Mark Harper (Shadow Minister, Work & Pensions; Forest of Dean, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State

 for Work and Pensions how many work-focused interviews her Department plans to conduct for recipients of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance aged between (i) 18 and 24, (ii) 25 and 49 and (iii) 50 and 64 years old in each of the next two years.

Jonathan R Shaw

 (Minister of State (Disabled People), Regional Affairs; Chatham & Aylesford, Labour)

I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to Mrs. May on 

From October 2009 we plan to provide three work-focused interviews to existing incapacity benefits claimants under the age of 25 in Jobcentre Plus-led Pathways to Work areas. We estimate that there will be 28,000 individuals in this group.

From October 2010 we shall be providing existing incapacity benefit claimants aged 25 to 49 with three Work-focused interviews as they migrate to Employment and Support Allowance. Those aged over 50 will receive one work-focused interview, also on migration.

New customers to Employment and Support Allowance from October 2010 will receive quarterly work-focused interviews as well as the six monthly work-focused interviews that current Employment and Support Allowance customers receive.

Jonathan R Shaw

 (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Disabled People; Minister for the South East), Department for Work and Pensions; Chatham & Aylesford, Labour)

h olding answer 

From April 2008, all incapacity benefits claimants have been able to access Pathways to Work on a voluntary basis, including work-focused interviews and a range of back-to-work support.

From late 2009 we plan to start providing three work-focused interviews to existing incapacity benefit claimants under the age of 25 in Jobcentre Plus-led Pathways to Work areas.

For the majority of existing incapacity benefits customers, the mandatory engagement announced in the White Paper 'Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future' (Cm 7506) will occur once those claimants have been transferred to employment and support allowance between 2010 and 2013. Customers placed in the support group will not be required to undertake any mandatory activities, although they will be able to volunteer for back-to-work support.

As the exact timing and profile of the transfer of these customers is still being developed, it is not possible to fully answer the question at this point in time.