Reply #6: The Department and Work and Pensions costings on Employment Support Allowance.

[TheBigotBasher]

Something I have previously mentioned.

This is no surprise the DWP figures from Labour days have even been scaled back. The DWP were estimating in the region of 1/2 a million to a million transitioning from incapacity benefit to job-seekers allowance as a result of ESA.

With the recession the work focused interviews were simply not carried out. This meant that those who were entitled to the long term rate after the "assessment phase" were also not being given their additional entitlement but it kept the "claimant count" down. That has now stopped. It stopped shortly after the election was called.

The number failing the test and in many cases there is no right of appeal are actually exceeding original expectations. It has also increased the level of work in local authorities who have to deal with the transfer of claimants from Incapacity Benefit/ESA to Job Seekers Allowance.