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1024608

registered interest
date	13/12/2018
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Loneliness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps his Department is taking to help tackle loneliness.
tabling member constituency	Henley
tabling member printed	John Howell
uin	908183
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2018 answer text <p>We recently published our strategy for tackling loneliness. This set out a raft of cross-government measures to take the first steps in tackling loneliness and takes forward recommendations from the Jo Cox Commission.</p><p> </p><p>DCMS specifically is providing up to £1.8million to increase the number of community spaces available. This follows the announcement this summer of more than £20million of new funding for projects that bring people and communities together.</p><p> </p><p>With the Office of National Statistics, the department has developed the ‘loneliness measure’ (to enable consistent analysis and build the evidence base), and will be piloting better use of open data around facilities and accessibility with local government. The department is launching an awareness campaign and including loneliness in internet safety.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 908187 question first answered 13/12/2018 17:17:15 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1606 label Biography information for John Howell

1024610

registered interest
date	13/12/2018
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps he is taking to reduce gambling-related harm.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	908185
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2018 answer text The government published the Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures in May. This set out measures to strengthen protections around gaming machines, including cutting the maximum stake on B2 machines from £100 to £2, and on online gambling and gambling advertising. It also set out action on treatment and support for those who experience harm, including initiatives to improve the evidence on treatment needs and effectiveness, expand access to existing services and strengthen the voluntary system for funding support. We take gambling-related harm very seriously and will work closely across Government and with the Gambling Commission to build on the actions outlined in the Review. answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 908186 908188 question first answered 13/12/2018 17:40:12 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1024611

registered interest
date	13/12/2018
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps he is taking to reduce gambling-related harm.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Danielle Rowley
uin	908186
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2018 answer text The government published the Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures in May. This set out measures to strengthen protections around gaming machines, including cutting the maximum stake on B2 machines from £100 to £2, and on online gambling and gambling advertising. It also set out action on treatment and support for those who experience harm, including initiatives to improve the evidence on treatment needs and effectiveness, expand access to existing services and strengthen the voluntary system for funding support. We take gambling-related harm very seriously and will work closely across Government and with the Gambling Commission to build on the actions outlined in the Review. answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 908185 908188 question first answered 13/12/2018 17:40:12 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4628 label Biography information for Danielle Rowley

1024612

registered interest
date	13/12/2018
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps he is taking to reduce gambling-related harm.
tabling member constituency	Newport East
tabling member printed	Jessica Morden
uin	908188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2018 answer text The government published the Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures in May. This set out measures to strengthen protections around gaming machines, including cutting the maximum stake on B2 machines from £100 to £2, and on online gambling and gambling advertising. It also set out action on treatment and support for those who experience harm, including initiatives to improve the evidence on treatment needs and effectiveness, expand access to existing services and strengthen the voluntary system for funding support. We take gambling-related harm very seriously and will work closely across Government and with the Gambling Commission to build on the actions outlined in the Review. answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 908185 908186 question first answered 13/12/2018 17:40:12 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1548 label Biography information for Jessica Morden

1023809

registered interest
date	12/12/2018
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Loneliness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle loneliness.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	908187
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2018 answer text <p>We recently published our strategy for tackling loneliness. This set out a raft of cross-government measures to take the first steps in tackling loneliness and takes forward recommendations from the Jo Cox Commission.</p><p> </p><p>DCMS specifically is providing up to £1.8million to increase the number of community spaces available. This follows the announcement this summer of more than £20million of new funding for projects that bring people and communities together.</p><p> </p><p>With the Office of National Statistics, the department has developed the ‘loneliness measure’ (to enable consistent analysis and build the evidence base), and will be piloting better use of open data around facilities and accessibility with local government. The department is launching an awareness campaign and including loneliness in internet safety.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 908183 question first answered 13/12/2018 17:17:15 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1166712

registered interest
date	28/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to parents who are returning to work from parental leave who have to pay childcare costs upfront and get reimbursed in arrears under universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
uin	6354
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting parents with moving into work and, as part of this, we increased the level of support for childcare costs from 70 per cent in legacy benefits to up to 85 per cent in Universal Credit (UC). The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.</p><p> </p><p>The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.</p><p> </p><p>Beyond the UC childcare element, claimants can be considered for two additional methods of funding childcare costs: the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) and Budgeting Advances.</p><p> </p><p>Work Coaches can support individual claimants with barriers that may prevent them from moving into employment. Each case is considered carefully on its own merits with financial help available to eligible claimants in advance for childcare. Where agreed, FSF will pay 100% of the upfront childcare costs up to the payment limits set that the claimant incurs between starting work and receiving their first wage.</p><p> </p><p>A budgeting advance is available for one-off urgent financial events for eligible UC claimants, such as upfront childcare, and is repayable over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments. Only one Budgeting Advance will be paid at a time and further advances will be unavailable until the balance of the previous Budgeting Advance is cleared.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 6355 question first answered 31/10/2019 17:41:48 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

