Written question asked by Lord Harper (Conservative) on Wednesday, 13 January 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 January 2010. It was answered by Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour) on Tuesday, 26 January 2010 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Pathways to Work

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the announcement of the review of the Pathways to Work scheme in her Department's White Paper on Building Britain's Recovery, who will conduct the review; what timetable has been set for that review; when she plans to publish the findings of the review; and what her latest assessment is of the performance of the Pathways to Work scheme.

Answer: [holding answer 18 January 2010]: The review of the support we offer to disabled Jobcentre Plus customers and those with health conditions began in November 2009. It is being conducted by the Department for Work and Pensions. As part of the review we are engaging with a range of delivery partners and external stakeholders and have asked for views from any interested party at"http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pathways-evidence-gathering-151209.pdf"The findings of the review and proposals for future support for disabled customers and customers with health conditions will be published in the spring.Early evidence from the initial Pathways pilots was very positive, showing that people enquiring about incapacity benefit in Pathways areas were 25 per cent. more likely to be in work at 18 months. Official Statistics for the number of job outcomes for those participating in JCP-Led and Provider-Led Pathways are available on the Department's website"http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/ib_ref_p2w.asp"This shows that since October 2003 and as of January 2009 more than 173,000 people have moved into work through Pathways.

Secondary information