Social Security Benefits: Obesity Mr. Harper To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of claimants of (a) employment and support allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) severe disablement allowance who have a primary diagnosis of obesity which limits their ability to work in the latest period for which figures are available. Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 10 February 2010]: To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work called the personal capability assessment. Therefore, the medical condition recorded on the claim form does not in itself confer entitlement to benefit. This means that the decision for a customer who has claimed incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance because of obesity would be based on their ability to carry out a range of activities in the personal capability assessment. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. Employment and support allowance was introduced from October 2008 for new customers only. It replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity or disability. Data by medical conditions are not yet available for employment and support allowance. The available information is provided in the table. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | |Number| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance |2,040 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Incapacity benefit |1,940 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Severe disablement allowance |90 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Note:Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.Source:Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent data.| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mr. Clappison To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of (a) incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance and (b) employment and support allowance had a primary diagnosis of obesity in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) each of the last four quarters for which figures are available. Jonathan Shaw To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work called the personal capability assessment. Therefore, the medical condition recorded on the claim form does not in itself confer entitlement to benefit. This means that the decision for a customer who has claimed incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance because of obesity would be based on their ability to carry out a range of activities in the personal capability assessment. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. The available information is provided in the table. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance|Incapacity benefit|Severe disablement allowance| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |May 2005 |1,830 |1,710 |120 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |May 2006 |1,890 |1,790 |110 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |May 2007 |1,980 |1,880 |100 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |May 2008 |2,070 |1,970 |100 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |August 2008 |2,130 |2,030 |100 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |November 2008 |2,140 |2,040 |100 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |February 2009 |2,110 |2,010 |90 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |May 2009 |2,040 |1,940 |90 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Notes:1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten.2. Data by medical conditions is not yet available for employment and support allowance.Source:Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.| | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------