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1147444

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	Television Licences: North West
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of providing free television licences to people over the age of 75 for qualifying residents in (a) Wallasey constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) the North West in 2018-19.
tabling member constituency	Wallasey
tabling member printed	Ms Angela Eagle
uin	292838
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>In the 2015 funding settlement, the Government agreed with the BBC that responsibility for the concession will transfer to the BBC in June 2020.</p><p> </p><p>On 10 June 2019, the BBC announced that the current scheme will end. From 1 June 2020, a free TV licence will only be available to a household with someone aged over 75 who receives Pension Credit.</p><p> </p><p>The cost to the public purse for providing free TV licences to those aged over 75 in the North West region in 2018/19 is estimated as £52m. Unlike in previous years, in 2018/19 free TV licences for those aged 75 and over were <em>partially</em> funded by DWP as agreed at the 2015 funding settlement and leading to the BBC taking responsibility for funding and policy from June 2020. The figure of £52m is the DWP’s share only, not the total expenditure.</p><p> </p><p>The table below provides estimates of the costs and caseloads for 2017/18 of providing free TV licences to people aged 75 years and over in Wallasey constituency and Merseyside local authority.</p><p> </p><p>The most recent figures available for parliamentary constituency and local authority are for 2017/18. Figures for 2018/19 will be available later this month.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Expenditure (£m) (Nominal)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2017-18</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>(a) Wallasey constituency</strong></p></td><td><p>£1.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>(b) </strong><strong>Merseyside</strong> <strong>metropolitan county</strong></p></td><td><p>£14.9</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 07/10/2019 11:18:52 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	491 label Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle

1146992

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: Kilmarnock and Loudoun
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 proportion of people in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency who have (a) opted out after being auto-enrolled into a workplace pension and (b) saved more than the auto-enrolment minimum contribution.
tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
tabling member printed	Alan Brown
uin	292297
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/10/2019 answer text <p>Automatic enrolment has achieved a quiet revolution through getting employees into the habit of pension saving, and reversing the decline in workplace pension participation in the decade prior to these reforms. Since automatic enrolment started in 2012 participation rates have been transformed with 87% of eligible employees saving into a workplace pension in 2018, up from 55% in 2012.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not hold data for individual constituencies in relation to opt outs or the number of individuals who have saved above the automatic enrolment minimum contribution level. However, we do know that overall around 9% of automatically enrolled workers have chosen to opt out which is significantly below original estimates; and our latest evaluation report shows that, in April 2017, approximately 5.9 million eligible employees were already meeting the April 2019 minimum contribution rates[1].</p><p>I am providing the following information about the impact of automatic enrolment in your constituency, as of August 2019.</p><p>In the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency, since 2012, approximately 6,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 1,290 employers have met their duties.</p><p> </p><p>[1]Automatic Enrolment Evaluation Report 2018, available via the following weblink:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/764964/Automatic_Enrolment_Evaluation_Report_2018.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/764964/Automatic_Enrolment_Evaluation_Report_2018.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 04/10/2019 12:57:04 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1146996

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	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 her timescale is for the completion of managed migration to universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
uin	292273
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>We have already said that following the pilot we will report back to Parliament on progress and findings, and at that point will determine the process for bringing forward further legislation to move claimants beyond the pilot phase.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 introduced in July 2019 allow the Department to pilot moving no more than 10,000 claimants across to Universal Credit from legacy benefits and is expected to last until November 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Draft regulations were sent for scrutiny to the independent Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) in 2018. The Committee submitted them for a formal public consultation, receiving 455 responses - the Government accepted, in whole or in part, all but one of the Committee’s recommendations.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/10/2019 14:46:18 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1146998

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	Children: Maintenance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2019 to Question 285165 on Children: Maintenance, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of devolving the calculation of child maintenance liabilities to Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	292298
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>Child Maintenance remains a power that is reserved at Westminster and no formal assessment has been made of the potential merits of devolving the calculation of liabilities to Scotland. It is important that the rules used to calculate a child maintenance liability are applied consistently to avoid the complexities for clients that would result from applying different rules to different parts of the UK.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 03/10/2019 13:46:24 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1147008

