Back-to-work Bonus

HC Deb 10 February 1997 vol 290 cc76-7W

Mr. Rooney

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants have established a back-to-work bonus; how many of these qualified for a cash payment; and what is the average level of(a) bonuses and (b) cash payments broken down to show (i) jobseeker's allowance claimants and (ii) income support claimants. [15102]

Mr. Roger Evans

The information is set out in the table:

Back to work bonus statistics1
	Jobseeker's allowance2 claimants	Income support claimants	All claimants
Claimants with an accrued bonus at the end of January 19973	58,000	61,000	119,000
Bonus payments made from October 1996 to January 19974	2,000	1,000	3,000
Estimated average bonus payment5	£88.44	£78.81	£85.34
Notes:
1 Provisional data based on claims held on the Income Support Computer System (ISCS) and Jobseeker's Allowance Payment System (JSAPS). No clerically processed claims included. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand.
2 Claims recorded on JSAPS and claims flagged as unemployed on ISCS.
3Live claims on ISCS and JSAPS with a bonus accrual plus claims which have ended with a bonus accrual but no bonus payment has been made (claimants who return to benefit within 12 weeks and have not claimed a bonus retain the amount accrued during the previous claim).
4Claims authorised for payment recorded on JSAPS and ISCS.
5Based on total amount authorised for payment recorded on ISCS and JSAPS.

Information on amounts of bonus accrued by claimants still on benefit will be available from the Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance Quarterly Statistical Enquiries. Figures for November 1996 are expected to be published in the summer.

Source:

Back to Work Bonus management information statistics.