§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list by unemployment benefit under each paragraph of section 20(1) of the Social Security Act 1975 for the latest month for which information can be obtained for the Doncaster area(a) how many unemployed people were disqualified for unemployment benefit, (b) what were the reasons given by his office, (c) what was the length of disqualification imposed, (d) how many unemployed people appealed against his office's decision and (e) what was the result of the appeal.
§ Mr. McLoughlinResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Mr. M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 27 October 1992:
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question about the latest available information on the number and length of unemployment benefit disqualifications, and subsequent appeals under Section 20(1) of the Social Security Act in the Doncaster area. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
Unfortunately information is not available in the form you have requested. We compile information on disqualifications by region; the Doncaster area is included in our Yorkshire and Humberside region and quarterly rather than monthly intervals. A record is not kept of the length of disqualification periods imposed under Section 20(1) of the Social Security Act 1975. We collect information on the number of appeals made in each region broken down by the numbers reviewed and allowed by adjudication officers and the numbers submitted to social security appeal tribunals.
During the quarter ending 30 June 1992 the number of people in Yorkshire and Humberside disqualified for receiving unemployment benefit under section 20(1) of the Social Security Act was as follows:—
Leaving employment voluntarily without just cause 4,002 Employment lost due to misconduct 1,746 Refusal of employment without good cause 14 Neglect to avail oneself of an offer of employment 26 Refusal to comply with written instructions Nil Although voluntary termination of approved training without just cause, misconduct whilst on approved training, refusal of an offer of approved training without good cause 596W and neglect to avail oneself of approved training can also lead to disqualification under Section 20(1) a record is not kept of the number of disqualifications under these sub-heads. In this same period the number of appeals processed in Yorkshire and Humberside was as follows:—
Total of all appeals received 563 Appeals reviewed and revised 121 Appeals submitted to Social Security Appeal Tribunal 405 I hope this is helpful.
As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.