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174820

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment: British Nationals Abroad
	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 to Question 220107, if he will make it his policy to exclude French Overseas Departments in the calculation of average temperature for France for the purposes of determining eligibility for winter fuel payments to UK citizens.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	221473
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>It is the French Government that defines itself as the mainland and its outermost regions, and as such are included in the EU social security co-ordination regulations, used and applied by all member states.</p><p> </p><p>It is because of this that the French Overseas Departments<em> (départments d’outre mer</em> or DOMs) are treated in the same way as mainland France with regard to Winter Fuel Payments, which are currently made to those entitled who live there. Therefore, the hotter French Overseas Departments have to be included in the calculation of the average temperature of France. We are being consistent with our policy approach.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 23/01/2015 11:29:58 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

174817

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment: British Nationals Abroad
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that UK pensioners living in France receive winter fuel payments when the temperature where they live is below freezing.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	221343
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Winter Fuel Payments are intended to give older people in the UK reassurance that they can keep warm during cold weather. Winter Fuel Payments are payable to UK pensioners in France, however this will end from September 2015. Winter Fuel Payments are not triggered by temperature either in the UK or abroad.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 23/01/2015 11:24:30 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

174825

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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 the principal risks are which his Department has identified with respect to the national rollout of universal credit in 2015.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	221463
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>In delivering the plans for Universal Credit, the Programme follows industry-standard risk management processes, through a number of governance and assurance boards, as part of the wider Departmental risk management framework. These protocols focus on managing the cumulative impact of risks on our plans for delivery. The over-arching plans for delivering Universal Credit have been assured by the Major Projects Authority (MPA) and are subject to ongoing assessment.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 23/01/2015 11:07:44 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

175558

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Shared Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to ensure that the shared accommodation rate is representative of the real cost of renting shared accommodation.
	tabling member constituency	Cambridge
	tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
	uin	907191
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>On behalf of DWP, the Rent Officer Services, collect evidence of a wide range of achieved rents for each area and use these to set Local Housing Allowance rates, in line with the current policy for Local Housing Allowance uprating.</p><p> </p><p>Currently, increases to Local Housing Allowance rates are limited to one per cent. However, in areas where there have been the greatest divergences between rates and rents, we are increasing rates by up to 4 per cent through Targeted Affordability Funding.</p><p> </p><p>In 2014/15, this meant that 56 out of the 192 Shared Accommodation Rates were increased by 4 per cent. In 2015/16, there will be £95 million available for the Targeted Affordability funding and we will be increasing 63 out of the 192 Shared Accommodation Rates by 4 per cent.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 26/01/2015 17:29:41 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

174818

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Separated People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether an external evaluator has been appointed to provide an independent assessment of the 17 Innovation Fund projects set up under the Help for Separated Families initiative to establish what works in assisting separated parents to co-operate in the interests of their children; when it is planned that that evaluation process will take place; and when it is planned that that evaluation report will be published.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh East
	tabling member printed	Sheila Gilmore
	uin	221342
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>One of two evaluation partners has been appointed and we are in the process of appointing the second.</p><p> </p><p>Evaluation data continues to be collected by all of the live projects and this data will be analysed and interpreted by our independent evaluator throughout the duration of their contract into 2016.</p><p> </p><p>Results will be published after all projects have ended delivery and the external evaluator has completed their follow up work and analysis.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 23/01/2015 11:13:40 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3965 label Biography information for Sheila Gilmore

174827

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that the approach of Work Programme providers to benefit sanctions referrals is consistent.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	221461
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Sanctions are a necessary part of the benefits system, but they are used as a last resort in a tiny percentage of cases where people don’t play by the rules.</p><p> </p><p>There are no targets for sanctions and in fact there were fewer sanctions this year compared to last year. We also have a well-established system of hardship payments for benefit claimants who have little or no other resources available to them.</p><p> </p><p>DWP has put in place a comprehensive monitoring regime to ensure that sanctions are always and only applied where appropriate to do so. The majority of claimants become fully engaged in Work Programme activities that will give best prospects of employment that lead to a job without the possibility of having a sanction imposed through non-compliance with a mandatory activity.</p><p> </p><p>Improvements specifically aimed at improving consistency in sanction referrals have included the introduction of Provider Direct. This service provides information that enables providers to make an informed decision as to whether they need to raise a sanction doubt or not. We have also introduced improvements to the way Jobcentre Plus and Providers communicate information by providing single points of contact for queries and referrals.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey grouped question UIN 221462 question first answered 23/01/2015 13:25:50 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

174824

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Innovation Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Youth Unemployment Innovation Fund.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	221464
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Innovation Fund is being independently evaluated and the findings will be published as soon as they are available. The first qualitative research findings were published in June 2014 and found that the Innovation Fund had successfully identified and engaged some of the most disadvantaged young people in society.</p><p> </p><p>Interim impact assessment findings will be published in the summer of 2015.</p><p> </p><p>We also publish quarterly Official Statistics and those show that things are progressing well, with 15,400 young people starting participation on Innovation Fund Projects up to the end of September 2014, (which is an increase of 2,700 from March 2014), and 16,600 positive outcomes achieved up to end of September 2014 (which represents an increase of 5,400 from March 2014).</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 23/01/2015 13:16:16 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

175557

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's social security sanctions policy.
	tabling member constituency	Oldham East and Saddleworth
	tabling member printed	Debbie Abrahams
	uin	907174
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Through his independent review of sanctions, Matthew Oakley confirmed that “benefit sanctions provide a vital backdrop in the social security system for jobseekers” and are a “key element of the mutual obligation that underpins both the effectiveness and fairness of the social security system”</p><p> </p><p>International evidence is also clear – a conditional benefit system works – it promotes job search. The vast majority comply and move into work.</p><p> </p><p>There are nearly a million fewer workless people since 2010.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 26/01/2015 17:48:02 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	4212 label Biography information for Debbie Abrahams

175555

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Unemployment: Young People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of trends in youth unemployment.
	tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton South West
	tabling member printed	Paul Uppal
	uin	907192
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Youth unemployment has fallen 175,000 since 2010, and the youth claimant count is the lowest since the 1970s.</p><p> </p><p>In Wolverhampton South West, the youth claimant count has nearly halved since 2010 – falling by over 400.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 26/01/2015 17:40:03 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	4078 label Biography information for Paul Uppal

175556

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Social Security Benefits
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress he has made on tackling fraud and error.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	907186
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>Fraud and error is currently estimated to be 2.1% of benefit expenditure, down from 2.2% in 2009/10.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>My Department is working hard to reduce Fraud and Error. A number of initiatives have been put in place under the prevent, detect, correct, punish and deter agenda and the introduction of the Single Fraud Investigation Service, tougher penalties, cross Government working and increased recovery powers demonstrate our commitment to getting this right.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 26/01/2015 16:28:18 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans