HC Deb 13 June 2003 vol 406 cc381-2W
Mrs. Calton

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the numbers of claimants who experienced a delay in claiming benefits in the last 12 months because the nature of their incapacity prevented them from claiming; and how long the average delay was. [115520]

Malcolm Wicks

The information is not available.

A person has. up to three months following the date they become eligible for incapacity benefit in which to make a claim. In addition, claims for Income Support can be backdated for up to three months if the person making the claim is ill or disabled and it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain help in making the claim earlier.

Mr. Barnes

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many JSA claimants were subject to a benefit sanction for breach of the labour market condition or New Deal rule in each quarter since the start of 1997, broken down by the categories by which they are recorded. [113932]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

[holding answer 19 May 2003]Information is only recorded on the number of sanctions imposed. It is not possible to say how many individuals have been sanctioned as an individual could be subject to more than one sanction. Information on the number of sanctions imposed for the periods requested is published in the quarterly publications Labour Market Statistics Analysis of Adjudication Officers Decisions and, from the quarter ending 30 June 2002, the Labour Market Statistics Analysis of Sector Decision Making. Copies of these publications are available in the Library.