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	Access to Work Programme
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 for Access to Work to fund communication support for disabled people who are required to undertake work-related activity as a condition for receiving employment and support allowance.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	292299
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>I have no plans to expand the eligibility criteria for Access to Work.</p><p> </p><p>Access to Work is a grant that provides practical and financial support for individuals whose health or disability affects the way that they do their job. The type of support is tailored to an individual’s needs and can include travel to work, support workers, communication support and specialist aids and equipment for the individual, as well as advice for employers and awareness raising sessions for their staff.</p><p> </p><p>Access to Work does not replace the duty an employer has under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments. Instead it provides support that is over and above that which is a reasonable adjustment.</p><p> </p><p>To be eligible for this grant, the person must be in work or about to enter work. This can include disabled people who are undertaking employment and support allowance permitted work, support permitted work and permitted work Personal Capability assessment as a work-related activity.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 03/10/2019 13:37:16 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1147009

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	Access to Work Programme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what standards are in place to ensure that disabled people are effectively supported when making a claim to the Access to Work scheme.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	292300
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>Access to Work (ATW) applicants can apply for the scheme in a number of ways including telephony, on-line and by text-phone. The on-line service is continually being improved to ensure it meets accessibility and user needs. There is also information about how to make an application and a range of supporting material on Gov.uk. This includes use of British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service and alternative formats such as braille, large print and audio CDs.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 03/10/2019 14:53:17 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1147032

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	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) formal and (b) informal referrals to food banks have been made by Jobcentre Plus in each of the most recent 12 months for which data are available.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	292109
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>Jobcentres do not refer claimants to food banks or issue food bank vouchers. The Department has long-standing guidance in place which allows staff to signpost customers in writing to a food bank where they have asked for details, and if all sources of statutory support have been exhausted. Jobcentre Plus staff are not required to keep records of the number of benefit claimants signposted to food banks in their local area, and we have no current plans to develop official national statistics on food bank use.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/10/2019 15:09:33 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1147067

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	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 assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of backdating universal credit payments to reduce the five week wait for a first payment.
tabling member constituency	South Cambridgeshire
tabling member printed	Heidi Allen
uin	292316
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed urgently, until their first regular Universal Credit payment is due. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. We have announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has delivered a number of improvements to support claimants during their first assessment period, such as removing waiting days and paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Claims may be backdated, by up to one calendar month, in limited circumstances for vulnerable claimants who may be delayed in claiming Universal Credit through no fault of their own. Claims may also be backdated in specific circumstances when a couple separates to ensure that there is no gap in entitlement between the couple claim and the new claim made by a single claimant.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/10/2019 13:48:25 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4516 label Biography information for Heidi Allen

1147068

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	Social Security Benefits
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing an independent commission to review the value of benefits to ensure they consistently match the cost of living.
tabling member constituency	South Cambridgeshire
tabling member printed	Heidi Allen
uin	292317
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has a statutory duty to complete an annual review of benefit and pension rates to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to either prices or earnings.</p><p> </p><p>If there has been an increase in prices or earnings she must increase certain benefits by at least the increase in prices or earnings, using ONS data. For other benefits she may take into account the prevailing economic conditions and other relevant factors.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst organisations external to Government are free to make representations to the Secretary of State, the Department has made no assessment around the introduction of an independent commission to review the value of benefits.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/10/2019 13:39:43 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4516 label Biography information for Heidi Allen

1147069

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	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 and what proportion of universal credit payments were subject to a deduction for child maintenance arrears.
tabling member constituency	South Cambridgeshire
tabling member printed	Heidi Allen
uin	292318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>For eligible Universal Credit claims with a payment due in May 2019 (the latest month of available data) 0.6% [11,000 claims] had a deduction for child maintenance arrears.</p><p> </p><p>Notes</p><p>- Number of claims rounded to nearest 1000.</p><p>- Percentage rounded to nearest 0.1%</p><p /> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/10/2019 13:55:09 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4516 label Biography information for Heidi Allen