Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value was of payments for each type of benefit not paid as a result of sanctions against individual claimants in each year since 2010-11 in (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) the City of York; and how many claimants were sanctioned in each such year in each such area.
Answered by Esther McVey
The Department does not estimate the amount of benefit withheld as a result of benefit sanctions.
Information concerning sanctions by geographical area can be found at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet the Chairman of the Trussell Trust before 7 May 2015.
Answered by Esther McVey
We recognise the extremely valuable work of civil society in supporting local communities. Government officials and Ministers routinely meet with a range of civil society organisations.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) York Central constituency and (b) City of York local authority area had their housing allowance abated because of the under-occupancy penalty in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.
Answered by Lord Harper
The information requested by local authority and parliamentary constituency in Great Britain is published and available at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were in receipt of one or more benefits for which carers are eligible in (a) York Central constituency and (b) City of York local authority area on (i) 1 April 2010 and (ii) the same date in each subsequent year.
Answered by Lord Harper
The full information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Information on Carer’s Allowance (CA) as at May each year is available, and this is shown in the table below:
CA caseload by entitlement and receipt: May 2010 to May 2014
Date | Total | CA Entitlement only | Claimant receiving CA | Unknown |
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York Central Parliamentary Constituency |
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May-10 | 1,060 | 540 | 520 | - |
May-11 | 1,090 | 510 | 590 | - |
May-12 | 1,080 | 490 | 590 | - |
May-13 | 1,110 | 480 | 620 | - |
May-14 | 1,120 | 450 | 660 | - |
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York Local Authority |
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May-10 | 2,020 | 1,070 | 950 | - |
May-11 | 2,050 | 1,030 | 1,020 | - |
May-12 | 2,030 | 1,010 | 1,020 | - |
May-13 | 2,050 | 980 | 1,060 | - |
May-14 | 2,050 | 920 | 1,130 | - |
Source: DWP 100% data
Notes:
1. "-" Denotes Nil or Negligible. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
2. Carers entitled to receive CA may be paid the benefit, or not paid it because they receive an overlapping benefit equal to or greater than their weekly rate of CA.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional assistance the Government gives to people using food banks to enable them to find work or additional hours of work; and if he will make funds available to food banks to enable them to do more to help their clients to find work.
Answered by Esther McVey
Jobcentres provide support to all claimants to find work
In April 2013, funding for crisis loans and community care grants (previously part of the Social Fund) was transferred to local authorities, to enable them to extend their services in a way that best meets local needs. As such, local authorities may choose to fund food banks if they consider that this would benefit their local community.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken to process a mandatory reconsideration of a work capability assessment is; and what steps the Government is taking to support employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants whose work capability assessments are being reconsidered, but who are unable to claim ESA during the reconsideration or claim job seeker's allowance because they do not meet the entitlement criteria because they are too ill to seek work.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Department is collecting information to understand how the introduction of mandatory reconsideration is operating, including completion timescales. However, this data is not sufficiently robust and reliable to make available at this time.
Departmental statisticians need to assure themselves of the quality of administrative data sources before releasing information as Official statistics, and before the exact timing and format of statistics can be confirmed.
Whilst it is correct to say that ESA cannot be claimed during the Mandatory Reconsideration stage, it is not correct to say that Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) cannot be claimed. These claimants have been found fit for work and the benefit for them is JSA. To be entitled to JSA the conditions of entitlement, including the signing of a Claimant Commitment, must be satisfied. Where someone presents with health issues the conditions are modified and the Claimant Commitment drafted accordingly - disability advisers support claimants in this position and provide specialist advice
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of (a) children, (b) pensioners and (c) households fell below 60 per cent of contemporary median equivalised income (i) before and (ii) after housing costs in 2007-08 and in each year since.
Answered by Esther McVey
Estimates of the number and proportion of children, pensioners and households falling below 60 per cent of contemporary median equivalised income are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. This information is captured using the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The latest publication is available at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201213
The number and proportion of children, pensioners and households falling below 60 per cent of contemporary median equivalised income (i) before and (ii) after housing costs in 2007/08–2011/12 are available in the table provided.
Number and percentage of households2 falling below 60 per cent of contemporary median equivalised income, Before Housing Costs and After Housing Costs, between 2007/08 and 2012/13 | ||||
| Before Housing Costs | After Housing Costs | ||
Year | Number (millions) | Per cent | Number (millions) | Per cent |
2007/08 | 4.9 | 19% | 5.7 | 22% |
2008/09 | 4.8 | 19% | 5.6 | 22% |
2009/10 | 4.7 | 18% | 5.7 | 22% |
2010/11 | 4.5 | 17% | 5.5 | 21% |
2011/12 | 4.5 | 17% | 5.6 | 21% |
2012/13 | 4.5 | 17% | 5.6 | 21% |
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Number and percentage of children falling below 60 per cent of contemporary median equivalised income, Before Housing Costs and After Housing Costs, between 2007/08 and 2012/13 | ||||
| Before Housing Costs | After Housing Costs | ||
Year | Number (millions) | Per cent | Number (millions) | Per cent |
2007/08 | 2.9 | 23% | 4.1 | 32% |
2008/09 | 2.8 | 22% | 3.9 | 30% |
2009/10 | 2.6 | 20% | 3.9 | 30% |
2010/11 | 2.3 | 18% | 3.6 | 27% |
2011/12 | 2.3 | 18% | 3.6 | 27% |
2012/13 | 2.3 | 17% | 3.7 | 27% |
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Number and percentage of pensioners2 falling below 60 per cent of contemporary median equivalised income, Before Housing Costs and After Housing Costs, between 2007/08 and 2012/13 | ||||
| Before Housing Costs | After Housing Costs | ||
Year | Number (millions) | Per cent | Number (millions) | Per cent |
2007/08 | 2.5 | 22% | 2.0 | 18% |
2008/09 | 2.2 | 20% | 1.8 | 16% |
2009/10 | 2.0 | 18% | 1.8 | 15% |
2010/11 | 2.0 | 17% | 1.6 | 14% |
2011/12 | 1.9 | 16% | 1.6 | 13% |
2012/13 | 1.9 | 16% | 1.6 | 13% |
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost incurred by his Department was of appeals against employment and support allowance decisions in 2010 and in each year since.
Answered by Mike Penning
We have taken action to reduce the cost of appeals by reforming the DWP appeal process. Mandatory reconsideration, where we look again at individual decisions before it goes to a tribunal, alongside our wider reforms to streamline the system are designed to avoid the need for expensive appeals.
We have seen a significant reduction in the volume of appeals. During the first quarter of this year appeals against ESA decisions decreased by almost 90 per cent, compared to the same time last year. We expect that this will be reflected in a lower total cost incurred by this Department in 2014/15.
The operating costs incurred by the Department for appeals against ESA decisions prior to 2014/15 are as follows:
| 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 |
ESA Appeals | £16,464,859 | £19,651,619 | £28,678,396 |
In addition to these costs the Department has paid the following amounts to HMCTS. These costs are for the number of appeals against ESA decisions that HMCTS have handled which are in excess of the volume for which they have been funded for in their baseline funding.
| 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 |
Total Costs payable to HMCTS | £26,157,701 | £29,291,646 | £41,179,738 |
Note: Comparable data is not available prior to 2011/12.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people wait more than (a) three, (b) six, (c) nine and (d) 12 months to receive a tribunal appeal decision following an employment and support allowance decision; and what steps the Government is doing to speed up that process.
Answered by Mike Penning
The information requested is not readily available.
As a consequence of the recent significant drop in appeals the Tribunal service expects its clearance times to significantly decrease.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time is that people wait to receive employment and support allowance following a successful tribunal appeal.
Answered by Mike Penning
The information requested is not readily available.
DWP action appeal disposals from HMCTS as a matter of urgency once received to ensure the customer is not disadvantaged.