§ Mr. RoyTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been refused all Jobseekers Allowance payments after interview in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion this represented of those interviewed. [86957]
§ Malcolm WicksThe information is not available. All people claiming Jobseekers Allowance are required to attend an initial jobseeker's interview. However the data collected by the Department do not distinguish between decisions on entitlement made as a result of such an interview and those made at another stage, for example following the processing of the benefit application. Nor do the data distinguish between decisions on entitlement made at the start of a claim and those made during the course of a claim.