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862033

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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, how many people receiving their first universal credit payment have had money deducted from that payment to repay debt from (a) the Social Fund and (b) other benefits; and how much and what proportion of that debt has been repaid to date.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	132452
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2018 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/03/2018 11:55:55 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

862111

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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 she has taken to reduce the number of people declaring incorrect incomes to avoid child support payments in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	132530
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2018 answer text <p>The Department does not collect data on paying parents who use limited companies. The Child Maintenance Service obtains income information directly from HMRC and includes almost all sources of income declared to that Department for tax purposes. The specially trained Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) is able to look into cases where there is concern about a parent’s income. The FIU has been expanded since it was set up in 2014; and between October and December 2017 it opened over 1200 complex earner investigations. We recently consulted on a new Child Maintenance Compliance and Arrears strategy which proposed further improvements to the treatment of the income of complex earners, such as high value assets owned by a parent being used to create a notional income. Our response to the consultation will be published in due course.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse grouped question UIN 132531 question first answered 21/03/2018 12:06:10 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

862112

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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 estimate she has made of the number of people using limited companies to declare incorrect incomes to avoid child support payments in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	132531
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2018 answer text <p>The Department does not collect data on paying parents who use limited companies. The Child Maintenance Service obtains income information directly from HMRC and includes almost all sources of income declared to that Department for tax purposes. The specially trained Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) is able to look into cases where there is concern about a parent’s income. The FIU has been expanded since it was set up in 2014; and between October and December 2017 it opened over 1200 complex earner investigations. We recently consulted on a new Child Maintenance Compliance and Arrears strategy which proposed further improvements to the treatment of the income of complex earners, such as high value assets owned by a parent being used to create a notional income. Our response to the consultation will be published in due course.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse grouped question UIN 132530 question first answered 21/03/2018 12:06:10 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

862142

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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	Private Rented Housing: Natural Gas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the Health and Safety Executive has the necessary powers to enforce the requirement for landlords to hold a gas safety certificate for the property they are letting.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	132561
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2018 answer text <p>Health and safety inspectors appointed under section 19 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA) exercise powers under section 20 of HSWA to enforce the requirement for landlords to hold a record of the gas safety check for the property they are letting.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 21/03/2018 12:13:58 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

862225

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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	Asylum: National Insurance
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 issue national insurance numbers to all asylum seekers when they are granted refugee status.
tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
tabling member printed	Luke Pollard
uin	132644
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2018 answer text <p>For those refugees granted leave to remain as a result of a successful asylum claim, a joint fast track National Insurance Number (NINo) application process operates between DWP and the Home Office. This process has been in place since 2005 but only included the main asylum applicant. This was extended to cover all adult dependants (aged 16 or over) in the refugee’s family from 15 January 2018.</p><p>Additionally from this date the NINo is now printed on the reverse of the refugees Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 21/03/2018 12:19:21 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4682 label Biography information for Luke Pollard

862236

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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	Habitual Residence Test
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 whether refugees should be required to pass a habitual residence test for benefits after being granted refugee status.
tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
tabling member printed	Luke Pollard
uin	132655
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2018 answer text <p>A right to reside in the UK is one of the eligibility conditions for those claiming income-related benefits. Those that are required to provide evidence of their right to reside are subject to the Habitual Residence Test (HRT). The HRT contains two elements: an assessment of the legal right of residence and an assessment of factual habitual residence. Refugees who provide documentation which confirms their legal right to reside in the UK will satisfy the HRT. Refugees are exempt from the assessment of factual habitual residence if the Home Office have granted them leave to remain in the UK with recourse to public funds.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 21/03/2018 12:26:54 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4682 label Biography information for Luke Pollard

862285

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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	Funeral Payments
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 the maximum level of funeral expenses payments, in relation to recent trends in funeral costs.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	132704
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2018 answer text <p>The Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payments continue to meet the necessary costs of a cremation or burial for eligible claimants. Average payments have increased year-on-year to meet these necessary costs. We have had to make difficult choices about welfare spending and it has not been possible to increase the £700 maximum for other costs. However we have made interest-free Social Fund Budgeting Loans available for funeral costs in addition to Funeral Expenses Payments.</p><p> </p><p>In 2016/17, approximately 27,000 Funeral Expenses Payments were paid worth around £38.6 million. The average payment made has increased in value in the past ten years by about 28 per cent – from £1,117 in 2006/07 to £1,427 in 2016/17 – as the necessary costs have increased.</p><p> </p><p>We need to ensure that we have a system that is both fair for tax payers, while assisting the most vulnerable with funeral expenses. The Funeral Expenses Payments scheme continues to make a significant contribution towards the cost of a simple funeral for claimants on certain income based benefits or tax credits.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 20/03/2018 15:45:00 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

862307

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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 and Support Allowance
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 14 February 2018 to Question 127010, on employment and support allowance, how many ESA65B letters her Department has sent to doctors.
tabling member constituency	Kensington
tabling member printed	Emma Dent Coad
uin	132726
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2018 answer text <p>The ESA65B letter is issued to GPs in every case where an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimant has been found ‘fit for work’. This process was built into the IT system as part of the introduction of ESA in October 2008.</p><p> </p><p>Following a Ministerial requirement by the Cabinet Secretary, which was endorsed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the content of the ESA65B letter has been improved in order to explain to GPs the type of support customers can expect to receive from their local Jobcentre, and to ask GPs to encourage customers in their efforts to return to work. As part of this work officials engaged with the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners to ensure that the revised wording was fit for purpose.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not hold information on the number of ESA65B letters sent to GPs.</p><p> </p><p>I will place a copy of the ESA65B in the House Library.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 132727 132729 question first answered 21/03/2018 13:49:45 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4683 label Biography information for Emma Dent Coad

862308

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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 and Support Allowance
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 14 February 2018 to Question 127010, on employment and support allowance, when her Department started sending ESA65B letters to GPs; and whether that policy was authorised by Ministers.
tabling member constituency	Kensington
tabling member printed	Emma Dent Coad
uin	132727
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2018 answer text <p>The ESA65B letter is issued to GPs in every case where an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimant has been found ‘fit for work’. This process was built into the IT system as part of the introduction of ESA in October 2008.</p><p> </p><p>Following a Ministerial requirement by the Cabinet Secretary, which was endorsed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the content of the ESA65B letter has been improved in order to explain to GPs the type of support customers can expect to receive from their local Jobcentre, and to ask GPs to encourage customers in their efforts to return to work. As part of this work officials engaged with the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners to ensure that the revised wording was fit for purpose.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not hold information on the number of ESA65B letters sent to GPs.</p><p> </p><p>I will place a copy of the ESA65B in the House Library.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 132726 132729 question first answered 21/03/2018 13:49:45 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4683 label Biography information for Emma Dent Coad

862310

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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 and Support Allowance
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 14 February 2018 to Question 127010, on employment and support allowance, if she will place a copy of the ESA65B letter that her Department sends to GPs in the Library.
tabling member constituency	Kensington
tabling member printed	Emma Dent Coad
uin	132729
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2018 answer text <p>The ESA65B letter is issued to GPs in every case where an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimant has been found ‘fit for work’. This process was built into the IT system as part of the introduction of ESA in October 2008.</p><p> </p><p>Following a Ministerial requirement by the Cabinet Secretary, which was endorsed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the content of the ESA65B letter has been improved in order to explain to GPs the type of support customers can expect to receive from their local Jobcentre, and to ask GPs to encourage customers in their efforts to return to work. As part of this work officials engaged with the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners to ensure that the revised wording was fit for purpose.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not hold information on the number of ESA65B letters sent to GPs.</p><p> </p><p>I will place a copy of the ESA65B in the House Library.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 132726 132727 question first answered 21/03/2018 13:49:45 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4683 label Biography information for Emma Dent Coad