Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time to wait is for a reconsideration of a benefit decision by (a) his Department and (b) a tribunal hearing in (i) Ogmore and (ii) Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The published statistics in relation to Employment and Support Allowance reconsideration clearance times in the Great Britain are in the link below:
The information requested in relation to other benefit reconsiderations is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The latest information from Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for appeal clearance times for the areas that cover Ogmore, Wales and the UK in the period April – September 2015, is as follows:
Area1 | Waiting Time (Weeks) |
|
Cardiff | 16.6 |
|
Port Talbot | 18.5 |
|
Wales | 17.7 |
|
UK | 18 |
|
Source: HMCTS MI System Feb 16 Note: The data is normally registered to the venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service cannot retrieve data based on the appellant’s actual address, but can produce reports detailing the numbers of cases that were dealt with at one of its Regional centres. The majority of appellants living in the Ogmore area have their appeals heard in the Cardiff venues, though some may be heard in Port Talbot. | ||
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Ogmore constituency claim benefits that will be subject to the uprating freeze from April 2016 to April 2020; and if he will estimate the average difference between the amount that would be received by a claimant if such benefits continue to increase at current rates and the amount that they will receive under the proposed uprating freeze.
Answered by Priti Patel
The information requested is not available.
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Ogmore constituency receive between £20,000 and £26,000 in benefit payments each year.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Ogmore constituency are eligible for universal credit; and if he will estimate how many such people will not be eligible for universal credit in 2020 as a result of measures announced in the Summer Budget 2015.
Answered by Priti Patel
The information requested is not available. The Department published its strategy for releasing official statistics on Universal Credit (UC) in September 2013. As outlined in the strategy, officials are currently quality assuring data for UC therefore it is not yet possible to give a definitive list of what statistics will be provided in the future. These statistics however will be published in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for official statistics.
The latest official experimental statistics on UC and the Departments release strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of 18 to 21 year olds in Ogmore constituency after April 2017 who will be unemployed and who will not be entitled to claim the housing element of universal credit.
Answered by Priti Patel
The information requested is not available. The Department published its strategy for releasing official statistics on Universal Credit (UC) in September 2013. As outlined in the strategy, officials are currently quality assuring data for UC therefore it is not yet possible to give a definitive list of what statistics will be provided in the future. These statistics however will be published in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for official statistics.
The latest official experimental statistics on UC and the Departments release strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how epilepsy is taken into account in (a) work capability assessments, (b) entitlement to benefits and (c) assessments for availability for work for people with that condition.
Answered by Priti Patel
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) was introduced by the last Labour government in October 2008 and was developed in consultation with medical and other experts, including representative groups to ensure it is appropriate for all conditions.
Entitlement to benefit does not depend on the condition itself, the underlying cause or how it is classified, but on the disabling effects of the condition(s) present.
When assessing a claimant, Healthcare Professionals are expected to be mindful of the fact that many illnesses produce symptoms that vary in intensity over time, and are instructed not to base their opinion solely on the situation as observed at the assessment.
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many representations he has received opposing the removal of customer access phones from Jobcentre Plus offices; which Jobcentre Plus offices serving constituents of Ogmore constituency have been affected by the removal of customer access phones from such offices; and how many people in Ogmore constituency are being serviced by each such Jobcentre Plus office.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department has received a number of representations on the removal of Customer Access Phones. The Department operates an Operational Stakeholder Engagement Forum, made up of charities, community organisations and customer representative groups, and this issue will be discussed at the next meeting of the Forum in May.
Jobcentres provide face to face support for claimants. Following the removal of Customer Access Phones, claimants who require access to a phone in connection with their benefit or job search will still be given controlled access to a telephone in a Jobcentre.
Ogmore constituents are served by several Jobcentres as the Jobcentre network does not reflect constituency boundaries. A summary follows by Jobcentre in the constituency:
Bridgend Jobcentre
Customer Access Phones have not yet been removed.
Maesteg Jobcentre
Customer Access Phones were withdrawn, replaced by a new assisted service of face to face support in 2014.
Llantrisant Jobcentre
Customer Access Phones were withdrawn, replaced by a new assisted service of face to face support in 2014.
Porth Jobcentre
One Customer Access Phone is currently available; three were withdrawn between November 2013 and January 2014, because of falling demand.
Jobcentre boundaries do not match constituency boundaries so we can only provide a breakdown for Ogmore in total, these follow below:
· Total JSA claimants (March 2014): 1,559
(Source: ONS claimant count with rates and proportions)
· Total claimants (Working-age client group – key benefit claimants (August 2013)): 10,510
(Source: DWP benefit claimants - working age client group)
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of work capability assessments appeals that were found in favour of the claimant heard by January 2014, were awarded zero points at the initial decision; and what proportion of such decisions were awarded to (a) the WRAG and (b) the Support Group.
Answered by Mike Penning
The information requested for all Work Capability Assessments is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.