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1506784

registered interest
date	20/09/2022
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	Pension Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2022 to Question 47660 on Pension Credit, if she will publish equivalent data on the number of people eligible for Pension Credit in the period since 2019-20.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	51977
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2022 answer text <p>Data on the number of people eligible for Pension Credit in the period since 2019-20 is not available. The Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up Official Statistics series is suspended. Estimates will not be published for the financial year 2020 to 2021 due to data issues following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This is affecting the methodology used to produce these statistics. We will provide an update on the financial year 2021 to 2022 publication when we have assessed if it will be possible to publish these statistics in line with the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice for Statistics.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 23/09/2022 14:02:02 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1506816

registered interest
date	20/09/2022
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	Pension Credit
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 and proportion of eligible households that did not receive Pension Credit in the 2021-22 financial year.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	51418
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2022 answer text <p>Estimates for the number of people eligible for Pension Credit are only available at the Great Britain level and are available in the “Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up” publication which can be found on the statistics section of gov.uk. The latest publication relates to the financial year 2019 to 2020.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2019-to-2020" target="_blank">Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2019 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart grouped question UIN 51419 question first answered 23/09/2022 14:04:47 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1506817

registered interest
date	20/09/2022
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	Pension Credit: West Midlands
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of eligible households who are not receiving Pension Credit in the West Midlands as of 20 September 2022.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	51419
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2022 answer text <p>Estimates for the number of people eligible for Pension Credit are only available at the Great Britain level and are available in the “Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up” publication which can be found on the statistics section of gov.uk. The latest publication relates to the financial year 2019 to 2020.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2019-to-2020" target="_blank">Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2019 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart grouped question UIN 51418 question first answered 23/09/2022 14:04:47 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1506827

registered interest
date	20/09/2022
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	Pensioners: Poverty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of pensioners who will be living in poverty during the winter of 2022-23.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	51865
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2022 answer text <p>It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the number of pensioners who will be living in poverty during the winter 2022/23. Projecting poverty involves projecting forward the impact of the cost of living on every household’s income which is not possible to do with confidence.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to action that helps to alleviate levels of pensioner poverty.</p><p> </p><p>In 2020/21 there were 400 thousand fewer pensioners in absolute poverty in the UK (both before and after housing costs) than in 2009/10.</p><p> </p><p>We are forecast to spend over £134 billion on benefits for pensioners in 2022/23. This amounts to 5.4% of GDP. This includes spending on the State Pension which is forecast to be over £110bn in 2022/23.</p><p> </p><p>On top of this, the government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The new “Energy Price Guarantee” will mean a typical UK household will now pay up to an average £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years from 1 October, saving the average household in Great Britain at least £1,000 based on current energy prices from October. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost of living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>This includes a one-off payment to pensioners households of £300 through and as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment from November.</p><p> </p><p>The government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of household essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England this will take the form of an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m. Devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 23/09/2022 14:08:33 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1506184

registered interest
date	08/09/2022
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: Terminal Illnesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the financial (a) impact upon and (b) assistance available to people of working age forced to leave their jobs following a diagnosis of terminal illness; and if she will make it her policy to enable such people to have early access to their state pension.
tabling member constituency	New Forest East
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Lewis
uin	49560
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2022 answer text <p>The Government wants to do all it can to alleviate the pressures on those nearing the end of their lives, and on their families. <br> <br> The main way that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does this is through special benefit rules, sometimes referred to as “the Special Rules”. These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment, serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit. For many years, the Special Rules have applied to people who have 6 months or less to live and now they are being changed so they apply to people who have 12 months or less to live. <br> <br> Once the change has been fully rolled out across all benefits, each year, between 30,000 and 60,000 people may benefit from these changes to the Special Rules. This will mean that the Government is spending approximately £115 million a year more on people who are nearing the end of their lives.</p><p><em> </em></p><p>There are no plans to allow early access to State Pension.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it, including when they near or reach retirement. Support is available through the welfare system to those who are unable to work or are on a low income but are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 23/09/2022 10:36:48 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	54 label Biography information for Sir Julian Lewis

1506218

registered interest
date	08/09/2022
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	Maternity Pay: Inflation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Statutory Maternity Pay rates in light of current levels of inflation.
tabling member constituency	Walthamstow
tabling member printed	Stella Creasy
uin	49645
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2022 answer text <p>The standard rate of SMP is reviewed annually, alongside state benefits, and is generally increased in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). From April 2022 the standard rate of SMP increased to £156.66, in line with the September 2021 CPI rate of 3.1%.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 23/09/2022 10:39:05 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4088 label Biography information for Stella Creasy

1506231

registered interest
date	08/09/2022
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	Children: Maintenance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that paying parents are paying a fair and balanced amount of Child Maintenance in light of the rising cost of living.
tabling member constituency	Southport
tabling member printed	Damien Moore
uin	49768
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2022 answer text <p>The child maintenance calculation was designed to be fair for the paying parent, while ensuring they contribute a significant proportion of their income to support their children.</p><p> </p><p>The calculation represents an amount of money that is broadly similar with the amount that a non-resident parent would spend on supporting the child if they were still living with them.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 23/09/2022 11:34:47 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4669 label Biography information for Damien Moore

1506368

registered interest
date	08/09/2022
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) qualifications and (b) training courses are required to be undertaken to become an Assessor for Work Capability Assessments.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	49674
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2022 answer text <p>All Healthcare Professionals (HCP) must have the following qualifications and experience:</p><p> </p><ul><li>they are an Occupational Therapist, Nurse (level 1), Physiotherapist or Doctor</li><li>they are fully registered with the relevant regulatory body (doctors must have a licence to practice)</li><li>the licensing body has not placed restrictions on the healthcare professional’s registration (unless they relate to disability), in individual cases this may be waivered subject to agreement with the department</li><li>they have at least 1 years’ post full registration experience (General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health and Care Professions Council or European Economic Area equivalent) or for non-European Union graduates 1 years’ post full registration experience unless otherwise agreed on an individual basis by the department.</li></ul><p> </p><p>HCPs undergo training in Disability Assessment Medicine which includes three distinct areas:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Generic training - principles of disability analysis, professional standards (including manner and behaviour) and multi-cultural awareness</li><li>Training to undertake benefit-specific assessments - modular training with competency testing at each stage and an approval process</li><li>Scrutiny / file work training - providing advice to the decision maker, theory, and casework exercises, followed by supported individual casework.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The training also includes theory training in a classroom setting, supervised practical training, and a demonstration of understanding as assessed by quality audit.</p><p> </p><p>Before HCPs can carry out assessments, they must go through a formal approval process to ensure they meet the department’s requirements in relation to experience, skills, and competence. Failure to demonstrate that they have reached the necessary standards, or to co-operate with feedback and/or retraining, will result in approval being refused.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 23/09/2022 10:49:11 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1506369

registered interest
date	08/09/2022
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	Bereavement Support Payment: Cohabitation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the surviving partner of cohabitating couples with children are informed of upcoming changes to the eligibility for Bereavement Support Payments.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	49675
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2022 answer text <p>We are working to lay before Parliament the draft Remedial Order extending Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowance to surviving cohabitees with dependent children. Should the Order be approved, we plan to use a variety of approaches to raise awareness of this change, including updating GOV.UK and working with external stakeholders to ensure maximum reach.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 23/09/2022 11:06:32 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1506370

registered interest
date	08/09/2022
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	Bereavement Support Payment: Cohabitation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for Bereavement Support Payments have been denied because the surviving partner was not married or in a civil partnership with the deceased partner, since 2018.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	49676
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2022 answer text <p>Monthly official statistics for Bereavement Support Payment, including number of decisions disallowed due to not married/ civil partnership and no proof of marriage/civil partnership, between April 2017 and March 2022, are published and can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 23/09/2022 11:14:09 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth