Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1178335

registered interest
date	13/02/2020
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: Disqualification
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims were closed in 2019 as a result of a claimant failing to accept their claimant commitment when they have (a) no work-related requirements, (b) work preparation requirements only and (c) work-focused interview requirements.
tabling member constituency	Westminster North
tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
uin	1855
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is not held.</p><p> </p><p>It is not possible to provide a conditionality group breakdown for claims which were closed before first payment of Universal Credit. This is because a conditionality group is not determined for all claimants until the end of the first assessment period is reached.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/02/2020 11:44:31 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1178336

registered interest
date	13/02/2020
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: Disqualification
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants whose claims were closed during 2019 because of a claimant failing to accept their claimant commitment have subsequently successfully challenged the claimant commitment and that case closure.
tabling member constituency	Westminster North
tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
uin	1856
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/02/2020 11:49:53 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1178359

registered interest
date	13/02/2020
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, whether her Department plans to introduce a work allowance for all universal credit claimants who do not meet the existing criteria; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	1945
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>Universal Credit is a modern, flexible, personalised benefit reflecting the rapidly changing world of work and replaces six outdated and complex benefits with one. It is simplifying the benefits system and making work pay. Monthly assessment periods align to the way the majority of people are paid and also allows Universal Credit to be adjusted each month. This means that if a claimant’s income falls, they will not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has made significant investment to improve work incentives including: the reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 65% to 63% in 2017, and an extra £1.7 billion a year put into work allowances for working parents and disabled claimants to increase them by £1,000 a year from April 2019. This is providing a boost to the incomes of the lowest paid and result in 2.4 million families keeping an extra £630 per year of what they earn.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to helping the most vulnerable to improve their life chances by tackling the root causes of poverty, and ensuring that children have the best possible start in life continue to reform the welfare system so that it promotes work as the most effective route out of poverty and is fairer towards those who receive it and the taxpayers who pay for it. We also want to identify opportunities to create a highly productive workforce, improving progression prospects for the lowest paid people so everyone has the right skills to meet the UK’s future demand.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/02/2020 18:08:40 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1178360

registered interest
date	13/02/2020
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: Self-employed
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will review the minimum income floor used to estimate earnings for universal credit claimants that are self-employed.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	1946
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>The Department supports people to be self-employed when it is the right thing for them to do to be financially self-sufficient. Key to this is continuing to help claimants in, or considering, self-employment to progress to a level of sustained financial self-sufficiency that does not exclude the possibility of better paid work elsewhere. This ensures fairness to claimants, but also taxpayers who fund the welfare system.</p><p> </p><p>Work coaches offer tailored support to our claimants who are in self-employment through to help them to increase their productivity and earnings. Work coaches can refer low-earning claimants to mentoring support from New Enterprise Allowance providers and sign-post claimants to the other extensive business support which is already funded by the Government.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that it takes time for new businesses to grow and that even established businesses can experience difficulties. From September 2020, all self-employed Universal Credit claimants will be given the same 12 months’ exemption period to provide them with time and support needed to grow their businesses.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 24/02/2020 18:04:07 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1178449

registered interest
date	13/02/2020
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	Independent Case Examiner
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 January 2020 to Question 1733, on the Independent Case Examiner (ICE), if she will request that the ICE's annual report for 2019-20 includes data on the average number of weeks taken to complete a determination from the date of (a) the complaint and (b) commencement of the investigation.
tabling member constituency	Bethnal Green and Bow
tabling member printed	Rushanara Ali
uin	1995
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>As explained in response to Question 1733, the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) is an Office Holder, appointed under contract to review complaints about DWP and its contracted service providers, and identify wider system issues associated with service failures. Decisions on what information to include in their Annual Report rest with the Office holder, however, your suggestion has been shared with them, to inform future considerations.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 24/02/2020 12:01:27 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4138 label Biography information for Rushanara Ali

1178450

registered interest
date	13/02/2020
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: Pensioners
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners have been required to make a claim for universal credit rather than pension credit because their partner has not yet reached pension age.
tabling member constituency	Bethnal Green and Bow
tabling member printed	Rushanara Ali
uin	1996
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>In 2012, Parliament voted to modernise the welfare system to ensure that couples, where one person is of working age and the other person is over State Pension age, access support, where it is needed, through the working age benefit regime. This replaces the previous system whereby the household could access either Pension Credit and pension-age Housing Benefit, or working-age benefits.</p><p> </p><p>Pension Credit is designed to provide long-term support for pensioner households who are no longer economically active. It is not designed to support working age claimants. This change will ensure that the same work incentives apply to the younger partner as apply to other people of the same age, and taxpayer support is directed where it is needed most.</p><p> </p><p>Between 15 May 2019, when the mixed age couples policy was implemented, and mid</p><p>August 2019, there were 1,800 new claims to Universal Credit where one member of the couple was above State Pension age and the other below (a “mixed age couple”).</p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes: </strong></p><p>1. This is the number of couples/new claims (rounded to nearest 100) and not the number of people.</p><p>2. The data is up to mid-August as this is the latest available data.</p><p>3. The data is from the DWP management information which has been collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/02/2020 18:01:33 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4138 label Biography information for Rushanara Ali

1178451

registered interest
date	13/02/2020
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: Pensioners
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to review the effect on pensioner poverty of the requirement that pensioners make a claim for universal credit on retirement and not pension credit because their partner has not yet reached pension age.
tabling member constituency	Bethnal Green and Bow
tabling member printed	Rushanara Ali
uin	1997
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>We spend around £100 billion on the State Pension in 2019/20, and as a result of the triple lock, from April 2020 (subject to Parliamentary approval), the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension will be around £700 higher than if it had just been up-rated by earnings since April 2010. There are 100,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty (before housing costs) than in 2009/10. Rates of material deprivation for pensioners are also at a record low: since 2009/10 material deprivation for pensioners has fallen from 10% to 7% in 2017/18. Entitlement to the State Pension, and eligibility to claim it, are unaffected by the changes made to support for people on low incomes through the system of income-related benefits.</p><p> </p><p>This change does not apply to couples already claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners on 14 May 2019 for as long as they remain entitled to either benefit.</p><p> </p><p>In regard to encouraging people below State Pension age to remain in the labour market and continue saving for their own retirement, the Government believes this is important both for individuals and wider society. We do not therefore believe it is right that different labour-market conditions should apply to people below State Pension age based on the age of their partner.</p><p> </p><p>This change in the way support is provided to couples where one partner is below State Pension age will ensure that the same incentives to work and save for retirement apply to the younger partner as apply to other people of the same age. Unlike Pension Credit, which in most cases allows a couple to retain only £10 a week of earned income, Universal Credit provides clear incentives for people to find and progress in work.</p><p> </p><p>The younger partner in a mixed-age couple claiming Universal Credit will get the personalised support provided by Work Coaches to help them find and progress in work where appropriate. If the younger partner is unable to work because of disability or caring requirements, additional amounts may be payable and conditionality requirements adjusted. No work-related requirements will be applied to the older partner. The Government is committed to action that helps to alleviate levels of pensioner poverty.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 24/02/2020 16:50:28 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4138 label Biography information for Rushanara Ali

1178452

registered interest
date	13/02/2020
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 estimate she has made of the net saving that will be made by the public purse from the abolition of the Adult Dependency Increase for pensioners from April 2020.
tabling member constituency	Bethnal Green and Bow
tabling member printed	Rushanara Ali
uin	1998
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>In 2007 the then Labour Government decided to end State Pension ADIs as part of a package of reforms included in the Pensions Act 2007. This overall reform package, which took account that State Pension ADIs would stop from April 2020, improved the State Pension position for women meaning more women would get a full basic State Pension. The reforms also provided more generous National Insurance credits for carers. Successive Governments of differing political persuasions since 2007 have continued to support this change.</p><p> </p><p>The savings from ending the provision of State Pension Adult Dependency Increases are estimated to be £125m between 2020/21 and 2024/25, based on analysis from 2018. This only reflects savings on Adult Dependency Increases expenditure and does not take into account any offsetting impacts on other benefits.</p><p> </p><p>We have not made an estimate of the net saving once offsetting impacts on other benefits are taken into account. As at May 2019, total annual expenditure on State Pension Adult Dependency Increases in 2019/20 for people in receipt of both Adult Dependency Increases and at least one of Pension Credit or Housing Benefit was estimated at £7m.</p><p /> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 24/02/2020 16:18:39 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4138 label Biography information for Rushanara Ali

1178797

registered interest
date	13/02/2020
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 received support for upfront childcare costs under the Flexible Support Fund; and what proportion of the Flexible Support Fund is used to pay for childcare.
tabling member constituency	Walthamstow
tabling member printed	Stella Creasy
uin	15159
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/02/2020 11:38:59 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4088 label Biography information for Stella Creasy

1178798

registered interest
date	13/02/2020
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 support is in place for parents (a) who are in work to cover the cost of childcare costs during school holidays and (b) who have accessed the Flexible Support Fund in the month following that claim and who are not able to recoup the costs of childcare for that period via universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Walthamstow
tabling member printed	Stella Creasy
uin	15160
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>The Universal Credit childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare. Claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and Universal Credit childcare costs in conjunction with each other. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work, even during school holidays. The Government is committed to supporting working parents and, as part of this, Universal Credit pays up to 85% of childcare costs, compared to 70% in legacy benefits.</p><p>Universal Credit claimants are able to upload digital copies of their childcare cost receipts or invoices through their online Universal Credit account. In October 2019, the Department introduced changes to give parents longer to report their childcare costs. Childcare costs can be claimed in the same assessment period they were paid, or by the end of the following assessment period.</p><p>Beyond the Universal Credit childcare element, claimants can be considered for two additional methods of funding childcare costs: the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) and Budgeting Advances.</p><p>The FSF can pay up to 100% of the upfront childcare costs (subject to payment limits) that the claimant incurs before starting work and receiving their first wage. Through FSF, Work Coaches can support claimants with barriers that may prevent them from moving into employment, such as childcare or travel costs. Each case is considered carefully on its own merits with financial help available in advance to eligible claimants.</p><p>A budgeting advance is available for one-off urgent financial events for eligible UC claimants, such as upfront childcare, and is repayable over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/02/2020 14:35:24 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4088 label Biography information for Stella Creasy