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1146327

	registered interest
	date	25/09/2019
	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: Disadvantaged
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mitigate the impact of any rise in the cost of food staples as a result a no-deal Brexit on low income families.
	tabling member printed	The Earl of Listowel
	uin	HL17822
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government has been clear that leaving the EU with a deal is its preferred option.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has put in place contingency plans for a range of exit scenarios. These contingencies ensure that the Department can continue to provide our vital services and that individuals will continue to be able to access benefits and services on the same basis as they do now.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to providing a strong safety-net through the welfare system. We continue to spend over £95 billion a year on benefits for people of working age. The Department continues to monitor the effects of EU exit on the economy. Rates of benefits continue to be reviewed in line with the relevant legislation for uprating.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott grouped question UIN HL17823 question first answered 07/10/2019 14:10:14 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	2054 label Biography information for The Earl of Listowel

1146328

	registered interest
	date	25/09/2019
	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: Disadvantaged
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what funds they have set aside for community projects supporting low income families with food staples, following a no-deal Brexit.
	tabling member printed	The Earl of Listowel
	uin	HL17823
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government has been clear that leaving the EU with a deal is its preferred option.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has put in place contingency plans for a range of exit scenarios. These contingencies ensure that the Department can continue to provide our vital services and that individuals will continue to be able to access benefits and services on the same basis as they do now.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to providing a strong safety-net through the welfare system. We continue to spend over £95 billion a year on benefits for people of working age. The Department continues to monitor the effects of EU exit on the economy. Rates of benefits continue to be reviewed in line with the relevant legislation for uprating.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott grouped question UIN HL17822 question first answered 07/10/2019 14:10:14 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	2054 label Biography information for The Earl of Listowel

1147991

	registered interest
	date	02/10/2019
	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, what dedicated emergency support her Department has put in place to help and advise Thomas Cook members of staff who have lost their jobs.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	293716
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>DWP stands ready to support anyone affected by the closure of Thomas Cook, with our Rapid Response Service (RRS) offer. This is a redundancy service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. It is coordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus.</p><p> </p><p>The RRS has been mobilised to help people find a new job as soon as possible by offering tailored support. Each Jobcentre Plus district deploy resources according to the situation and the requirements of the workforce. The RRS is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers.</p><p> </p><p>NEPT have contacted several large employers and trade bodies to identify a range of opportunities for Thomas Cook members of staff who have lost their jobs and the Department is working closely with over 100 employers to offer support and opportunities. We are delivering over 65 Job Fairs nationally, where ex-employees can meet local employers with vacancies.</p><p> </p><p>The full range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners includes:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Information advice and guidance.</li><li>Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.</li><li>Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.</li><li>Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour<br> market).</li><li>Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised<br> certification that will improve employability.</li><li>Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or <br> self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel costs etc.</li><li>On-site presentations to those affected.</li><li>Job Fairs and Job Clubs where appropriate.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Our local teams are monitoring all new claims to benefits to identify where the claimant is an ex-employee of Thomas Cook so that they quickly receive the right level of support.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested on the number of ex-employees who have been offered alternative employment opportunities is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 293717 question first answered 07/10/2019 17:05:18 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1147992

	registered interest
	date	02/10/2019
	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 who have lost their jobs following the company's collapse have been offered alternative employment opportunities as of 2 October 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	293717
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>DWP stands ready to support anyone affected by the closure of Thomas Cook, with our Rapid Response Service (RRS) offer. This is a redundancy service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. It is coordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus.</p><p> </p><p>The RRS has been mobilised to help people find a new job as soon as possible by offering tailored support. Each Jobcentre Plus district deploy resources according to the situation and the requirements of the workforce. The RRS is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers.</p><p> </p><p>NEPT have contacted several large employers and trade bodies to identify a range of opportunities for Thomas Cook members of staff who have lost their jobs and the Department is working closely with over 100 employers to offer support and opportunities. We are delivering over 65 Job Fairs nationally, where ex-employees can meet local employers with vacancies.</p><p> </p><p>The full range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners includes:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Information advice and guidance.</li><li>Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.</li><li>Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.</li><li>Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour<br> market).</li><li>Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised<br> certification that will improve employability.</li><li>Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or <br> self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel costs etc.</li><li>On-site presentations to those affected.</li><li>Job Fairs and Job Clubs where appropriate.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Our local teams are monitoring all new claims to benefits to identify where the claimant is an ex-employee of Thomas Cook so that they quickly receive the right level of support.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested on the number of ex-employees who have been offered alternative employment opportunities is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 293716 question first answered 07/10/2019 17:05:18 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1147539

	registered interest
	date	01/10/2019
	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 steps she is taking to support (a) claimants with cancer and (b) other vulnerable claimants applying for universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	292792
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department takes seriously the need to support vulnerable claimants. The initial verification can include a home visit to support a claimant with making their claim and completing any other administrative tasks required to ensure that they receive the correct payment.</p><p> </p><p>We want the application process for Universal Credit to be as quick and easy as possible to ensure that claimants receive their money at the earliest opportunity.</p><p> </p><p>This is why Citizen’s Advice and Citizen’s Advice Scotland have been delivering the ‘Help to Claim’ service, supporting claimants with making a new claim to Universal Credit. The Citizens Advice Help to Claim service offers tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time, and is available online, on the phone and face-to-face through local Citizen’s Advice services.</p><p> </p><p>Staff delivering Universal Credit undergo a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service to all claimants, including those who have cancer and other health conditions.</p><p> </p><p>As we continue to deliver Universal Credit, with its expanded claimant base, we are continuing to review and further develop the customer journey for claimants with complex needs, including how we support claimants with health conditions to engage in the process.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 292793 question first answered 07/10/2019 11:21:56 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1147540

	registered interest
	date	01/10/2019
	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 steps she is taking to ensure that home visits for universal credit applications are offered to (a) claimants with cancer and (b) other vulnerable claimants.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	292793
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department takes seriously the need to support vulnerable claimants. The initial verification can include a home visit to support a claimant with making their claim and completing any other administrative tasks required to ensure that they receive the correct payment.</p><p> </p><p>We want the application process for Universal Credit to be as quick and easy as possible to ensure that claimants receive their money at the earliest opportunity.</p><p> </p><p>This is why Citizen’s Advice and Citizen’s Advice Scotland have been delivering the ‘Help to Claim’ service, supporting claimants with making a new claim to Universal Credit. The Citizens Advice Help to Claim service offers tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time, and is available online, on the phone and face-to-face through local Citizen’s Advice services.</p><p> </p><p>Staff delivering Universal Credit undergo a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service to all claimants, including those who have cancer and other health conditions.</p><p> </p><p>As we continue to deliver Universal Credit, with its expanded claimant base, we are continuing to review and further develop the customer journey for claimants with complex needs, including how we support claimants with health conditions to engage in the process.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 292792 question first answered 07/10/2019 11:21:56 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1147582

	registered interest
	date	01/10/2019
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Ethnic Groups
	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 staff who applied for promotion within her Department from 1 September 2018 to 1 September 2019 and who identified as (a) BAME and (b) White were successful by each grade in her Department.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	292940
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Departmental recruitment and promotion exercises are delivered through the Government Recruitment Service (GRS) which is part of Cabinet Office, therefore the Department does not hold the information you have requested of those staff that have applied on promotion or those who have been successfully promoted. The Department is committed to increasing its diversity and inclusivity and does receive and analyse recruitment statistics information from GRS but this data does not distinguish between internal and external candidates.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 07/10/2019 11:23:38 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1147496

	registered interest
	date	01/10/2019
	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	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help businesses increase access for disabled people to (a) apprenticeships and (b) jobs.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	292853
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>In respect of apprenticeships, we have undertaken a number of actions to improve access to apprenticeships for people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. We have made British Sign Language (BSL) an alternative to English Functional Skills for those who have BSL as their first language and we have adjusted the minimum English and maths requirements for those who are able to meet the occupational standard of their apprenticeship but would struggle to achieve the regular English and maths minimum requirements.</p><p> </p><p>It is encouraging to see that 36,900 apprenticeships were started by individuals with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in the first three quarters of 2018/9. This is 12.3 per cent of all apprenticeship starts and an increase from 11.5 per cent at the same point in 2017/18.</p><p> </p><p>We continue our work with Mencap and our Pacesetters group, made up of a range of organisations and local authorities to identify what further support we can give those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>With regard to jobs help, we offer a range of programmes and schemes that offer employment support to disabled people. These include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>the Work and Heath Programme (WHP), which will help 275,000 people over 5 years, including 220,000 disabled people.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>The Disability Confident scheme. Through this, we work with employers to change attitudes and create employment opportunities by giving businesses the tools and techniques to recruit and retain disabled people in their workplace. Over 13,600 employers are signed up to Disability Confident, and their number continues to grow.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Access to Work, which offers eligible disabled people a grant of up to £59,200 per year to fund support above the level of reasonable adjustments, to ensure that their health condition or disability does not hold them back in the workplace. Last year we spent £129 million on Access to Work grants, helping over 36,000 people stay in employment.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme (IPES) will launch by the end of 2019. It will provide highly personalised packages of employment support for disabled people with complex and multiple barriers to work who are at least a year away from moving into work without the support on the programme.</p><p> </p><p>Our Jobcentres offer tailored and personalised support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers, backed by the Personal Support Package which is a 4-year, £330 million package of employment support targeted at claimants with disabilities and health conditions.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 07/10/2019 16:00:36 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1147487

	registered interest
	date	01/10/2019
	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	Independent Case Examiner
	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 set out the performance targets for the determination of complaints to the Independent Case Examiner’s Office in 2019-20.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	292819
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>When the Independent Case Examiner’s Office accepts a complaint for examination; they will initially try to resolve it in discussion with the complainant and the relevant business area. If it’s not possible to resolve the complaint, the evidence will be requested and the case will await allocation to an Investigation Case Manager (ICM). Cases are dealt with by dedicated teams and are usually brought into investigation in strict date order. Following an examination of the evidence, it may be possible to settle the complaint, if agreement can be reached on actions that satisfy the complainant. If the complaint can’t be settled, the Independent Case Examiner will issue a report detailing findings and any recommendations for redress.</p><p> </p><p>The Independent Case Examiner’s service standards for 2019-20 for the determination of complaints are as follows:</p><p> </p><ul><li>To resolve complaints within 8 weeks of accepting them for examination</li><li>To settle complaints within 15 weeks of the start of the investigation.</li><li>To complete investigation reports within 20 weeks of the start of the investigation.</li></ul> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 07/10/2019 17:07:08 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1147488

	registered interest
	date	01/10/2019
	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	Independent Case Examiner
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what Independent Case Examiner’s Office budget is for 2019-20.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	292820
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Independent Case Examiner’s Office’s budget for 2019-20 is £3,525,303.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 07/10/2019 17:03:39 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck