To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2006, Official Report, column 970W, what assumption for planning purposes she has made of the number of incapacity benefit appeal cases (a) by the end of 2006-07 and (b) in each of the subsequent two years. (83882)

The latest work load forecasts for incapacity benefit appeals are as follows. The Government have recently announced plans to replace incapacity benefit through measures in the Welfare Reform Bill currently before Parliament which could have an impact on those figures.