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1131990

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Pensioners
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether pensioner couples who are no longer eligible for pension credit and housing benefit because one of the couple is below state pension age, will still be eligible to have their rent paid directly to their landlord under universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	264296
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>Mixed age couples already claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners immediately before the implementation date on 15 May 2019 will not be affected by the policy, so long as they remain entitled to either benefit.</p><p> </p><p>Those making a new claim to Universal Credit, or already claiming it, will be able to have a conversation with their work coach or case manager, in the same way as other claimants, so that a managed payment to their landlord can be considered in Universal Credit for their housing costs.</p><p> </p><p>Couples who would have been eligible for Pension Credit or Housing Benefit for pensioners under the previous rules but had not claimed before 15 May 2019, will have up to 13 August 2019 to make a backdated claim to 14 May 2019.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 18/06/2019 15:07:20 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1131195

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to bring forward proposals to simplify the process by which social housing landlords advise her Department of a rent increase in order for a tenant in receipt of universal credit to receive an uplift in housing benefit.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	263186
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit payments are designed to mirror the world of work, with monthly payments reflecting the way many working people are paid. This model of monthly payments allows claimants to take responsibility for budgeting their own income and helps prepare them for getting back to work.</p><p> </p><p>Many claimants are capable of managing their own financial affairs and for these claimants a Managed Payment to Landlord is not appropriate. However, we recognise that additional support is sometimes necessarily to ensure rent is paid on time.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Our Trusted Partner scheme allows social landlords to play a key role in engaging with their tenants who are on Universal Credit, helping those who cannot manage their housing payments to access the support available and to help put managed payments in place where appropriate. We are rolling out the scheme alongside the Landlord Portal, which provides social landlords with the ability to submit information directly to the Universal Credit online system, supporting the timely and accurate payment of housing costs to Universal Credit claimants.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is developing a facility whereby social landlords whose tenants are on the landlord portal are able to advise Universal Credit about an annual rent change through the platform. This will help reduce administration for landlords and ensure the correct housing costs are paid.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 17/06/2019 15:07:19 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1131397

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Support for Mortgage Interest
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department provides for disabled individuals who need to move due to the changing nature of their disabilities but may be prevented from doing so due to the recovery of a Support for Mortgage loan.
	tabling member constituency	Stevenage
	tabling member printed	Stephen McPartland
	uin	263148
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>Over time someone’s house is likely to increase in value, so it is reasonable to expect those who have received taxpayers’ help towards their mortgage to repay from the equity released when the property is sold. However, the repayment of the loan should not be a barrier to people improving their lives. We have considered this and I am pleased to announce that we will be introducing the option for home-owners to defer repayment of their SMI loan when moving to a new home. This means that claimants who need to move, for example, because of the changing nature of a disability or for better career opportunities, are not prevented from doing so. These new arrangements require changes to regulations which I will bring forward as soon as the Parliamentary timetable allows.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 17/06/2019 09:30:14 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4093 label Biography information for Stephen McPartland

1130933

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the process is through which eligibility for child maintenance payments is verified.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Ladywood
	tabling member printed	Shabana Mahmood
	uin	262338
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>In order to make a child maintenance assessment the Child Maintenance Service must identify a receiving parent, a paying parent and at least one qualifying child.</p><p> </p><p>It is not necessary for a person to be receiving Child Benefit for them to be treated as a receiving parent. However, entitlement to Child Benefit is based on an overall care test which is broadly similar to the Child Maintenance policy on day to day care. Payment of Child Benefit is therefore a very good indicator of who should be treated as the receiving parent. Where Child Benefit is not in payment, the Service will request additional evidence from both parents.</p><p> </p><p>For child maintenance purposes, a child must be under 20 years of age and in full time non-advanced education or approved training, and eligible for Child Benefit. They also need to be habitually resident in the UK and usually living in the same household as the receiving parent.</p><p> </p><p>Child Benefit may stay in payment for a period after a child under 20 ceases education or training until a 'terminal date' is reached. Child Benefit will remain payable from the date education or training ceased up to and including the week that includes the first terminal date.</p><p> </p><p>Both paying and receiving parents have a responsibility to inform the Child Maintenance Service of any change in circumstances. If parents inform the Service that a qualifying child has left education, the Child Maintenance Service will seek to verify this and update the maintenance calculation accordingly.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 262340 question first answered 13/06/2019 12:02:47 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3914 label Biography information for Shabana Mahmood

