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1366478

registered interest
date	08/11/2021
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	What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of universal credit payments.
tabling member constituency	East Renfrewshire
tabling member printed	Kirsten Oswald
uin	904068
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2021 answer text <p>The Secretary of State is legally required to conduct an annual review of working age benefits rates to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices.</p><p> </p><p>The up-rating process for working age benefits has traditionally relied on the September CPI figure and in April 2021 Universal Credit was increased by CPI of 0.5%.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 08/11/2021 17:52:24 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4413 label Biography information for Kirsten Oswald

1366479

registered interest
date	08/11/2021
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	Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	When her Department will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a 12 month eligibility definition for the Special Rules for Terminal Illness.
tabling member constituency	Waveney
tabling member printed	Peter Aldous
uin	904069
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2021 answer text <p>The Department plans to implement the 12-month end-of-life approach across five DWP benefits, beginning in Universal Credit alongside Employment and Support Allowance next year. This will be followed by Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment subject to Parliamentary processes.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 08/11/2021 17:57:11 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4069 label Biography information for Peter Aldous

1366480

registered interest
date	08/11/2021
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	Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent assessment she has made of the contractual performance of Serco plc in delivering call-handling services for her Department.
tabling member constituency	Hayes and Harlington
tabling member printed	John McDonnell
uin	904070
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2021 answer text <p>DWP regularly reviews performance with Serco to ensure they are meeting contractual responsibilities. During the term of the contract Serco have largely met their Key Performance Indicators, though more recently, competitive labour market conditions and subsequent challenges recruiting agents have led to some short-term performance impacts.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 08/11/2021 17:50:03 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	178 label Biography information for John McDonnell

1366481

registered interest
date	08/11/2021
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	What assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of ending the universal credit uplift on levels of in-work relative poverty.
tabling member constituency	Bethnal Green and Bow
tabling member printed	Rushanara Ali
uin	904071
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2021 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>This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, and continues to do so through many measures. We expect to spend over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit recipients in work will soon benefit from a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%, and increasing the work allowance by £500 per year means that 1.9m working households will be able to keep substantially more of what they earn. These changes represent an effective tax cut for low income working households in receipt of UC worth £2.2 billion a year in 2022-23, for the lowest paid in society, and are combined with a rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour.</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> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 08/11/2021 17:47:47 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4138 label Biography information for Rushanara Ali

1366482

registered interest
date	08/11/2021
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	What assessment she has made of the potential effect of ending the uplift to universal credit on (a) household budgets and (b) levels of poverty.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	904072
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2021 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>This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, and continues to do so through many measures. We expect to spend over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22.</p><p>Universal Credit recipients in work will soon benefit from a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%, and increasing the work allowance by £500 per year means that 1.9m working households will be able to keep substantially more of what they earn. These changes represent an effective tax cut for low income working households in receipt of UC worth £2.2 billion a year in 2022-23, for the lowest paid in society, and are combined with a rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour.</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> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 08/11/2021 17:47:39 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1366483

registered interest
date	08/11/2021
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	Children: Disadvantaged
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on support for vulnerable children.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	904073
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2021 answer text <p>DWP supports DfE’s Family Hubs work, backed by £82m of £300m announced in the Spending Review to transform services for parents and babies, carers and children.</p><p>At least 50% of the new Household Support Fund will be spent on support for vulnerable households with children this winter.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 08/11/2021 17:51:55 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1366485

registered interest
date	08/11/2021
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	Unemployment: Older People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What support her Department provides to older jobseekers to reskill or change careers.
tabling member constituency	Broxtowe
tabling member printed	Darren Henry
uin	904075
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2021 answer text <p>The Department’s plan for jobs provides funding to ensure that more jobseekers of all ages get tailored support, including to reskill or pivot sectors. This includes programmes such as the Job Finding Support service, Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) and the Restart scheme, to help them find work. The JETS scheme in particular helps jobseekers update their digital skills, job searching tools and to identify transferrable skills, which has been extended to September 2022.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, as part of the £500m Plan for Jobs expansion, we are funding a new enhanced support package for workers over the age of 50 to help them to stay in and return to work. This offer has two strands – Older workers will receive better information and guidance on later life planning, helping them make informed choices and supporting them to plan their career and remain in work. For those who have lost their jobs, this funding will ensure that older job seekers on Universal Credit receive more intensive, tailored support as they look to take the next step in their career. A network of 50 Plus Champions across all 37 Jobcentre Plus districts will enable and encourage work coaches to direct suitable Plan for Jobs and local support to claimants aged 50 and over</p><p> </p><p>The UK government are also investing £2.5 billion in the National Skills Fund in England to aid The Lifetime Skills Guarantee. From April 2021, adults of any age over 24 who are looking to achieve their first full Level 3 will be able to access fully funded courses which will give them new skills and greater prospects in the labour market. The free online Skills Toolkit also provides online learning focused on digital, numeracy and employability skills.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 08/11/2021 18:05:23 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4794 label Biography information for Darren Henry

1366735

registered interest
date	08/11/2021
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	Social Security Benefits: Disability
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 1 November (HL3172), (1) whether the decision not to publish the report commissioned from NatCen on the uses of health and disability benefits is consistent with the Publication Protocol for Government Social Research, and (2) what plans they have, if any, to explain how the private space for policy development is relevant to the decision not to publish the NatCen report.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL3815
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2021 answer text <p>The Publication Protocol for Government Social Research provides guidance on the publication of social research, but it is important that Ministers consider research and its publication on a case by case basis and in the best interests of Government policy formation.</p><p> </p><p>The report in question engages an exemption from disclosure because it relates to the formulation or development of this government policy – Section 35(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act. This exemption protects the private space within which Ministers and their policy advisers can develop policies without the risk of premature disclosure.</p><p> </p><p>I am satisfied that in this instance the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure. Therefore, I do not intend to publish this research at present.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 22/11/2021 17:31:54 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1366813

registered interest
date	08/11/2021
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, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2021 to Question 62643 on Universal Credit, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the universal credit assessment period and payment structure; and what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the Court of Appeal Judgement of 22 November 2020 [2020] EWCA Civ 778.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	71287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2021 answer text <p>The Department has no plans to change either Universal Credit assessment periods or payment structures. They are fundamental parts of the design, reflecting payment patterns in the world of work, where the majority of people are paid monthly. Ensuring similarities between paid employment and receiving benefits eliminates an important barrier which could prevent claimants from adjusting to paid employment.</p><p> </p><p>The Court of Appeal judgment in the case of Johnson and others, handed down on 22 June 2020, ruled that the way the Department calculated Universal Credit awards involving earnings in an assessment period was a correct application of the regulations, but that the Department’s position of not considering the impact on the small number of specific cases of those paid calendar monthly who are affected by ‘a non-banking day salary shift’ should change.</p><p> </p><p>The Court of Appeal Judgment was narrowly focussed on calendar monthly paid claimants who are affected by a ‘non-banking day salary shift’ resulting in two payments being counted in one assessment period, none in another and the loss of a work allowance. The legislation changes we made to remedy these cases came into force on 16<sup>th</sup> November 2020 and allow us to move one of these monthly payments to the assessment period where there is none. Moving an additional four-weekly payment from the assessment period with two payments would not have the same effect, but would simply mean there would be two payments in a different assessment period.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 16/11/2021 12:42:52 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

1366845

registered interest
date	08/11/2021
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	State Retirement Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) administrative cost and (b) effectiveness of the 25 pence addition to the state pension for pensioners aged 80 and above.
tabling member constituency	Peterborough
tabling member printed	Paul Bristow
uin	71493
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2021 answer text <p>Age addition payments are made automatically as part of the person’s ongoing State Pension entitlement. The administration costs are therefore negligible.</p><p><em> </em></p><p>The age addition should be considered alongside the range of other measures and benefits that are available to pensioners over age 80. These include Pension Credit which can top up a pensioner’s income to a minimum of £177.10 a week for single pensioners and £270.30 for couples and provide access to a range of other benefits such as help with rent, council tax, energy bills and, for those aged 75 or over, a free television license. Moreover, households with a person aged 80 or over receive a Winter Fuel Payment of £300, instead of the standard Winter Fuel Payment of £200 for households with a pensioner below that age.</p><p> </p><p>The age addition is only payable to those who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 – it is not paid to those receiving the new State Pension.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 15/11/2021 13:01:56 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4792 label Biography information for Paul Bristow