§ 11. David Taylor (North-West Leicestershire) (Lab)How many people were receiving disability living allowance in (a) the east midlands and (b) England and Wales in (i) 1990, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 2004; and how many of them were registered as unemployed in each year. [181897]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Maria Eagle)The requested information for 1990 is not available because disability living allowance was not introduced until 1992. As at 28 February 2004, the latest date for which information is available, about 2.2 million severely disabled adults and children in England and Wales were receiving disability living allowance, 10,400 of whom were also receiving a jobseeker's allowance. In the east midlands, about 185,000 severely disabled adults and children were receiving disability living allowance, 900 of whom were also receiving a jobseeker's allowance.
In 1997, just over 1.5 million severely disabled adults and children in England and Wales were receiving disability living allowance, 10,800 of whom were also receiving a jobseeker's allowance. In the east midlands, about 126,000 severely disabled adults and children were receiving disability living allowance, 1,100 of whom were also receiving a jobseeker's allowance.
§ David TaylorWhen last in power, the Conservatives were shameless in manipulating unemployment figures by shunting the jobless on to other benefits. Now their media acolytes and indeed, earlier, the hon. Member for 542 Canterbury (Mr. Brazier), who is no longer in the Chamber, level the same charge against the Government. Can the Minister comprehensively strangle that canard and summarise any policy changes since 1997, either in he way that unemployment figures are calculated or in eligibility for DLA or incapacity benefit?
§ Maria EagleI am not sure that I know how to strangle a canard, never mind comprehensively, but perhaps I can attempt to explode a myth. Indeed, the figures from the constituency of my hon. Friend actually do that. In North-West Leicestershire, JSA unemployment is down by 55 per cent., employment in that region of the east midlands is up by 104,000 and about 84 per cent. of his working-age constituents are in work. We have seen a fall in the number of people on JSA and an increase in the number in work, and a small increase in his constituency in the number of people on incapacity benefit. That explodes the myth—I am not sure what to do about strangling canards.