§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the numbers of(a) men, (b) women and (c) in total claiming (i) sickness benefit and (ii) invalidity benefit each year since 1979; and what was the percentage change each year in each category.
§ Mr. ScottThe information requested is in the table:
A participant in a non-government course partly funded by the European social fund, who is in receipt of severe disablement allowance or invalidity benefit, must continue to satisfy the normal conditions of entitlement for those benefits. The principal condition is that the person must continue to be incapable of work.
A person receiving income support with a disability premium may retain eligibility for the premium, whatever the nature of the training, if he is blind or receiving attendance or mobility allowance or, from April, disability living allowance. In addition, a person who was entitled to a disability premium before he started employment training because he had invalidity benefit or severe disablement allowance, or had been incapable of work for 28 weeks or more, may continue to be entitled to the premium during that training even if they are no longer treated as incapable of work.
Where a person's invalidity benefit or severe disablement allowance has been withdrawn, due to attendance at a non-government funded course, he may requalify immediately where the break has been for eight weeks or less.
Entitlement to industrial injuries benefit, mobility allowance, attendance allowance (from April, disability living allowance) and the basic war disablement pension are unaffected whatever type of training a person undertakes.
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§ Ms. ShortTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security under what circumstances unemployed claimants who are receiving(a) unemployment benefit and (b) income support can participate in European social fund vocational training courses which lead to national vocational qualifications or credits towards them without losing their entitlement to their benefit payments; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JackUnemployment benefit (UB) claimants must continue to satisfy the normal conditions of entitlement in order to receive UB while engaged in training. This means that they must continue to seek work actively during the course and be prepared to terminate the course immediately a job vacancy becomes available.
Income support claimants undertaking non-governmental training courses must continue to satisfy the normal conditions of entitlement. The principal conditions are the availability for work and actively seeking work requirements, as for UB. Those participating in governmental training courses such as those provided under the employment training programme are exempt from the availability and actively seeking work conditions for income support purposes. The European social fund may contribute financial support to either governmental or non-governmental courses.
§ Ms. ShortTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what new regulations and procedures were introduced to protect the benefits and training premium of unemployed income support claimants who participated in employment training; and which of' these regulations apply to any benefits or training allowances received by an unemployed income support claimant who participates in a European social fund-funded vocational training course provided either by(a) voluntary organisations or local authorities, or by (b) training and enterprise councils/local enterprise companies; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JackA participant in employment training (ET) receives a training allowance which maintains the same level of payment as the income support or unemployment benefit in payment immediately before the start of the course plus a £10 training premium. Income support participants continue to qualify for housing benefit and the range of other benefits to which income support is a passport. The training premium, any traveling—and usually living away from home—expenses reimbursed to the claimant, are also disregarded in the calculation of income for income support purposes. A participant in a non-governmental course who is in receipt of income support or unemployment benefit, must continue to satisfy the normal conditions of entitlement for benefits for unemployment. The principal conditions are that the participant must continue to seek work actively during the course and be prepared to terminate the course immediately a job vacancy becomes available to him.
The European social fund provides financial support to a wide range of training and employment initiatives, both governmental—including ET—and non-governmental. The benefit rules apply regardless of the type of organisation providing the course.