§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) new claims of invalidity benefit were made in each year since 1995, (b) exits from incapacity benefit to other work or benefits were made in each year since 1995 and (c) claimants of incapacity benefit were resident in each local authority in (i) Tyne and Wear, (ii) the counties of Northumberland and Durham, and (iii) the area covered by the former county of Cleveland in each year since 1995. [92225]
§ Mr. BayleyThe number of new claims which resulted in an award of Incapacity Benefit, and the number of people leaving Incapacity Benefit for each year since it was introduced in April 1995 are set out in the table.
The main reasons for leaving Incapacity Benefit are receipt of a medical certificate advising that the recipient can return to work, a decision by the adjudication officer that the person does not satisfy the medical test of incapacity (the all work test) and the award of State Retirement Pension. It is estimated that every year about 100,000 people who have been sick for 28 weeks or more 109W leave Incapacity Benefit voluntarily for work. However, detailed information on the destinations of Incapacity Benefit leavers is not routinely collected and it is not known how many actually return to work in any year.
Incapacity Benefit recipients Spells commencing Spells Terminating 13 April 1995 to 31 March 1996 508,600 558,900 1 April 1996 to 31 March 1997 514,100 568,000 1 April 1997 to 31 March 1998 481,600 560,200
Incapacity Benefit Recipients by County, Metropolitan or Unitary Authority North-East 29 February 1996 28 February 1997 28 February 1998 Tyne & Wear Gateshead 12,351 13,241 10,901 Newcastle upon Tyne 12,554 13,661 11,348 North Tyneside 9,487 9,729 8,511 South Tyneside 8,612 9,294 7,700 Sunderland 19,116 20,049 16,581 Durham Chester-le-Street 3,007 3,300 2,736 Darlington 3,860 4,185 3,323 Derwentside 5,363 6,138 4,944 Durham 4,307 4,600 3,629 Easington 11,234 12,169 9,913 Sedgefield 5,972 6,501 5,615 Teesdale 772 883 730 Wear Valley 3,859 4,202 3,690 Northumberland Alnwick 1,016 1,278 952 Berwick-upon-Tweed 995 859 709 Blyth Valley 3,982 4,416 3,365 Castle Morpeth 1,666 1,998 1,621 Tynedale 1,768 1,931 1,641 Wansbeck 3,901 4,418 3,427 Former County of Cleveland Hartlepool UA 6,095 6,294 5,391 Middlesborough UA 7,232 7,455 6,223 Redcar & Cleveland UA 8,309 9,031 7,036 Stockton-on-Tees UA 7,862 8,548 7,052 Notes:
1. Figures are from a 5 per cent. sample of the computer and exclude a small number of cases held clerically.
2. Figures are also subject to a rating factor to account for missing postcodes.