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Benefit Payments

Answer

[holding answer 6 December 2005]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 9 January 2006:"The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about what the average number of days was from first contact by a new Jobseeker's Allowance claimant to the first payment for claims administered by (a) the Benefits Agency and (b) Jobcentre Plus in each of the last five years. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.""Jobcentre Plus came into existence in 2002. Prior to that, claims were processed by the Benefits Agency. The processing of claims to Jobseeker's Allowance has undergone considerable change since 2000, with much more emphasis being given to providing a package of support aimed at helping the customer to find work. For example, the introduction of Work Focused Interviews, although adding an extra stage to the claim process, has facilitated a pro-active rather than a passive approach to the search for work.""The information is in the table."

Calendar year	Actual average clearance time (days)
2000	9.1
2001	9.6
2002	10.2
2003	10.8
2004	12.0
2005 (up to October)	13.4

"The Actual Average Clearance Time for Jobseeker's Allowance is measured from the date the customer first contacts Jobcentre Plus to the date the customer is sent a notice of entitlement.""I hope this is helpful."

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

34271; 441 c61W

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Applications Administrative delays Jobseeker's allowance Jobcentre Plus Social security benefits Social Security Benefits Agency

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk