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869315

registered interest
date	29/03/2018
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	Bereavement Support Payment
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 assessment of the effect of the 18 week limit for bereavement support payments on the time available to families to grieve before returning to work.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	134049
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2018 answer text <p>Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is paid as an initial larger payment followed by up to 18 smaller monthly instalments. It provides targeted support to help with the immediate costs of bereavement rather than being an income replacement for on-going living expenses. The period of payment is not intended to equate to the period of grief following a bereavement.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has made a commitment to review the impacts of BSP once sufficient evidence is available to assess all aspects of the policy.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 19/04/2018 15:03:54 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

874674

registered interest
date	29/03/2018
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: Private Rented Housing
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 effect of the roll-out of universal credit on the availability of private rented accommodation for households in receipt of the housing element of that benefit.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	134975
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2018 answer text <p>Universal Credit provides housing support to working-age claimants broadly in line with the previous Housing Benefit support. In December, 44% of households claiming housing support under Universal Credit were in the Private Rental Sector. We continue to engage with stakeholders in the Private Rental Sector to assess the effect of Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit is already significantly improving the rate at which those claiming benefits return to work. Being in employment improves the housing choices of those who would otherwise have remained dependent on benefits.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 16/04/2018 11:05:07 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

874718

registered interest
date	29/03/2018
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	Social Security: Scotland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she next plans to meet with her counterparts in the Scottish Government to discuss that Government's progress on the timetable for the devolution of social security powers.
tabling member constituency	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
tabling member printed	Andrew Bowie
uin	135019
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2018 answer text <p>The Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare is attended by Ministers from both Governments, including the Secretary of State, and was set up to oversee the devolution of social security powers. The next meeting is due to take place before the summer recess.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State also answered questions from the Scottish Government’s Social Security Committee at Holyrood on 16 April, regarding the timetable for the devolution of social security powers. In addition, meetings and conversations take place on an ad hoc basis between DWP and Scottish Government Ministers to discuss progress and related matters.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 20/04/2018 10:08:21 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4601 label Biography information for Andrew Bowie

874724

registered interest
date	29/03/2018
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	Workplace 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 he has made of the potential merits of a system of automatic transfers for individuals who have multiple jobs during their working life.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	135025
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2018 answer text <p>The Government’s priority for private pension savers in 2018 remains the successful roll-out of automatic enrolment. Automatic enrolment has led to more than 9.4 million employees being automatically enrolled in a workplace pension, with more than 1.1 million employers meeting their duties, as of the end of February 2018.</p><p> </p><p>Industry shares this priority. With 94% of eligible jobholders automatically enrolled in an occupational defined contribution scheme enrolled in a Master Trust, scheme managers and trustees are focused on preparing for compliance with the authorisation and supervision regime introduced by the Pension Schemes Act 2017.</p><p> </p><p>These reforms increase the number of people saving into workplace pensions and ensure confidence in the system. Government, providers, employers and members should focus on these changes. It is therefore not the right time to implement automatic transfers.</p><p> </p><p>All those with a defined contribution pension pot have a statutory right to transfer to another pension scheme of their choice and can use the Pension Tracing Service to identify pension pots they have accumulated with former employers. Members could also benefit from the introduction of the pensions dashboard, which should make it easier to see all their pots in one place when they choose to do so. This would enable them to feel in control and take ownership of their pensions. We are currently conducting a feasibility study and aim to publish our findings later in spring 2018.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 16/04/2018 11:31:55 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

874747

registered interest
date	29/03/2018
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	Construction: Conditions of Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department provides to the construction industry on the requirement of employee medicals as a pre-requisite for employment in that sector.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	135048
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2018 answer text <p>The Health &amp; Safety Executive (HSE) provides a range of general and construction-specific guidance on work-related health risk assessments, health surveillance, and medical surveillance required under health and safety law. This can be found on HSE’s website <a href="http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm" target="_blank">http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm</a> and</p><p><a href="http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/healthrisks/index.htm" target="_blank">http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/healthrisks/index.htm</a></p><p> </p><p>Work in construction can involve exposure to a range of health hazards such as noise, vibration, chemicals and dusts. Employers are legally required to assess these risks to properly manage and control them.</p><p> </p><p>Control measures can include a health assessment before work starts to confirm a worker’s fitness for the work and establish a baseline for future health surveillance assessments. Some specific work activities, such as tunnelling in compressed air, require a medical assessment by an HSE Appointed Doctor.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 19/04/2018 10:25:30 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

