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1690788

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2024
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Health and Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to comply with principle (d) of schedule 1 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	15110
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>On joining DWP, all members of staff must complete a DSE assessment, which will highlight any special requirements specific to their role. Members of staff are then required to revisit this assessment every 3 years or at any time their circumstances change.</p><p> </p><p>DWP endeavours to provide a contemporary and safe working environment, which meets the requirements of the Approved Documents (Building Regulations) in England and their equivalents in the devolved nations. We also follow the guiding principles of a variety of government specifications e.g. Publicly Available Specification 3000 for ‘Smart Working’ (PAS300), which recommends the use of a range of different work settings throughout a typical day to encourage movement, collaboration, and wellbeing. As well as the Government Property Agency’s Workplace Design Guidance.</p><p> </p><p>The Department also has a Reasonable Adjustment Process for complex needs. This can include changes to the physical environment, alternative working patterns, or changes to work tasks.</p><p> </p><p>Any changes to the way people are expected to work that might introduce significant new risk are identified and their impact considered against existing DWP health and safety policies and procedures.</p><p> </p><p>DWP Health and Safety Impact Assessments are designed to give step by step support to programmes and projects who may introduce new risk. They provide a framework to help identify hazards and who might be harmed and enables DWP to record what needs to be done to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. It is mandatory for use by new programmes and projects with managers consulting with Trade Union representatives during the process.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 26/02/2024 15:39:21 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1688568

	registered interest
	date	08/02/2024
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Health and Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all (a) buildings and (b) workplaces staff from their Department occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	13752
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions has suitable and sufficient risk assessments in place across the Department in accordance with Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.</p><p> </p><p>There is a suite of generic risk assessments, which include building and people related hazards, used to manage and mitigate people safety risks across the Department. Where hazards are identified for a certain process or procedure not captured within the generic documents, these are included via specific risk assessments.</p><p> </p><p>Suitable and sufficient risk assessments relating to the DWPs estate are completed whenever significant hazards are identified or where risk assessment is required by statute.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 19/02/2024 14:19:37 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1653351

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2023
	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	Psilocybin
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of psilocybin on the (a) health and (b) ability to work of people with long term health conditions; and whether his Department is taking steps to support research into these areas.
	tabling member constituency	Reigate
	tabling member printed	Crispin Blunt
	uin	194307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made by the Department for Work and Pensions of the potential impact of psilocybin on the health, or ability to work, of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.</p><p> </p><p>The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health. This includes the potential impact of psilocybin on the health and ability to work of people with long-term health conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 20/07/2023 10:20:01 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	104 label Biography information for Crispin Blunt

1648624

	registered interest
	date	28/06/2023
	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	Weed Control: Health and Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Health and Safety Executive plans to publish guidance on the use of drones to spray bracken.
	tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
	tabling member printed	Sir Bill Wiggin
	uin	191517
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2023 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not plan to publish guidance on the use of drones to spray bracken with pesticides.</p><p> </p><p>HSE already accepts requests to permit the application of pesticides by drones and information is provided on HSE’s website, with potential applicants advised to contact HSE directly.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 06/07/2023 08:47:04 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin

1626653

	registered interest
	date	10/05/2023
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Holiday Leave
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	184423
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2023 answer text <p>The DWP is committed to making statutory holiday payments in respect of relevant overtime payments to colleagues and significant work is being undertaken to implement a solution to include relevant overtime payments in holiday pay calculations for affected staff.</p><p> </p><p>We are working at pace with our payroll provider and other partners and whilst progress is being made, I acknowledge this is taking longer than expected and understand that the delay is causing concern. We will confirm to colleagues when it is able to implement the anticipated changes. Finally, I would like to reassure you that the Department is doing all that it can to implement a solution as soon as is practicable.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 16/05/2023 16:20:35 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1606776

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2023
	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	Industrial Accidents
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department consulted (a) health and safety representatives and (b) trade unions on the decision made by Sodexo to change the default setting on the SOARS accident reporting system to one where staff have to opt in to send details of any accident to local health and safety representatives.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	172447
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>There have been no changes to the default preferences. The process remains that TUH&amp;S representatives should receive a copy of all accident reports, these can be anonymised if the individual reporting requests it.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 172448 question first answered 28/03/2023 16:23:19 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1606777

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2023
	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	Industrial Accidents
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of reporting of accidents owing to changes in the default preferences under the SOARS reporting system; and what assessment he has made of the impact of those trends on the Department's compliance with Regulation 4(a) of the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations in regard to safety representatives examining the causes of accidents in the workplace.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	172448
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>There have been no changes to the default preferences. The process remains that TUH&amp;S representatives should receive a copy of all accident reports, these can be anonymised if the individual reporting requests it.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 172447 question first answered 28/03/2023 16:23:19 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1588605

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2023
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: 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 they have taken in their Department to operate the Disability Confident employer scheme for those seeking a lateral transfer; and how many and what proportion of candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under that scheme where (a) interviewed and (b) laterally transferred in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	151320
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2023 answer text <p>DWP is a Disability Confident Leader and all our campaigns advertised on Civil Service Jobs, externally or across the Civil Service, carry the Disability Confident Logo. We are committed to offering an interview to any disabled candidate, internal or external, who applies for these campaigns under the Disability Confident Scheme and meets the minimum criteria for the role.</p><p> </p><p>To respond to changing resourcing requirements, and enable career development moves, DWP does provide opportunities for its employees to move internally on a lateral basis across the department where appropriate before advertising vacancies on CS Jobs. Advertising internal opportunities to move laterally is not mandatory but where these opportunities are advertised, we operate the Disability Confident Scheme which enables eligible candidates that apply under the scheme to progress to the interview stage if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. As most internal opportunities are advertised locally, using manual processes rather than CS Jobs, we are only able to provide limited numerical data.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the number of DWP candidates applying for internal or Cross Government roles advertised on CS Jobs who have declared themselves as having a disability, or who applied under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. We cannot identify who is applying on a level move, just those who have replied ‘no’ to the question 'are you applying on promotion'. This may include a very small number of people who have applied for a role at a lower grade, though this is extremely rare.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Internal Recruitment Campaigns Only </strong>*</p></td><td><p><strong>2021</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2022</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Applications received from DWP candidates who <strong>declared</strong> themselves as having a disability, <strong>or</strong> who applied under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.</p></td><td><p>95</p></td><td><p>256</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of the above candidates who were successful at sift stage and invited to interview.</p></td><td><p>19 (20.0%)</p></td><td><p>71 (27.7%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of the above candidates who were successful at interview stage and made an offer.</p></td><td><p>12 (12.6%)</p></td><td><p>Redacted **</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>.</strong><strong>* </strong>Applications made by internal DWP candidates for internally advertised DWP / Cross Government vacancies advertised on CS Jobs. Please note we cannot identify who is applying on a lateral move, just those who have replied ‘no’ to the question 'are you applying on promotion'. This may include a very small number of people who have applied for a role at a lower grade, though this is extremely rare. ** Numbers are low and have been redacted to prevent the risk of individuals being identified.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 28/02/2023 13:16:23 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1588194

	registered interest
	date	22/02/2023
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: 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 they have taken to operate a disability confident scheme for those seeking promotion in their Department; and how many and what proportion of those candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under the scheme were (a) interviewed and (b) promoted in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	150533
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2023 answer text <p>In line with the commitment made in the Civil Service Workforce Plan all DWP recruitment has been ‘External by Default’ since August 2020. It is therefore departmental policy that all permanent vacancies, including those that would result in promotion for an existing employee, are advertised externally unless there is clear rationale for not doing so.</p><p> </p><p>To comply with CS Commission Recruitment Principles, our external recruitment is Fair, Open and Merit based and as a Disability Confident Leader all our advertised campaigns, internal or external, carries the Disability Confident Logo to make this clear to applicants. We are committed to offering an interview to any disabled candidate, internal or external, who applies under the Disability Confident Scheme and meets the minimum criteria for the role.</p><p> </p><p>It is only within internal recruitment exercises, where candidates are asked if they are applying on promotion, as such, we only hold data on promotion figures for internally advertised campaigns.</p><p> </p><p>The figures in the table show the number of DWP candidates who declared themselves as having a disability, or who applied for internal vacancies under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme, and their progression through the recruitment process.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Internal Recruitment Campaigns Only </strong>(applying on promotion) **</p></td><td><p><strong>2021</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2022</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Applications received from DWP candidates who <strong>declared</strong> themselves as having a disability, <strong>or</strong> who applied under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.</p></td><td><p><strong>152</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>244</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of the above candidates who were successful at sift stage and invited to interview.</p></td><td><p><strong>28</strong> (18.4%)</p></td><td><p><strong>37</strong> (15.2%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of the above candidates who were successful at interview stage and made an offer.</p></td><td><p><strong>9</strong> (5.9%)</p></td><td><p><strong>6</strong> (2.5%)</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>.</strong><strong>** </strong>Applications made by internal DWP candidates for internally advertised DWP / Cross Government vacancies, on promotion.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 27/02/2023 18:49:59 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 58181 answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1580713

	registered interest
	date	25/01/2023
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Holiday Leave
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	132467
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2023 answer text <p>DWP has an existing facility for colleagues to exchange untaken contractual leave for payment in the last month of their annual leave year. There is no consistent annual leave year for colleagues across DWP.</p><p> </p><p>From 4 January to 31 January 2023, DWP is running a specific exercise where colleagues can voluntarily request a payment for a maximum of five days of untaken contractual annual leave that they do not want to take, regardless of when their annual leave year ends. Colleagues cannot request to be paid for statutory leave.</p><p> </p><p>Taking part in the exercise is completely voluntary, employees physical and mental wellbeing remains a key priority for the department, and everyone is encouraged to use their annual leave to relax and recuperate wherever possible.</p><p> </p><p>Colleagues were informed of this opportunity 4 January 2023, and reminders were issued 13, 25 and 27 January 2023.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 03/02/2023 14:30:03 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1582282

	registered interest
	date	31/01/2023
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Conditions of Employment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	136657
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2023 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to meeting its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 with regard to producing Equality Analyses when considering changes which may have an impact on colleagues with protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010. The Department consults on new HR policies in line with its Employee Relations Framework.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 03/02/2023 14:31:49 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1581718

	registered interest
	date	30/01/2023
	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	Health and Safety Executive: Recruitment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which body is the legal employer of staff at the Health and Safety Executive.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	135243
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2023 answer text <p>The Crown is the legal employer of employees at the Health and Safety Executive.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 02/02/2023 10:28:08 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1581913

	registered interest
	date	30/01/2023
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps their Department takes to comply with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and if they will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	135312
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2023 answer text <p>There is a range of HR information which is publicly available on GOV.UK.</p><p>In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) meets regularly with recognised Trade Unions to present and share information and data where it is appropriate and in line with privacy statements. This helps inform decision making through formal negotiation and meaningful consultation and engagement.</p><p>DWP is therefore complying with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and we always seek to work constructively with trade unions to reach fair and reasonable settlements.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 02/02/2023 17:54:40 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1569012

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2023
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Equality
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure his Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	128658
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2023 answer text <p>DWP takes its responsibility to comply with Equality Act 2010, Public Sector Equality Duty and Civil Service Management Code seriously. We have adopted an Equality Analysis approach to embed inclusive decision making and equalities considerations and monitoring within all of our policies and practices.</p><p> </p><p>In DWP Equality Analysis is undertaken at policy/project level, and to ensure compliance we have embedded equalities thinking and monitoring within our change processes and have developed comprehensive guidance to support Senior Responsible Officer’s to effectively discharge their responsibilities. In addition, we have dedicated resource in place to provide bespoke support on all aspects of Equality Analysis, including monitoring and evaluation to policy/project leads as requested.</p><p> </p><p>Policy/Projects with an employee impact are actively encouraged to implement Trade Union engagement and the sharing of their Equality Analysis as part of their Stakeholder Management Plans.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 30/01/2023 16:14:36 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1579633

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2023
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Minimum Wage
	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 employees in their Department are paid at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	129895
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2023 answer text <p>This Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. Departments must ensure that they apply the legislative increase to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage.</p><p> </p><p>The National Living Wage (NLW) is the statutory minimum wage for workers aged 23 and over. Different minimum wage rates apply to 21-22 year olds, 18-20 year olds, 16-17 year olds and apprentices aged under 19 or in the first year of an apprenticeship.</p><p> </p><p>In April 2022, the Government increased the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour. This will rise to £10.42 an hour from 1 April 2023, an increase of 9.7%. By 2024, the Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings.</p><p> </p><p>As of 24 January 2023, the total number of civil servants in DWP paid at the National Minimum Wage rate per hour was 0 (0% of all staff) and the National Living Wage rate per hour was 65. Everyone in DWP is paid at least the national living wage, with the vast majority above it.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 26/01/2023 17:39:36 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1568604

	registered interest
	date	19/01/2023
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Trade Unions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what human resources information their Department shares with trade unions on a regular basis.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	127787
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2023 answer text <p>Senior Departmental officials meet with Departmental Trade Union Side to discuss resourcing issues including finance, demand, and recruitment.</p><p>As part of the annual delegated pay negotiations, the department provides the three trade unions that are recognised in DWP with detailed information on pay, including pay scales and where employees currently sit within these.</p><p> </p><p>Individual Departmental Directors with responsibility for Service Delivery meet trade unions annually to discuss the resourcing position specific to their area of work. In addition, Departmental Directors meet trade unions regularly to update and share information on issues such as resources, staffing, workloads, performance, health and safety and wellbeing.</p><p> </p><p>There is also a range of publicly available HR information published on GOV.UK.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/01/2023 16:56:21 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 49841 answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1542909

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2022
	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: 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 benefit claims were subject to sanctions in the last three months for which data is available by constituency; and how much was the (a) total and (b) average sum of benefit income lost by claimants due to sanctions in each constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	88916
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2022 answer text <p>Monthly Universal Credit full service sanction rate statistics are published every three months on <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Stat-Xplore</a>.</p><p>The information requested for part a) and b) is provided in the attached spreadsheet.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/11/2022 17:56:40 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman attachment 1 file name 88916 wo.xlsx title 88916 workbook previous answer version 36037 answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1503496

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans for the Welsh language telephone service to be fully functioning.
	tabling member constituency	Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Edwards
	uin	45155
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2022 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions has a made a commitment in our Welsh Language Scheme to treat the Welsh and English languages equally and ensure that all services provided for the public in Wales are available in Welsh, as well as English.</p><p> </p><p>All DWP customers are able to access telephony services in Welsh either directly through a dedicated Welsh language helpline or by selecting the required Interactive Voice Response option. Callers to Carer’s Allowance (CA) and Attendance Allowance (AA) helplines who wish to speak to someone in Welsh currently receive a call-back from a Welsh speaker. A Welsh language option will be implemented on these telephone helplines in October 2022.</p><p> </p><p>All our service line telephone numbers are available on GOV.UK.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 07/09/2022 13:55:22 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	3943 label Biography information for Jonathan Edwards

1460044

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2022
	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	Kickstart Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Kickstart Scheme placements have been (a) approved, (b) advertised and (c) started by young people by (i) nation, (ii) region and (iii) sector as of 22 April 2022; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Eastbourne
	tabling member printed	Caroline Ansell
	uin	159037
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2022 answer text <p>The most recent data available is for the 24 April 2022. At that point over 162,000 Kickstart jobs had been started by young people. The last Kickstart jobs were started by young people on 31 March 2022, and we expect the number of starts to increase further as employers report commencement of employment.</p><p>We have previously published the number of jobs approved and advertised as of 31 January 2022 <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-01-31/114956" target="_blank">here.</a> At that point, over 235,000 jobs had been advertised and over 305,000 had been approved. Kickstart has now closed to employer applications and, as of March 2022, all approved jobs proceeding to the advertisement stage, have been advertised. As such, these totals will not increase further.</p><p>Below are tables listing the number of Kickstart jobs which have been made available and started by young people to date by geographical area of Great Britain and work sector. The figures used are correct as of the 24 April 2022 and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards.</p><p>Jobs made available (advertised) and job starts quoted here include some unfunded Kickstart jobs. Also included in the Great Britain total are a small number of jobs made available (less than 100 in total) that have an unrecorded job location.</p><p>The number of approved jobs is defined as the number of jobs associated with approved applications recorded on the Kickstart application system on the date above. This total excludes approved jobs that have been withdrawn from the Kickstart Scheme by agreement with employers and gateways. This is generally because, over time, some previously approved jobs were removed where the employer chose not to follow up the application.</p><p>Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.</p><p>The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1: Number of Kickstart total available jobs and job starts, Great Britain, by nation and region (figures rounded to nearest 1000*)</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Total jobs made available</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total jobs started</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Region / Nation Split</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>(DATA RETAINED FROM 31/01/22)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>(DATA EFFECTIVE 24/04/22)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total, Great Britain</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>235,000</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>162,000</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>England</strong></p></td><td><p>204,000</p></td><td><p>141,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Midlands</p></td><td><p>14,000</p></td><td><p>10,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East of England</p></td><td><p>18,000</p></td><td><p>12,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London</p></td><td><p>51,000</p></td><td><p>33,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North East</p></td><td><p>11,000</p></td><td><p>8,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North West</p></td><td><p>30,000</p></td><td><p>21,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South East</p></td><td><p>26,000</p></td><td><p>17,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>14,000</p></td><td><p>10,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Midlands</p></td><td><p>21,000</p></td><td><p>16,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Yorkshire and The Humber</p></td><td><p>19,000</p></td><td><p>14,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Scotland</strong></p></td><td><p>19,000</p></td><td><p>14,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Wales</strong></p></td><td><p>12,000</p></td><td><p>8,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Table 2: Number of Kickstart total available jobs and job starts, Great Britain, by Sector (figures rounded to the nearest 10*)</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Sector Split</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total jobs made available</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total jobs started</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>(DATA RETAINED FROM 31/01/22)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>(DATA EFFECTIVE 24/04/22)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Administration</p></td><td><p>57,350</p></td><td><p>39,920</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Animal Care</p></td><td><p>1,610</p></td><td><p>1,330</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Beauty &amp; Wellbeing</p></td><td><p>1,720</p></td><td><p>1,320</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Business &amp; Finance</p></td><td><p>8,500</p></td><td><p>5,910</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Computing Technology &amp; Digital</p></td><td><p>15,840</p></td><td><p>12,340</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Construction &amp; Trades</p></td><td><p>7,230</p></td><td><p>5,170</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Creative &amp; Media</p></td><td><p>20,990</p></td><td><p>16,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Delivery &amp; Storage</p></td><td><p>6,380</p></td><td><p>4,430</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Emergency &amp; Uniform Services</p></td><td><p>520</p></td><td><p>360</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Engineering &amp; Maintenance</p></td><td><p>7,080</p></td><td><p>4,890</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Environment &amp; Land</p></td><td><p>4,620</p></td><td><p>3,450</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Government Services</p></td><td><p>1,000</p></td><td><p>710</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Healthcare</p></td><td><p>6,140</p></td><td><p>3,460</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Home Services</p></td><td><p>1,560</p></td><td><p>900</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Hospitality &amp; Food</p></td><td><p>26,380</p></td><td><p>14,030</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Law &amp; Legal</p></td><td><p>650</p></td><td><p>520</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Managerial</p></td><td><p>960</p></td><td><p>660</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Manufacturing</p></td><td><p>6,430</p></td><td><p>4,390</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Retail &amp; Sales</p></td><td><p>34,970</p></td><td><p>26,410</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Science &amp; Research</p></td><td><p>990</p></td><td><p>790</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social Care</p></td><td><p>4,740</p></td><td><p>2,640</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sports &amp; Leisure</p></td><td><p>5,920</p></td><td><p>4,150</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Teaching &amp; Education</p></td><td><p>11,000</p></td><td><p>6,790</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Transport</p></td><td><p>900</p></td><td><p>460</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Travel &amp; Tourism</p></td><td><p>1,110</p></td><td><p>580</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>*</strong> <strong>Due to rounding, sum of figures may not match declared total</strong></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 28/04/2022 08:31:22 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4512 label Biography information for Caroline Ansell

1458504

	registered interest
	date	19/04/2022
	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: Alcoholism
	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 support people with a history of alcohol dependence into work.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
	tabling member printed	Dan Carden
	uin	155899
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2022 answer text <p>DWP has a range of interventions in place to support individuals with a history of alcohol dependence into work.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has commissioned the Individual Placement and Support for Drug and Alcohol Dependency programme. Delivered by the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities, this provision blends intensive job-search and in-work support with clinical treatment to enable individuals with a dependency to overcome barriers to employment. The programme is currently being delivered in 46 Local Authority areas, including Birmingham, Sheffield, and Leeds, and will be expanded to all 150 Local Authority areas in England by the end of 2024/25. This brings the total investment in the programme to over £39 million across the next three years.</p><p> </p><p>Individuals with a history of alcohol dependence can also receive tailored support from our dedicated work coaches, such as the adjustment of Universal Credit work-search requirements and access to the Access to Work grant for any adaptations required in the workplace. They are also able to gain priority access to the Work and Health Programme, which supports people to enter into and stay in work.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 27/04/2022 16:01:34 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1452938

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2022
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Artificial Intelligence
	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 10 November 2020 to Question 112080, Artificial Intelligence, what progress has been made with each of the items listed.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	143728
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2022 answer text <p>There has been no fundamental change from the answer of 10 November 2020.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 24/03/2022 16:46:19 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1386415

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2021
	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	Coronavirus: Scotland and Wales
	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 3 December 2021 to Question 82339, Coronavirus: Scotland: Wales, for which non-customer-facing roles in Jobcentres are staff required to attend the office.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	89608
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2021 answer text <p>Some colleagues based in Jobcentres are in non-customer facing roles, in back of house service delivery and corporate roles. Largely, these colleagues are able to work in a hybrid way, with some time spent in the office and some time at home. Although some service delivery roles such as Work Coach Team Leaders are not customer facing, they do support customer facing staff therefore it may be necessary for them to be in the office.</p><p> </p><p>Following recent announcements colleagues have been advised to follow the government guidance regarding working from home. Colleagues in Scotland and Wales have been advised to follow the guidance provided by the devolved administrations. This does not impact those colleagues accountable for delivering face-to-face services in our jobcentres in front of house roles.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 13/12/2021 17:58:31 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1344613

	registered interest
	date	07/07/2021
	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	Health and Safety: Batteries
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will review the exclusion of lithium-ion batteries for grid storage from the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Wycombe
	tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
	uin	29036
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2021 answer text <p>The Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015 (COMAH) apply to dangerous substances as classified by the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulations 2008. Lithium-ion batteries are considered to be articles, rather than substances, and are therefore outside of the scope of the COMAH.</p><p> </p><p>The Health and Safety Executive considers that the current regulatory framework is sufficient and suitably robust in relation to lithium-ion batteries and battery energy storage systems.</p><p> </p><p>Of particular relevance are the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations which set minimum requirements for the protection of workers and others from fire and explosion risks; the Electricity at Work Regulations which require precautions to be taken against the risk of death or personal injury from electricity in work activities; and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations which require risks to be assessed and appropriately managed. In addition, for large scale battery storage, there are statutory requirements to notify the Fire and Rescue Service to inform their emergency response planning.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 12/07/2021 13:52:59 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1343819

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2021
	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: Mental Health
	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 implications for her policies of the findings by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, published May 2021, on the design of the universal credit journal and the ability of people with mental health problems to use third party support to help manage their universal credit account.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	27191
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made. Universal Credit (UC) provides personalised and tailored support for all claimants and Work Coaches are available to discuss any queries they may have about their online journals. Claimants can also provide authority for a third party to discuss aspects of their claim on their behalf.</p><p> </p><p>The Department provides mental health training for staff who have direct contact with claimants, including all Work Coaches, to equip them to identify mental wellbeing issues or vulnerabilities, and to take appropriate action to support individuals. Work Coaches will tailor support to the needs of the individual and work closely with local organisations that provide additional specialist support. To enable Work Coaches to provide that tailored experience, with the permission of the claimant, they are able to record, in a free text format, through the use of ‘pinned notes’ in the UC system, information which supports staff in identifying and managing relevant experiences and circumstances of individual claimants.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society, in both making and maintaining their claim. Help to Claim, delivered through Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, offers tailored and practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 09/07/2021 12:26:08 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1310548

	registered interest
	date	20/04/2021
	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 the planned timescale is for resuming face-to-face benefits assessments during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
	tabling member printed	Karl Turner
	uin	184427
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2021 answer text <p>The Honourable gentleman will find details of our plans to resume face-to-face assessments for health and disability benefits published on <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/face-to-face-assessments-to-resume-for-health-and-disability-benefits" target="_blank">GOV.UK</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 26/04/2021 13:09:44 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner