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76545

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2014
	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	Flexible Support Fund
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor uptake of the Flexible Support Fund available to Jobcentre Plus managers.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Thomas of Winchester
	uin	HL889
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>The Flexible Support Fund (FSF) provides additional support to Jobcentre Plus Districts to address local issues. In monitoring this, FSF spend is broken down nationally by claimant groups and Districts may further break this down if they determine this is a local priority.</p><p> </p><p>All spending decisions are assessed against established criteria including value for money. Payments are encouraged on an outcome basis linked to employment.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 14/07/2014 14:51:47 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	3785 label Biography information for Baroness Thomas of Winchester

50224

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2014
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what provisions exist to safeguard monies identified by the Independent Living Fund (ILF) as needed to meet the critical and substantial need of recipients; and whether such funds will be ring-fenced by local authorities to ensure monies are used exclusively for continuation of care when the ILF ceases.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Uddin
	uin	HL6942
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>All the funding that would have been allocated to the ILF in 2015/16 to support its users from July 2015 onwards will be transferred to local authorities in England and to the devolved administrations in other parts of the UK. Local government social care funding is not ring-fenced, allowing local authorities the flexibility to manage their budgets locally in line with local needs and priorities. Local authorities have a statutory duty to assess and fund the eligible care needs of all disabled people, including former users of the Independent Living Fund. The Public Sector Equality Duty applies to local government in the same way as it does to central government.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	1827 label Biography information for Baroness Uddin

50212

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2014
	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: Training
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what training is provided on disability awareness to staff in Jobcentre Plus offices as part of the public sector equality duty; and what steps are being taken to ensure that awareness by staff of obligations under the duty is improving.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Thomas of Winchester
	uin	HL6930
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>DWP, in partnership with Civil Service Learning, provides a wide range of diversity and disability learning opportunities for staff.</p><p> </p><p>The ‘Equality and Diversity Essentials' package provides an overview of the Equality Act 2010, the Public Sector Equality Duty and covers disability for customers and employees. The learning is targeted at all new employees as part of induction and as a refresher for other staff.</p><p> </p><p>DWP offers a follow up ‘Disability Awareness' course. This aims to build the confidence of managers to give effective support to disabled employees.</p><p> </p><p>DWP customer facing staff are trained in the skills required to support a range of claimants and to respect their individual needs. This approach ensures they are skilled to deal with a diverse set of circumstances, whilst treating everyone as individuals. Jobcentre Advisers, in particular, have access to a comprehensive training programme which focuses on raising awareness of the individual's personal circumstances, including disabilities, and also recognises that those circumstances can affect individuals in different ways.</p><p> </p><p>The Department regularly participates in external benchmarking activity to measure and improve performance for disabled staff, customers and service users. 2013 results showed a significant improvement in performance from 2012.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	3785 label Biography information for Baroness Thomas of Winchester

50211

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2014
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to close the employment gap for disabled people since the ending of the quota system in 1995; and how progress is being monitored.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Thomas of Winchester
	uin	HL6929
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p>The disability employment gap has reduced. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey data is used to measure the employment rate gap between working age disabled people and the total working age population.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to ensuring that all disabled people have the opportunities and support that they need to get a job and to remain in work. There is a range of provision to provide this support including the Work Programme, Access to Work and Work Choice programmes. Further, in December 2013, the Government published ‘the disability and health employment strategy: the discussion so far'.</p><p> </p><p>A new Health and Work Service (HWS) is being developed to provide occupational health advice and support for employees, employers and GP's to help individuals with a health condition to stay in or return to work.The intention is to introduce the service by the end of 2014.</p><p> </p><p>In July 2013, The Prime Minister launched the Disability Confident Campaign to help increase employer confidence in recruiting and retaining disabled people as part of a diverse workforce, and to provide opportunities for employers and organisations to share learning and good practice.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	3785 label Biography information for Baroness Thomas of Winchester

49977

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2014
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in the implementation of the Health and Work Service; and whether that implementation is being taken in stages.
	tabling member printed	Lord Luce
	uin	HL6925
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>We have made good progress towards the implementation of the Health and Work Service.</p><p> </p><p>The tendering process closes on 9 May 2014 and we will formally announce the successful supplier for England and Wales in July 2014. Implementation will begin in late 2014 and the details will be confirmed when the chosen supplier has been appointed.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	908 label Biography information for Lord Luce

63772

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2014
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implementation of the Personal Independence Payment; and whether they have any plans to re-examine the tender documents supplied by Atos in its bid for the contracts.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL556
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>As with all programmes of reform, we are continually monitoring and evaluating the implementation of personal independence payment. We have no plans to review the tender documents supplied by either of our assessment providers except in the normal course of business for contract reviews.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 01/07/2014 13:41:21 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

63137

	registered interest
	date	23/06/2014
	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	Government Departments: Correspondence
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for Work and Pensions has sent correspondence to elderly members of the public that does not contain in the letter a named person with their contact details; and if so, what is their justification for doing so.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mawson
	uin	HL546
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>The Department for Work and Pensions standard for correspondence to elderly members of the public includes a named person and contact details in the letter.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions standard for IT system generated letters is for the name of the Pension Centre or Office Manager to be shown at the end of the letter with a reply/contact address and telephone number.</p><p> </p><p>The templates for clerical letters include a space for the senders name and job role to be entered at the end of the letter.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 01/07/2014 14:49:59 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	3830 label Biography information for Lord Mawson

63135

	registered interest
	date	23/06/2014
	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	European Union
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Freud on 18 June (WS 91), whether the proposals made by the Council of Ministers on 19 June will result in steps towards ever-closer union.
	tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
	uin	HL544
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>The Council of Ministers meeting on 19 June on Employment and Social Policy covered ongoing discussions on a number of dossiers which may feed into wider Council negotiations.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 30/06/2014 13:00:54 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

63126

	registered interest
	date	23/06/2014
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the new Work Capability Assessment contract or contracts will (1) require customer-facing staff to be suitably qualified to take decisions, and (2) lead to an improvement in the quality of assessments.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Thomas of Winchester
	uin	HL535
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>The future contract for provision of Work Capability Assessments to the DWP will detail requirements in relation to recruitment, training and monitoring of healthcare professionals designed to assure the quality of assessments.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 01/07/2014 13:10:05 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	3785 label Biography information for Baroness Thomas of Winchester

63125

	registered interest
	date	23/06/2014
	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 and Support Allowance: Appeals
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the policy of withdrawing Employment and Support Allowance payments during mandatory reconsideration of decisions being appealed from the Work Capability Assessment will be reviewed in the light of the delays in reconsideration; and what assessment they have made of whether the policy is causing claimants hardship.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Thomas of Winchester
	uin	HL534
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>In line with all other DWP-administered benefits Employment and Support Allowance is not payable whilst the mandatory reconsideration process is undertaken.</p><p> </p><p>During the mandatory reconsideration period other benefits may be payable, provided the claimant meets the conditions of entitlement.</p><p> </p><p>Our reforms to the appeals process mean that more claimants are now being contacted before decisions are made, giving them the opportunity to discuss their circumstances with the decision maker; and subsequently – through Mandatory Reconsideration – they are given another opportunity to provide additional evidence. This is helping to either prevent disputes arising or resolving them as early as possible, thereby mitigating gaps in benefit payments and avoiding the need for costly appeals.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 02/07/2014 15:08:16 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	3785 label Biography information for Baroness Thomas of Winchester