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1050319

	registered interest
	date	29/01/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Social Security Benefits
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on reviewing the adequacy of funding for social security benefits.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	908885
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>We are projected to spend almost £100bn on working age welfare in GB in 2019/20 – more than in any other year.</p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss question first answered 29/01/2019 15:55:44 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1077284

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2019
	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, how much money has accrued to the public purse as a result of the benefits freeze in (a) each parliamentary constituency (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	225528
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2019 answer text <p>An estimate of the notional loss to household income as a result of the benefit freeze can be found at: <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>No assessment has been made of this saving by parliamentary constituency or country.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 04/03/2019 15:25:06 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1077285

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2019
	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, how many claimants in (a) each parliamentary constituency, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland were subject to the benefits freeze.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	225529
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2019 answer text <p>Information is available for the number of claimants of individual benefits, at different points in time, affected by the benefits freeze.</p><p> </p><p>The available information for claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance is published on the NOMIS website and can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp" target="_blank">https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for users can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp" target="_blank">https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp</a></p><p> </p><p>The available information for claimants for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit is published and available at:</p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for users is available at:</p><p><a href="https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html" target="_blank">https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html</a></p><p>Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/topics/benefits-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/topics/benefits-statistics</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There has been no assessment of the total number of claimants subject to the benefits freeze. Claimants can receive multiple benefits so caseload numbers cannot be added together to estimate the total number subject to the benefits freeze.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 05/03/2019 10:30:17 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1151485

	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	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, with reference to her predecessor's speech to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation on 9 May 2019, what steps her Department is taking to (a) reduce the maximum length of financial sanctions for welfare claimants from three years to six months, (b) improve access to the labour market for underrepresented groups, (c) double membership to the Disability Confident scheme and (d) consult on reforming statutory sick pay.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	3706
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2019 answer text <p>In respect of (a) `reduce the maximum length of financial sanctions for welfare claimants from three years to six months,` we laid legislation to reduce the maximum length of higher-level sanctions from three years to six months on 16 October 2019. We are now working to update communications and Learning and Development products ahead of the legislation coming into force on 27 November 2019.</p><p>In respect of (b) `improve access to the labour market for underrepresented groups:`</p><p> </p><ul><li>We are committed to ensuring that everyone - irrespective of their gender - is able to enter work, progress in work and realise financial security. We are making Universal Credit work better for women, including building the capability of Work Coaches and supporting women in low-paid employment or multiple jobs to increase their earnings. We are also supporting women on Universal Credit to progress from low paying jobs, through a programme of research and trials into the barriers they face and into what works to tackle those barriers.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>To improve access to the labour market for ethnic minorities<strong>, </strong>we are providing targeted employment support in 20 areas across Great Britain with high levels of ethnic minority unemployment. In these areas, Jobcentre Plus works with employers and local authorities, wider public services and the voluntary sector to overcome barriers to employment faced by different ethnic groups. Lessons learned are shared across the wider Jobcentre Plus network.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>To support older people in remaining and returning to work, we abolished the default retirement age and extended the right to request flexible working.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>In 2017, we published the Fuller Working Lives Strategy, which aims to increase the retention, retraining and recruitment of older workers, by bringing about a change in the perceptions &amp; attitudes of employers, and by challenging the views of working in later life and retirement amongst individuals. We also appointed the Business Champion for Older Workers to spearhead our work to support employers to retain, retrain and recruit older workers.</li></ul><p><strong> </strong></p><ul><li>In respect of people with disabilities, The Work and Heath Programme (WHP), which is working with local providers to offer co-ordinated support to those with multiple employment barriers, will help 275,000 people over 5 years, including 220,000 disabled people.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Other DWP initiatives include Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme (IPES) due to launch before the end of 2019, Access to Work and Disability Confident. In addition, our Jobcentres offer tailored 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.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>In respect of those at a disadvantage in the labour market, five DWP locally funded innovation pilots were launched between February and June 2018, aimed at providing tailored support to tackle long term barriers to work and in-work progression for those on low pay.</li></ul><p> </p><p>In respect of (c) `double membership to the Disability Confident scheme:` We are actively working with internal and external stakeholders, including the high profile Business Leaders Group, other representatives of Business and Jobcentre Plus, to promote the Disability Confident scheme and encourage employer sign up. As of 13th September 2019, the latest published figures show that 13,600 employers had signed up to the scheme and that number is growing week by week.</p><p> </p><p>In respect of (d) ‘consult on reforming statutory sick pay,’ we published the consultation `health is everyone’s business` in mid-July and it closed on 7 October. We have received a good response from a range of stakeholders and we are currently reviewing the detailed responses to inform decisions on next steps.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 28/10/2019 15:52:44 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1168782

	registered interest
	date	20/12/2019
	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, for what reasons her Department is increasing working-age benefits in line with the rate of inflation from April 2020 rather than an earlier date.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	319
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2020 answer text <p>The Secretary of State is bound by law to complete an annual review of benefit and pension rates to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or – for pensions - earnings. This statute requires benefit and pension rates to be reviewed and set in each tax year. April 2020 is the new financial year.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State has completed her review and a Written Statement was tabled on 4 November:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-11-04/HCWS74/" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-11-04/HCWS74/</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 13/01/2020 17:29:26 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1169840

	registered interest
	date	09/01/2020
	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, whether her Department enforces the (a) repayment of social security overpayments and (b) prosecutions when the error was made by her Department.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	1759
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2020 answer text <p>For all benefits other than Universal Credit, New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and New Style Employment Support Allowance (ESA), overpayments resulting from Departmental error are not recoverable.</p><p> </p><p>Section 105 of The Welfare Reform Act 2012 amended the Social Security Act 1992, so that for Universal Credit, New Style JSA and New Style ESA, any payment in excess of the entitlement is recoverable, regardless of how the overpayment of entitlement occurred. This policy was brought in to reflect the need for a better value for money welfare system and to reinforce the overarching aim that Universal Credit mirrors work.</p><p> </p><p>As a Department, we understand the impact that debt can have on the wellbeing of claimants and we endeavour to ensure that the recovery of any overpayment is managed in a way that takes account of the claimant’s individual circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>I can confirm that the Department would not prosecute a claimant if an overpayment occurred purely as a result of a Departmental error, and would only consider prosecuting a claimant where there is strong evidence to suggest they may have committed benefit fraud</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 14/01/2020 17:53:56 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1221571

	registered interest
	date	07/07/2020
	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, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2020 to Question 62431 on the suspension of benefits conditionality, how her Department will determine what a reasonable claimant commitment is in the new normal.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	70412
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2020 answer text <p>All requirements in the Claimant Commitment will be set in discussions with claimants, who will take ownership of planning how they will meet the requirements and ultimately secure employment. These requirements will be agreed by both the work coach and claimant and will be reasonable taking into account current circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 70413 question first answered 13/07/2020 16:36:09 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1221572

	registered interest
	date	07/07/2020
	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, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2020 to Question 62431 on the suspension of benefits conditionality, who will determine whether a claimant commitment is reasonable for the new normal.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	70413
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2020 answer text <p>All requirements in the Claimant Commitment will be set in discussions with claimants, who will take ownership of planning how they will meet the requirements and ultimately secure employment. These requirements will be agreed by both the work coach and claimant and will be reasonable taking into account current circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 70412 question first answered 13/07/2020 16:36:09 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

174828

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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, how many recipients of (a) pension credit, (b) winter fuel allowance and (c) Christmas Bonus there were in each of the last five years up to the most recent period for which figures are available in (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland, (iii) England, (iv) Wales and (v) Northern Ireland.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Pamela Nash
	uin	221474
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p>Latest available statistics for Pension Credit recipients in Great Britain are published on the Department’s website at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/pc/tabtool_pc.html" target="_blank">http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/pc/tabtool_pc.html</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for users is available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance</a></p><p> </p><p>Latest available statistics for Winter Fuel Payments in Great Britain are published on the Department’s website at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/winter-fuel-payments-caseload-and-household-figures" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/winter-fuel-payments-caseload-and-household-figures</a></p><p> </p><p>Available statistics for Christmas bonus payments are in the table</p><p> </p><p><strong>Recipients of Christmas Bonus(*) by Geographical Area (Thousands)</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><p><strong>All (GB and Overseas)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Airdrie and Shotts</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>North Lanarkshire</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>England</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Scotland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Wales</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>15,468</p></td><td><p>22</p></td><td><p>84</p></td><td><p>12,777</p></td><td><p>1,351</p></td><td><p>858</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>15,586</p></td><td><p>22</p></td><td><p>85</p></td><td><p>12,873</p></td><td><p>1,370</p></td><td><p>870</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>15,547</p></td><td><p>23</p></td><td><p>86</p></td><td><p>12,841</p></td><td><p>1,374</p></td><td><p>876</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>15,466</p></td><td><p>23</p></td><td><p>86</p></td><td><p>12,773</p></td><td><p>1,373</p></td><td><p>878</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>15,370</p></td><td><p>23</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>12,693</p></td><td><p>1,374</p></td><td><p>878</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(*) To get a Christmas Bonus a person must be present or ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, any European Economic Area (EEA) country, or Switzerland during the qualifying week.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Responsibility for these benefits in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive Minister for Social Development.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb grouped question UIN 221475 question first answered 23/01/2015 11:46:50 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3909 label Biography information for Pamela Nash

391916

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2015
	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, whether he is planning to appeal against the Information Commissioner's decision on the publication of data on people who have died while waiting for social security claims decisions.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	8194
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>There is no such decision notice from the Information Commissioner.</p> answering member constituency Witham answering member printed Priti Patel question first answered 08/09/2015 14:23:07 answering member 4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray