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1166642

	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: Fraud
	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 debt incurred by individuals as a result of being scammed into claiming an advance for universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	6511
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>On the 18<sup>th</sup> September 2019 we brought in changes to the application process for Universal Credit advances to protect innocent people from these scams.</p><p> </p><p>In order to determine whether an individual is liable to repay an advance, we look at the strength of evidence provided. Our investigations play an important part in establishing whether a claimant has had any involvement. In some cases, we will be able to establish that a claimant was entirely innocent and did not benefit from the payment, in which case we would not seek to recover the money from them.</p><p> </p><p>As each case is different and is judged solely on its merits, and as our investigations are still ongoing, it is not possible to accurately estimate the amount individuals could be asked to repay.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 30/10/2019 16:46:49 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1166654

	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: Fraud
	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 universal credit claimants who have been referred for fraud relating to advance claims made after 18 September 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	6512
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2019 answer text <p>It is not possible to answer this question. This answer could only be provided by accessing a substantial number of referrals to ascertain how many relate to advances claimed after 18<sup>th</sup> September 2019. As a result, we estimate providing this information would incur disproportionate costs.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 01/11/2019 10:59:45 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1166664

	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	State Retirement Pensions: Females
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether (a) she, (b) Ministers in her Department and (c) officials in her Department have met with representatives from #BackTo60, the One Voice movement.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Philip Davies
	uin	6298
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State, Ministers in her Department, nor any officials in the Department for Work and Pensions, have met with such representatives.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 01/11/2019 10:56:38 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1166932

	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	Pension Credit and State Retirement Pensions: Romford
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners in Romford constituency (a) receive the basic state pension, (b) receive pension credit and (c) are eligible for pension credit but do not claim it.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	6271
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>In February 2019, the number of pensioners in Romford constituency that (a) receive the pre-2016 State Pension is 15,700 and (b) receive Pension Credit is 2,022. The information is published and available at: <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk</a></p><p> </p><p>The number of pensioners that are eligible for pension credit but do not claim it (c) is only available at national level.</p><p> </p><p>Official statistics on the take-up of income related benefits at Great Britain level, including pension credit, can be found in the ‘Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up in 2016 to 2017’ publication: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2016-to-2017</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 04/11/2019 14:01:19 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1151793

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2019
	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	Attendance Allowance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the the effect on vulnerable claimants of the requirement for six months proof of eligibility when applying for attendance allowance.
	tabling member constituency	Wansbeck
	tabling member printed	Ian Lavery
	uin	4321
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>The longstanding principle applied by successive governments, whether they are Labour, Coalition or Conservatives is that some, or all, of the qualifying period can be completed before the claim for Attendance Allowance is made. Thus qualifying claimants with care needs can normally become eligible for Attendance Allowance 6 months after those care needs arise.</p><p>There is no requirement for claims from those with a terminal illness to complete a qualifying period. Claims from other identified vulnerable claimants will be dealt with as a matter of priority where appropriate.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 29/10/2019 16:12:21 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4139 label Biography information for Ian Lavery

1151926

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2019
	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: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many instances of universal credit advance fraud have been investigated by her Department in each month since the introduction of full service.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	4279
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department has captured discrete figures on the number of investigations for this type of fraud since February 2019. A breakdown of how many cases have been either completed, or are at some stage of investigation is shown in the table below.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Month</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>February</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>March</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>April</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>May</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>June</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>July</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>August</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>September</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Number of cases</strong></p></td><td><p>200</p></td><td><p>900</p></td><td><p>1,600</p></td><td><p>800</p></td><td><p>900</p></td><td><p>1,300</p></td><td><p>4,800</p></td><td><p>5,300</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><em>*These figures have been sourced from internal management information and were not intended for public release. They are subject to change and should not be compared to other figures subsequently released by the Department. These figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.</em></p><p> </p><p>As the scale of this issue has increased, we have dedicated more resource to the team investigating this fraud. We have also worked with operational staff to improve the referral process. This allows referrals to be routed to investigators and progressed more quickly.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 29/10/2019 11:21:59 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman previous answer version 2265 answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1151533

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2019
	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 monitoring is undertaken of errors arising from the RTI system leading to overpayment of universal credit due to lack of notification of wages; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford East
	tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
	uin	3814
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2019 answer text <p>The amount of Universal Credit paid to claimants reflects the actual circumstances of a household during each monthly assessment period, as closely as possible.</p><p> </p><p>Monthly assessment periods align to the way the majority of employees are paid and also allows Universal Credit to be adjusted each month. This means that if a claimant's income falls, they will not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit.</p><p /><p>The IT systems between HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system and the DWP are monitored 24/7 for any IT failures, so these can be addressed immediately. Universal Credit does not run its Payment Calculations until all earnings files transferred from HMRC are received. However, this does not address instances where an employer has failed to notify HMRC of earnings timeously. In these circumstances we have processes in place, including the opportunity for claimants to self-report earnings to help avoid overpayments.</p><p> </p><p>The DWP has been working closely with HMRC since Universal Credit went live in 2013 to support and inform employers who report earnings to emphasise the importance of timely reporting via the Real Time Information (RTI) system.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC have updated their guidance to reiterate to employers the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment cycles; the Financial Secretary to the Treasury is also working closely with HMRC and employers to do this.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 28/10/2019 13:40:20 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1151596

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2019
	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: Fraud
	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 proportions of claimants of universal credit that would found guilty of advance payment loan fraud have been moved back to their previous benefit.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	3562
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department is committed to the prevention, detection and investigation of all types of benefit fraud. Since 18 September 2019, claimants are required to attend an interview at a Jobcentre to verify their identity before claiming a Universal Credit new claim advance. This change is helping protect claimants from identity fraud and becoming victims of third party scams.</p><p> </p><p>The Department will review each case where a claim to Universal Credit was prompted by fraudulent activity. If there is clear evidence that the claimant had no involvement in the fraud, and where the claimant wishes us to do so, we will consider re-instating DWP legacy benefits.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 3565 3566 question first answered 28/10/2019 17:26:27 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1151597

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2019
	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: Fraud
	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 prosecute people accused of fraud involving the universal credit advance payment loan.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	3563
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department continues to work hard to ensure that the perpetrators of Universal Credit advances fraud are punished.</p><p> </p><p>We have worked with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that there will be no specific overpayment value threshold for prosecution to be considered in Universal Credit advances fraud cases. This will allow decisions to be made purely on the strength of evidence.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to work with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to ensure that a similar approach is applied for cases in Scotland.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 28/10/2019 13:53:32 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1151599

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2019
	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: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the increase in universal credit advance payment loan fraud cases.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	3565
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department is committed to the prevention, detection and investigation of all types of benefit fraud. Since 18 September 2019, claimants are required to attend an interview at a Jobcentre to verify their identity before claiming a Universal Credit new claim advance. This change is helping protect claimants from identity fraud and becoming victims of third party scams.</p><p> </p><p>The Department will review each case where a claim to Universal Credit was prompted by fraudulent activity. If there is clear evidence that the claimant had no involvement in the fraud, and where the claimant wishes us to do so, we will consider re-instating DWP legacy benefits.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 3562 3566 question first answered 28/10/2019 17:26:27 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead