Employment and Support Allowance

(asked on 17th July 2014) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants with (a) cystic fibrosis, (b) rheumatoid arthritis, (c) motor neurone disease, (d) multiple sclerosis and (e) Parkinson's disease have been (i) placed in the support group, (ii) placed in the work-related activity group and (iii) found fit for work since 2008; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Mark Harper Portrait
Mark Harper
This question was answered on 1st September 2014

The information requested is shown in the table below.

Outcomes of initial and repeat Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) functional assessments and Incapacity Benefits Reassessments (IBR) by disease code: October 2008 – September 2013

Cystic Fibrosis

Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Parkinson’s Disease

Multiple Sclerosis

Other Rheumatoid Arthritis

Initial claim

SG

600

900

1,100

5,200

2,100

WRAG

100

100

700

2,500

3,100

FFW

100

-

500

1,600

3,500

Repeat claim

SG

400

200

900

5,700

3,200

WRAG

100

-

500

2,100

3,600

FFW

-

-

100

300

1,000

IBR claim

SG

500

200

1,100

13,400

5,000

WRAG

100

-

300

2,500

4,900

FFW

-

-

-

300

1,100

Source: Data in the tables above is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare.

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. “-“denotes nil or under 50.

2. SG – Support Group

WRAG – Work Related Activity Group

FWW – Fit For Work

3. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker’s decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker’s decision is not yet available.

4. Motor neurone disease is shown in the table as 'Spinal muscular atrophy'.

5. The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. In October 2008, ESA replaced IB for new claims. Starting with a trial in October 2010, and reaching a full scale national roll-out in April 2011, existing IB claims began to be phased out, with claimants reassessed to see if they qualify for ESA instead.

6. The reassessment of existing incapacity benefits claimants was rolled out nationally from April 2011.

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