---

Dept for Work and Pensions

Answer

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the waiting times are for the processing of IB50 applications in each constituency in Wales. [149717] Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested. The IB50 is a self-assessment questionnaire issued to people claiming Incapacity Benefit (IB); once the claimant has completed the IB50, it is forwarded by Jobcentre Plus to SchlumbergerSema to determine whether a Personal Capability Assessment is appropriate. SchlumbergerSema have two key targets for the provision of medical advice in respect of people claiming IB, which are being consistently met in Wales. They are: for the provision of advice without an examination, an average actual clearance time of four working days from receipt of a referral; for the provision of a written examination report, an average actual clearance of 32 working days from receipt of a referral. Once the IB50s are returned, Jobcentre Plus have an internal target of 15 days to reach a decision. Information on performance against this target in Wales for 2002-03 is in the following table. Incapacity Benefit (IB) Medical Test Results Cleared in 15 days in Wales Percentage _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Jobcentre Plus District April 2002 May 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September October 2002 2002 Bridgend and Rhondda, 98.05 97.86 98.5 99.9 99.74 97.55 99.66 Cynon, Taf Cardiff and Vale 98.43 98.43 98.6 99.79 98.81 98.09 100 Eastern Valleys 99.11 99.12 99.18 99.81 99.59 99.6 99.87 North West Wales and Powys 97.59 99.14 97.18 98.91 97.16 98.09 98 South East Wales 98.86 99.63 98.87 99.15 100 99.6 99.34 Swansea Bay 99.03 93.78 96.2 98.59 98.4 98 98.57 West Wales 96.42 95.5 98.14 98.64 96.51 87.32 94.54 Wrexham and North Wales 97.7 97.7 99.04 98.47 98.41 99.39 98.75 Coast Wales 98.33 97.17 98.29 99.24 98.93 97.4 98.89 GB National total 96.73 96.09 95.03 95.81 95.57 96.55 96.72 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Percentage _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Jobcentre Plus District November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 Total Bridgend and Rhondda, 98.31 90.04 98.84 99.54 99.6 98.25 Cynon, Taf Cardiff and Vale 98.97 99.37 98.44 99.61 100 99.09 Eastern Valleys 99.74 99.55 99.91 100 99.69 99.51 North West Wales and 70.18 99.67 98.61 99.65 99.46 97.09 Powys South East Wales 99.64 100 99.84 99.64 99.64 99.47 Swansea Bay 98.72 99.17 97.8 97.55 99.12 97.73 West Wales 97.69 100 98.96 96.39 99.62 96.18 Wrexham and North Wales 96.66 100 99.81 99.82 99.69 98.63 Coast Wales 97.34 98.35 99.02 98.76 99.57 98.32 GB National total 96.94 97.4 96.22 98.25 97.96 96.54 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Note: Jobcentre Plus aims to clear all IB medical test results within 15 days. The planning assumption for business delivery is that this target will be met in 98 per cent. of cases Source: DWP Management Information Data

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

149717; 417 c478-80W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Applications Administrative delays Jobcentre Plus Incapacity benefit Medical examinations Standards Wales SchlumbergerSema

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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