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100276

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Post Office Card Account
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit payments of each type were paid into Post Office card accounts in each of the last five years; and what proportion of such recipients were (a) of working age and (b) retired.
	tabling member constituency	East Lothian
	tabling member printed	Fiona O'Donnell
	uin	211236
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Please find below details of the volume of payments, by benefit, paid into Post Office card accounts in each of the last five contract years from October 2009, the start of the current Post Office card contract. As at September 2014 the proportion of POca working age customers is 41.66% and retirement customers 58.34%.</p><p /> <p /><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Benefit type</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Oct '09 to Mar '10</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Apr '10 to Mar '11</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Apr '11 to Mar '12</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Apr '12 to Mar '13</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Apr '13 to Mar '14</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Apr '14 to Sept '14</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Attendance Allowance </strong></p></td><td><p>1,282,073</p></td><td><p>2,646,196</p></td><td><p>2,980,275</p></td><td><p>3,166,677</p></td><td><p>3,116,840</p></td><td><p>1,538,852</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Child Support (DC) Client Fund</strong></p></td><td><p>2,079</p></td><td><p>5,608</p></td><td><p>9,178</p></td><td><p>9,689</p></td><td><p>7,938</p></td><td><p>285</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>CMEC</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1,197</p></td><td><p>3670</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>CSA DWP Payments - CSA DWP</strong></p></td><td><p>284,118</p></td><td><p>557,228</p></td><td><p>648,147</p></td><td><p>626,507</p></td><td><p>584,705</p></td><td><p>268,170</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Dfee Employment Services </strong></p></td><td><p>79,971</p></td><td><p>214,855</p></td><td><p>59,427</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Disability Living Allowance</strong></p></td><td><p>4,090,836</p></td><td><p>7,931,027</p></td><td><p>7,678,957</p></td><td><p>7,488,219</p></td><td><p>7,179,077</p></td><td><p>3,386,779</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>DWP Local Payment</strong></p></td><td><p>83,618</p></td><td><p>149,836</p></td><td><p>128,871</p></td><td><p>145,018</p></td><td><p>186,974</p></td><td><p>75,160</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>DWP Universal Credit</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>334</p></td><td><p>634</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Incapacity Benefit</strong></p></td><td><p>3,956,020</p></td><td><p>6,640,787</p></td><td><p>5,369,680</p></td><td><p>3,703,178</p></td><td><p>1,745,634</p></td><td><p>444,821</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Income Support</strong></p></td><td><p>32,694,702</p></td><td><p>57,496,385</p></td><td><p>48,077,834</p></td><td><p>42,369,841</p></td><td><p>35,144,716</p></td><td><p>15,612,744</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Industrial Injuries</strong></p></td><td><p>1,823,692</p></td><td><p>3,499,816</p></td><td><p>3,304,669</p></td><td><p>3,108,446</p></td><td><p>2,923,184</p></td><td><p>1,391,414</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Invalid Care Allowance</strong></p></td><td><p>2,010,877</p></td><td><p>3,886,243</p></td><td><p>3,685,821</p></td><td><p>3,591,341</p></td><td><p>3,390,941</p></td><td><p>1,642,035</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Jobseekers Allowance</strong></p></td><td><p>2,126,450</p></td><td><p>3,952,375</p></td><td><p>4,039,600</p></td><td><p>3,986,790</p></td><td><p>3,154,319</p></td><td><p>1,177,786</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Personal Independence Payment</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>15,579</p></td><td><p>53,193</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Resource Management</strong></p></td><td><p>141,271</p></td><td><p>268,619</p></td><td><p>206,031</p></td><td><p>145,249</p></td><td><p>105,362</p></td><td><p>15,817</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Retirement Pensions</strong></p></td><td><p>41,051,123</p></td><td><p>77,838,703</p></td><td><p>72,231,420</p></td><td><p>69,904,004</p></td><td><p>64,327,423</p></td><td><p>30,210,680</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Social Fund</strong></p></td><td><p>161,723</p></td><td><p>263,709</p></td><td><p>246,262</p></td><td><p>270,296</p></td><td><p>219,543</p></td><td><p>91,450</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Employment &amp; Support Allowance</strong></p></td><td><p>339,047</p></td><td><p>1,380,741</p></td><td><p>2,286,925</p></td><td><p>5,264,219</p></td><td><p>7,812,066</p></td><td><p>4,358,635</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Winter Fuel Payments DWP</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>888,462</p></td><td><p>382</p></td><td><p>380</p></td><td><p>28</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 28/10/2014 17:32:45 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3964 label Biography information for Fiona O'Donnell

100548

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on bank transfer transactions for each type of benefit and pension payment in the last financial year; and what the total cost was of those transfers.
	tabling member constituency	Redcar
	tabling member printed	Ian Swales
	uin	211429
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>DWP can provide a total figure for UK benefit bank transfers for 2013/14 (including pensions) by BACS, broken down by benefit as follows:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Benefit</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Volume</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Banking Costs</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE (AA) (inc Overseas)</p></td><td><p>14,914,870</p></td><td><p>£65,625.43</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE (DLA) (inc Overseas)</p></td><td><p>47,522,463</p></td><td><p>£209,098.84</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND (ESF)</p></td><td><p>288</p></td><td><p>£1.27</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>CARERS ALLOWANCE (CA) (inc Overseas)</p></td><td><p>27,066,880</p></td><td><p>£119,094.27</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>INCAPACITY BENEFIT (INCAP)</p></td><td><p>10,093,974</p></td><td><p>£44,413.49</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>INCOME SUPPORT (IS)</p></td><td><p>146,845,498</p></td><td><p>£646,120.19</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>INDUSTRIAL INJURIES (IIDB)</p></td><td><p>11,975,719</p></td><td><p>£52,693.16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>OVERSEAS DIVISION (ODIIDB)</p></td><td><p>73,828</p></td><td><p>£324.84</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>JSA</p></td><td><p>30,546,139</p></td><td><p>£134,403.01</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>MORTGAGE DIRECT (JSA MD)</p></td><td><p>239,080</p></td><td><p>£1,051.95</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>LPS</p></td><td><p>71,171</p></td><td><p>£313.15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>LPS MID</p></td><td><p>1,900</p></td><td><p>£8.36</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>MORTGAGE DIRECT (MI)</p></td><td><p>1,299,364</p></td><td><p>£5,717.20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>RETIREMENT PENSIONS</p></td><td><p>339,855,838</p></td><td><p>£1,495,365.69</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>THIRD PARTY PAYMENTS (TPP)</p></td><td><p>44,715</p></td><td><p>£196.75</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>WINTER FUEL NEW RULE (WFNR)</p></td><td><p>953,886</p></td><td><p>£4,197.10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>SOCIAL FUND (SF)</p></td><td><p>1,157,008</p></td><td><p>£5,090.84</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP ESA MID</p></td><td><p>617,369</p></td><td><p>£2,716.42</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP ESA</p></td><td><p>44,349,674</p></td><td><p>£195,138.57</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP CPS LOCAL PAYMENTS</p></td><td><p>1,930,311</p></td><td><p>£8,493.37</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PIP</p></td><td><p>282,631</p></td><td><p>£1,243.58</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Universal Credit</p></td><td><p>13,556</p></td><td><p>£59.65</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Benefits Total</p></td><td><p>679,559,975</p></td><td><p>£2,990,063.89</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Excluding CSA/SPVA/CMS</p></td><td><p>686,118,046</p></td><td><p>£3,018,919.40</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>TOTAL BACS</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>699,386,621</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£3,077,301.13</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Department does not have the breakdown for Faster Payments by benefit type, however the total volume figure of payments is 3,261,640 and a transaction value of £526,273.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 29/10/2014 14:27:34 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	4045 label Biography information for Ian Swales

100826

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Job Evaluation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the procedure is in his Department for assessing grade boundaries and job roles; and how often such assessments take place.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	211827
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2014 answer text <p>DWP uses two job evaluation schemes, which are widely utilised across the Civil Service.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>1. Job Evaluation and Grading Support (JEGS), an analytical points-based system which is used by trained evaluators to rank roles from AA to Grade 6. This also incorporates Grading Guidance which provides an analytical matching of posts based on JEGS, a good level of assurance and is less resource intensive than a full evaluation.</p><p> </p><p>2. Job Evaluation for Senior Posts (JESP) which is similar to JEGS but used to evaluate posts in the Senior Civil Service.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>DWP evaluates all new roles and roles where there has been a fundamental or material change in job content using one of these schemes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Information on JEGS, including use of grading guidance, is available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/job-evaluation-and-grading-support-jegs-for-civil-servants" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/job-evaluation-and-grading-support-jegs-for-civil-servants</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Information on JESP is available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/job-evaluation-for-senior-posts-good-practice-guide" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/job-evaluation-for-senior-posts-good-practice-guide</a></p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 28/10/2014 14:19:49 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

100827

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Performance Appraisal
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department have more than one member of staff on personal improvement plans.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	211826
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The Department does not centrally maintain fully comprehensive records of all employees who have been placed under performance improvement plans as many of these are dealt with informally.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb grouped question UIN 211824 211825 question first answered 29/10/2014 14:54:48 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

100829

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Performance Appraisal
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department (a) are on a personal improvement plan, (b) have been on a personal improvement plan for over one year and (c) have been on a personal improvement plan for more than two consecutive years; and what the grades are or were of such staff.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	211824
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The Department does not centrally maintain fully comprehensive records of all employees who have been placed under performance improvement plans as many of these are dealt with informally.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb grouped question UIN 211825 211826 question first answered 29/10/2014 14:54:48 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

100830

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Performance Appraisal
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department are responsible for mentoring staff on personal improvement plans.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	211825
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The Department does not centrally maintain fully comprehensive records of all employees who have been placed under performance improvement plans as many of these are dealt with informally.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb grouped question UIN 211824 211826 question first answered 29/10/2014 14:54:48 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

100912

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Discretionary Housing 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 local authorities in (a) Wales and (b) the UK returned unused discretionary housing payment to his Department in 2013-14.
	tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
	tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
	uin	221890
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>In 2013-14, 240 local authorities in Great Britain spent less than 100% of their total Government contribution in DHP, of which 5 were in Wales. Thirteen local authorities, of which two were in Wales, reported expenditure which exactly matched their Government contribution.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In June, the Government published an analysis of local authority DHP expenditure in 2013-14, which can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/322455/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-june-2014.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/322455/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-june-2014.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 29/10/2014 16:26:33 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

100913

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Discretionary Housing Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much each local authority in (a) Wales and (b) the UK returned to his Department in unused discretionary housing payment funding in 2013-14.
	tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
	tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
	uin	221891
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Five local authorities in Wales spent less than their 2013-14 Government contribution in Discretionary Housing Payments. These were:</p><p> </p><p><strong>Local Authority Government Contribution Amount Unspent</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Ceredigion</p></td><td><p>£324,933</p></td><td><p>£290</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Conwy</p></td><td><p>£267,700</p></td><td><p>£1,498</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Gwynedd</p></td><td><p>£605,141</p></td><td><p>£20,072</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Newport</p></td><td><p>£343,870</p></td><td><p>£1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Pembrokeshire</p></td><td><p>£193,940</p></td><td><p>£4,176</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Details for all 240 local authorities in Great Britain which spent less than their 2013-14 Government contribution in DHP are provided in the attached annex.</p><p /> <p /> <p>For the remaining 140 local authorities across Great Britain, of which 17 were in Wales, DHP expenditure in 2013-14 either matched or exceeded the Government contribution.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 29/10/2014 16:10:27 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb attachment 1 file name UnspentDHPGB.PDF title Unspent DHP GB
	tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

100915

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit
	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 initiate a review of the operation of the shared accommodation rate.
	tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
	tabling member printed	Oliver Colvile
	uin	221887
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Department has no plans to review the way the Shared Accommodation Rates are calculated. The Rent Officer Services set the rates in line with the current DWP policy for uprating Local Housing Allowance and with reference to evidence of achieved rents in the local area.</p><p> </p><p>In 2014/15, 56 out of the 192 Shared Accommodation Rates have been increased by 4% in those areas where there is the greatest divergence between LHA rates and local rents.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 30/10/2014 15:58:12 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	4022 label Biography information for Oliver Colvile

100919

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	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 he will make an assessment of the potential merits of universal credit access to childcare accounts equivalent to those proposed in the Childcare Payments Bill for claimants of tax-free childcare.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	211857
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Universal credit prepares claimants for the world of work in which around 75% of employees are paid monthly and in arrears. Monthly payment of benefit, which includes support for childcare costs that have been paid out, makes for more straightforward reporting and helps households to budget on a monthly income, which eases the transition into paid work.</p><p> </p><p>Moving to a system of ‘childcare accounts’ which ring-fences childcare costs would complicate the system for these claimants. It would add complexity to the Universal Credit system, which is being rolled out in a safe and controlled manner and could potentially increase the administration costs of running two systems in parallel.</p><p> </p><p>We have worked with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to support claimants that may wish to switch between Universal Credit and Tax Free Childcare. It will be easy for parents to register and open a childcare account online for Tax Free Childcare, and those who wish to move back to Universal Credit may do so without having to report the change to HMRC. Both systems are designed to be simple, responsive and flexible.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the importance of providing information and support to help parents make an informed choice about which scheme to access. Alongside wider guidance and information, we will provide support and online tools for parents choosing between Universal Credit and Tax-Free Childcare.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 29/10/2014 14:39:47 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms