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1252202

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2020
	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	Employment: Pregnancy
	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 has taken to (a) ensure that employers undertake covid-19 risk assessments for pregnant employees and (b) act in accordance with the result of those assessments.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	115732
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2020 answer text <p>(a) Employers are required to carry out risk assessments for all pregnant workers and protect them from harm. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website has guidance on managing the risks of COVID-19 and specific information on protecting vulnerable workers, which includes the health and safety responsibilities for pregnant workers.</p><p>(b) Employers have a legal duty to act in accordance with the results of their risk assessment for pregnant workers. Where employers are not doing so, workers can contact the HSE to raise their concerns which will be followed up.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 19/11/2020 17:49:33 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1186821

	registered interest
	date	20/03/2020
	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: Coronavirus
	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 her Department has adequate capacity to process new social security applications resulting from the outbreak of covid-19.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	32705
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Our priority as a Department is ensuring people get their benefit payments and that we can continue to support those who need us the most. We have mobilised our robust business continuity plans to ensure we can do just that. We are already redeploying 10,000 staff from other parts of DWP and are also recruiting additional staff to assist with the processing of claims, including support from other government departments and the private sector.</ins></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/03/2020 15:02:40 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 14:59:19 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 14669 answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1232090

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2020
	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	Kickstart Scheme
	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 the Government has set the minimum level of Kickstart Scheme roles at 30 per company.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	86116
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2020 answer text <p>Companies looking to offer roles to fewer than 30 Kickstart applicants are able to benefit from Kickstart by bidding for placements via an intermediary organisation. Intermediaries can gather employers keen to offer Kickstart jobs to make a collective bid of 30 or more vacancies. Smaller employers will have support from the intermediary to create quality roles and additional support so that young people get the most out of their placement, including training, this also reduces the administrative burden falling on the small employer. The department has received significant interest from a wide range of bodies including local authorities, charities and trade/industry bodies looking to become intermediaries.</p><p /><p><br></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 10/09/2020 15:14:39 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1232083

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2020
	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	Kickstart Scheme: Small Businesses
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to publish guidance on small business organisations becoming intermediaries in the Kickstart Scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	86115
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2020 answer text <p>Companies looking to recruit fewer than 30 Kickstart applicants are free to create their own consortiums or can find out who their local intermediaries are by speaking to their local jobcentre or by getting in touch with the employer team in their area. Guidance is available at:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-can-apply-for-a-grant-as-a-representative-of-a-group-of-employers-through-the-kickstart-scheme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-can-apply-for-a-grant-as-a-representative-of-a-group-of-employers-through-the-kickstart-scheme</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This guidance will continue to be updated as the Kickstart Scheme evolves, setting out how an employer or organisation can take advantage of the scheme.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 15/09/2020 13:57:36 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1239381

	registered interest
	date	30/09/2020
	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	Universal Credit: Self-employed
	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 an assessment on the merits of implementing automatic approval for Universal Credit for self-employed people who are ineligible for other Government financial support.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	97645
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/10/2020 answer text <p>From 6 April 2020 we temporarily removed the application of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) for all self-employed Universal Credit claimants. This ensures that the self-employed are supported by the benefit system so that they can follow Public Health England guidance on social distancing and self-isolation. In addition to the temporary removal of the MIF we have also delayed the Gainful Self-Employment Test, and dis-applied work search and work availability conditionality requirements. This means self-employed Universal Credit claimants can follow public health England guidance, and the Universal Credit award will be assessed on any actual earnings.</p><p>The adjustment to self-employment policy is a part of a wider government package to support those on low incomes through the outbreak. Taken together, these measures provide over £9.3bn of additional support through the welfare system for people affected by COVID-19. Further information about UC and self-employment can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/self-employment-and-universal-credit" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/self-employment-and-universal-credit</a></p><p> </p><p>Some small business owners may also receive a grant through the Small Business Grant Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund, as well as various business loan schemes. There is a lot of ongoing support that can be accessed, including the Bounce Back Loan Scheme for small businesses, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the deferral of tax payments.</p><p /><p /> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 06/10/2020 13:38:03 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 51973 answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1237585

	registered interest
	date	24/09/2020
	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	Health and Safety: Pregnancy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers the Health and Safety Executive has (a) investigated and (b) taken enforcement action against since 16 March 2020 in respect of an alleged breach of the employer's obligations to a pregnant woman under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	95137
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/09/2020 answer text <p>HSE does not record specific regulations against all investigations, including the investigation of concerns raised by workers and others, except when formal enforcement action in the form of prosecutions and notices is taken. Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health of Work Regulations 1999 places a duty on employers to assess the risks to their employees including women of child bearing age and new or expectant mothers. From 16th March 2020 to 24th September 2020 no formal enforcement action has yet been recorded against employers for failing to meet the requirements of Regulation 3(1) in relation to women of child bearing age or new or expectant mothers. Similarly, where other forms of action including letters and Notification of Contravention letters are taken details are not specifically recorded on HSE’s database.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 29/09/2020 16:12:56 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1237587

	registered interest
	date	24/09/2020
	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	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 estimate her Department has made of the annual cost of ending the differential treatment of maternity allowance and statutory maternity pay in the calculation of universal credit awards.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	95139
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/09/2020 answer text <p>No such estimate has been made as Statutory Maternity Pay is paid by an employer and is considered to be earned income, which can be taxed, and is therefore a form of earnings subject to Universal Credit’s Work Allowance (where a claimant is eligible) and tapering, in the same way as other earned income.</p><p> </p><p>Maternity Allowance is paid by the Department to people who are not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay but who do meet the eligibility criteria for the allowance. The rate varies according to the criteria fulfilled which principally covers employed people who have worked less than the time before they become eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay, self-employed people and people out of work.</p><p>It is a longstanding principle of the welfare system that benefits are not paid to claimants with income available from other sources to support themselves. Unearned income, which is provided to meet everyday living costs, is taken into account in the calculation of Universal Credit and benefit entitlement may be adjusted accordingly.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 29/09/2020 13:00:43 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1701896

	registered interest
	date	17/04/2024
	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	Carer's Allowance: Food Poverty
	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 proportion of households in receipt of Carer’s Allowance living in food insecurity in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Midlothian constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	22340
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>Statistics on the number of individuals living in households that are food insecure by receipt of state support in the UK are published annually in the “Family Resources Survey” publication in “table 9_7” of<strong> “</strong>household food security tables<strong>”</strong> found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2022-to-2023" target="_blank">here.</a></p><p> </p><p>The latest statistics published on 21 March 2024 are for the financial period 2022/23. The</p><p>latest available data can also be found on Stat-Xplore <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">here.</a></p><p> </p><p>No such assessment can be made for Scotland and the Midlothian constituency due to sample sizes and availability of data.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 24/04/2024 16:20:34 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1550355

	registered interest
	date	09/12/2022
	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	Child Maintenance Service
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to (a) review and (b) improve the accuracy of the decision making process at the Child Maintenance Service.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	107176
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2022 answer text <p>The DWP manages quality through the DWP Quality Assurance Framework, conducting three separate tiers of quality assurance, allowing us to measure how well we are doing and identify any required improvements. Tier One checking is internal within the Child Maintenance Service and focuses checks on the more complex and high-risk decisions. The results provides both individual learning redressed through coaching support, and organisational learning to help us improve decision-making through for example improved instructions and learning products.</p><p> </p><p>There are 2 Tiers of independent assurance, reporting ultimately to NAO (National Audit Office). Learning from both these layers of quality assurance is routinely fed back into our organisation to help us determine product and process improvement.</p><p> </p><p>In January 2022 we introduced a new Learning and Innovation approach, making continual learning for colleagues more accessible for point of need in our decision-making process. This brings together self-paced learning products, guidance, tools, and videos to assist colleagues with their continuous learning journey. This was followed in May 2022 with a new Learning and Innovation Panel, with a remit to identify and address learning needs, review and ratify learning products – resulting in several improvements delivered year to date as a result of their scrutiny.</p><p> </p><p>This work and focus continues to deliver a high level of accuracy in the decision-making process conducted by the Child Maintenance Service, with the monetary value of error confirmed by NAO as less than 1% in the last operational year.</p><p> </p><p>The Department’s estimate of assessment accuracy for 2021/22 is 99.4%, which is unchanged from 2020/21 (99.4%). The Department expects automation to continue to have a positive impact on accuracy as the proportion of calculations carried out by the system rises relative to the manual activity of caseworkers. Whilst the risk of manual caseworker error cannot be removed, significant efforts are being made to reduce the likelihood of error.</p><p> </p><p>Better Management Information (MI) has also contributed to improving accuracy through increased transparency of the CMS 2012 system. CMG operations has implemented targeted checking regimes, developed using this improved MI. This has allowed early identification of emerging trends, allowing greater focus on getting things right first time for the client. New and improved training materials have been developed and work is also being done to embed a culture of continuous improvement</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 19/12/2022 15:34:35 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1550354

	registered interest
	date	09/12/2022
	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	Child Maintenance Service: Appeals
	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 decisions by the Child Maintenance Service have been appealed against in each of the last five years; and how many appeals have been successfully upheld at Tribunal.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	107175
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2022 answer text <p>The Department publishes quarterly Child Maintenance Service (CMS) statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2022, here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme" target="_blank">Child Maintenance Service statistics</a></p><p> </p><p>The quarterly number of appeals and outcomes from April 2015 to September 2022 can be found in <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1123498/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-september-2022.ods" target="_blank">Table 11</a> of the National Tables</p><p> </p><p>The department does not track the number of appeals as a proportion of decisions that potentially carry rights of appeal. Initial calculations made on applications carry rights of dispute and appeal as do annual reviews carried out annually on every case as do some change in circumstances. Either parent may raise a dispute or appeal on a decision and one decision can therefore be subject to two requests to appeal. Volumes of applications, cases and changes can be found in <a href="https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F1123498%2Fnational-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-september-2022.ods&amp;wdOrigin=BROWSELINK" target="_blank">Table 1</a>, <a href="https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F1123498%2Fnational-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-september-2022.ods&amp;wdOrigin=BROWSELINK" target="_blank">Table 4</a> &amp; <a href="https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F1110298%2Fnational-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-june-2022.ods&amp;wdOrigin=BROWSELINK" target="_blank">Table 9</a>. As we do not record how many changes in circumstances result in a new liability, we cannot give an accurate proportion of decisions made that leads to an appeal.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 19/12/2022 14:54:51 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson