Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

792664

	registered interest
	date	20/11/2017
	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 the Department of Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2017 to Question 70208, if he will provide information on how the estimated savings from the minimum income floor for universal credit were calculated for (a) 2017-18; (b) 2018-19; (c) 2019-20; (d) 2020-21, and (e) 2021-22.
	tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
	tabling member printed	Tracy Brabin
	uin	114591
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2017 answer text <p>The Minimum Income Floor is expected to encourage those reporting very low self-employed income to increase their earnings. Some people will respond to this by increasing their earnings from self-employment, others will look for other employment to increase their income and it is applied equally across all sectors of self-employment.</p><p> </p><p>The Minimum Income Floor is modelled using the Policy Simulation Model and Integrated Microsimulation Model (INFORM) where we apply it to the Universal Credit award calculation for the projected population of Universal Credit self-employed claimants.</p><p>The Minimum Income Floor is calculated, as per policy, based on claimants characteristics i.e. National Minimum Wage/National Living Wage (which is a function of age), tax bracket and maximum work search requirement for a given claimant type.</p><p>A more detailed modelling methodology of Universal Credit forecasts is likely to be published by Office for Budget Responsibility in 2018 as a part of their Welfare Trends Report series.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 23/11/2017 16:30:14 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4588 label Biography information for Tracy Brabin

792665

	registered interest
	date	20/11/2017
	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 the Department of Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9283, what the evidential basis is for the statement that flaws in the current system allow some self-employed claimants to receive full State support while declaring low or zero earnings.
	tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
	tabling member printed	Tracy Brabin
	uin	114592
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2017 answer text <p>Tax Credits for the self-employed lack a strong incentive for claimants to grow their earnings and reduce their dependency on welfare. The rules for eligibility for Working Tax Credit (WTC) are set out in the Tax Credits Act 2002 and the associated regulations, in particular the Working Tax Credit (Entitlement and Maximum Rate) Regulations 2002. These do not include a requirement for those claiming WTC to increase their earnings, or to earn more than a specified amount.</p><p> </p><p>The Government introduced the strengthened self-employment test into Working Tax Credit in 2015 to address the risk of individuals continuing to claim WTC, despite not working on a commercial and with a view to a profit basis. HMRC advice on this is in the link below:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revenue-and-customs-brief-7-2015-new-rules-for-the-self-employed-claiming-working-tax-credit/revenue-and-customs-brief-7-2015-new-rules-for-the-self-employed-claiming-working-tax-credit" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revenue-and-customs-brief-7-2015-new-rules-for-the-self-employed-claiming-working-tax-credit/revenue-and-customs-brief-7-2015-new-rules-for-the-self-employed-claiming-working-tax-credit</a></p><p> </p><p>Historically, a high proportion of self-employed Tax Credit claimants saw little progression in their earnings over several years, including many of the lowest earners.</p><p> </p><p>Recently, HMRC and DWP have published data from a survey of self-employed tax credit claimants. These data confirm that many such claimants have low earnings and demonstrate the need to support and incentivise claimants to grow their earnings:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/self-employment-working-tax-credits-claimant-survey-and-follow-up-research" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/self-employment-working-tax-credits-claimant-survey-and-follow-up-research</a></p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 23/11/2017 16:26:25 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4588 label Biography information for Tracy Brabin

792666

	registered interest
	date	20/11/2017
	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 the Department of Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of self-employed claimants of universal credit are (a) gainfully self-employed (b) not gainfully self-employed and (c) have not been subjected to the gainful self-employment test; and how many of those claimants have identified as (i) employed under PAYE and (ii) neither employed or self-employed.
	tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
	tabling member printed	Tracy Brabin
	uin	114593
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2017 answer text <p>The requested information is not currently available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 23/11/2017 16:22:44 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4588 label Biography information for Tracy Brabin

754239

	registered interest
	date	19/07/2017
	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, with which housing associations his Department is working to investigate rent arrears in universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Central Ayrshire
	tabling member printed	Dr Philippa Whitford
	uin	6233
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2017 answer text <p>DWP are currently undertaking work, in conjunction with Curo Group, a housing association based in the South West, to investigate and understand the true level of rent arrears for their tenants, what is causing them and any impacts Universal Credit may be having. We will consider how nationally representative the analyses are and whether and how it should be expanded.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 6232 6234 question first answered 05/09/2017 11:05:20 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4385 label Biography information for Dr Philippa Whitford

731405

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2017
	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: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the provisions relating to applications for Support for a child conceived without your consent, what his Department's policy is on the implications for third party professionals who verify that a claimant qualifies for that support in the event that the claimant's case is subsequently assessed as weak.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow Central
	tabling member printed	Alison Thewliss
	uin	29
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2017 answer text <p>The list of third party professionals for the non-consensual conception exception is published on gov.uk and the legislation enables these professionals in Scotland to provide evidence.</p><p>Approved third party professionals are those who in the course of their duties already deal with people in difficult circumstances, and are people with whom we believe it would be beneficial for the claimant to engage in order to obtain further guidance and support.</p><p>No new legal duties are placed on the third party professionals. They will not be asked to form a judgement as to whether or not the conception was non-consensual. The third party professionals are confirming only that the claimant’s circumstances are consistent with those of a person who has conceived a child in such a way. Under the legislation, this confirmation alone suffices as evidence of entitlement to the exception.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 13 18 23 24 25 question first answered 29/06/2017 11:22:52 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4430 label Biography information for Alison Thewliss

771354

	registered interest
	date	16/10/2017
	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: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the hon. Member for Sefton Central of 12 October 2017 to the Leader of the House, Official Report, column 469, if he will remove the charge for telephone calls to his Department on universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	107750
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2017 answer text <p>As announced by the Secretary of State at the Work and Pensions Select Committee on 18 October 2017, DWP plans to change the Universal Credit helpline to a freephone number over the next month.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 107919 question first answered 19/10/2017 14:07:33 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

658017

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2016
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Employment of 22 June 2015, Official Report, column 608, whether it is his Department's position that there is no robust evidence that directly links sanctions and food bank use.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	uin	57521
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2016 answer text <p>It continues to be widely acknowledged that food bank use cannot be attributed to a single cause and the reasons that people use foodbanks are complex and overlapping.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/12/2016 14:06:10 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

694293

	registered interest
	date	24/02/2017
	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	Jobcentres: Liverpool
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of 20 February 2017, Official Report, column 768, what the evidential basis is for his statement that the proposals for jobcentres will raise utilisation across the city of Liverpool from 66 per cent to 95 per cent; and what the current utilisation rate is of the jobcentres in (a) Wavertree and (b) Edge Hill.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Wavertree
	tabling member printed	Luciana Berger
	uin	65524
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2017 answer text <p>The falling claimant count and the increased use of our online services in recent years mean that 20% of rent is going toward space we are not using. In response, we have sought to redesign our estate in a way that delivers value for the taxpayer while continuing to deliver vital support to our claimants. Many of our offices across Liverpool are currently underutilised, meaning that we are spending money on rent for space that is unused rather than on services and support. The proposal would see a reduction in the number of sites, from 14 Jobcentres to 10 Jobcentres resulting in a space utilisation improvement from 66% to 95%. Merging our staff and services offers the opportunity to maintain and improve the services we provide to claimants across Liverpool while offering the best value for money for the taxpayer.</p><p> </p><p>With 19 front of house and 16 back of house full time equivalent staff occupying 820 m2 of space, utilisation is currently 53% at Wavertree Jobcentre.</p><p> </p><p>With 82 front of house and 9 back of house full time equivalent staff occupying 2,307 m2 space, utilisation is currently 60% at Edge Hill Jobcentre.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 01/03/2017 17:03:25 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4036 label Biography information for Luciana Berger

658613

	registered interest
	date	14/12/2016
	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: Horizon 2020
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Treasury Committee on 12 December 2016, in response to Q311, who in his Department is responsible for assessing whether grant applications for Horizon 2020 funding are (a) value for money and (b) in line with Government objectives.
	tabling member constituency	Bishop Auckland
	tabling member printed	Helen Goodman
	uin	57695
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2016 answer text <p>In response to Q311, at the Treasury Committee on Monday 12 December, the Chancellor made reference to the process for EU Structural Funds rather than for Horizon 2020</p><p>The Treasury will underwrite all successful bids for Horizon 2020 that are approved by the Commission, even when specific projects continue beyond the departure from the EU.</p><p>Government departments will not assess Horizon 2020 grant applications – Horizon 2020 is an EU programme, independent of the UK government, and grant funding is awarded by the Commission based on peer review.</p><p>UK businesses and Universities should continue to bid for competitive EU funds while we remain a member of the EU. We will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 20/12/2016 11:56:11 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	1484 label Biography information for Helen Goodman

705741

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2017
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the findings of the reports from (a) the National Audit Office on Benefit Sanctions, published on 30 November 2013 and (b) the oral evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee of 28 November 2016, HC56, on the disability employment gap, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting (i) disabled people and (ii) those experiencing mental ill health from the benefit sanctions regime.
	tabling member constituency	Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
	tabling member printed	Corri Wilson
	uin	65786
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2017 answer text <p>Sanctions are only used in a very small percentage of cases and as a last resort. They are an important part of our benefits system and encourage claimants to stick to their agreed commitments to prepare for or find work, based on their individual needs and circumstances. The sanction system is under continuous review to ensure that it functions effectively and fairly - where we identify an issue, we act to put it right.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 06/03/2017 13:36:01 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4448 label Biography information for Corri Wilson