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1279751

registered interest
date	25/01/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of employment.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
tabling member printed	Emma Hardy
uin	911285
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>The latest ONS statistics published on 15th December show UK employment is at 32.5 million, or 75.2 per cent. At every stage of this pandemic we have looked to provide support to those impacted, particularly the most vulnerable – this includes £280bn of interventions – such as the furlough scheme.</p><p>Updated statistics will be released tomorrow.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/01/2021 18:00:10 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4645 label Biography information for Emma Hardy

1279752

registered interest
date	25/01/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps her Department is taking to help protect pensions savers from disproportionate costs and charges.
tabling member constituency	Amber Valley
tabling member printed	Nigel Mills
uin	911286
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>On 13 January DWP published its review of the default fund charge cap. This included a commitment to end flat fees on pension pots of £100 and under.</p><p> </p><p>At present, price comparison of the costs of automatic enrolled pensions is not possible – and this needs to change.</p><p /><p /> <p>Protecting savers and giving them value for their money is my priority. I will be looking into standardisation of charges so savers can better assess the value for money of their investment.</p><p /><p><br></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 25/01/2021 17:21:36 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4136 label Biography information for Nigel Mills

1279753

registered interest
date	25/01/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Employment: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What support her Department is providing to help people find new jobs during the covid-19 lockdown.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	911287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>My Department has taken significant steps to ensure jobseekers continue to get the help they need throughout the pandemic. As well as recruiting thousands of new Work Coaches, our employment support programmes, including Job Finding Support and SWAPs offer both online and - when necessary and appropriate - face-to-face support in line with the latest guidance.</p><p>In addition, as part of the DWP Estates Expansion and Renewal Programme my Hon.Friend will already be aware that we have secured new premises for a JobCentre Plus in Stockton.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/01/2021 18:02:52 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1279754

registered interest
date	25/01/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Employment: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting people who have lost their jobs as a result of the covid-19 outbreak back into employment.
tabling member constituency	Broxtowe
tabling member printed	Darren Henry
uin	911288
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>I have regular discussions with my Cabinet colleagues to ensure that we provide appropriate support to individuals who have lost their jobs and are looking for employment.</p><p>The current package of measures includes Job Finding Support, Sector Based Work Academies, Job Entry Targeted Support and the Kickstart scheme.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/01/2021 17:58:39 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4794 label Biography information for Darren Henry

1279755

registered interest
date	25/01/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What progress her Department is making on the publication of its review into access to benefits for people with a terminal illness, announced in July 2019.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Withington
tabling member printed	Jeff Smith
uin	911289
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>The Department is working across Government on proposals, including potential legislative options, following the evaluation. I remain committed to implementing the key areas identified in the evaluation, changing the 6-month wait, improving awareness and consistency.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 25/01/2021 17:00:08 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4456 label Biography information for Jeff Smith

1279756

registered interest
date	25/01/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Local Housing Allowance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of local housing allowance; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Epsom and Ewell
tabling member printed	Chris Grayling
uin	911290
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>In April 2020 Local Housing Allowance rates were set at the 30<sup>th</sup> percentile of local rents, costing nearly £1 billion and providing - on average - 1.5 million households with an increase of £600 per year.</p><p> </p><p>I can also confirm that the increase to Local Housing Allowance rates will be maintained in cash terms in the next financial year, to continue supporting our claimants to manage housing costs.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/01/2021 17:23:08 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1413 label Biography information for Chris Grayling

1279757

registered interest
date	25/01/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What assessment she has made of the adequacy of benefit rates for disabled people on legacy benefits.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	911294
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>We will spend over £55 billion this year (2020/21) on benefits to support people with health conditions and disabilities. This will increase by £1.6 billion to £57 billion in 2021/22.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 25/01/2021 16:45:43 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1279758

registered interest
date	25/01/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent assessment she has made of the potential effect of removing the £20 uplift to universal credit on recipients in each (a) region and (b) population demographic.
tabling member constituency	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
tabling member printed	Jamie Stone
uin	911295
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>The £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit was announced by the Chancellor as a temporary measure in March 2020 to support those facing the most financial disruption as a result of the public health emergency. This measure remains in place until March 2021. As the Government has done throughout this pandemic, it will continue to assess how best to support low-income families, which is why we will look at the economic and health context before making any decisions.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/01/2021 17:23:49 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4612 label Biography information for Jamie Stone

1279170

registered interest
date	21/01/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Work Capability Assessment: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department is providing for claimants of (a) personal independence payment, (b) employment support allowance and (c) disablement pension where the health assessors find that a face-to-face interview is required but cannot be completed under covid-19 restrictions.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	141531
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2021 answer text <p>The safety of our claimants and staff is our key priority. As a result, all face to face assessments for sickness and disability benefits have remained suspended since March 2020. Throughout the pandemic, for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)/Universal Credit (UC) we have continued to assess people on paper evidence where we can as normal. We have also introduced telephone assessments and are working to increase the number of these assessments in order that we can make the right decision for as many people as possible, while keeping people safe.</p><p> </p><p>Where it is not possible to carry out a PIP telephone assessment we are making a decision based on all the evidence available to ensure any payment is not delayed. For ESA/UC, claimants will remain on their current award until we are able to gather the evidence needed for a recommendation to be made (or until contributory ESA ends)); any additional amounts the claimant may qualify for after their assessment will be backdated to ensure no long-term loss. Where an individual’s contributory ESA ends they may be able to claim Universal Credit, depending on their personal circumstances if they require further financial support.</p><p> </p><p>The question refers to ‘disablement pension’; we have understood that to refer to the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB). Following a successful trial, we have now begun paper based assessments in IIDB for certain prescribed diseases. To protect our most vulnerable claimants with the most serious health conditions we are continuing to process IIDB claims for people with terminal illnesses, and those for Fast Track prescribed diseases as they can be assessed without the need for a face to face assessment. Once face-to-face assessments resume, awards will be backdated to the date of application to ensure claimants do not lose out on funds they are entitled to.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 27/01/2021 13:18:46 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1279171

registered interest
date	21/01/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Work Capability Assessment: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of claims for (a) personal independence payment, (b) employment support allowance and (c) disablement pension which are pending due to a face-to-face health and disability assessment in (i) Lewisham Deptford, (ii) London and (iii) the UK which cannot be completed under covid-19 restrictions.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	141532
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2021 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-01-21/141531" target="_blank">141531</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Department publishes Personal Independence Payment assessment data online which can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics?_sm_byp=iVVWb5570W4jkbMj#content" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics?_sm_byp=iVVWb5570W4jkbMj#content</a></p><p> </p><p>The PIP clearance times are available to October 2020 and can be focused down to region level. Any further geographical breakdowns are not available and to provide them would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>The Department publishes Employment Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) data online which can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-january-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-january-2021</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The ESA clearance times are available to June 2020 at a national level only. The clearance times are only currently available to March 2020, but can be focused down to region and local authority level. Any further geographical breakdowns are not available and to provide them would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>The question enquires into ‘disablement pension’, we have understood that to refer to the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) which this Department administers<strong>. </strong>The Department publishes quarterly statistics on claims and assessments under IIDB scheme in Great Britain here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-injuries-disablement-benefit-quarterly-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-injuries-disablement-benefit-quarterly-statistics</a></p><p> </p><p>The latest claims information is to March 2020, with the lowest geographical level available of Region. Statistics to June 2020 will be published on 23 February 2021</p><p> </p><p>Further geographical breakdowns and average clearance times are not readily available and to provide them would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 141533 question first answered 29/01/2021 15:09:43 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft