Employment and Support Allowance: Medical Examinations

Lynne Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the (a) unit cost and (b) cost to date of conducting the medical assessment process associated with employment and support allowance delivered under the Atos Healthcare contract; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight
The cost to date of conducting the medical assessment process associated with Employment and Support Allowance is £36.2 million covering the period up to 25 November 2009. This covers the costs of the medical assessments including Work Focused Health Related Assessments, gathering information from customers and health care professionals, investments in information technology and Estates infrastructure, overheads and set-up costs.

DWP is unable to disclose the unit cost of individual medical assessments as to do so would jeopardise the Department’s commercial interests and dealings with Atos Healthcare or other service providers when negotiating future re-tenders.