Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh East of 10 December 2012, Official Report, column 47W, on employment and support allowance, what average time was taken by his Department's decision makers to issue a decision to employment and support allowance claimants following receipt of advice from Atos Healthcare in the most recent year for which data is available.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The average time between the recommendation made by Atos Healthcare and the decision reached by the Department’s decision maker is 14 days. This refers to all initial decisions made on new Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claims started in 2013.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2014 to Question 205883, what the full cost, including apportioned indirect costs, is of processing a new claim for jobseeker's allowance; and what the full cost is of a jobseeker's allowance interview.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Please see table below:
Unit Cost - Total Costs | |
JSA Claims (Incl LMDM) | £ 27.16 |
(WS) JSA NJI Advice | £ 46.48 |
The cost of processing a New Claim for Jobseekers’ Allowance is provided in JSA Claims. We have provided the unit costs for 13/14. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one JSA Claim through the process.
For the costs of a jobseekers' allowance interview, we have provided the New Jobseekers’ interview Unit cost for 13/14 under JSA NJI advice. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one New Jobseekers’ interview.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average time was taken between an employment and support allowance applicant undergoing a work capability assessment and advice being submitted to a decision maker for decision in the most recent year for which data is available.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Completed assessment reports are available to the Department within 24 hours of the assessment taking place.
A regular sample of cases is submitted for audit before being available to the Department. For the last year around 9% of cases were audited, these being available to the Department in an average of 15 working days after the assessment.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2014 to Question 205882, what the full cost, including apportioned indirect costs, is of initiating payment of employment and support allowance (ESA) at the assessment rate; what the full cost is of an ESA change; and how many changes ESA claimants require on average per year.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Please see the table below:
| Operational Operating Costs | Unit Cost | Total DWP Operating Costs | Unit Cost - Total Costs |
ESA Claims | £21,639,678.74 | £25.09 | £59,680,390.98 | £66.66 |
ESA Changes (Incl WCA) | £61,465,559.37 | £12.74 | £143,414,434.36 | £28.52 |
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| Number of Customers | ESA Changes Processed | Average Number of Changes |
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ESA Changes | 1,880,822 | 5,028,874 | 2.67 |
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The cost of initiating payment of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) at the assessment rate is provided in ESA Claims. We have provided the annual costs for 13/14 and the Unit Costs. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one ESA Claim through the process.
We have provided the annual cost for ESA changes 13/14 and the unit costs. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one ESA change being made.
We have calculated the average number of changes required by ESA claimants in 13/14 by dividing the number of ESA changes processed by the number of ESA customers.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will arrange for a substantive reply to be sent to the hon. Member for Edinburgh East in response to her letter of 26 March 2014 to Richard Heaton CB, Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office and First Parliamentary Counsel.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
A response to this letter has been sent
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 667W, on official visits, what domestic visits she has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Home Office Ministers have regular meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, columns 661-2W, on official visits, what domestic visits he has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
Answered by Claire Perry
This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Details of all Ministerial overseas travel are published on a quarterly basis.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2014, Official Report, column 583W, on domestic visits, what domestic visits he has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
Answered by Steve Webb
The Secretary of State regularly visits Departmental offices across the country to meet with staff providing services to DWP customers. He also makes regular visits to external organisations in relation to welfare reform. Details of any events where hospitality is provided are published regularly by the Cabinet Office and are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-ministers-hospitality-and-gifts
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 711W, on official visits, what domestic visits he has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
The Department is not able to provide this information as it would incur disproportionate cost. The Justice Secretary has been on a significant number of domestic visits in the 18 months since January 2013. This would require extensive diary searches and work to compile the information. The Justice Secretary and members of the Ministerial team regularly visit courts, prisons and probation trusts and other organisations relevant to the Ministry of Justice’s business. The purpose of these visits is to meet frontline staff and stakeholders, discuss their work, and to inform the development of policy.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2014, Official Report, column 1094W, on domestic visits, what domestic visits he has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the hon. Member to the Answer given on 22 July 2014, column reference 1094W.