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1258704

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2020
	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	Work Capability Assessment: Coronavirus
	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 feasibility of restarting face-to-face work capability assessments; and what plans her Department has to expedite the backlog of cases waiting for assessment.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Aaron Bell
	uin	126162
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2020 answer text <p>The health and safety of our claimants and staff is our key priority. We suspended all face-to-face assessments for sickness and disability benefits in March. This temporary suspension, brought in to protect people from unnecessary risk of coronavirus at the outset of the pandemic, remains in place, and is being kept under review in line with the latest public health guidance. Any re-introduction of face-to-face assessments would involve additional Covid-related safety measures, and guidance for claimants and assessment providers to ensure compliance with the relevant public health guidance.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout the pandemic our immediate focus has been on supporting people impacted by COVID-19 by putting claims into payment as quickly as possible, as well as paying any additional benefit where claimants may be entitled to a higher award. We continue to complete paper based assessments where possible and have introduced telephone assessments.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 14/12/2020 18:11:54 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4837 label Biography information for Aaron Bell

1337382

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2021
	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	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 (a) men and (b) women have begun Kickstart scheme placements.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	16981
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2021 answer text <p>An initial assessment of a sample of the first 20,000 claimants who started a Kickstart job placement from the commencement of the scheme up to 6th May 2021, found that 51% were male and 49% were female. The Department for Work and Pensions will be monitoring and evaluating the Kickstart scheme throughout its implementation, and will continue to evaluate the longer term outcomes for Kickstart participants after they have completed their six-month job placements. This will include an examination of the demographic make-up of participants, including gender.</p><p> </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. 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> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 22/06/2021 13:03:52 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 8222 answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1673725

	registered interest
	date	28/11/2023
	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	Pensions Ombudsman: Standards
	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 made an assessment of the adequacy of (a) financial and (b) staffing support for the Pensions Ombudsman in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021, (iii) 2022 and (iv) 2023 to date.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	4292
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2023 answer text <p>DWP have increased the financial support to The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO), with an additional £750,000 of funding provided in 2022/23 towards tackling the case backlog and an additional £1,698,347 in 2023/24 towards the case backlog and waiting times, enabling TPO to create a new casework support team. This has significantly increased case clearances.</p><p> </p><p>The Department also provide support, when necessary, in the areas of digital, commercial, security and HR alongside continuing stewardship support and advice.</p><p> </p><p>The TPO 2022/23 annual report and accounts are due to be laid in Parliament and will provide further detail.</p><p /> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 04/12/2023 14:33:28 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1489356

	registered interest
	date	14/07/2022
	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	Personal Independence Payment
	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 impact of the recent cost of living increases on people claiming Personal Independence Payments.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	36923
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2022 answer text <p>In response to the increase in the costs of living, around six million people who receive a non-means-tested disability benefit will receive a one-off Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150, including those in receipt of Personal Independence Payment. This is only one part of the government’s £15bn package of support and sits alongside Cost of Living Payments of up to £650 for means-tested benefits recipients, the first instalments of which are currently being made, payments to those eligible for Winter Fuel Payments and the extension of the Household Support Fund. This is on top of the £22bn the government has already announced to support households with the cost of living.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to specific targeted support, disabled people may also benefit from previously announced measures to help people tackle the cost of living, including:</p><ul><li>£150 council tax rebate</li><li>£400 discount from energy bills</li><li>cuts to the Universal Credit taper rate</li><li>frozen alcohol duty and fuel duty and</li><li>the further rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour from April 2022.</li></ul> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 19/07/2022 14:42:39 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1698003

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	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	Employment: Mental Health
	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 Health and Safety Executive employees are dedicated to mental health related workplace matters.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	19978
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>Information on the work and resourcing within Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is not available in the format requested.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 26/03/2024 15:23:59 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1602049

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2023
	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	Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis
	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 his Department has made of the adequacy of the process of applying for Personal Independence Payments for people with multiple sclerosis.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	160442
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2023 answer text <p>No such assessment has been made; however, the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) application process is kept under continual review to ensure all claimants can access the service.</p><p> </p><p>As a result, we have introduced a number of measures, which include: Relay UK, which provides a service if a claimant cannot hear or speak on the telephone, as well as dial-in for third parties on phone calls. We have also reworded the PIP2 questionnaire to improve clarity and introduced a digital PIP2 and evidence upload function, making it possible to claim for PIP without leaving the home. We have also expanded the assessment methods to include telephone and video, while introducing recording by request for telephone and face-to-face appointments.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants are also kept informed and updated at each stage of the process, through our improved text message service.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 13/03/2023 11:41:06 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1673723

	registered interest
	date	28/11/2023
	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	Pensions Ombudsman: Standards
	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 reduce the waiting times for the Pensions Ombudsman to respond to enquiries that the Early Resolution Team have escalated.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	4291
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2023 answer text <p>TPO’s Early Resolution team (ERT) investigates complaints where TPO believes the complaint may be resolved informally. Over 80% of cases that go to ERT are resolved there, but where this is not possible, the complaint is passed to TPO’s Adjudication Team. Cases may then be escalated to the Pensions Ombudsman where the complainant does not agree with the adjudicator’s decision.</p><p> </p><p>DWP have recently provided additional funding to TPO towards reducing waiting times. This funding has been used to create a new casework support team. This has significantly increased case clearances.</p><p> </p><p>Due to variation in the complexity of cases, TPO does not currently hold validated data on the average time for cases to pass through the Adjudication Team and Ombudsman.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 04/12/2023 14:28:37 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1562995

	registered interest
	date	19/12/2022
	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	State Retirement Pensions: Females
	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 is taking steps to help support single, female pensioners, who were given inadequate notice of State Pension age changes, including support over the winter months.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	113450
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/01/2023 answer text <p>The Government decided over 25 years ago that it was going to make the State Pension age the same for men and women. Both the High Court and Court of Appeal have found no fault with the actions of the DWP, under successive governments dating back to 1995, finding we acted entirely lawfully and did not discriminate on any grounds.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it through the welfare system, including when they near or reach retirement. In addition, we supported people with the cost of living through £37 billion of support in 2022-23. We are acting to ensure support continues. To ensure stability and certainty for households, in the Autumn Statement the Government has announced £26bn in cost of living support for 2023/24. This includes Cost of Living Payments for the most vulnerable households, an additional £1 billion to help with the cost of household essentials next year and the amended Energy Price Guarantee which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24.</p><p> </p><p>Pensioners who are entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2022 to 2023, will get an extra payment of £300 per household paid with their normal payment from November 2022 meaning this winter over 8 million pensioner households across the UK will receive an increased Winter Fuel Payment. Households with someone of State Pension age will receive £500 and households with someone aged 80 or over will receive £600.</p><p> </p><p>This increased Winter Fuel Payment will be paid on top of any other one-off support a pensioner household is entitled to, for example where they are on Pension Credit or receive eligible disability benefits.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Laura Trott question first answered 09/01/2023 16:10:57 answering member 4780 label Biography information for Laura Trott
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1673728

	registered interest
	date	28/11/2023
	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	Pensions Ombudsman: Complaints
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints the Pensions Ombudsman Early Resolution Team escalated to the Pensions Ombudsman in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022; and how much funding his Department provided the Pensions Ombudsman in those years.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	4293
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2023 answer text <p>The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) is reviewing its Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) and data as part of its business planning for 2024/25.</p><p> </p><p>TPO does not hold data in a format that could produce a validated response as the information requested does not form part of TPO’s current KPI’s. It will consider this as a metric in the work between the department and TPO when agreeing 2024/25 KPI’s.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions provided TPO with funding of £8,870,000 in 2020/21, £7,931,195 in 2021/22, £10,413,705 in 2022/23, and £11,268,672 in 2023/24.</p><p /><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 04/12/2023 14:31:11 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1664638

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	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	Pension Credit: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there were significant changes in the level of uptake of pension credit claims after the launch of the invitation to claim trial.
	tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
	tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
	uin	202491
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>The invitation to claim trial is a small-scale test and learn exercise taking place across 10 local authority areas. Evaluation of the test and learn is underway, and we plan to report on the results towards the end of the year when further data is available.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Laura Trott question first answered 23/10/2023 14:53:01 answering member 4780 label Biography information for Laura Trott
	tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare