances for all claimants by (a) 10% would cost around £900 million per year in steady state in 2014-15 prices; by (b) 20% would cost around £1,850 million per year in steady state in 2014-15 prices; by (c) 30% would cost around £2,750 million per year in steady state in 2014-15 prices.
The figures above do not take account of the potential dynamic effects from these changes.
Universal Credit: Lancashire
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families in (a) Blackburn with Darwen and (b) Rossendale local authority area receive universal credit. [160841]
Mr Hoban: Blackburn with Darwen and Rossendale local authority areas are not within the universal credit pathfinder area therefore residents are unable to claim universal credit at this time.
Work Programme
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Work programme providers have been put on special measures as a result of poor performance in each of the last two years. [161497]
Mr Hoban: Seven formal contract letters requiring Work programme providers to improve performance were issued in November 2012 to the five providers responsible for delivering those contracts.
To tie in with the release of Work programme statistics on 27 June 2013 I will inform the House of further steps we are taking to drive up provider performance.