Social Security Benefits: Alcoholic Drinks

Mr. Harper
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of claimants of (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) income support, (c) incapacity benefit and (d) employment and support allowance who were alcohol mis-users in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight
The information is not available. Alcohol misuse is a concern for the Government and work is currently under way within the Department for Work and Pensions to derive robust estimates of alcohol misuse amongst the benefit population.