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Employment and Support Allowance

Volume 503: debated on Monday 11 January 2010

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of individuals undergoing a work capability assessment following an application for employment and support allowance (ESA) have been found to be (a) ineligible for ESA, (b) eligible for work-related ESA and (c) eligible for support group ESA in each quarter since the inception of that allowance; and how many and what proportion of applicants for incapacity benefit were found to be ineligible as a result of undergoing the personal capability assessment in the latest year for which figures are available. (300388)

Such information as is available is published in ‘Employment Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment statistical release (October 2009)’, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

The publication is also available online at:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca.asp

The published data summarise work capability assessment results for employment support allowance claims in Great Britain up to the end of February 2009.

Information on the results of the personal capability assessment is not available.

The available data, however, are based on recorded advice from Atos, rather than the Decision Maker's final determination. The final outcomes of cases may change. This will be further compounded by reconsiderations following additional medical evidence and the outcomes of appeals.

The available information is in the tables.

Monthly employment and support allowance on-flows by claim start and result of medical assessment

2008

2009

October

November

December

January

February

Total

Support Group

600

2,400

2,200

2,600

2,200

10,000

Work related activity group

1,000

4,800

4,500

6,000

5,300

21,600

Fit for work

3,300

16,000

13,800

18,600

17,100

68,800

Claim closed before assessment complete

3,500

17,700

15,900

19,800

17,600

74,500

Assessment still in progress

600

3,000

3,300

5,500

6,500

19,000

Total

9,100

43,900

39,600

52,500

48,700

193,800

1. Figures are round to the nearest 100.

2. Around 3 per cent. of assessments are made clerically. These figures are not included in this table.

Source:

Department for Work and Pensions benefits data and Atos Healthcare medical assessment data

Monthly employment and support allowance on-flows by claim start and result of medical assessment expressed as percentages

2008

2009

October

November

December

January

February

Overall

Support group

7

6

6

5

4

5

Work related activity group

11

11

11

11

11

11

Fit for work

37

37

35

36

35

36

Claim closed before assessment complete

39

40

40

38

36

38

Assessment still in progress

6

7

8

11

13

10

The data presented combine three main data sources:

benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions covering new employment and support allowance claims between October 2008 to February 2009;

medical assessment data sourced from Atos Healthcare covering assessments completed between October 2008 and August 2009; and

appeals data sourced from Tribunals Service covering appeals heard up to July 2009.

The tables present assessment results by breaking down cohorts of employment and support allowance benefit claims. This is presented for claim starts to February 2009. Beyond this date the results are not reliable as many claims are still within the process.

National Statistics on employment and support allowance on-flows and caseload are published on the Department for Work and Pensions Tabulation Tool. Latest data available show there were 195,500 new employment and support allowance claims between 27 October 2008 and 28 February 2009.

Note that rounding and exclusion of clerical claims means the figures in the first table won't match the Tabulation Tool figures exactly.

52 per cent. of these employment and support allowance claims were assessed resulting in the following outcomes:

5 per cent. were assessed as suitable for the support group;

11 per cent. were assessed as suitable for the work related activity group; and

36 per cent. were assessed as being fit for work.

The remaining 48 per cent. either left employment and support allowance before completing assessment or assessment is still in progress.