1166713

registered interest
date	28/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to provide the childcare element of universal credit to eligible parents before they pay high childcare costs without any support; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
uin	6355
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting parents with moving into work and, as part of this, we increased the level of support for childcare costs from 70 per cent in legacy benefits to up to 85 per cent in Universal Credit (UC). The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.</p><p> </p><p>The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.</p><p> </p><p>Beyond the UC childcare element, claimants can be considered for two additional methods of funding childcare costs: the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) and Budgeting Advances.</p><p> </p><p>Work Coaches can support individual claimants with barriers that may prevent them from moving into employment. Each case is considered carefully on its own merits with financial help available to eligible claimants in advance for childcare. Where agreed, FSF will pay 100% of the upfront childcare costs up to the payment limits set that the claimant incurs between starting work and receiving their first wage.</p><p> </p><p>A budgeting advance is available for one-off urgent financial events for eligible UC claimants, such as upfront childcare, and is repayable over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments. Only one Budgeting Advance will be paid at a time and further advances will be unavailable until the balance of the previous Budgeting Advance is cleared.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 6354 question first answered 31/10/2019 17:41:48 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

1156132

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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 receiving parents were not compensated for the decision to write-off arrears for money they were owed which accrued under the Child Support Agency.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	5056
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>Writing off some historic Child Support Agency (CSA) arrears was not a quick or easy decision, and involved exhausting other approaches to deal with the debt, including using debt collection agencies without success. Much of the debt that accrued under the CSA is now old and generally uncollectable, and most parents accept this.</p><p> </p><p>It is a long-established principle of the child maintenance system that where non-resident parents do not pay the maintenance they are legally required to pay, the obligation on the government is to do its best to ensure collection – not for the taxpayer to pay the maintenance.</p><p> </p><p>We are making one last attempt to collect the debt, where it is cost effective to do so and there is a reasonable chance of collection. Debts of smaller amounts may be written off as part of the process.</p><p> </p><p>Attempting to collect would have cost around £1.5bn, and would have recovered between £0.1bn and £0.6bn. Had we not written off we would have needed to maintain the debt indefinitely at a cost of £30 million per year.</p><p> </p><p>Addressing these cases will enable us to close the CSA completely and focus on collecting money that will benefit today’s children, and avoid the build-up of arrears in the Child Maintenance Service.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 5057 question first answered 29/10/2019 16:49:20 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1156133

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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 recourse is available to receiving parents whose arrears accrued under the Child Support Agency have been written off.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	5057
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>Writing off some historic Child Support Agency (CSA) arrears was not a quick or easy decision, and involved exhausting other approaches to deal with the debt, including using debt collection agencies without success. Much of the debt that accrued under the CSA is now old and generally uncollectable, and most parents accept this.</p><p> </p><p>It is a long-established principle of the child maintenance system that where non-resident parents do not pay the maintenance they are legally required to pay, the obligation on the government is to do its best to ensure collection – not for the taxpayer to pay the maintenance.</p><p> </p><p>We are making one last attempt to collect the debt, where it is cost effective to do so and there is a reasonable chance of collection. Debts of smaller amounts may be written off as part of the process.</p><p> </p><p>Attempting to collect would have cost around £1.5bn, and would have recovered between £0.1bn and £0.6bn. Had we not written off we would have needed to maintain the debt indefinitely at a cost of £30 million per year.</p><p> </p><p>Addressing these cases will enable us to close the CSA completely and focus on collecting money that will benefit today’s children, and avoid the build-up of arrears in the Child Maintenance Service.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 5056 question first answered 29/10/2019 16:49:20 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1149081

registered interest
date	14/10/2019
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	Thomas Cook: Insolvency
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employees of Thomas Cook have received assistance from JobCentre Plus in Peterborough following the collapse of that company; and what support her Department is providing for that JobCentre to deal with additional workload following the collapse of that company.
tabling member constituency	Peterborough
tabling member printed	Ms Lisa Forbes
uin	375
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2019 answer text <p>Our local team in Peterborough are monitoring all new claims to benefits to identify where the claimant is a former employee of Thomas Cook so that they quickly receive the right level of support. We estimate that as of 15<sup>th</sup> October, 159 former Thomas Cook employees have visited Peterborough Jobcentre, of which 120 have made a claim to benefits and 39 have made a general enquiry about the support available. Additional staff from neighbouring offices are working from Peterborough Jobcentre on a temporary basis to meet any increased demand on our services.</p><p> </p><p>We are working with a wide range of employers to provide support to former employees of Thomas Cook. As they are part of our national portfolio we do not readily hold details on those that are operating in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost. The Department is offering a range of support to anyone affected by the closure of Thomas Cook, through our Rapid Response Service and wider DWP services. For example, a local provider is offering a series of workshops for former Thomas Cook employees to explain the range of support available to help them find a job.</p><p> </p><p>Rather than providing direct financial support, our team in Peterborough have provided staff to support with the organisation and delivery of two local jobs fairs, arranged by Thomas Cook and Opportunity Peterborough. The Thomas Cook event was attended by around 850 former employees and over 100 former employees visited the DWP stand at the Opportunity Peterborough event.</p><p> </p><p>Please note that the data supplied are derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 376 question first answered 17/10/2019 15:05:58 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4717 label Biography information for Ms Lisa Forbes