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1105461

	registered interest
	date	27/03/2019
	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	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 support her Department provides to families who have been reunited through refugee family reunion to access the social security system.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol West
	tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
	uin	237691
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2019 answer text <p>Those who have joined a family member in the UK through refugee family reunion are entitled to the same support as any other person. As with anyone else, they will be assessed to ascertain whether they have complex needs and whether they require additional support to access DWP services.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/04/2019 11:10:01 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1105463

	registered interest
	date	27/03/2019
	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	Social Security Benefits: Refugees
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on collaboration between the Home Office and her Department to ensure that refugees are able to access the employment support and social security benefits that they are entitled to.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol West
	tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
	uin	237692
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions is working in partnership with the Home Office to improve processes for refugees claiming benefits. In order to achieve this aim we have set up the Post Grant Appointment Scheme (PGAS).</p><p> </p><p>The scheme involves contacting persons at the point when they are granted refugee status to see if they wish to apply for benefits and require assistance to do so. If they say they do, an appointment at a local DWP office is arranged for them.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/04/2019 10:22:09 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1108887

	registered interest
	date	01/04/2019
	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	Employment: Veterans
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to support armed forces veterans into employment.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	239329
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2019 answer text <p>The Armed Forces Covenant has been in place since May 2011 and sets out the relationship between the nation, the Government and the Armed Forces. The covenant is a written and publicised voluntary pledge from businesses and other organisations who wish to demonstrate their support for the armed forces community.</p><p> </p><p>The covenant can be signed by a business or other organisation of any size, and from any industry whether they are an employer of a member of the armed forces community or simply wish to acknowledge publically their support for the armed forces.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) actively promote the Armed Forces Covenant to those employers and partner organisations they work with. This has been adopted into routine business to ensure that those new to DWP’s employer portfolio are aware of the opportunity and benefits of support to the Armed Forces community.</p><p> </p><p>Every Jobcentre Plus District has an Armed Forced Champion (AFC) who is key to delivering our commitments under the covenant. The AFC will ensure that any concerns and issues raised which affect Service Personnel and their families are integrated within the wider work of Jobcentre Plus. AFCs ensure Work Coaches and other DWP staff can effectively support serving personnel, service leavers, veterans and their families.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to the local activity in Jobcentres to support veterans our National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) also work closely with the Ministry of Defence to align engagement activity in support of the veteran’s strategy. In particular NEPT work closely with the MOD Careers Transition Partnership (CTP) and the Defence Relationship Management (DRM) team to encourage large employers, trade body associations and partner organisations to provide practical support to the Armed Forces Covenant, particularly the employment of veterans.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/04/2019 12:15:41 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1109019

	registered interest
	date	02/04/2019
	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: Scotland
	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 her Department has made of the level of foodbank use in Scotland.
	tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
	tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
	uin	240070
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions has not made an assessment of the levels of foodbank use in Scotland.</p><p>The welfare system provides a strong safety net for those who need it, spending over £95 billion a year on welfare benefits for people of working age. This includes a well-established system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans as an additional safeguard for those who need them.</p><p> </p><p>Jobcentre mangers have discretion to work with food banks in their local area; and we are exploring how to build on current good practice to make it as easy as possible for food banks to identify and refer back to the local Jobcentre any customers who may not be receiving the full formal support to which they are entitled</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/04/2019 15:57:42 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

1109209

	registered interest
	date	02/04/2019
	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, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of replacing the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme with a loans-based system from April 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	240106
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>Support for Mortgage Interest is designed to provide protection against the threat of repossession. The new loans system provides exactly the same level of support and provides exactly the same level of protection from repossession as the previous system. We continue to work closely with the lending industry to ensure the scheme delivers its intended aim. The conversion of SMI from a benefit to a loan is estimated to save around £140m in welfare spending.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is using evidence from a number of sources to assess the impact of the conversion to a loan on an on-going basis, including management information on claimant take up and feedback from stakeholder groups, including via our regular liaison with UK Finance, to assess whether there are unintended consequences for particular groups.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/04/2019 12:59:13 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1109337

	registered interest
	date	03/04/2019
	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 have been set up at the point of application since changes were made to the collection and enforcement powers of the Child Maintenance Service in (a) the UK (b) Scotland and (c) Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	tabling member printed	Martyn Day
	uin	240593
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>Information on whether a Deduction from Earnings Order was set up at the point of application is not readily available and to provide it will incur disproportionate cost.</p><p>You might be interested in Table 11: Enforcement Actions which highlights Enforcement Actions used by the Child Maintenance Service, including the number of ongoing Deduction from Earnings Orders or Requests.</p><p>These statistics are published online at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/04/2019 13:03:11 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1109338

	registered interest
	date	03/04/2019
	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 liability orders have been obtained by the Child Maintenance Service to utilise their enforcement powers on the Collect and Pay scheme since they were introduced in (a) the UK (b) Scotland and (c) Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	tabling member printed	Martyn Day
	uin	240594
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not hold information relating to liability orders obtained by the Child Maintenance Service in Northern Ireland and cannot therefore answer your question accurately for the UK.</p><p>Information on the number of liability orders obtained by the Child Maintenance Service in Scotland and the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p>You may be interested in our routinely published data on the Enforcement Actions taken by the Child Maintenance Service in Great Britain. This includes the number of Liability Orders (Table 11 Enforcement Actions). These statistics are published online at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/04/2019 11:40:41 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1109339

	registered interest
	date	03/04/2019
	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 formal complaints have been made to the Child Maintenance Service in respect of collecting arrears in (a) the UK (b) Scotland and (c) Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	tabling member printed	Martyn Day
	uin	240595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not hold information relating to complaints made to the Child Maintenance service in Northern Ireland and cannot therefore provide information for the UK. Information on the number of complaints made to the Child Maintenance Service in Scotland and the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency that relate to the collection of arrears is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>You might be interested in Table 17: Complaints which highlights the number of complaints received by the Child Maintenance Service (in Great Britain) each quarter.</p><p>These statistics are published online at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/04/2019 15:13:20 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1109364

	registered interest
	date	03/04/2019
	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, whether section 69A of the Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018 defines cash as an asset which can be factored into a paying parent's assessment.
	tabling member constituency	Vauxhall
	tabling member printed	Kate Hoey
	uin	240472
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2019 answer text <p>Section 69A of the Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018 specifies money, whether deposited or in cash, should be treated as an asset for the purposes of calculating notional income. The maintenance liability will then be adjusted where a notional annual income of £2,500 or more has been identified.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 09/04/2019 10:38:24 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	210 label Biography information for Baroness Hoey

1109365

	registered interest
	date	03/04/2019
	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, whether the Child Maintenance Service's Financial Investigations Unit has the power in cases where the paying parent's assets and/ or income are outside the UK to investigate foreign (a) tax returns and (b) bank accounts.
	tabling member constituency	Vauxhall
	tabling member printed	Kate Hoey
	uin	240473
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2019 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service Financial Investigations Unit in either scenario (a) or (b) has no powers where paying parents are outside of the UK. In terms of tax returns we do ask Paying Parents that we believe are overseas for their tax status and details of tax payments. The Department has no powers to compel if a response is not received. However, rigorous checks are undertaken to confirm that the Paying Parent is not resident in the UK.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 09/04/2019 10:44:07 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	210 label Biography information for Baroness Hoey

1109445

	registered interest
	date	03/04/2019
	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, for what reason the child maintenance service uses a person's gross income and not take home pay when making maintenance calculations.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	240588
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>When the Child Maintenance Service makes a calculation it is based initially on gross income information received directly from HM Revenue and Customs. Taking information directly from HMRC allows us to capture a wide range of income types received by paying parents. Basing the assessment on gross income data has enabled the Child Maintenance Service to significantly speed up the set-up of new cases which can be key to securing regular payments.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/04/2019 12:55:59 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1109464

	registered interest
	date	03/04/2019
	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: Private Rented Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to individuals on universal credit who are able to afford accommodation in private sector but are unable to find landlords who will rent to them.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	240482
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2019 answer text <p>We know that there are people who have experienced difficulties when trying to rent a property whilst claiming benefit.</p><p> </p><p>That is why the Government recently announced its intention to work with the sector to ensure those in receipt of housing support are able to access properties. This work has already begun and we have seen meaningful change from key market players to ensure tenants in receipt of housing support can find the properties they need.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Government has awarded nearly £20m to local authorities through the Private Rented Sector Access Fund to help vulnerable people access and sustain tenancies in the private rented sector.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 09/04/2019 10:50:07 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1109465

	registered interest
	date	03/04/2019
	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: Private Rented Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether an assessment has been made of the standard of accommodation that universal credit claimants are able to rent in the private sector; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	240483
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>No assessment has been made in respect of the standard of accommodation for specific types of tenant.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/04/2019 16:42:51 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1109510

	registered interest
	date	03/04/2019
	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 her Department has made of the effect of the benefit freeze on child poverty rates.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	240462
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>An Impact Assessment of the benefit freeze was published in 2015. The Welfare Reforms such as the benefit freeze were designed to incentivise parents to choose to move into and progress in work. Evidence shows that work is the best route out of poverty. Children in workless households are five time more likely to be in poverty than those in households where all adults were working.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/04/2019 10:56:13 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1109530

	registered interest
	date	03/04/2019
	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: Ministers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-disclosure agreements have been entered into by his Department in each of the last five years in respect of a personnel matter relating to a Minister in her Department.
	tabling member constituency	Argyll and Bute
	tabling member printed	Brendan O'Hara
	uin	240564
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>DWP does not have any record of entering into non-disclosure agreements in the stated circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/04/2019 12:45:30 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4371 label Biography information for Brendan O'Hara

1109782

	registered interest
	date	04/04/2019
	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 1 April 2019 on Working Links, if he will commission a public inquiry into the financial risk to sub-contractors undertaking work for her Department following the (a) collapse of Working Links and (b) difficulties Community and Voluntary Organisations are experiencing obtaining contractual payments
	tabling member constituency	Easington
	tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
	uin	241020
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>The DWP will not be undertaking a public enquiry into the failure of Working Links or the issues that this has caused to their supply chain partners. Ultimately, the failure of Working Links was caused by its subsidiary companies and their Community Rehabilitation Contracts. The DWP’s commercial Employment Category will seek to learn lessons and consider them when developing future commercial strategies.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/04/2019 11:46:42 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1109967

	registered interest
	date	05/04/2019
	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, whether her Department has plans to conduct an equality impact assessment in relation to the child maintenance service arrears strategy, and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	North Tyneside
	tabling member printed	Mary Glindon
	uin	241423
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/04/2019 answer text <p>DWP considered the impact of the compliance and arrears strategy on those with the relevant protected characteristics in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).</p><p>We determined that there would be no direct discrimination from this strategy across the eight protected characteristics as none of the characteristics are a factor in how the regulations are applied.</p><p> </p><p>Some groups may be indirectly affected more than others as a result of the caseload demographic.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 11/04/2019 14:38:43 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4126 label Biography information for Mary Glindon

1109968

	registered interest
	date	05/04/2019
	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 financial assessment she has made of the effect of writing off child maintenance arrears on (a) her Department's budget and (b) families who are entitled to claim child maintenance; and how much money has been transferred from the legacy system and is in the process of being written off.
	tabling member constituency	North Tyneside
	tabling member printed	Mary Glindon
	uin	241424
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>In December 2017 we published a public consultation document detailing the financial assessment of writing off child maintenance arrears owed to Government and arrears owed to parents. The consultation can be found through the following link:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/667033/child-maintenance-compliance-arrears-consultation.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/667033/child-maintenance-compliance-arrears-consultation.pdf</a></p><p>New statistics will be published in June 2019 which will include arrears transferred from the legacy system or in the process of being written off. Information on the planned changes to the Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Summary to incorporate this information can be found here:</p><p><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 10/04/2019 12:08:41 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4126 label Biography information for Mary Glindon

1109969

	registered interest
	date	05/04/2019
	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 estimate she has made of the number of families affected by her Department's decision to write off child maintenance arrears of (a) £65.01 and £500, and (b) more than £500, and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	North Tyneside
	tabling member printed	Mary Glindon
	uin	241425
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>In the “Child Maintenance: A New Compliance and Arrears Strategy” document which was published in December 2017, estimates were made regarding the number of parents who would be affected. There were estimated to be approximately 360,000 cases where parents would not be offered the opportunity to make representation (below £500 and less than 10 years old or below £1000 and over 10 years old) and approximately 475,000 cases where they would (over £500 and less than 10 years old or over £1000 and over 10 years old). This can be found here <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/child-maintenance-a-new-compliance-and-arrears-strategy" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/child-maintenance-a-new-compliance-and-arrears-strategy</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Information for how many parents have currently had their arrears written off is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics, however we expect these new statistics to be published in June 2019. 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 10/04/2019 12:15:40 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4126 label Biography information for Mary Glindon

1109970

	registered interest
	date	05/04/2019
	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, with reference to the consultation on changes to the collection of child maintenance arrears, launched in December 2017, how many responses her Department received, and how many of those responses opposed the proposal to write off historical arrears.
	tabling member constituency	North Tyneside
	tabling member printed	Mary Glindon
	uin	241426
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>The consultation closed on 8 February 2018. We received a total of 99 responses, 11 from organisations and 88 from private individuals (of which 21 identified themselves as paying parents, and 24 as receiving parents). Respondents were asked 15 question, four of which discussed the proposal to write off historical arrears.</p><p>Accurately assessing the number of responses opposed specifically to the proposal to write off historical arrears is not straightforward. Not all respondents chose to answer the specific questions, and a large number of responses were about individual case circumstances, and didn’t raise issues within the scope of the consultation. Of the nine responses which were focused on the scope of the consultation, four opposed the write off and three had a mixed view.</p><p>The Government published a detailed response to this consultation on 12 July 2018, accessible through the link below.</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/724358/response-child-maintenance-compliance-and-arrears-strategy-consultation.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/724358/response-child-maintenance-compliance-and-arrears-strategy-consultation.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/04/2019 10:44:41 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4126 label Biography information for Mary Glindon

1110003

	registered interest
	date	05/04/2019
	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: Croydon
	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 she had made of the effect of the roll out of universal credit on child poverty in working families in the London borough of Croydon .
	tabling member constituency	Croydon North
	tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
	uin	241434
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>We have not made an assessment at this level.</p><p> </p><p>The best way to help people improve their lives is through employment, and people on Universal Credit move into work faster and stay in work longer. We are committed to helping the most vulnerable to improve their life chances by tackling the root causes of poverty, and ensuring that children have the best possible start in life.</p><p> </p><p>We want to see child poverty falling, and we remain determined to tackle it. We will look at what more can be done to help the most vulnerable and improve their life chances by tackling the root causes of poverty, ensuring that children have the best possible start in life.</p><p> </p><p>That is why we have recently implemented a £1000 increase in Work Allowance rates as part of a package worth £1.7 billion in 2023/24 to some of the most vulnerable low paid working families. It will increase the amount that hardworking families can earn before Universal Credit is tapered away, providing 2.4 million working families with an extra £630 a year.</p><p> </p><p>A child growing up in a home where all the adults work is around five times less likely to be in poverty than a home in which no one is working.</p><p> </p><p>It is also worth noting that absolute and relative poverty rates for children in London are lower than in 2010, on both a before and after housing cost basis.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/04/2019 14:44:24 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1110004

	registered interest
	date	05/04/2019
	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: Croydon
	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 she had made of the effect of the roll out of universal credit on levels of homelessness in the London borough of Croydon .
	tabling member constituency	Croydon North
	tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
	uin	241435
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>We do not track homelessness at Jobcentre level so the assessment asked for is not available, but statutory homelessness and rough sleeping figures for Croydon are available within Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government’s homelessness statistical release: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness</a>.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The causes of homelessness are numerous, varied and complex.. A joint study between the Department and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has shown that there is not a direct causal link between welfare and homelessness. This report was published on 25 March 2019 and can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/causes-of-homelessness-and-rough-sleeping-feasibility-study" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/causes-of-homelessness-and-rough-sleeping-feasibility-study</a>. Attributing homelessness to a single Governmental policy would simplify the issue, and this approach would wrongly deny it the multi-faceted approach which we’re committed to delivering.</p><p> </p><p>It is our priority to ensure that those who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, get the appropriate support to stabilise their lives and move into work. We have provided around £1 billion in Discretionary Housing Payment funding since 2011 to protect the most vulnerable claimants.</p><p> </p><p>There is a range of support available for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, such as access to Alternative Payment Arrangements, easements to work-search requirements and partnerships between Jobcentres and homeless charities and housing services. 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> </p><p>Data on homelessness by local authority level, provided by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics</a>.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/04/2019 12:03:09 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1110169

	registered interest
	date	08/04/2019
	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, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2019 to Question 238363 on Food Banks, what her timescale is for publication of the final report.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	242147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department is currently working on the literature review and a release date is yet to be determined.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 11/04/2019 12:55:18 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1110190

	registered interest
	date	08/04/2019
	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: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of tenants that will experience a financial shortfall as a result of 2019-20 being a 53-week rent year and universal Credit being a 52 week rent year.
	tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
	tabling member printed	John Healey
	uin	242021
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/04/2019 answer text <p>Neither tenants or landlords lose a week’s rent in a 53 weekly rent payment year as has been alleged; no year contains 53 weeks. The problem is alignment between weekly and monthly cycles. Each month the UC housing element is a constant figure but claimants with weekly tenancy agreements will be required to make either four or five rent payments within this period. If the claimant always pays their rent on time, in five payment months they are effectively making payment for part of the following month. That month will always be a four rent payment month, so the combination of the advance payment and the ‘overpayment’ of housing support during that month will get the claimant back on track</p><p> </p><p>Where a landlord charges rent weekly on a Monday, because of the way the calendar falls every 5 or 6 years, they will seek 53 rent payments in a year, with the 53rd payment in part covering the tenancy for the first few days of the following year. The effect of this is that, over the course of the next housing association rental year, a tenant’s UC payments will accurately reflect their liability, irrespective of the 53 payment weeks.</p><p> </p><p>There is a separate issue with respect to the way the calculation in the Universal Credit regulations converts a weekly liability into a monthly allowance. The conversion is achieved by multiplying the weekly rent by 52 and then dividing by 12. This effectively means one day’s rent a year (two days in a leap years) are not covered by UC. We are currently considering whether this formulation around weekly rents, and potentially other weekly amounts in the UC calculation, should be amended.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 11/04/2019 15:59:06 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

1110392

	registered interest
	date	08/04/2019
	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: Prisoners
	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 effect of the roll-out of universal credit on prisoners who are at risk of losing rental accommodation.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	242217
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department is committed to providing personalised support for all claimants. This support extends to those who are in prison, to ensure rehabilitation is as seamless as possible upon release. To facilitate this, the Department has Prison Work Coaches who are based in resettlement prisons across the country.</p><p> </p><p>Prisoners serving short sentences are able to retain the housing element for up to 6 months to prevent them from being homeless on release.</p><p> </p><p>For those prisoners serving longer sentences the Prison Work Coach will engage with the prisoner 2-3 weeks prior to release and will identify any accommodation issues at this point.</p><p> </p><p>All discharged prisoners (sentence to 2 days or more) are supported on release by a MoJ contracted provider – a Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC), the CRC should consider any accommodation issues and support in signposting/engaging with the any appropriate support.</p><p> </p><p>If a Prison Work Coach has identified any accommodation issues during their intervention with the prisoner they would use the District Provision Tool (DPT) to identify any suitable support that might be available locally and refer or signpost the prisoner to that provision.</p><p> </p><p>For those engaging with the Prison Work Coach an advanced appointment will be made for as soon as possible following release. Once the claim to UC is made by the prisoner, they would be able to apply for an advance of their first payment straightaway, meaning that money could be made available on the same day as the claim is made.</p><p> </p><p>Managed Payments to Landlords are also available to support claimants, including prison leavers, who may struggle to manage their monthly payments.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested on the number of prisoners in (a) Wales and (b) England that have lost rental accommodation is not available.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 242218 question first answered 16/04/2019 14:10:27 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1110395

	registered interest
	date	08/04/2019
	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: Prisoners
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners in (a) Wales and (b) England that have lost rental accommodation as a result of universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	242218
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department is committed to providing personalised support for all claimants. This support extends to those who are in prison, to ensure rehabilitation is as seamless as possible upon release. To facilitate this, the Department has Prison Work Coaches who are based in resettlement prisons across the country.</p><p> </p><p>Prisoners serving short sentences are able to retain the housing element for up to 6 months to prevent them from being homeless on release.</p><p> </p><p>For those prisoners serving longer sentences the Prison Work Coach will engage with the prisoner 2-3 weeks prior to release and will identify any accommodation issues at this point.</p><p> </p><p>All discharged prisoners (sentence to 2 days or more) are supported on release by a MoJ contracted provider – a Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC), the CRC should consider any accommodation issues and support in signposting/engaging with the any appropriate support.</p><p> </p><p>If a Prison Work Coach has identified any accommodation issues during their intervention with the prisoner they would use the District Provision Tool (DPT) to identify any suitable support that might be available locally and refer or signpost the prisoner to that provision.</p><p> </p><p>For those engaging with the Prison Work Coach an advanced appointment will be made for as soon as possible following release. Once the claim to UC is made by the prisoner, they would be able to apply for an advance of their first payment straightaway, meaning that money could be made available on the same day as the claim is made.</p><p> </p><p>Managed Payments to Landlords are also available to support claimants, including prison leavers, who may struggle to manage their monthly payments.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested on the number of prisoners in (a) Wales and (b) England that have lost rental accommodation is not available.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 242217 question first answered 16/04/2019 14:10:27 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1110402

	registered interest
	date	08/04/2019
	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: Croydon
	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 she had made of the effect of the roll out of universal credit on levels of foodbank use in the London borough of Croydon.
	tabling member constituency	Croydon North
	tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
	uin	242146
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not keep official statistics on food bank use, so the assessment requested is not available. Some food aid providers, such as the Trussell Trust, produce statistics on the number of food parcels distributed, but the Government has no plans to require individual food banks to keep records as this would place a significant burden on charitable and voluntary organisations.</p><p> </p><p>We have always said there are many reasons why people use foodbanks. We have listened to feedback on how we can support our claimants and acted quickly, making improvements such as extending advances, removing waiting days, and introducing housing benefit run on. These changes are giving support to vulnerable people who need it most, whilst at the same time helping people get into work faster.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 11/04/2019 16:05:01 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1110554

	registered interest
	date	09/04/2019
	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: Mortgages
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department has issued to mortgage lenders to help them to assess a claimant's payments under in universal credit in order to enable lenders to make a informed assessment on an applicant's disposable income.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	242894
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not provide mortgage lenders with guidance or information regarding a UC claimant’s entitlement or award. It is a claimant’s responsibility to disclose information required by potential lenders, to enable them to accurately assess their disposable income.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 16/04/2019 14:15:11 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1110571

	registered interest
	date	09/04/2019
	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: Disclosure of Information
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-disclosure agreements her Department has entered into with departmental staff in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	242812
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2019 answer text <p>In February 2015, Cabinet Office published new guidance on non-disclosure agreements. This guidance requires a minister to approve the use of a non-disclosure agreement, and for government departments to hold a record of using such agreements.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>DWP has not entered into any non-disclosure agreements in the four years since February 2015 and our policy is not to use these agreements.</p><p> </p><p>Prior to February 2015, DWP did not centrally hold a record of the use of non-disclosure agreements and the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 16/04/2019 14:43:21 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1110573

	registered interest
	date	09/04/2019
	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: 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 she is taking to ensure that universal credit adequately supports social housing tenants paying rent weekly to meet their obligations in relation to the 53 week year.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	242667
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>No year contains 53 weeks. This perceived issue of their being 53 weeks in a year arises where a landlord charges rent weekly on a Monday and, because of the way the calendar falls every 5 or 6 years, seeks 53 rent payments in a year, with the 53rd payment in part covering the tenancy for the first few days of the following year.</p><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. The Money and Pension Service can provide debt advice and money guidance to claimants if they need support managing their monthly Universal Credit payments.</p><p>We are aware of a separate issue with respect to the way the calculation in the Universal Credit regulations converts a weekly liability into a monthly allowance. The conversion is achieved by multiplying the weekly rent by 52 and then dividing by 12. This effectively means one day’s rent a year (two days in a leap years) are not covered by UC. We are currently considering whether this formulation around weekly rents, and potentially other weekly amounts in the UC calculation, should be amended.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/04/2019 14:48:11 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1110743

	registered interest
	date	09/04/2019
	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: Audit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the difference is between her Department's Quality Team and Auditors.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	242877
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department’s quality teams look at the quality of the decision making process delivered internally by the Department, whilst the Independent Audit provides assurance to the Department regarding the quality of the assessment reports delivered by the assessment providers.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 16/04/2019 14:13:15 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1110744

	registered interest
	date	09/04/2019
	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: Complaints
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been logged with the Child Maintenance Service for each year since 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	242878
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>The latest statistics on complaints received by the Child Maintenance Service are published in Table 17 of the Child Maintenance Service statistics, which highlights the number of complaints received by the Child Maintenance Service each quarter. It is available online at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/04/2019 14:55:31 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1110746

	registered interest
	date	09/04/2019
	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 open cases (a) the Child Maintenance Service, and (b) the Child Support Agency have had each year since 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	242879
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>The latest statistics on the number of child maintenance arrangements managed by the Child Maintenance Service are published in Table 4 of the Child Maintenance Service: August 2013 to September 2018 (experimental) publication, available online at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-august-2013-to-september-2018-experimental" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-august-2013-to-september-2018-experimental</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The latest statistics on the number of cases managed by the Child Support Agency are published in Table 1 of the Child Support Agency quarterly summary of Statistics which are currently available up to December 2018.</p><p>They can be accessed online at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-of-statistics-december-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-of-statistics-december-2018</a>.”</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/04/2019 10:34:41 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1110875

	registered interest
	date	09/04/2019
	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	Social Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many social fund loan cases have been moved from the social fund computer system to debt manager since 2016.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	242715
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2019 answer text <p>The migration of Social Fund debts onto Debt Manager commenced in August 2016.</p><p> </p><p>From August 2016 to 10 April 2019 we have migrated 1.12m Social Fund debts onto Debt Manager. As claimants may have had multiple Social Fund debts, the number of debtors will be significantly lower than this.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We continue to build in the appropriate checks and balances to ensure that Social Fund cases migrate correctly. Where an incorrect balance has been identified we take steps to correct the case.</p><p> </p><p>Corrections can be applied for different reasons, which mean we cannot estimate the volume of adjustments made to date.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 242716 242717 question first answered 16/04/2019 14:29:35 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1110876

	registered interest
	date	09/04/2019
	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	Social Fund
	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 estimate how many social fund loan cases moved from the social fund computer system to debt manager show an incorrect outstanding balance.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	242716
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2019 answer text <p>The migration of Social Fund debts onto Debt Manager commenced in August 2016.</p><p> </p><p>From August 2016 to 10 April 2019 we have migrated 1.12m Social Fund debts onto Debt Manager. As claimants may have had multiple Social Fund debts, the number of debtors will be significantly lower than this.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We continue to build in the appropriate checks and balances to ensure that Social Fund cases migrate correctly. Where an incorrect balance has been identified we take steps to correct the case.</p><p> </p><p>Corrections can be applied for different reasons, which mean we cannot estimate the volume of adjustments made to date.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 242715 242717 question first answered 16/04/2019 14:29:35 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1110877

	registered interest
	date	09/04/2019
	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	Social Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to take steps to rectify incorrect outstanding balances on social fund loan cases on debt manager.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	242717
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2019 answer text <p>The migration of Social Fund debts onto Debt Manager commenced in August 2016.</p><p> </p><p>From August 2016 to 10 April 2019 we have migrated 1.12m Social Fund debts onto Debt Manager. As claimants may have had multiple Social Fund debts, the number of debtors will be significantly lower than this.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We continue to build in the appropriate checks and balances to ensure that Social Fund cases migrate correctly. Where an incorrect balance has been identified we take steps to correct the case.</p><p> </p><p>Corrections can be applied for different reasons, which mean we cannot estimate the volume of adjustments made to date.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 242715 242716 question first answered 16/04/2019 14:29:35 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1111027

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding was reinvested in the targeted affordability fund for local housing allowance rates in 2019-20.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	243313
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>In 2019/2020 we have invested £210m in the Targeted Affordability Fund, this is based on 50% of the [forecast] savings from the freeze to Local Housing Allowance rates.</p><p /><p>The funding is being used to increase LHA rates in areas where there are the greatest divergences between rates and local rents.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/04/2019 14:00:01 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1111029

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	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: Greater London
	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 the shared accommodation rate in the central London broad rental market area will not receive the three per cent uplift through targeted affordability funding in 2019-20.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	243314
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>Targeted affordability funding is allocated to those rates that have diverged the furthest from local rents. All 960 Local Housing Allowance rates are ranked according to the share of the market they afford, starting with the most divergent and the funding is then applied.</p><p> </p><p>The shared accommodation rate in the central London Broad Rental Market Area was increased via targeted affordability funding in both 2017/18 and 2018/19. In 2019/20 this rate was not eligible for targeted affordability funding as it no longer fell within the range of rates that have diverged the most from local rents.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/04/2019 14:33:31 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1111031

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	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: Greater London
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants are in receipt of the shared accommodation rate of local housing allowance in the central London broad rental market area.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	243315
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>As of November 2018, 380 households were in receipt of the shared accommodation rate of local housing allowance in the Central London BRMA. This does not include households who are in receipt of the housing element of Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/04/2019 14:51:37 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1111033

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of the 192 shared accommodation rates of local housing allowance have been uprated as a result of the targeted affordability fund in each year since this was introduced.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	243316
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p><strong>The information requested is in the table below.</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Shared Accommodation Rates</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017/2018</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>22 </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>11%</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2018/2019</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>60</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>31%</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2019/2020</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>87</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>45%</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/04/2019 14:47:10 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1111037

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	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: Greater London
	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 direct the Valuation Office Agency to undertake research into the reasons why low numbers of rooms in London are available for letting (a) at and (b) below the shared accommodation rate of local housing allowance.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	243317
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>There are no plans to ask the Valuation Office Agency to undertake any research in this area.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/04/2019 14:55:01 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1111043

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	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
	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 Impact Assessment for the extension of the Shared Accommodation Rate to 25-34 year-olds, how many claimants were affected; and what assessment she has made of the effect of that extension on the average weekly income since January 2012.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	243318
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>The number of households aged 25-34 who are entitled to the Shared Accommodation Rate is available on Stat-Xplore from January 2013 onwards.</p><p> </p><p>An independent evaluation of the 2011/12 Local Housing Allowance reforms including the changes to the Shared Accommodation Rate was published in 2014 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-monitoring-the-impact-of-changes" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-monitoring-the-impact-of-changes</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/04/2019 12:13:52 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1111126

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	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: Day Care
	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 she has made of the financial effect on parents of upfront childcare costs under universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Withington
	tabling member printed	Jeff Smith
	uin	243513
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit is more generous in terms of childcare costs with an increased level of support, from 70 per cent with legacy benefits to 85 per cent within Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that the upfront cost of childcare may cause some claimants financial difficulty. Consequently, the Secretary of State announced in her speech of 11 January 2019, that where the initial month’s childcare costs may prevent a claimant from starting work, Jobcentres have been instructed to use the Flexible Support Fund where possible, to enable a smoother transition.</p><p> </p><p>The Government now provides more support than ever before to help parents with the costs of childcare, including providing 15 hours a week of free childcare in England for all 3 and 4 year olds and disadvantaged 2 year olds, and doubling free childcare available for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours a week.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/04/2019 13:50:23 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4456 label Biography information for Jeff Smith

1111230

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	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: Private Rented Housing
	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 9 April 2019 to Question 240482 on Universal Credit: Private Rented Housing, what meaningful changes have taken place.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	243334
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government has begun the process of engaging with the sector to tackle the problems faced by people renting in the private rented sector. We have seen positive changes from property sites who have committed to removing adverts with ‘No DSS’ wording and from lenders who have committed to removing mortgage restrictions that would prevent landlords from renting to tenants in receipt of housing support. This work is ongoing and we will continue to bring the sector together to tackle such practices.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, as stated by the Secretary of State on 11 January 2019, the Department has also committed to increasing the support available to private landlords. An on-line system for private landlords will be introduced so they can request, where necessary, that their tenants’ rent is paid directly to them.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/04/2019 14:39:02 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1121388

	registered interest
	date	11/04/2019
	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: Veterans
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many veterans are claimants of universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North West
	tabling member printed	Carol Monaghan
	uin	244162
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not held.</p><p> </p><p>The Department continues to consider opportunities to improve our understanding of those claiming Universal Credit, including ways in which we might identify claims from veterans.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/04/2019 09:43:38 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4443 label Biography information for Carol Monaghan

1121462

	registered interest
	date	11/04/2019
	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: Housing
	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 she had made of the effect of the roll out of universal credit on levels of rent arrears in the London borough of Croydon.
	tabling member constituency	Croydon North
	tabling member printed	Mr Steve Reed
	uin	244110
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>We have not made an assessment of this nature, as it is wrong to attribute any change in rent arrears solely 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, 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 housing providers. It will be published when completed. Furthermore, according to latest figures (November 2018) only about 8% 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 responded to concerns in this area by putting a number of safeguards in place - 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; 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 eight weeks.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/04/2019 10:17:09 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1121501

	registered interest
	date	11/04/2019
	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, whether a paying parent is able to decide that they do not need to make child maintenance payments when their income and tax liability is derived overseas but are resident in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Vauxhall
	tabling member printed	Kate Hoey
	uin	244011
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>If a paying parent is found to be habitually resident in the UK, the Child Maintenance Service has jurisdiction to perform a calculation, once a legal liability to pay child maintenance is established. The maintenance calculation will be based on information held by HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) about their earnings for the most recent complete tax year.</p><p> </p><p>Access to income information reported by HMRC allows us to capture a much wider range of income types received by paying parents, including income from property, savings and investments (including dividends) and other miscellaneous income. In December 2018 we introduced new powers which also enable us to target complex earners via a calculation of notional income based on their assets.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/04/2019 09:56:10 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	210 label Biography information for Baroness Hoey

1121768

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2019
	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, whether she has plans to change her Department’s policy on consent requirements for authorised representatives to act on behalf of claimants of universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	245555
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2019 answer text <p>We have had a number of workshops with stakeholders during which consent has been discussed, and we plan to do further work on explicit consent. This activity will include working with claimants and their representatives to ensure the process works effectively for vulnerable claimants to access the service.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/04/2019 10:32:29 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1122021

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2019
	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: Social Rented Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much revenue the removal of the spare room subsidy has generated for the public purse since its introduction.
	tabling member constituency	Redcar
	tabling member printed	Anna Turley
	uin	245853
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2019 answer text <p>The removal of the spare room subsidy (RSRS) policy has not generated revenue for the public purse. However, this policy has saved over £1.7bn since its introduction in April 2013. A breakdown by financial year is provided in the table below:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Total Estimated Housing Benefit RSRS Deductions, 2013/14 to 2017/18 (£m pa)</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>2013/14</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014/15</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015/16</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>385</p></td><td><p>365</p></td><td><p>355</p></td><td><p>335</p></td><td><p>320</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Deductions figures do not take into account any additional savings due to behavioural change before/after the policy has been introduced, for example moving to a smaller property to avoid a deduction.</p><p>Figures do not include claimants on Universal Credit (UC) with a removal of the spare room subsidy (RSRS) deduction, as these data are not currently available.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/04/2019 10:25:03 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4449 label Biography information for Anna Turley

1122051

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2019
	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 reason universal credit classifies maternity allowance as income and statutory maternity allowance as earnings.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	245596
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 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 question first answered 30/04/2019 12:54:48 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe