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1147285

registered interest
date	30/09/2019
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	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 recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the financial assistance scheme for pensioners affected by occupational pension scheme looses.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	292247
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), which is administered by the Pensions Protection Fund (PPF) on behalf of DWP, was set up in 2005 with assistance payments backdated to May 2004 when the policy of the FAS was announced. Prior to the establishment of the FAS, employees received vastly reduced benefits from pension schemes in difficulty and sometimes nothing at all, irrespective of the contributions they had made.</p><p> </p><p>£400 million of public funding over 20 years was initially committed to the FAS which helped an estimated 15,000 people. The support available to members of FAS has subsequently been extended over the years and, as a consequence, the level of Government funding of the scheme has increased significantly bringing the Government’s total long-term cash expenditure on the scheme to £8.6 billion.</p><p> </p><p>The FAS closed to notification and qualification of new schemes on 1 September 2016 but will continue to support its 150,000 members who will continue to receive a meaningful income for the rest of their lives.</p><p> </p><p>The Government remains committed to the principle of providing protection for members of pension schemes in the event of employer insolvency via the PPF.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 07/10/2019 11:51:12 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1146050

registered interest
date	25/09/2019
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	Thomas Cook: Insolvency
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department is providing to (a) pilots and (b) cabin crew affected by the liquidation of Thomas Cook.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	290912
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2019 answer text <p>DWP stands ready to support anyone affected by the closure of Thomas Cook, with our Rapid Response Service (RRS) offer. This is a redundancy service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. It is coordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus.</p><p>The RRS has been mobilised to help people find a new job as soon as possible by offering tailored support. Each Jobcentre Plus district deploy resources according to the situation and the requirements of the workforce. The RRS is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers.</p><p>Our local teams are monitoring all new claims to benefits to identify where the claimant is an ex-employee of Thomas Cook so that they quickly receive the right level of support.</p><p>The Department is working closely with over 100 employers to offer support and opportunities. We are delivering over 65 Job Fairs nationally, where ex-employees can meet local employers with vacancies.</p><p>The full range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners includes:</p><ul><li>Information advice and guidance.</li><li>Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.</li><li>Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.</li><li>Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour<br>market).</li><li>Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised<br>certification that will improve employability.</li><li>Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or <br>self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel costs etc.</li><li>On-site presentations to those affected.</li><li>Job Fairs and Job Clubs where appropriate.</li></ul><p>Please note that the data supplied are derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 01/10/2019 15:44:39 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 136321 answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1104721

registered interest
date	25/03/2019
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: Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of universal credit claimants in (a) Cardiff South and Penarth, (b) the Vale of Glamorgan and (c) Wales who have (ii) had their housing benefit stopped without notice and (ii) are in rent arrears.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	236386
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2019 answer text <p>Local Authorities have a duty to notify changes to a Housing Benefit award. Therefore, if a Housing Benefit claim ends because of a move to Universal Credit, the claimant is notified that the Housing Benefit claim has ended.</p><p> </p><p>However, we know that many tenants are arriving on Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears, that their arrears tended to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. According to latest figures (November 2018) only about 8% of social rented households were on Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 28/03/2019 09:35:46 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1104722

registered interest
date	25/03/2019
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: Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people in (a) Cardiff South and Penarth, (b) the Vale of Glamorgan and (c) Wales that have waited more than 6 weeks to receive benefit payments in the latest period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	236387
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2019 answer text <p>For Universal Credit New Claims no claimant has to go five weeks without receiving support, as advances, worth up to 100 per cent of a claimant’s indicative award, are available, if required and a two week ‘transitional housing payment’ is available to those claimants who were receiving Housing Benefit before they moved onto Universal Credit.</p><p>In many cases where full payment is not made on time, it is due to unresolved issues such as: claimants not accepting their Claimant Commitment or passing identity checks, or having outstanding verification issues, such as housing costs and self-employed earnings. In order to support claimants to claim, we have taken steps to improve verification processes. For example, we have listened to feedback and built processes into the system to make it easier and quicker for people to verify their housing costs, for example through the landlord portal.</p><p>The table below shows the number and proportion of UC New Claims where full payment/part payment was made within 6 weeks of the claim being submitted.</p><p>These figures relate to New Claims where the first payment was due in November 2018.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Waited more than 6 weeks from declaration for any UC payment</p></td><td><p>As a proportion of all payments due this month</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Cardiff South and Penarth</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Vale of Glamorgan</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>4%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wales</p></td><td><p>310</p></td><td><p>5%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 28/03/2019 16:25:47 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1059744

registered interest
date	12/02/2019
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 her Department has made of the average annual loss in pension credit and pension age housing benefit per couple who are in a mixed-aged relationship after 15 May 2019.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	220236
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/02/2019 answer text <p>Mixed-age couples will see no reduction in the amount of benefit they receive as a result of this change, unless they are already in receipt of Pension Credit and/or pension-age Housing Benefit but then lose entitlement to both of those benefits.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 18/02/2019 17:33:06 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1050013

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
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: Wales
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 pension credit claimants in (a) Cardiff South and Penarth, (b) the Vale of Glamorgan and (c) Wales who have a partner of working age and will be affected by forthcoming changes to the rules on pension credit.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	213370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2019 answer text <p>The changes the government announced on January 14 will ensure that same work incentives will apply to the younger partner as apply to other people of the same age and that taxpayer support is directed to where it is needed most.</p><p> </p><p>The change will not affect mixed age couples who are entitled to Pension Credit and/or pension age Housing Benefit immediately before May 15, unless their entitlement to both those benefits subsequently ends.</p><p> </p><p>The number of future mixed age couples that are estimated to be affected by the forthcoming changes is not available.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 31/01/2019 12:09:45 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1028558

registered interest
date	19/12/2018
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, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of mixed-age couples who have been negatively affected by changes to universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	203901
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2019 answer text <p>Additional support to all claimants whatever their age, has been provided by the Autumn Budget 2017 and 2018 and will therefore not have any negative impact on mixed-aged couples claiming Universal Credit.</p><p>Following Autumn Budget 2017, the Department has introduced a range of measures to support claimants and ensure no one has to experience hardship within the initial assessment period, these include: making advances more generous, removing the 7 waiting days; providing an additional transitional payment of 2 weeks of Housing Benefit; and changing how claimants in temporary accommodation receive support for their housing costs.</p><p>Measures introduced at Autumn Budget 2018 will provide further assistance for claimants over the next few years. These include reducing, from October 2019, the maximum rate at which deductions can be made from a Universal Credit award from 40% to 30% of the standard allowance, with the period over which these recoveries are made extended from 12 to 16 months in October 2021. Payment of Income Support and the income related elements of Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance will continue for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made, effective from July 2020, benefitting 1.1 million households. Additionally, from April 2019, there will be a £1000 increase in work allowances from April 2019, which will provide a £630 boost for households with children, and for people with disabilities.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 07/01/2019 18:08:25 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1020580

registered interest
date	06/12/2018
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: South Glamorgan
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 in (a) Cardiff and (b) Vale of Glamorgan have made successful claims for underpayments of universal credit since the beginning of the roll-out; and what the average value is of each such claim.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	199876
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>DWP only holds this data at a national level for estimated underpayments, which can be accessed at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/762141/fraud-and-error-stats-release-2017-2018-final-estimates.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/762141/fraud-and-error-stats-release-2017-2018-final-estimates.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 11/12/2018 18:03:13 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1019786

registered interest
date	04/12/2018
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	Sign Language
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's response to the consultation entitled, Market review of British Sign Language and communications provision for people who are deaf or have hearing loss, published in July 2017, what steps her Department has taken to fill the evidence gaps identified by respondents.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	198838
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>The ‘Market review of British Sign Language and communications provision for people who are deaf or have hearing loss’ was a review of the present state of the market for support that facilitates communication for people who are deaf, deaf-blind or have hearing loss and those that need to engage with them.</p><p> </p><p>DWP worked with a wide range of stakeholders to develop the review’s parameters and criteria. These partners included other government departments; organisations that work for and with people who are deaf, Deafblind or have a hearing loss; and individuals from the communication and language professions. However, as was stated in the Report, it was not within the scope of the review to make policy recommendations based on the evidence received.</p><p> </p><p>The review aimed to look at provision in the UK as a whole, covering all forms of language and communication support. Interested organisations and individuals were publically invited to make a submission to the review. As was explained in the report, DWP did not undertake field research during the course of this work and the accuracy of information submitted during the review has therefore not been further assured by the department.</p><p> </p><p>This report published in July 2017 was a summary of the responses received. The report highlights current available evidence relating to the areas under review, including relevant published statistical data, and summarises common themes that were evident in the wide range of submissions that were received.</p><p>The review was designed to be a useful information resource, which would allow commissioners across both the public and private sector to make more informed decisions. The review is also a resource for policymakers. We have not assessed its impact across the public sector, but we can say that findings from the review informed DWP’s decision to increase the Access to Work Cap from £43,100 p.a. to £57,200 p.a. with effect from April 2018. Access to Work is also increasingly supporting the use of video relay services to complement support from face-to-face BSL Interpreters and allow for greater flexibility.</p><p> </p><p>Recruitment levels among British Sign Language interpreters are influenced by a range of market factors, including demand for their services in social and personal situations, which DWP does not directly influence. However, DWP works closely and on an ongoing basis with people who are deaf of or have hearing loss, as well as relevant stakeholder groups, to ensure their needs are understood and that initiatives like Access to Work help to meet those needs.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 198839 198840 question first answered 11/12/2018 10:11:15 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton previous answer version 91128 answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1019787

registered interest
date	04/12/2018
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	Sign Language: Public Sector
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's response to the consultation entitled, Market review of British Sign Language and communications provision for people who are deaf or have hearing loss, published in July 2017, what steps her Department has taken to improve the commissioning of British Sign Language interpretation by the public sector.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	198839
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>The ‘Market review of British Sign Language and communications provision for people who are deaf or have hearing loss’ was a review of the present state of the market for support that facilitates communication for people who are deaf, deaf-blind or have hearing loss and those that need to engage with them.</p><p> </p><p>DWP worked with a wide range of stakeholders to develop the review’s parameters and criteria. These partners included other government departments; organisations that work for and with people who are deaf, Deafblind or have a hearing loss; and individuals from the communication and language professions. However, as was stated in the Report, it was not within the scope of the review to make policy recommendations based on the evidence received.</p><p> </p><p>The review aimed to look at provision in the UK as a whole, covering all forms of language and communication support. Interested organisations and individuals were publically invited to make a submission to the review. As was explained in the report, DWP did not undertake field research during the course of this work and the accuracy of information submitted during the review has therefore not been further assured by the department.</p><p> </p><p>This report published in July 2017 was a summary of the responses received. The report highlights current available evidence relating to the areas under review, including relevant published statistical data, and summarises common themes that were evident in the wide range of submissions that were received.</p><p>The review was designed to be a useful information resource, which would allow commissioners across both the public and private sector to make more informed decisions. The review is also a resource for policymakers. We have not assessed its impact across the public sector, but we can say that findings from the review informed DWP’s decision to increase the Access to Work Cap from £43,100 p.a. to £57,200 p.a. with effect from April 2018. Access to Work is also increasingly supporting the use of video relay services to complement support from face-to-face BSL Interpreters and allow for greater flexibility.</p><p> </p><p>Recruitment levels among British Sign Language interpreters are influenced by a range of market factors, including demand for their services in social and personal situations, which DWP does not directly influence. However, DWP works closely and on an ongoing basis with people who are deaf of or have hearing loss, as well as relevant stakeholder groups, to ensure their needs are understood and that initiatives like Access to Work help to meet those needs.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton grouped question UIN 198838 198840 question first answered 11/12/2018 10:11:15 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton previous answer version 91129 answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty