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448448

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2016
	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	Pensioners: Poverty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the triple lock pension policy of the number of pensioners living in poverty in (a) Windsor, (b) the South East and (c) the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	24574
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2016 answer text <p>While we can’t draw a direct link between the triple lock and pensioner poverty, pensioner poverty is at one of the lowest rates since records began. Pensioners are less likely to be in relative and absolute low income after housing costs than the population as a whole. The Government continues to support the poorest pensioners and from April 2016, Pension Credit will top up income to a guaranteed minimum level of £155.60 for a single person and £237.55 for couples.</p><p>The Government wants all pensioners to have a decent and secure income in retirement. We are committed to the triple lock, the guarantee that the basic State Pension will increase by the highest of the growth in average earnings, price increase or 2.5%. From April 2016, the basic State Pension will be over £1,100 a year higher than at the start of the last Parliament. This will benefit many of the 18,000 recipients of State Pension in Windsor, the 1.7 million recipients in the South East and the 13 million recipients in the UK.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 04/02/2016 17:06:54 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

506768

	registered interest
	date	08/04/2016
	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	National Insurance Contributions
	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 estimate (a) the number of employers who have passed the full increase in national insurance contributions associated with the Pensions Act 2014 on to their employees, (b) the number of employees who have been affected by those changes, (c) the change in real terms to the take-home pay of such staff as a result of those changes and (d) the number of employers who are making profits to a sufficient level that there is no need to use the override facility incorporated within that Act.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	33090
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2016 answer text <p>The Department does not hold the information requested in parts (a),(b) and (d) of the question. In relation to part (c), the Pension Act 2014 Impact Assessment (May 2014) contains relevant information:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311316/pensions-act-ia-annex-a-single-tier-state-pension.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311316/pensions-act-ia-annex-a-single-tier-state-pension.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>In particular, table 5.2 shows the monthly increase in individual National Insurance contributions as a result of ending DB contracting-out, expressed in 2013/14 earnings terms on the assumption that the increased cost to the employer is passed on in full.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 15/04/2016 12:13:50 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

506770

	registered interest
	date	08/04/2016
	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	Personal Independence Payment
	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 take steps to introduce lifetime awards for people assessed as requiring the upper personal independence payment allowance mobility component who have been diagnosed with muscle degenerative diseases or conditions.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	32963
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2016 answer text <p>Personal Independence Payment is specifically designed to ensure that the benefit is awarded to those with the greatest need and the award review process is integral to ensuring this happens. Under Disability Living Allowance over 70% of all claims had no review built-in, meaning that claimants could have been receiving too much or too little in benefit.</p><p> </p><p>We take a personalised approach to setting the length of awards, varying the frequency and format of awards and reviews depending on the individual’s needs and the likelihood of their health condition or impairment changing.</p><p> </p><p>Where the claimant has high levels of functional impairment which are only likely to increase or not improve, it is likely that the claimant will receive an enhanced rate of benefit and a longer term award.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that it is important to ensure that the review process is applied sensitively and appropriately. As such, it is likely that the awards of such claimants would also go through a less intensive review process which may not, if all the necessary information is held, include a face-to-face assessment.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 13/04/2016 16:21:01 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

514830

	registered interest
	date	21/04/2016
	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	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has considered measures to expedite the current five to six week processing time for applications to the Department for Work and Pensions Funeral Fund; and what the target processing time is for applications to that Fund.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	35018
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2016 answer text <p>If all the necessary information is received with the Funeral Expenses Payments claim form the application is processed straight away. The department is committed to ensuring that communications on eligibility for Funeral Payments are improved. This will in turn help claims to be processed and decisions to be made more quickly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For 2016/17 DWP aims to clear Funeral Expenses Payments claims within 15 working days. In 2014/15 of the 51,000 applications, over 55% were cleared within target; and over 69% cleared within 21 working days.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 26/04/2016 14:44:39 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

514831

	registered interest
	date	21/04/2016
	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 employees there were in the Social Fund and Specialist Benefits Team on 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014, (f) 2015 and (e) 2016.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	35019
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2016 answer text <p>Management Information is held only since 2013 and is provided here:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2013 - 2014</p></td><td><p>2014 - 2015</p></td><td><p>2015 - 2016</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bereavement Benefit</p></td><td><p>94.33</p></td><td><p>83.87</p></td><td><p>78.49</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Maternity Allowance</p></td><td><p>70.21</p></td><td><p>66.19</p></td><td><p>72.46</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit</p></td><td><p>191.97</p></td><td><p>165.63</p></td><td><p>149.40</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social Fund</p></td><td><p>798.46</p></td><td><p>411.34</p></td><td><p>349.78</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Budgeting Loans and Crisis Loans were previously part of the Social Fund and staff that were previously doing this work have been re-assigned to other work.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 26/04/2016 14:57:41 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

514558

	registered interest
	date	20/04/2016
	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 the average waiting time is for the Independent Case Examiner to review accepted cases; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	34867
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2016 answer text <p>During the 2015/16 financial year complaints examined by the Independent Case Examiner’s (ICE) Office took an average of 37 weeks to process from the point at which they were accepted.</p><p> </p><p>Improvements in complaint handling within DWP mean that the ICE Office receive far fewer cases which can be resolved, to the complainant’s satisfaction, without a full investigation of the evidence. This means that the ICE process is reserved for more complex cases which are, by nature, more time consuming.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 26/04/2016 15:00:10 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

432348

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment
	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 review the application allocation of winter fuel payments criteria to ensure that all eligible people living in buildings with a high number of occupants in separate homes receive such payments.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow Central
	tabling member printed	Alison Thewliss
	uin	17592
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2015 answer text <p>There are already procedures in place to try and ensure that the correct amount of Winter Fuel Payment is paid in this situation, using data that is available to the Department, to minimise the need for individual notifications of circumstances. The Department seeks to act quickly to resolve any errors that are brought to its attention.</p><br /> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 30/11/2015 15:45:40 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4430 label Biography information for Alison Thewliss

451061

	registered interest
	date	05/02/2016
	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	Supported Housing: Rents
	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 it his policy to exempt supported accommodation from plans to cap social rents at local housing allowance rates.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow Central
	tabling member printed	Alison Thewliss
	uin	26073
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2016 answer text <p>I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave the Hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood on 3 February 2016 to Question UIN <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-01-29/24910" target="_blank">24910</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 10/02/2016 16:51:44 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4430 label Biography information for Alison Thewliss

513751

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2016
	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: Appeals
	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 cost to the public purse of the Government's planned increase in the number of presenting officers at employment and support allowance and personal independence payments tribunal hearings.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow Central
	tabling member printed	Alison Thewliss
	uin	34400
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2016 answer text <p>The Department is increasing the attendance of Presenting Officers at appeals to help ensure the right decision is reached.</p><p> </p><p>We’ve estimated that it will cost approximately £22m to increase the number of Presenting Officers at ESA and PIP Tribunal hearings. The vast majority of the £22m, which will be spent over three years, will be used for Presenting Officer salary costs, with a small proportion for Learning and Development, communications and start up project costs.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 26/04/2016 14:56:25 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4430 label Biography information for Alison Thewliss

445073

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2016
	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	Fit for Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funding his Department has allocated for the expansion of the Fit for Work service; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
	tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
	uin	22585
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2016 answer text <p>The Department does not routinely publish funding allocations. However, Fit for Work has been provided with sufficient funding to meet its demands for 2015/16, this financial year. Outturn spending will be detailed in DWP’s published Annual Report and Accounts.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 21/01/2016 10:15:27 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne