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1387634

registered interest
date	14/12/2021
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 and Health
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what meetings she has had with disabled people on the design of the reforms proposed in the Health and Disability Green Paper.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	93061
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2022 answer text <p>For the 18 months prior to the formal launch of the consultation underpinning the Green Paper, we ran a significant stakeholder engagement programme to ensure the views of disabled people and their representatives shaped the content.</p><p> </p><p>During the consultation period, we delivered a wide-ranging programme of more than 40 events to promote the Green Paper and hear people’s views on the proposals. These included face-to-face and virtual public events, events with the Regional Stakeholder Networks, and a forum of disabled people from minority ethnic backgrounds.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst the formal consultation period has now ended, we continue to engage stakeholders regularly, particularly on the broader aspects of the paper that focus on future reform.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 05/01/2022 17:21:03 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1382989

registered interest
date	29/11/2021
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
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 potential impact of ending the £20 uplift to universal credit on levels of foodbank use in the UK.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	83491
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2021 answer text <p>The uplift to Universal Credit was a temporary measure, that is why an assessment has not been completed on its withdrawal.</p><p> </p><p>Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in their operation. There is no consistent and accurate measure of food bank usage at a constituency or national level. We understand the data limitations in this area, and thus from April 2021 we introduced a set of questions into the Family Resources Survey (FRS) to measure and track food bank usage. The first results of these questions are due to be published in March 2023 subject to usual quality assurance. These questions will allow us to gauge where people in food security are seeking help and over time will allow us to build a time series on the scale of food bank usage.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is wholly committed to supporting low-income families, including through spending over £110 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22 and by increasing the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 from April 2022.</p><p> </p><p>With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, our focus now is on continuing to support people into and to progress in work. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has recently been expanded by £500 million, will help people across the UK to find work and to boost their wages and prospects.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Universal Credit recipients in work will soon benefit from a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%, while eligible in-work claimants will also benefit from changes to the Work Allowance. These measures represent, for the lowest paid in society, an effective tax cut of around £2.2 Billion in 2022-23, and will benefit almost two million of the lowest paid workers by £1000 a year on average.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund will provide £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.</p><p> </p><p>To support low income families further we have also increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25, helping eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins, and we are investing over £200m a year from 2022 to continue our Holiday Activities and Food programme, which is already providing enriching activities and healthy meals to children in all Local Authorities in England.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 03/12/2021 11:03:53 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1367445

registered interest
date	09/11/2021
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: Fraud
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 announcement of 8 November 2021 on preventing pension scams, what estimate she has made of the impact on the number of referrals to MoneyHelper for mandatory guidance once the new rules come into force; and whether additional resources have been allocated to MoneyHelper for that purpose.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	72597
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2021 answer text <p>The legislation will fully come into force on the 30 November. We anticipate that accurate data will become available after this point. It is the Departments intention to monitor the volumes of referrals to MoneyHelper and include this in the review of the regulations I have committed to carry out within 18 months of them coming into force having worked closely with the Money and Pension Service.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 16/11/2021 15:52:53 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1357970

registered interest
date	23/09/2021
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what definition her Department uses to classify social security claimants as vulnerable; what method is used to identify those claimants; and how that information is recorded.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	54017
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2021 answer text <p>The Department does not identify or record claimants as ‘vulnerable’ or ‘not vulnerable’. However, we often need to consider a customer’s particular circumstances to provide the right service or ensure appropriate support. Where a staff member recognises that a customer has particular needs which should be flagged within their case file, they can do this by recording relevant information on the appropriate customer profile record. For example, in Universal Credit, complex needs information is recorded in profile notes within the claimant history.</p><p> </p><p>In 2019 we created a central team in the Customer Experience Directorate who focus on supporting customers who require advanced support. We have also appointed over 30 regional Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders across Great Britain; their role is to provide targeted support to customers who most need it.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 18/10/2021 16:14:10 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1357532

registered interest
date	22/09/2021
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	State Retirement Pensions: Underpayments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the National Audit Office report entitled Investigation into underpayment of State Pensions published on 22 September 2021, if she will set up a task force to target and prioritise assistance for pensioners who are most in need of support as a result of the underpayment of State Pension.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	53345
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2021 answer text <p>The Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practice (LEAP) exercise to correct State Pension underpayments began in January 2021. We are prioritising older cases and those who we believe are the most vulnerable. The Department will write to affected individuals to inform them of the changes to their State Pension amount and of any arrears payment they will receive in accordance with the law.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 18/10/2021 11:54:44 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1356191

registered interest
date	16/09/2021
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	Workplace Pensions: Young People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department has made on implementing its policy to (a) extend automatic enrolment of employees in a workplace pension scheme to employees under the age of 22 years and (b) remove the lower earnings threshold for that automatic enrolment by the mid-2020s.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	50765
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2021 answer text <p>We are committed to implementing the 2017 Automatic Enrolment Review ambitions in the mid-2020s, lowering the age for being automatically enrolled from 22 to 18 and abolishing the automatic enrolment lower earnings limit, so that contributions are payable from the first pound of earnings.</p><p> </p><p>In this way we will expand coverage of the successful workplace pension reforms and increase the amounts being put into retirement savings by millions of workers, particularly younger people and lower earners.</p><p> </p><p>The 2017 Review report was clear that implementation will be subject to learning from previous workplace pension contribution increases, discussions with employers and others on the right approach, and finding ways to make these changes affordable. We will do this in light of the impact of the pandemic and our overall support for economic recovery, while continuing to support long-term saving, balancing the needs of savers, employers and tax-payers.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 21/09/2021 15:30:02 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1356192

registered interest
date	16/09/2021
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: Investement
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association's (PLSA) consultation paper entitled Responsible Investment Quality Mark: Consultation on Standards, published in June 2021, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of PLSA’s proposal to develop a quality mark to recognise good practice of pension schemes on responsible investment.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	50766
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2021 answer text <p>The Secretary of State will consider the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association's proposals in the usual way. DWP officials look forward to discussing stakeholder responses with their PLSA counterparts in due course. <strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/09/2021 15:07:33 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1356193

registered interest
date	16/09/2021
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	Workplace Pensions
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 proportion of employees automatically enrolled in a workplace pension scheme who are likely to reach a moderate lifestyle in retirement as defined by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association's Retirement Living Standards.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	50767
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2021 answer text <p>This Government is focussed on its goal of expanding the benefits of automatic enrolment in the mid-2020s, increasing the overall amounts being saved by working people, and extending the benefits of workplace pensions to younger workers. I welcome the PLSA standards as a contribution to the debate.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 21/09/2021 15:59:13 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1355733

registered interest
date	15/09/2021
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	State Retirement Pensions: Standards
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 13 September 2021 to Question 45271 on State Retirement Pensions: Administrative Delays, if she will provide statistical information on the (a) average processing time for a new state pension claim and (b) average processing time 12 months ago; and how many unprocessed claims for new state pensions her Department holds.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	50143
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>DWP is aware that a small number of new State Pension claims have been subject to delays in receiving payment.</p><p>The Department is working hard to clear the current backlog, many of which have accrued since the Covid Pandemic.</p><p>We are prioritising overdue payments and payments that are imminent within the next few weeks. Normal service will be resumed by the end of October 2021.</p><p>Claimants don’t need to act, we have identified the cases and will process them as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 20/09/2021 13:40:39 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1354023

registered interest
date	08/09/2021
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	State Retirement Pensions: Applications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average processing time is for a new state pension claim; what the average processing time was 12 months ago; how many unprocessed claims for new state pensions her Department holds; what steps she is taking to tackle delays in processing new state pension claims; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	45271
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>DWP is aware that a small number of new State Pension claims have been subject to delays in receiving payment.</p><p>The Department is working hard to clear the current backlog, many of which have accrued since the Covid Pandemic.</p><p>We are prioritising overdue payments and payments that are imminent within the next few weeks. Normal service will be resumed by the end of October 2021.</p><p>Claimants don’t need to act, we have identified the cases and will process them as soon as possible.</p><p /> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 13/09/2021 16:58:17 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain