Written question asked by Lord Grayling (Conservative) on Monday, 8 December 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 11 December 2008. It was answered by Tony McNulty (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 December 2008 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Answers of 26 November 2008, Official Report, columns 1996-7W, on jobseeker's allowance, whether his Department has compiled data on the amount of time jobseeker's allowance claimants have received the allowance or other out of work benefits over a set period of time including circumstances where a claimant has made more than one claim for an allowance in that period.

Answer: [holding answer 11 December 2008]: The Department does not publish statistics on the amount of time jobseeker's allowance customers have received the award or other out of work benefits over a set period of time, nor do we publish statistics on circumstances where customers have made more than one claim. This information could be obtained only after complex analysis of the available data and comprehensive quality assurance. As a result it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Secondary information