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1135479

registered interest
date	28/06/2019
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: 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 assessment she has made of the effect of the roll-out of universal credit on young people who are (a) homeless and (b) experiencing mental health issues.
tabling member constituency	South Northamptonshire
tabling member printed	Andrea Leadsom
uin	270746
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>This Government is committed to supporting vulnerable claimants, such as those with mental health conditions or experiencing homelessness. We understand that these claimants may face extra challenges in their lives. Universal Credit is designed to target resources at those that need them most and to provide support for people who cannot work or need help moving towards the labour market.</p><p>We recognise the importance of understanding how a mental health condition impacts someone’s ability to prepare for and look for work. That is why we have developed a range of specialised mental health training for work coaches and increased the number of Disability Employment Advisers who can provide additional support where needed. Furthermore, we have a number of Community Partners recruited specifically for their expertise in mental health issues, that can provide advice that is often based on lived experience.</p><p>In the case of homeless claimants, it is our priority to ensure that people experiencing homelessness get the appropriate support they need to improve their lives and move into work. For example, we are able to put job-seeking requirements on hold temporarily whilst claimants find accommodation or stabilise their housing situation, as well as priority access to the Work and Health Programme.</p><p>We are supporting the manifesto commitment to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and eradicate it altogether by 2027 through the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Reduction Taskforce, and commitments set out in the recent Rough Sleeping Strategy. Furthermore, work coaches in England are legally bound to offer a voluntary referral to claimants they consider may be homeless or threatened with homelessness to a Local Housing Authority of the claimant’s choice.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 270747 question first answered 03/07/2019 12:51:18 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom

1135480

registered interest
date	28/06/2019
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: 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 steps she is taking to ensure that homeless young people with mental health issues on universal credit are (a) supported into employment and (b) have adequate income.
tabling member constituency	South Northamptonshire
tabling member printed	Andrea Leadsom
uin	270747
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>This Government is committed to supporting vulnerable claimants, such as those with mental health conditions or experiencing homelessness. We understand that these claimants may face extra challenges in their lives. Universal Credit is designed to target resources at those that need them most and to provide support for people who cannot work or need help moving towards the labour market.</p><p>We recognise the importance of understanding how a mental health condition impacts someone’s ability to prepare for and look for work. That is why we have developed a range of specialised mental health training for work coaches and increased the number of Disability Employment Advisers who can provide additional support where needed. Furthermore, we have a number of Community Partners recruited specifically for their expertise in mental health issues, that can provide advice that is often based on lived experience.</p><p>In the case of homeless claimants, it is our priority to ensure that people experiencing homelessness get the appropriate support they need to improve their lives and move into work. For example, we are able to put job-seeking requirements on hold temporarily whilst claimants find accommodation or stabilise their housing situation, as well as priority access to the Work and Health Programme.</p><p>We are supporting the manifesto commitment to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and eradicate it altogether by 2027 through the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Reduction Taskforce, and commitments set out in the recent Rough Sleeping Strategy. Furthermore, work coaches in England are legally bound to offer a voluntary referral to claimants they consider may be homeless or threatened with homelessness to a Local Housing Authority of the claimant’s choice.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 270746 question first answered 03/07/2019 12:51:18 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom

1135497

registered interest
date	28/06/2019
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: Children
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 ensure that the childcare element of universal credit is not an economic barrier to work.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	270813
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises that childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours. We are committed to helping parents into work.</p><p> </p><p>To overcome this barrier to employment, Universal Credit claimants are able to claim up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, compared to 70% on the legacy system. This can be claimed up to a month before starting a job, and can be worth up to £13,000 a year for families with two children.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the difficulty that some claimants might have in paying upfront childcare costs. Where the initial month’s childcare costs may prevent a claimant from starting work, Jobcentres will use the Flexible Support Fund to help claimants in the first instance. This is a non-repayable award, which can be used to meet the upfront childcare costs to help support a claimant into work. For claimants who are in work and need help with upfront childcare costs, budgeting advances are available that can be used to cover the cost of paying upfront childcare costs or a deposit.</p><p> </p><p>We have piloted a more flexible approach to claimants reporting childcare costs, which will allow people, including lone parents, to be reimbursed for childcare when, with good reason, they are not able to provide evidence within their assessment period. We are now looking to implement this nationally.</p><p> </p><p>We have undertaken significant work to increase work coach awareness and understanding of the Universal Credit childcare offer through improved training and guidance and communications.</p><p> </p><p>The Universal Credit childcare policy also aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 270814 question first answered 03/07/2019 12:18:32 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1135498

registered interest
date	28/06/2019
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: Children
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 find a long-term solution for upfront costs in childcare under universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	270814
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises that childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours. We are committed to helping parents into work.</p><p> </p><p>To overcome this barrier to employment, Universal Credit claimants are able to claim up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, compared to 70% on the legacy system. This can be claimed up to a month before starting a job, and can be worth up to £13,000 a year for families with two children.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the difficulty that some claimants might have in paying upfront childcare costs. Where the initial month’s childcare costs may prevent a claimant from starting work, Jobcentres will use the Flexible Support Fund to help claimants in the first instance. This is a non-repayable award, which can be used to meet the upfront childcare costs to help support a claimant into work. For claimants who are in work and need help with upfront childcare costs, budgeting advances are available that can be used to cover the cost of paying upfront childcare costs or a deposit.</p><p> </p><p>We have piloted a more flexible approach to claimants reporting childcare costs, which will allow people, including lone parents, to be reimbursed for childcare when, with good reason, they are not able to provide evidence within their assessment period. We are now looking to implement this nationally.</p><p> </p><p>We have undertaken significant work to increase work coach awareness and understanding of the Universal Credit childcare offer through improved training and guidance and communications.</p><p> </p><p>The Universal Credit childcare policy also aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 270813 question first answered 03/07/2019 12:18:32 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1135514

registered interest
date	28/06/2019
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: Tower Hamlets
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 9 May 2019 to Question 250471, what information her Department has provided to London Borough of Tower Hamlets on the (a) number and (b) contact details of those people whose claims were wrongly recorded on the ATLAS system.
tabling member constituency	Bethnal Green and Bow
tabling member printed	Rushanara Ali
uin	270762
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>As part of the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) underpayment exercise we are informing Local Authorities of any new and past awards of income-related ESA where Local Authorities have registered an interest via the relevant system, in line with our business as usual procedures.</p><p>We are in the process of developing additional guidance to support Local Authorities to consider further any possible impacts on individuals of the ESA underpayment exercise.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 03/07/2019 13:22:01 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4138 label Biography information for Rushanara Ali

1135515

registered interest
date	28/06/2019
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: Greater London
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 9 May 2019 to Question 250471 on Employment and Support Allowance, how many claimants in each London borough were incorrectly classified as being entitled to contribution-based rather than income-based Employment and Support Allowance.
tabling member constituency	Bethnal Green and Bow
tabling member printed	Rushanara Ali
uin	270763
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>We are not able to make robust estimates of the numbers of cases likely to be due arrears at a local authority level. All estimates are national only.</p><p> </p><p>Local authority breakdowns of numbers of cases that have been paid arrears to date could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>We are focusing our efforts on contacting all potentially affected individuals to ensure they are paid as quickly as possible.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 03/07/2019 13:34:07 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4138 label Biography information for Rushanara Ali

1135516

registered interest
date	28/06/2019
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	Shared Housing: Greater London
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 24 June 2019 to Question 266836 on Shared Accommodation Rate, what standard deduction rent officers make for fuel from the advertised rents for rooms in shared accommodation in the (a) Central London, (b) Inner East London, (c) Inner North London, (d) Inner South East London, (e) Inner South West London and (f) Inner West London Broad Rental Market Areas.
tabling member constituency	Bethnal Green and Bow
tabling member printed	Rushanara Ali
uin	270764
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>There are no standard deductions for ineligible services for the specific Broad Rental Market Areas listed. In order to ensure a consistent approach, Rent Officers have a national guide to service deductions which has been arrived at following research of utility company pricing. The Rent Officer refers to the standard deductions and decides whether it is appropriate to apply them, however ultimately each case will be looked at on an individual basis.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/07/2019 13:04:57 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4138 label Biography information for Rushanara Ali

1135527

registered interest
date	28/06/2019
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	Pension Funds: Investment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she is taking steps to ensure that pension companies declare investments in the fossil-fuel industry; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	270720
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises that climate change is a key national and international issue we have made sure that pension schemes understand their role responding to its effects. In September 2018, following extensive consultation with the pensions industry, this Government laid regulations (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pension-trustees-clarifying-and-strengthening-investment-duties) to clarify and strengthen trustees’ investment duties, including taking account of the financial risks of climate change when developing their investment strategies. There has been extensive stakeholder engagement since. The regulations come into force from October this year.</p><p> </p><p>Defined contribution occupational pension schemes will be required to publish their policy on consideration of climate risks by October 2019, with most defined benefit schemes being required to follow suit by October 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The FCA are consulting on corresponding provisions for workplace personal pension schemes. As the Minister for Pensions and Financial Inclusion I have spoken extensively about the new requirements and the Government expectations of pension schemes, including at the Westminster Hall debate regarding Pension Funds: Financial and Ethical Investments on the 22 May 2019:</p><p> </p><p>“For too long there has been a perception by too many trustees -I am happy to clarify this as a Government Minister- that the environmental practices of the firms they invest in are purely ethical concerns, which they do not need to worry about: that is utterly wrong. Aside from the ethical considerations, there are real financial risks resulting from climate change. With the long-term horizons of pension investing, trustees must now consider that when they set out their investment strategies. Trustees who do not consider those matters will be breaching their statutory and potentially their fiduciary duties not only to current but future members.”</p><p> </p><p>The full debate can be viewed here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-05-22/debates/D3194408-7581-4635-AEDC-6D22AD6F0EBC/PensionFundsFinancialAndEthicalInvestments" target="_blank">https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-05-22/debates/D3194408-7581-4635-AEDC-6D22AD6F0EBC/PensionFundsFinancialAndEthicalInvestments</a></p><p> </p><p>The Government is very keen to support trustees in making responsible investment decisions.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 03/07/2019 10:10:15 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1135543

registered interest
date	28/06/2019
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	Pension Credit
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 (a) number of people in (i) Ashfield, (ii) Nottinghamshire, (iii) the East Midlands and (iv) England who are eligible for pension credit but not claiming it and (b) value of that unclaimed pension credit.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Gloria De Piero
uin	270780
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>The information requested on the (a) number of people in (i) Ashfield, (ii) Nottinghamshire, (iii) East Midlands and (iv) England who are eligible for pension credit but are not claiming it, and (b) value of that unclaimed pension credit is not available at constituency, regional or country level.</p><p> </p><p>Official statistics on the take-up of income related benefits at Great Britain level, including Pension Credit, can be found in the ‘Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up 2016 to 2017’ publication.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2016-to-2017</a></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 03/07/2019 10:20:28 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	3915 label Biography information for Gloria De Piero

1135559

registered interest
date	28/06/2019
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: Medical Examinations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to minimise the frequency of assessment for recipients of employment support allowance and personal independence payment; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of extending the light touch benefit reviews introduced for disabled people of pension age to (a) claimants with life-long disabilities and (b) all claimants.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	270790
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>Changes have been made to the benefit reassessment process for those with the most severe and lifelong health conditions.</p><p>In Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit, since September 2017 we have stopped routinely assessing those whose level of function would always mean that they are unlikely ever to be able to move into work. And in 2018 we introduced updated guidance for Personal Independence Payment health professionals and case managers to ensure that people who already receive the highest level of support and whose needs are unlikely to change or may get worse, will receive an ongoing award with a light touch review at the ten-year point.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 03/07/2019 15:32:26 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi