Jobseeker's Allowance

Work and Pensions written question – answered at on 15 February 2011.

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Photo of Jon Cruddas Jon Cruddas Policy Review Coordinator

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to identify claimants of jobseeker's allowance affected by poor decision-making identified by Professor Malcolm Harrington's review; and if he will (a) amend the status of and (b) provide compensation to those affected.

Photo of Chris Grayling Chris Grayling The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Darra Singh:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question to ask the Secretary of State to (a) identify claimants of jobseeker's allowance affected by poor decision-making identified by Professor Malcolm Harrington's review; and if he will (i) amend the status and (ii) provide compensation to those affected. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

Jobcentre Plus welcomes the first Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment, led by Professor Malcolm Harrington, and is committed to taking forward the Review's recommendations so that we can make the system fairer and more effective for the customer. We will not be retrospectively reviewing Employment Support Allowance (ESA) decisions in the light of Professor Harrington's recommendations. However, if a claimant disagrees with a decision in respect of their ESA claim, they can ask the Decision Maker to reconsider the original decision or appeal against that decision, in which case their appeal will be considered by the Tribunal Service.

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