§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security to what extent and in what respects the outcome of claims for incapacity benefit has differed from the estimates made prior to the introduction of the benefit. [3459]
§ Mr. BurtThe Benefits Agency is controlling the throughput of incapacity benefit claims to ensure that the flow of work does not exceed operational capacity. This controlled take-on of work means that the cases processed so far are unrepresentative of the case load as a whole. It is not yet possible to draw any firm conclusions about the effectiveness of the incapacity benefit in meeting the objectives set prior to its introduction.
§ Mr. RowlandsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of those in receipt of invalidity benefit in the Merthyr benefit area have been subjected to the review under the new incapacity benefit rules; how many of those were(a) men and (b) women; and how many have had invalidity benefit withdrawn. [4101]