874753

registered interest
date	29/03/2018
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: Appeals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment support allowance appeals have been held in the last three years at which from her Department was not represented.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	135054
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2018 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>No. ESA Disposals<sup>1</sup></p></td><td><p>No. ESA Hearing Disposals<sup>2</sup></p></td><td><p>No. ESA cases Presenting Officer (PO) attended <sup>3</sup></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1 April 2014 - 31 March 2015</p></td><td><p>67,996</p></td><td><p>60,327</p></td><td><p>1,205</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1 April 2015 - 31 March 2016</p></td><td><p>56,003</p></td><td><p>49,979</p></td><td><p>1,132</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1 April 2016 - 31 March 2017</p></td><td><p>72,917</p></td><td><p>65,723</p></td><td><p>1,428</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1 April 2017 - 31 December 2017<sup>P</sup></p></td><td><p>60,748</p></td><td><p>53,237</p></td><td><p>13,347</p></td></tr></tbody></table></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="4"><p><sup>1</sup>. Disposals denotes the total number of Appeals disposed of and is inclusive of both those cleared at hearing and those cleared without the need of a tribunal</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="4"><p><ol start="2"><li>The total cleared at hearing may include some withdrawals. Thus, it is not the total of those decisions in favour and those upheld.</li><li>The number of ESA appeals a PO was in attendance.</li></ol></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="4"><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="4"><p><sup>P</sup> Provisional data subject to change. Latest data available in line with published data.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 18/04/2018 16:05:15 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

874754

registered interest
date	29/03/2018
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: Appeals
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 trends in the level of delays to employment support allowance hearing as a result of the absence Departmental representatives at those hearings.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	135055
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2018 answer text <p>Departmental representatives are not required to attend all appeal hearings at the First-tier Tribunal. When Employment and Support Allowance Presenting Officers do attend their role is to support the Tribunal to make the correct decision. They also provide valuable insight into why decisions are overturned, and are helping to identify improvements that could be made to the claimant journey.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 16/04/2018 14:19:38 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

874756

registered interest
date	29/03/2018
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, for what length of time her Department retains records relating to employment support allowance claims.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	135057
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2018 answer text <p>DWP retains documentation in line with the Data Protection Act, as such, generally records classified as supporting the ESA claim are retained for 14 months after DWP’s live interest in the claim has ended. Ephemeral records are retained locally for 4 weeks and then destroyed.</p><p> </p><p>There are however exceptions to this where records may be retained for longer than 14 months.</p><p> </p><p>Examples include (but are not limited to):</p><p>•Fraud</p><p>•Overpayments including: civil proceedings and Recovery from Estates</p><p>•Debt Management including: Compensation Recovery</p><p>•Appeals including: Mandatory Reconsiderations where the case is outstanding with Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS)</p><p>•Customer feedback or complaints being dealt with by Independent Case Examiner (ICE) cases &amp; Parliamentary Health and Service Ombudsman (PHSO) Cases only.</p><p>•Criminal Cases Review Commission cases</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 18/04/2018 16:12:15 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

874806

registered interest
date	29/03/2018
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	Social Security Benefits: Diverticulitis
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 is taking to support people with diverticulitis through the welfare system.
tabling member constituency	Leigh
tabling member printed	Jo Platt
uin	135107
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2018 answer text <p>Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is an income replacement benefit, available for people with health conditions or disabilities, including diverticulitis who face barriers to work.</p><p> </p><p>People claiming ESA are offered support through the Personal Support Package to help them move closer to the Labour Market. The package is for people with health conditions and disabilities, with a range of interventions and initiatives designed to provide support that is tailored to the individual needs of claimants.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit (UC) is replacing Income-related ESA and the linked disability premiums, including the Severe Disability Premium. This is will simplify the benefits processes and better target support. UC claimants are assigned a dedicated Work Coach to support them throughout their claim. This builds relationships and trust, and means Work Coaches can identify and address any specific needs the claimant may have as a result of their health condition.</p><p> </p><p>Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution towards the extra costs that disabled people can face and is assessed on needs arising rather than being condition specific. There are currently 620 people in receipt of PIP whose main disabling condition is recorded as being diverticular disease of diverticulitis.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 20/04/2018 11:30:48 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4673 label Biography information for Jo Platt

874809

registered interest
date	29/03/2018
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	Department for Work and Pensions: Mental Health
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 in implementing recommendations 7 and 11 of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Wavertree
tabling member printed	Luciana Berger
uin	135110
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2018 answer text <p>The Work and Health Programme is now in place across England and Wales, offering a more personalised local approach to supporting disabled people and those with mental health conditions to overcome barriers to employment. Better integration of health support is a particular priority, and providers will deliver integrated support to customers with multiple barriers. Across the whole programme we have been guided by the evidence, learning from the best of the Work Programme and Work Choice, and have set up the programme with high quality evaluation built in.</p><p>As the Government confirmed in its response to recommendation 7 of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, individuals, even with similar barriers or characteristics, can respond differently to those barriers, and so require tailored support. This is why we have elected to give providers considerable freedom in how they support claimants to move into lasting work rather than specify particular services. This is supported by a payment model which gives providers a strong incentive to deliver outcomes, including a price accelerator element which seeks to deliver better performance by increasing the return for investment for those who are harder to help.</p><p>The key area on recommendation 11 is to stress that “The Government announced in October 2017 that it no longer intends to extend Local Housing Allowance rates to social sector tenants and in particular to those living in supported housing. The Government has also made clear that it is keen to ensure that those living in supported housing, and those who provide it, receive appropriate protection. The welfare system will therefore continue to fund long-term supported accommodation along with sheltered and extra care housing.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 16/04/2018 13:29:30 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4036 label Biography information for Luciana Berger