1130935

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what safeguards her Department have put in place to ensure that the system for child maintenance payments is not open to abuse by people who have left full time education.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Ladywood
	tabling member printed	Shabana Mahmood
	uin	262340
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>In order to make a child maintenance assessment the Child Maintenance Service must identify a receiving parent, a paying parent and at least one qualifying child.</p><p> </p><p>It is not necessary for a person to be receiving Child Benefit for them to be treated as a receiving parent. However, entitlement to Child Benefit is based on an overall care test which is broadly similar to the Child Maintenance policy on day to day care. Payment of Child Benefit is therefore a very good indicator of who should be treated as the receiving parent. Where Child Benefit is not in payment, the Service will request additional evidence from both parents.</p><p> </p><p>For child maintenance purposes, a child must be under 20 years of age and in full time non-advanced education or approved training, and eligible for Child Benefit. They also need to be habitually resident in the UK and usually living in the same household as the receiving parent.</p><p> </p><p>Child Benefit may stay in payment for a period after a child under 20 ceases education or training until a 'terminal date' is reached. Child Benefit will remain payable from the date education or training ceased up to and including the week that includes the first terminal date.</p><p> </p><p>Both paying and receiving parents have a responsibility to inform the Child Maintenance Service of any change in circumstances. If parents inform the Service that a qualifying child has left education, the Child Maintenance Service will seek to verify this and update the maintenance calculation accordingly.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 262338 question first answered 13/06/2019 12:02:47 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3914 label Biography information for Shabana Mahmood

1130982

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the effect of universal credit on the level of rent arrears owed to Scottish local authorities; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
	uin	262433
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department has not made an assessment of this nature.</p><p> </p><p>Caution should be exercised when considering any assessment of arrears derived from local authority level data which seeks to compare the legacy and Universal Credit welfare systems. This is because they do not compare groups with the same characteristics; typically, the legacy benefit group have been on benefits for some time, where the arrears may be under long-term management. The Universal Credit group, on the other hand, are often new to benefits, and are likely to have experienced a change in their circumstances – for example, a debt-creating event like losing a job or separation. Any arrears for this group will not have been under management and had time to clear.</p><p> </p><p>The initial analytical work we have carried out with a housing provider suggests that many tenants are arriving on Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears, that their arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of other housing providers. It will be published when completed. Furthermore, according to latest figures in November 2018 about 8 per cent of social rented households were on Universal Credit; therefore, it is difficult to see how a national trend can be attributed to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>We have, however, responded to concerns in this area by putting a number of safeguards in place, such as 100% advances repayable over 12 months, increasing to 16 months in October 2021; a two-week Transition to Universal Credit Housing Payment; a new Help to Claim service to assist people to make their claim more easily; and Managed Payment to Landlord Arrangements, which allow for payments direct to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments, is unlikely to pay their rent or is in rent arrears equivalent to two months.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, in Scotland, the Department delivers Universal Credit Scottish choices on behalf of the Scottish Government, providing the option of Universal Credit being paid twice a month rather than monthly, and having Universal Credit housing element being paid directly to landlords.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 18/06/2019 15:28:46 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

1131000

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Ministerial Policy Advisers
	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 June 2019 to Question 260085 on Department for Work and Pensions: Ministerial Policy Advisers, for what reason her Department does not routinely publish the number of alleged breaches of the Special Advisers’ Code of Conduct by her Department's Special Advisers.
	tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
	tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
	uin	262446
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>In line with standard departmental practice, we are mindful of our data protection obligations when considering what information should be part of our publication scheme.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 13/06/2019 11:53:26 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1131067

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Disability: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the role of the Minister for Disabled People is in co-ordinating children and families policy across Government.
	tabling member constituency	Mid Dorset and North Poole
	tabling member printed	Michael Tomlinson
	uin	262454
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance leads on policy for children and families within DWP – including the delivery of the Reducing Parental Conflict programme, the Child Maintenance Service, Maternity benefits and the Family Test which was developed to ensure that potential impacts on family relationships and functioning are considered in advice put to Ministers. To strengthen implementation of the Family Test, we are currently working across government with a newly created Family Test Network.</p><p> </p><p>To fulfil this role DWP works with a range of other departments to ensure the policy we deliver for children and families is effective, but it does not coordinate children and families’ policy across government.</p><p> </p><p>Part of the role of the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work is to work across government to encourage development of policies to tackle the barriers disabled people face to realising their full participation in society. Whilst disability policy is the responsibility of all departments, by working together we can improve disabled people’s participation, for which we are jointly responsible.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 18/06/2019 15:50:44 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4497 label Biography information for Michael Tomlinson

1130743

	registered interest
	date	07/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	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 child poverty (a) before and (b) after housing costs have been taken into account in each local authority in Wales in each year for which data is available.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	261483
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>National statistics on the number of people in relative and absolute low income are set out in the annual &quot;Households Below Average Income&quot; publication. The number and proportion of children in low income is not available at local authority or constituency level in this publication because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this geography.</p><p>3-year estimates for the proportion of children in before and after housing cost low income in the Wales region are available using the link below, in the file “children-hbai-timeseries-1994-95-2017-18-tables.ods”.</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/789816/hbai-2017-2018-tables-ods-files.zip" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/789816/hbai-2017-2018-tables-ods-files.zip</a></p><p>Table 4.16ts shows child relative low income estimates and table 4.22ts shows child absolute low income estimates.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 12/06/2019 11:56:18 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1130744

	registered interest
	date	07/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	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 the effect of housing costs on the level of child poverty; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	261484
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department looks at rates of child poverty both before and after housing costs. Absolute child poverty after housing costs has reduced from 28% in 2009/10 to 26% in 2017/18. However, this is higher than the absolute child poverty rate before housing costs which was 18% in 2017/18, suggesting that housing costs have an effect on rates of children in low income households.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 12/06/2019 15:43:22 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1130558

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Living Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of organisations that hold contracts with her Department pay the National Living Wage.
	tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
	tabling member printed	Justin Madders
	uin	261256
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not hold this data.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 14/06/2019 10:59:52 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1130130

	registered interest
	date	05/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the number of claimants of universal credit without a permanent fixed address.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	260541
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>This information is not centrally collated, and to do so would create a disproportionate cost to the Department. Universal Credit case managers and work coaches are aware of the reported circumstances of individuals and are able to provide a tailored approach, which includes those without a fixed address.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is committed to ensuring that those who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, get the appropriate support to stabilise their lives and move into work. There is a range of support which can be considered, such as access to Alternative Payment Arrangements, easements to work-search requirements, and partnerships between Jobcentres and housing organisations. By law, work coaches in England must offer a voluntary referral to claimants they consider may be homeless or threatened with homelessness to a Local Housing Authority.</p><p>Data on homelessness by local authority level, provided by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, is available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics</a></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/06/2019 12:20:43 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1130146

	registered interest
	date	05/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty
	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 5 June 2019 to Question 257500, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of formally adopting a definition for destitution.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	260560
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>This Government is committed to broadening our understanding of people’s living standards. New experimental statistics to measure poverty are being developed, based on the work undertaken by the Social Metrics Commission (SMC) which was presented in the SMC’s ‘A New Measure of Poverty’ report last year. This development work includes consideration of groups of people previously omitted from poverty statistics, like rough sleepers and those just above the low income threshold but in overcrowded housing, as well as consideration of a wider measurement framework of poverty covering the depth, persistence and lived experience of poverty.</p><p>There is no agreed way of defining destitution. External organisations (most notably the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)) have attempted to define and measure destitution. The JRF’s definition of destitution, however, is complex, and challenging to measure with accuracy. The JRF admit that there is a wide margin of uncertainty about the numbers they identify as destitute. The government therefore has no plans to adopt this definition as any official definition of destitution should be measurable and accurate.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/06/2019 12:49:24 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1129599

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Ministerial Policy Advisers
	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 1 April 2019 to Question 237786 on Department for Work and Pensions: Ministerial Policy Advisers, for what reason her Department has no plans to publish the number of alleged breaches of the Special Advisers’ Code of Conduct by her Department's Special Advisers in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
	tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
	uin	260085
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not routinely publish this information.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/06/2019 11:33:22 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1129611

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Pensioners
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason pensioner couples who no longer receive pension credit because one of them is below state pension age and are no longer entitled to housing benefit will not qualify for the two-week housing benefit run-on after applying for universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	259829
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>The two week transition to Universal Credit housing payment can be paid to mixed age couples who move from Housing Benefit to Universal Credit. The payment will be issued once the UC claim is made and the Housing Benefit claim closed.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/06/2019 14:46:09 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1129626

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Food Poverty
	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 reduce food poverty.
	tabling member constituency	Easington
	tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
	uin	259945
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>This Government is committed to a sustainable solution to poverty in all its forms. This means a strong economy and a benefit system that supports employment and higher pay. Compared to 2010, there are over 3.6 million more people in work, 1 million fewer workless households and 667,000 fewer children in workless households.</p><p>Whilst we have always said that there are many reasons people use Food Banks, we have responded quickly to concerns about the early roll out of Universal Credit and made numerous improvements to ensure people get the money they need as soon as possible. New questions have been added to the Family Resources Survey to develop a food insecurity measure from 2021 to help better understand the drivers of food insecurity and identify which groups are most at risk.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/06/2019 11:19:07 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1129653

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons maternity allowance and statutory maternity pay are classified differently under the universal credit rules.
	tabling member constituency	Alyn and Deeside
	tabling member printed	Mark Tami
	uin	259894
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit is a means tested system of support. Where claimants have income available to meet their everyday living costs, such as maternity allowance, it is right that their entitlement to UC is adjusted accordingly (as currently is the case with other DWP legacy means tested working age benefits).</p><p>Statutory maternity pay is paid by an employer and is therefore a form of earnings subject to the work allowance and tapering within Universal Credit, as are other earnings.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 259895 question first answered 12/06/2019 13:51:11 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	1383 label Biography information for Mark Tami

1129654

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the deduction of maternity allowance from universal credit as unearned income on the (a) affordability for new mothers of (i) housing costs, (ii) nappies and (iii) and other baby essentials and (b) children of those mothers in respect of the principle set out in section 1(1) of the Children Act 1989.
	tabling member constituency	Alyn and Deeside
	tabling member printed	Mark Tami
	uin	259895
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit is a means tested system of support. Where claimants have income available to meet their everyday living costs, such as maternity allowance, it is right that their entitlement to UC is adjusted accordingly (as currently is the case with other DWP legacy means tested working age benefits).</p><p>Statutory maternity pay is paid by an employer and is therefore a form of earnings subject to the work allowance and tapering within Universal Credit, as are other earnings.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 259894 question first answered 12/06/2019 13:51:12 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	1383 label Biography information for Mark Tami

1129720

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Self-employed
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the relationship between rent arrears and the roll out of universal credit for self-employed claimants.
	tabling member constituency	Croydon North
	tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
	uin	260014
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>We have not made an assessment of this nature, as any change in rent arrears is not solely attributed to Universal Credit. The initial analytical work we have carried out with a single housing provider suggests that many tenants are arriving on Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears, supporting by the research carried out by the National Federation of ALMOs which shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears.</p><p>This initial analytical work also shows that arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of housing providers. It will be published when completed.</p><p>We have responded to concerns in this area by putting a number of safeguards in place – 100 per cent advances repayable over 12 months, increasing to 16 months in October 2021; a two-week Transition to Universal Credit Housing Payment; a new Help to Claim service; and Managed Payment to Landlord Arrangements, which allow for payments direct to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments, is unlikely to pay their rent or is in rent arrears equivalent to two months.</p><p>We are aware that for many who are self-employed, particularly those with seasonal businesses, earnings often fluctuate from month to month, and they need to budget and plan for this. Self-employed Universal Credit claimants are no different in this regard.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 12/06/2019 12:45:25 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1129886

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Debt Collection
	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 engages enforcement agents.
	tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton North East
	tabling member printed	Emma Reynolds
	uin	259978
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>Where a claimant is no longer in receipt of benefit, and all other recovery options have been exhausted, the Department for Work and Pensions may refer a debt to a Private Sector Debt Collection Agency.</p><p> </p><p>In March 2015, Indesser, was appointed as the provider of cross-government debt services under a joint-venture with the Cabinet Office.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/06/2019 11:07:17 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4077 label Biography information for Emma Reynolds

1128811

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Working Links
	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 21 May 2019 to Question 254799, on Working Links, for what reasons Working Links Ministry of Justice Permitted Subcontractors are receiving payments and protections but Working Links Permitted Subcontractors for her Department are not.
	tabling member constituency	Easington
	tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
	uin	259183
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department refers to the responses to 2 previous PQs (254799 and 257591) which addressed this question on 17<sup>th</sup> May and 28<sup>th</sup> May respectively. This answer confirms those responses.</p><p> </p><p>The MOJ are making payments to a small number of Permitted Sub Contractors on the basis of a) the unique nature of their services (statutory services) and b) the structure of their current market in the context of the transformation announced on 16<sup>th</sup> May 2019.</p><p>There is no defined term within DWP contracts for Permitted Subcontractors.</p><p> </p><p>The Department considered the impact on stakeholders and sub-contractors, based on the Administrator’s statement of affairs at the point of Working Links going into administration, and has worked with both the Administrator and Fedcap, who have taken over a number of Working Links contracts, to minimise the impact on those supply chain partners owed monies by Working Links at the point of administration.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has met all of its obligations in regard to the contracts, including payments, leading up to and as a consequence of the administration.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 06/06/2019 16:46:42 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1128840

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households with three or more children made a new claim for universal credit during the period between April 2017 and January 2019 on the ground that they were within the six month period of a previous and now closed universal credit claim.
	tabling member constituency	North West Durham
	tabling member printed	Laura Pidcock
	uin	259448
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 06/06/2019 16:40:09 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4665 label Biography information for Laura Pidcock

1128932

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many deduction from earnings requests were issued by the Child Maintenance Service in the last 12 months by local authority area; and how many of those deductions are being made.
	tabling member constituency	Glenrothes
	tabling member printed	Peter Grant
	uin	259305
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 259306 259307 259308 question first answered 06/06/2019 10:00:43 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4466 label Biography information for Peter Grant

1128933

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much child maintenance has been collected using Deduction of Earnings Requests in the last 12 months by (a) constituency and (b) local authority area.
	tabling member constituency	Glenrothes
	tabling member printed	Peter Grant
	uin	259306
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 259305 259307 259308 question first answered 06/06/2019 10:00:43 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4466 label Biography information for Peter Grant

1128934

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Deduction from Earnings Orders (DEOs) were issued by the Child Maintenance Service in the last 12 months by local authority area; and how many of those deductions are currently being made.
	tabling member constituency	Glenrothes
	tabling member printed	Peter Grant
	uin	259307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 259305 259306 259308 question first answered 06/06/2019 10:00:43 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4466 label Biography information for Peter Grant

1128935

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times the Child Maintenance Service has used enforcement powers to fine employers who have not met an instruction from a Deduction from Earnings Order by (a) constituency and (b) local authority area.
	tabling member constituency	Glenrothes
	tabling member printed	Peter Grant
	uin	259308
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>The information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 259305 259306 259307 question first answered 06/06/2019 10:00:43 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4466 label Biography information for Peter Grant

1128948

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many housing benefit claimants have lost their housing benefit following an unsuccessful application for universal credit in Glenrothes and Central Fife constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Glenrothes
	tabling member printed	Peter Grant
	uin	259309
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 11/06/2019 12:00:21 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4466 label Biography information for Peter Grant

1129072

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: ICT
	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 list the countries hosting cloud-based data as contracted by her Department.
	tabling member constituency	Leigh
	tabling member printed	Jo Platt
	uin	259455
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>DWP host cloud-based data in the following countries:</p><p> </p><p>United Kingdom</p><p>Eire</p><p>Netherlands</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 06/06/2019 16:51:37 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4673 label Biography information for Jo Platt

1129146

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Cardiff
	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 provide an update on plans to relocate jobs in her Department from Merthyr Tydfil to a new hub north of Cardiff.
	tabling member constituency	Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
	tabling member printed	Gerald Jones
	uin	259345
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>In 2017 we announced plans to create a new hub in Treforest, north of Cardiff.</p><p> </p><p>Building work on the new hub began in January 2019 and the 133,000 sq ft Treforest building is currently on track and due for completion in the last quarter of 2020.</p><p> </p><p>We plan to move staff based in Merthyr Tydfil Ty Bethesda into Treforest between 2021 and 2023.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 06/06/2019 16:46:36 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4501 label Biography information for Gerald Jones

1129147

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Cardiff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to carry out an impact assessment of the effect on (a) staff and (b) customers of the proposed move of staff from Merthyr Tydfil to a new hub north of Cardiff.
	tabling member constituency	Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
	tabling member printed	Gerald Jones
	uin	259346
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>We plan to move the staff based in Merthyr Tydfil Ty Bethesda into Treforest between 2021 and 2023.</p><p>Before any moves take place, staff will have the opportunity for a formal one-to-one discussion with their line managers about how the move will impact them. This helps to assess any equality impacts of the change of location.</p><p>We anticipate that these formal discussions will take place approximately nine months in advance of any moves.</p><p>Merthyr Tydfil Ty Bethesda is a processing site with no direct face-to-face customer interaction and an impact assessment on the effect on customers as a result of the move is not required.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 11/06/2019 16:23:33 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4501 label Biography information for Gerald Jones

1129148

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Cardiff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on the economy of Merthyr Tydfil town centre of the proposal to move 250 jobs in her Department from Merthyr Tydfil to a new hub north of Cardiff.
	tabling member constituency	Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
	tabling member printed	Gerald Jones
	uin	259347
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>As a large employer, the Department understands the potential impact that a closure or relocation of an office may have. However, the economic impact of employment is dispersed beyond the specific location of a workplace because people also spend their money where they live.</p><p> </p><p>Where the Department does move staff to a new place of work, it is unlikely that a significant proportion of them would also move their place of residence and so will still continue to contribute to the economy of their home base.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, as Merthyr Tydfil Ty Bethesda is a leased building the landlord may offer the premises to a new tenant.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 06/06/2019 16:41:18 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4501 label Biography information for Gerald Jones

1129257

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will review the merits of the higher deduction from universal credit payments for maternity allowance than for maternity pay.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
	tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
	uin	259377
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit is a means tested system of support and where claimants have income available to meet their everyday living costs, such as maternity allowance, it is right that their entitlement to UC is adjusted accordingly (as currently is the case with other DWP legacy means tested working age benefits).</p><p>Statutory maternity pay is paid by an employer and is a form of earnings. As a result, statutory maternity pay is therefore subject to the work allowance and tapering within Universal Credit, as are other earnings.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 06/06/2019 16:33:04 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1129385

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence
	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 her Department stops sending correspondence after a claimant has died.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	259386
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>DWP has recently introduced improvements to the way in which it actions Tell Us Once notifications following registration of a death with a Registrar. Improved automation supports timely action across DWP service areas with clearance routinely completing within 24 hours of receipt. This investment and ongoing focus on preventing multiple letters after the notification of death is proving successful, although it is accepted that there may be cases where external factors compromise this achievement.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 06/06/2019 16:33:12 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1128535

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Child Maintenance Service
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many deduction of earning requests made by the Child Maintenance Service have been declined by the (a) MoD Defence Council and (b) Authorised Officer; and if she will publish the reasons for those requests being declined.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	257767
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>Child Maintenance Service do not record this data as there is no facility on the Child Maintenance System to record instances when a Deduction from Earning Request has been rejected by MoD.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 12:34:38 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1128539

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Child Maintenance Service
	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 on children of a Child Maintenance Service deduction of earning requests being declined by the Ministry of Defence Council or an authorised officer.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	257768
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Group has a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Defence that supports the operation of Deduction from Earnings Requests. However, the final decision on whether to implement the deduction from earnings request and at what rate ultimately rests with HM Paymaster. Where we are unable to deduct child maintenance directly from salaries, we will look to enforce payment directly from a paying parent’s bank account.</p><p>Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the Child Maintenance Service has a wide range of strong enforcement powers including deduction from earnings orders, order for sale, removing non-paying parent's driving licences, disqualification of passports, and committal to prison.</p><p>We introduced new powers in December 2018 which allow the Child Maintenance Service to deduct child maintenance directly from a wider range of accounts, including joint and business accounts, and enable it to target complex earners via a calculation of notional income based on assets.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 14:13:39 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1128568

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to reduce the number of children living in poverty in London.
	tabling member constituency	Hackney South and Shoreditch
	tabling member printed	Meg Hillier
	uin	257702
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>This Government is committed to a sustainable solution to poverty so that we improve children’s long-term outcomes. This means a strong economy and a benefit system that supports employment and higher pay. Children in households where all adults are working are around 5 times less likely to be in poverty than those in workless households. Compared to 2010, there are 1 million fewer workless households and 665,000 fewer children in workless households.</p><p /> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 17:05:02 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	1524 label Biography information for Dame Meg Hillier

1128622

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the 1,193,200 cases with no current liability from the 1993 and 2003 Child Maintenance Schemes that there were at March 2012 have been written-off by the Child Support Agency.
	tabling member constituency	North East Somerset
	tabling member printed	Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg
	uin	257742
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>The information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Information on cases written off since 13<sup>th</sup> December 2018, when the write off process began, will be published in June 2019 (number of cases) and September 2019 (amounts). Information on the planned changes to the Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Summary to incorporate this information can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-support-agency-statistics-publication-strategy" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-support-agency-statistics-publication-strategy</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 16:56:33 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4099 label Biography information for Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg

1128623

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total amount is of arrears owed to the parent with care that has been written-off by the Child Support Agency since March 2012.
	tabling member constituency	North East Somerset
	tabling member printed	Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg
	uin	257743
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>The information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Information on cases written off since 13<sup>th</sup> December 2018, when the write off process began, will be published in June 2019 (number of cases) and September 2019 (amounts). Information on the planned changes to the Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Summary to incorporate this information can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-support-agency-statistics-publication-strategy" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-support-agency-statistics-publication-strategy</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 11/06/2019 16:51:40 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4099 label Biography information for Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg

1128624

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases with no current liability where no money has flowed in the last quarter have been transferred from the Child Support Agency to the Child Maintenance Service since March 2012.
	tabling member constituency	North East Somerset
	tabling member printed	Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg
	uin	257744
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>Since June 2014, when the Case Closure process began, there have been 222,300 cases transition from the Child Support Agency to the Child Maintenance Service. This information can be found on table 8 of the Child Support Agency Case Closure Statistics. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-case-closure-statistics-june-2014-to-december-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-case-closure-statistics-june-2014-to-december-2018</a></p><p>Information on whether money has flowed on these cases in the last quarter is not readily available.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 16:45:48 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4099 label Biography information for Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg

1128235

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Food Banks
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timescale is for her Department to publish the findings of the study it commissioned on the links between Government policy and demand on food banks.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	257456
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>We are currently carrying out a literature review on the factors driving the use of food banks which will be published in due course.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 13:48:15 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1128281

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of subject access requests made to the Child Maintenance Service were responded to within the correct timescale since the General Data Protection Regulation came into force; and what steps she is taken to reduce the level of the backlog of those requests.
	tabling member constituency	Stafford
	tabling member printed	Jeremy Lefroy
	uin	257543
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>Data is not available to show the number of Right of Access requests that included a request for Child Maintenance Group records prior to 5/11/2018.</p><p>Therefore, the following information shows the number Right of Access Requests that included a request for Child Maintenance Group records from 5/11/2018</p><p><strong>CMG RECORDS REQUESTS COMPLETED</strong></p><p>For the period 5/11/2018 to 21/5/2019:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Number of Right of Access Requests where the CMG records have been supplied (regardless of the other records that were requested within the RAR) within statutory deadline</p></td><td><p>1130</p></td><td><p>66.9%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Regarding the current workload we have the following measures in place:</p><p>We have secured an additional resource to support existing colleagues</p><p>As a contingency we have cross skilled staff that we can utilise if required</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 17:14:11 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4109 label Biography information for Jeremy Lefroy

1128289

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many funeral expenses payment awards were made in 2018-19; and (ii) what the value of those payments was.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South
	tabling member printed	Stewart Malcolm McDonald
	uin	257550
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The number and gross expenditure of Funeral Expenses Payment awards, in Great Britain, is reported annually in Appendix 1 of the Social Fund Annual Report:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-fund-annual-report-2017-to-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-fund-annual-report-2017-to-2018</a></p><p>The information requested for 2018/19 will be published in due course, and so cannot be released ahead of publication.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 13:05:33 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4461 label Biography information for Stewart Malcolm McDonald

1128291

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funerals: Pre-payment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data her Department holds on the number of pre-paid funeral plans that have been taken out since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South
	tabling member printed	Stewart Malcolm McDonald
	uin	257551
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 11:34:00 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4461 label Biography information for Stewart Malcolm McDonald

1128350

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Support for Mortgage Interest
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department provides to people with a support for mortgage interest loan (SMI) who need to move house but are unable to do so due to having an SMI loan secured on their property.
	tabling member constituency	Stevenage
	tabling member printed	Stephen McPartland
	uin	257581
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>Owner-occupiers possess a valuable capital asset which may increase in value over time. It is reasonable to ask claimants who receive help towards the costs of this asset to repay that when they are able to. Most SMI claimants already have significant equity accrued upon take-up of an SMI loan and those with an SMI loan secured against their property are likely to continue accruing value beyond the repayment of an SMI loan, facilitating a move if necessary.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 16:07:13 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4093 label Biography information for Stephen McPartland

1128353

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Local Housing Allowance: Bristol
	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 adequacy of the level of local housing allowance compared with the cost of rented accommodation in Bristol.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol East
	tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
	uin	257483
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>No assessment has been made of the adequacy of the level of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) compared with the cost of rented accommodation in Bristol.</p><p> </p><p>The proportion of private market rents that are at or below the LHA rate are set out below. This is based on:</p><ul><li>2019/20 LHA rates published here <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2019-to-march-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2019-to-march-2020</a></li><li>Valuation Office Agency data <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-list-of-rents" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-list-of-rents</a>.</li></ul><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Shared accommodation</p></td><td><p>1 bedroom</p></td><td><p>2 bedrooms</p></td><td><p>3 bedrooms</p></td><td><p>4 bedrooms</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bristol</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>5%</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>12%</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td><td><p>13%</p></td><td><p>12%</p></td><td><p>15%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Note: South West figures calculated as the average for the following Broad Rental Market Areas: Kernow West, North Cornwall &amp; Devon Borders, Plymouth, South Devon, Exeter, North Devon, Mid &amp; East Devon, Mid &amp; West Dorset, Taunton &amp; West Somerset, Yeovil, Weston-S-Mare, Mendip, Bath, Bristol, Gloucester, Cheltenham, West Wiltshire, Swindon, Salisbury and Bournemouth.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 257484 question first answered 05/06/2019 16:29:21 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1128354

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Local Housing Allowance: South West
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of rental accommodation is affordable to those receiving the maximum rate of local housing allowance in (a) Bristol and (b) the South West.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol East
	tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
	uin	257484
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>No assessment has been made of the adequacy of the level of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) compared with the cost of rented accommodation in Bristol.</p><p> </p><p>The proportion of private market rents that are at or below the LHA rate are set out below. This is based on:</p><ul><li>2019/20 LHA rates published here <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2019-to-march-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2019-to-march-2020</a></li><li>Valuation Office Agency data <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-list-of-rents" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-list-of-rents</a>.</li></ul><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Shared accommodation</p></td><td><p>1 bedroom</p></td><td><p>2 bedrooms</p></td><td><p>3 bedrooms</p></td><td><p>4 bedrooms</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bristol</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>5%</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>12%</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td><td><p>13%</p></td><td><p>12%</p></td><td><p>15%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Note: South West figures calculated as the average for the following Broad Rental Market Areas: Kernow West, North Cornwall &amp; Devon Borders, Plymouth, South Devon, Exeter, North Devon, Mid &amp; East Devon, Mid &amp; West Dorset, Taunton &amp; West Somerset, Yeovil, Weston-S-Mare, Mendip, Bath, Bristol, Gloucester, Cheltenham, West Wiltshire, Swindon, Salisbury and Bournemouth.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 257483 question first answered 05/06/2019 16:29:21 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1128385

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Working Links
	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 21 May 2019 to Question 254799, what steps his Department has taken to minimise the effect on the Working Links supply chain partners owed monies by that company at the point of administration for social enterprises and the third sector.
	tabling member constituency	Easington
	tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
	uin	257591
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>All Working Links subcontractors delivering DWP services were issued a letter from the Department providing them with details of the Administrator advising direct contact should there be monies owed to them by Working Links. The Department has met all of its obligations in regard to the contracts, including payments, leading up to and as a consequence of the administration.</p><p> </p><p>The Department considered the impact on stakeholders and sub-contractors, based on the Administrator’s statement of affairs at the point of Working Links going into administration, and has worked with both the Administrator and Fedcap, who have taken over a number of Working Links contracts, to minimise the impact on those supply chain partners owed monies by Working Links at the point of administration.</p><p /><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 12:41:35 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1128386

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Working Links
	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 21 May 2019 to Question 254799, what steps his Department has taken to meet its Commercial Strategy objective to create a more competitive, agile, diverse and innovative supply base in relation to Working Links sub-contractors still owed money for services delivered.
	tabling member constituency	Easington
	tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
	uin	257592
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>DWP commercial policy is to advertise opportunities early and to engage with all appropriate sectors of the market, through pre-procurement market engagement events, to encourage wide participation and create the best competitive environment.</p><p>All Working Links subcontractors delivering Departmental services have been issued a letter from the Department advising them to contact the Administrator should there be monies owed to them by Working Links.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 13:58:17 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1128387

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Working Links
	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 21 May 2019 to Question 254799, what steps his Department has taken to meet its Commercial Strategy objective on strengthening commercial management of key suppliers, managing performance, relationships and risks in relation to Working Links sub-contractors still owed money for services delivered.
	tabling member constituency	Easington
	tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
	uin	257593
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>DWP is currently implementing two change programmes – the Contract Management Capability Programme and Strategic Supplier Relationship Management - to support further improvements in commercial and contract management capability across the department.</p><p>DWP continues to use the Merlin service to provide assurance of suppliers and supply chains in the Employment and Health Categories.</p><p>All Working Links subcontractors delivering Departmental services have been issued a letter from the Department advising them to contact the Administrator should there be monies owed to them by Working Links.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 14:06:49 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1128412

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department uses to assess whether people are (a) destitute and (b) living in destitution.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	257500
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>There is no official definition of destitution. The Department for Work and Pensions annually publishes Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics, based on the Family Resources Survey, which sets out four official measures of relative and absolute low income before and after housing costs. The closest measure in HBAI to a measure of destitution is the number of children in “severe low income” (50% of median before housing costs). HBAI also provides measures of material deprivation based on questions to parents and pensioners about their ability to afford the basics in life such as heating homes and paying bills. In addition, new questions have been added to the Family Resources Survey to develop a food insecurity measure from 2021.</p><p>New experimental statistics to measure poverty will be developed, and published by DWP in 2020. The new analysis will be based on the work undertaken by the Social Metrics Commission (SMC) which was presented in the SMC’s ‘A New Measure of Poverty’ report last year.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/06/2019 13:33:57 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane