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 grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1148171

registered interest
date	03/10/2019
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	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Scottish Government has requested that her Department administer the new Scottish child payment and; and what estimate she has made of the cost of administering that payment.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	294146
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>The Scottish Child Payment will be administered by Social Security Scotland. The Department will assist the Scottish Government where this is feasible. The cost of administration will fall to the Scottish Government.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 08/10/2019 09:07:07 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1148253

registered interest
date	03/10/2019
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	Personal Independence Payment: Epilepsy
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 with a primary condition of epilepsy who receive personal independence payments that are in receipt of the mobility component.
tabling member constituency	Dewsbury
tabling member printed	Paula Sherriff
uin	294186
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>The latest available data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims in payment which can be split by the Daily Living and Mobility component a claimant is receiving and by their main disabling condition can be found at <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html</a>.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 294187 294188 294189 294190 question first answered 08/10/2019 09:19:45 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4426 label Biography information for Paula Sherriff

1147776

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
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	Pensioners: EU Countries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many UK Pensioners residing in the EU would not receive an up-rated pension after 2022-23 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	293412
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government has been clear that leaving the EU with a deal is its preferred option.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has put in place contingency plans for a range of exit scenarios. These contingencies ensure that DWP can continue to provide our vital services and that individuals will continue to be able to access DWP benefits and services on the same basis as they do now.</p><p> </p><p>In the event that the UK exits the EU without a deal we will continue to pay annual increases for UK State Pension recipients living in the EEA for a further three years, until 2022-23. We plan to negotiate an agreement with the EU to continue to pay increases in the longer term.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 07/10/2019 16:26:52 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1147904

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions her Department has had with social landlords on rent arrears caused by the time between a claimant’s universal credit being paid and the housing costs being sent to the landlord via APA on the next bulk payment run.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	293707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Initial analytical work we have carried out with a single housing provider suggests that many tenants are arriving on Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears, supporting research carried out by the National Federation of ALMOs which shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. It also shows that arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of housing providers. It will be published when completed.</p><p>The Department encourages all Universal Credit claimants to actively consider how best to manage their personal budget which includes making their own rent payments to landlords, with additional advice and support available from work coaches and case managers where needed. We regularly engage with a range of stakeholders, including landlords, to ensure we understand concerns which helps us to design improvements to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs), such as a managed payment to landlord (MPTL), are available to enable the housing costs element to be paid directly to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments or is in rent arrears. APAs will only be considered where a lack of financial capability poses a risk to the claimant, or their family, and the decision to implement one is assessed on a case by case basis.</p><p> </p><p>The Department issues a schedule of payments to Social Rented Sector (SRS) landlords, and our Third Party Creditor system - currently used to pay SRS landlords - uses a 28-day payment cycle. We are currently working with a range of landlords to design, develop and test a better services with the intention of having a solution in place by the end of this year.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 293708 question first answered 08/10/2019 09:58:48 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1147920

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
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
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 October 1 to Question 290635 on universal credit, what evidence her Department used to reduce the repayment level from 40 per cent to 30 per cent of universal credit award.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	293439
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department collects and analyses data on Universal Credit regularly, including on the rate of deductions. Alongside this, the Department is always building our understanding on the impact deductions can have on claimants, and has heard evidence from external organisations on this issue. We have to balance these impacts with the need for claimants to meet their obligations.</p><p> </p><p>We believe the reduction from 40 percent to 30 percent strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to make essential repayments and their ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. It maintains our policy to enforce social obligations such as the payment of fines and Child Maintenance, ensure Government debt is recovered and vitally to safeguard claimants from the potential impacts of not repaying priority debts, such as homelessness or the deduction of fuel.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/10/2019 13:16:52 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1147981

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
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: Eligibility
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 1 October 2019 to Question 290603, what support is available to people who would otherwise be eligible for benefits and who are undergoing long-term hospital care to pay for (a) mortgages, (b) rents and (c) other personal and care charges to help ensure that they do not lose their unit of accommodation while in NHS-funded care.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	293432
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>It is a long standing principle that there should not be double provision for the same contingency out of public funds. Legislation provides that where any costs of qualifying services are borne out of public funds the disability benefits (Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment) are withdrawn after 28 days.</p><p> </p><p>Certain additions are payable on top of income-related benefits, such as Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, and Universal Credit. Housing costs in legacy benefits and Universal Credit are withdrawn after an adult has been a hospital in-patient for a specified period depending on their individual circumstances.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Housing Benefit can remain in payment up to 52 weeks, for people who are hospitalised, as long as they intend to return to their normal dwelling and it has not been sublet during their absence.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 07/10/2019 14:06:11 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1147496

registered interest
date	01/10/2019
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: Disability
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 help businesses increase access for disabled people to (a) apprenticeships and (b) jobs.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	292853
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>In respect of apprenticeships, we have undertaken a number of actions to improve access to apprenticeships for people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. We have made British Sign Language (BSL) an alternative to English Functional Skills for those who have BSL as their first language and we have adjusted the minimum English and maths requirements for those who are able to meet the occupational standard of their apprenticeship but would struggle to achieve the regular English and maths minimum requirements.</p><p> </p><p>It is encouraging to see that 36,900 apprenticeships were started by individuals with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in the first three quarters of 2018/9. This is 12.3 per cent of all apprenticeship starts and an increase from 11.5 per cent at the same point in 2017/18.</p><p> </p><p>We continue our work with Mencap and our Pacesetters group, made up of a range of organisations and local authorities to identify what further support we can give those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>With regard to jobs help, we offer a range of programmes and schemes that offer employment support to disabled people. These include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>the Work and Heath Programme (WHP), which will help 275,000 people over 5 years, including 220,000 disabled people.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>The Disability Confident scheme. Through this, we work with employers to change attitudes and create employment opportunities by giving businesses the tools and techniques to recruit and retain disabled people in their workplace. Over 13,600 employers are signed up to Disability Confident, and their number continues to grow.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Access to Work, which offers eligible disabled people a grant of up to £59,200 per year to fund support above the level of reasonable adjustments, to ensure that their health condition or disability does not hold them back in the workplace. Last year we spent £129 million on Access to Work grants, helping over 36,000 people stay in employment.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme (IPES) will launch by the end of 2019. It will provide highly personalised packages of employment support for disabled people with complex and multiple barriers to work who are at least a year away from moving into work without the support on the programme.</p><p> </p><p>Our Jobcentres offer tailored and personalised support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers, backed by the Personal Support Package which is a 4-year, £330 million package of employment support targeted at claimants with disabilities and health conditions.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 07/10/2019 16:00:36 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1147081

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	Sign Language
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 8 May 2018 to Question 141857, approach on sign language, what lessons have been learned from the Scottish Government’s to British Sign Language to inform the Government’s thinking in England and Wales.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne North
tabling member printed	Catherine McKinnell
uin	292237
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>Existing equality legislation already means employers, service providers and public bodies have to provide services in BSL and other formats when it is reasonable to do so. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies to have due regard to the needs of all those with protected characteristics. We don’t think new legislation would add to that. However, we are actively considering lessons from Scotland’s approach to inform our thinking.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 03/10/2019 14:54:56 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell

1147164

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	Jobcentre Plus: Interpreters and Sign Language
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 proportion of Job Centre Plus offices that have (a) British Sign Language and (b) language interpreters.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	292140
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>Under the Equality Act 2010, DWP must make suitable provision to communicate with claimants who do not speak English or Welsh (for people residing in Wales), or who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired.</p><p> </p><p>It is DWP policy to use an interpreter when we need to communicate with a claimant who:</p><ul><li>cannot communicate adequately in English (or, in Wales, Welsh);</li><li>has complex needs and, or may need additional support; and</li><li>cannot provide their own interpreter.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Since the 1<sup>st</sup> January 2018 Thebigword has provided Foreign Language and British Sign Language (BSL) services for the DWP staff and customers. All Jobcentres are able to access the service provided by Thebigword.</p><p> </p><p>The services available for BSL are face to face interpreting and Video Relay Service. The services available for foreign language interpreters are face to face interpreting, telephone interpreting and written translations.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 03/10/2019 13:58:19 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

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