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997365

	registered interest
	date	29/10/2018
	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, how many and what proportion of working people in receipt of top up benefits are resident in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) in each region of the UK and (c) in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Ashfield
	tabling member printed	Gloria De Piero
	uin	184954
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2018 answer text <p>The numbers of in work families receiving tax credits are in table 1.1 of the Child and Working Tax Credits statistics: finalised annual awards - 2016 to 2017 published by HMRC can be accessed at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/720570/Main_publication_-_final_tables.xlsx" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/720570/Main_publication_-_final_tables.xlsx</a></p><p> </p><p>Geographical breakdowns including constituency level figures are available at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/720739/Main_geographical_-_final_tables.xlsx" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/720739/Main_geographical_-_final_tables.xlsx</a></p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit and Housing Benefit statistics for Great Britain are regularly published and the latest statistics for September 2018 and May 2018 respectively can be accessed at:</p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for users is available at:</p><p><a href="https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html" target="_blank">https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html</a></p><p> </p><p>The information available for the number of employed individuals that are in receipt of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance in May 2018 in geographical areas of Great Britain can be found in the following table.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 10/12/2018 18:17:56 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma attachment 1 file name People Table 184954.docx title Working people in receipt of IS, JSA or ESA previous answer version 82637 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	3915 label Biography information for Gloria De Piero

904660

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2018
	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, whether guidance is provided to departmental staff and contractors on communicating to claimants how they can establish a source of income during the mandatory reconsideration of their benefit claim; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	144199
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2018 answer text <p>Guidance is provided to staff to enable them to advise claimants on the options available during the mandatory reconsideration process. This includes signposting claimants to Gov.uk to check eligibility for alternative benefits. DWP also issues decision letters to claimants which include information on the options available to them during the mandatory reconsideration process, dependant on benefit. As DWP has responsibility for the mandatory reconsideration process, contractors will refer claimants to DWP to discuss benefit entitlement and options available.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/05/2018 13:50:47 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

923461

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2018
	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, whether her Department plans to collect information on the cost of (a) sanctioning claimants and (b) monitoring claimants compliance with benefits conditions.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow Central
	tabling member printed	Alison Thewliss
	uin	153345
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2018 answer text <p>The data requested is not currently available. Sanctions form part of the overall conditionality regime costs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 18/06/2018 16:28:41 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4430 label Biography information for Alison Thewliss

931337

	registered interest
	date	26/06/2018
	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 steps she is taking to ensure that the way in which benefits are paid to a household do not facilitate abuse or condone inequality in relationships.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Wavertree
	tabling member printed	Luciana Berger
	uin	157722
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2018 answer text <p>Research carried out for the Department for Work and Pensions suggests that only 2 per cent of married couples and 7 per cent of cohabiting couples keep their finances completely separate. So the starting point in Universal Credit is one single monthly payment which people in the household then manage as they see fit. We recognise that there will be circumstances in which this is not appropriate and so split payments are also available. This option is designed to prevent hardship to claimants and their families, where there is vulnerability in the household leading to financial mismanagement. Where a claimant suffering from domestic abuse asks for a split payment we will support them in putting this arrangement in place.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 02/07/2018 11:36:19 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4036 label Biography information for Luciana Berger

934223

	registered interest
	date	03/07/2018
	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 she has made of the effect of the removal of implicit consent in welfare cases on claimants with (a) learning difficulties, (b) mental health issues and (c) those for whom English is not a first language.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Withington
	tabling member printed	Jeff Smith
	uin	160288
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2018 answer text <p>Under Universal Credit, the online digital account is fundamental to the design, which allows claimants access to all their personal, medical, financial and other data. As a result, the claimant ‘holds the key’ to that account at all times. Running a system of implied consent in Universal Credit means that the risk of disclosure of this material to third parties is heightened beyond an acceptable level under the data protection rules and might also undermine some of the other security features we build into the system through personal accreditation.</p><p> </p><p>A claimant can, however, give explicit consent for an adviser or other third party to talk to the Department about their Universal Credit claim via their journal, over the phone or in person, when accompanied by their adviser, and can state what information can be shared, with whom and for what purpose. Alternatively, if a personal appointee is appropriate, the claimant or appointee can raise this at the initial claim stage and we can arrange a home visit to verify the appointee, which will enable them to manage the account for the claimant.</p><p> </p><p>We continuously review the service for vulnerable people who claim Universal Credit to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 06/07/2018 12:55:25 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4456 label Biography information for Jeff Smith

943897

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2018
	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 provision her Department makes for people who when making a benefit application are unable to respond with bank documentation and other relevant paperwork within the requested 10 days.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	165608
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>DWP administers a number of benefits with different eligibility requirements. In order to ensure that we pay people their correct benefit in a timely way, we may need to ask for information or documentation from a claimant to support their application within a particular timeframe. We will prompt claimants using a variety of methods such as SMS, phone call or a message on claimants’ UC journal. Where information is not received, we can consider extending the timeframe.</p><p>If a claimant does not have a bank account, DWP does have other methods of payment which can be used in these circumstances, for example, a Post Office card account (POca). In certain circumstances a claimant can request to be paid by the Payment Exception Service. This is a way for people who do not have a bank account to collect benefit or pension payments. Further detail is on gov.uk at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/payment-exception-service" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/payment-exception-service</a>.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 23/07/2018 15:15:38 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

942866

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2018
	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 the effect is of a claimant refusing a job with a prospective employer where the terms and conditions on offer include a zero hours contract on that claimant's continued receipt of benefits.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	165078
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>Universal Credit (UC) radically transforms the welfare system by seeking to ensure not only that claimants are better off in work, but that they are better off working more hours and earning more money, helping them ultimately to become financially independent. Their UC payments adjust automatically depending on the amount they earn, so that they are financially supported and do not need to switch their benefit claim.</p><p>UC claimants may be required to look for and accept jobs with a zero hours contract. Such contracts can be a beneficial and positive way for claimants to boost their income and gain valuable work experience.</p><p> </p><p>UC claimants are expected to take responsibility for meeting any mandatory conditionality requirements they have agreed and will be supported by their Work Coach throughout. If there is no reason why a claimant should not take a zero hours contract job and they refuse, they may be sanctioned. However, sanctions are only used in a minority of cases and that is when claimants fail to meet their conditionality requirements without good reason.</p><p> </p><p>Jobseeker's Allowance claimants are not required to apply for zero hours contract jobs.</p><p>This is because of the impact that fluctuating earnings and hours may have on a claim – entitlement will end when a claimant earns more than a certain amount or works more than 16 hours in a week. This means they would then need to reclaim when lower, or no hours are offered, posing a real risk of gaps in income. This disincentive to take on flexible work, or work more hours, has been designed out of UC to ensure support for people whose hours fluctuate.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 24/07/2018 15:07:06 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

971480

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2018
	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, whether his Department retains the capacity to revert to the legacy benefit systems.
	tabling member constituency	Easington
	tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
	uin	172595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2018 answer text <p>Reverting to legacy benefits would not only create massive disruption for claimants, but would leave them trapped in a complex and confusing system of multiple and overlapping benefits. The legacy benefits system consists of 6 different benefits, each with separate rules and criteria, interacting in complicated ways, creating perverse incentives and confusion, and additional administrative costs.</p><p> </p><p>Our staff have been trained in the more flexible and tailored Universal Credit system, which the projections in our published Universal Credit Full Business Case expect to put 200,000 more people into work in the UK. Our new system, will for the first time benefit people in work looking to progress, and enables us to provide extra personalised support and stronger work incentives to help people out of poverty and into work faster.</p><p> </p><p>As the National Audit Office noted in their recent report, as the changes have become increasingly embedded across the department, it would be both complex and expensive to revert to legacy benefits at this stage.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 18/09/2018 15:27:55 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

990339

	registered interest
	date	18/10/2018
	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, whether her Department has targets for moving people from jobseeker's allowance to employment support allowance; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
	tabling member printed	Matt Western
	uin	181319
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2018 answer text <p>There are no Departmental targets for moving people from Jobseeker’s Allowance to Employment and Support Allowance. Every benefit claim is considered on its merits, and decisions are made based on the available evidence and the legislation according to which such decisions are made.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 23/10/2018 16:35:13 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1006900

	registered interest
	date	14/11/2018
	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 guidance her Department provides to people in receipt of benefits on managing their personal finances.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	191360
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2018 answer text <p>Work coaches will signpost claimants to additional help from other agencies if they need it, including advice on managing their personal finances. This includes the Money Advice Service that offers a free and independent service to help people make informed choices on all issues to do with money.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit, which is replacing six legacy benefits, provides an enhanced level of personalised support as people receive tailored support managed through personal work coaches.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the Universal Support package Personal Budgeting Support (PBS) is offered to Universal Credit claimants from the outset of their claim. PBS helps claimants as they transition to Universal Credit and adapt to the financial changes that Universal Credit brings, such as managing their money on a monthly basis and paying their bills on time.</p><p> </p><p>PBS face to face services are currently offered through Local Authorities via Universal Support delivered locally. From April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland will take on the responsibility for delivering a strengthened Universal Support service, a move which will ensure a consistent and streamlined service for claimants across the country.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 23/11/2018 14:43:55 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson