Incapacity Benefit

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people received incapacity benefit in (a) each London borough and (b) the UK on the grounds of dependency on (i) drugs and (ii) alcohol in each year since 1997; (101746)

(2) how many people received incapacity benefit in (a) each London borough and (b) the UK in each year since 1991, broken down by qualifying medical condition of recipient;

(3) how many incapacity benefit recipients experienced (a) mental and (b) behavioural disorder in each borough of London in each year since 1992, broken down by the type of disorder.

The available information has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated (a) total cost and (b) net present value is of the average award of incapacity benefit; and if he will make a statement. (102234)

The estimated outturn for incapacity benefit for 2005-06 is £6,647 million (nominal terms).

The average weekly award of incapacity benefit, from the latest available data, is £88.29.

Volume 456: debated on Tuesday 6 February 2007