§ Earl Russellasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people have left the claimant count for unemployment since 1997:
- (a) because they have been exempted from the actively seeking work rules by reason of their age.:
- (b) because they have gone onto incapacity benefit;
- (c) because they have been excluded from the claimant count as well as a result of benefit sanctions. [HL1753]
§ The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone)Information on the destination of leavers is not available for 1997. Total outflows from the claimant count over the three years 1998 to 2000 were 9.4 million, of which. (a) 17,800 males aged 60 to 64 moved onto income support. A further 16,200 claimants left because they had reached state pension age. On (b), of those moving onto other benefits, 438,700 claimants moved onto incapacity benefit, 148,600 moved onto income support and 149,600 onto other benefits.
The 438,700 who moved onto incapacity benefit comprised just part of the 2.1 million total inflows onto incapacity benefit between 1998 and 2000. While total outflows from incapacity benefits were lower (at 1.7 million), the total numbers in receipt of these benefits fell between 1998 and 2000 due to large flows onto retirement pension that are not counted as outflows.
On (c), there were 701,400 sanctions imposed in the four years 1997 to 2000 (and 498,800 over the period 83WA 1998 to 2000). These sanctions do not necessarily result in people leaving the claimant count. They can remain on the count even if they are not receiving any benefit. As there are advantages in remaining on the count, not everyone will leave when they are sanctioned.