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1178763

	registered interest
	date	12/02/2020
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents were fined for non-payment of child maintenance in 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Ogmore
	tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
	uin	15112
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service does not fine Paying Parents for not paying their child maintenance. They do however recover the unpaid child maintenance through the use of enforcements actions such as deductions from earrings orders, deduction orders and civil enforcement. In cases where the Child Maintenance Service believe the Paying Parent can pay, but are refusing to do so they can apply to the courts to send the Paying Parents to prison, disqualifying them from holding or obtaining a passport or driving licence. The figures described can be found in the quarterly National Tables for the Child Maintenance Service statistics (data to September 2019), Table 12 (“Enforcement Actions”). This is available here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-september-2019-experimental" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-september-2019-experimental</a></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 24/02/2020 13:40:02 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

1111215

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people with a disability living in poverty.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	243357
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>National statistics on the number of people with a disability living in poverty, are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication.</p><p> </p><p>Latest figures can be found using the link below, in table 7b, in the file “summary-hbai-1994-95-2017-18-tables.ods”.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/789816/hbai-2017-2018-tables-ods-files.zip" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/789816/hbai-2017-2018-tables-ods-files.zip</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 15/04/2019 15:21:42 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1660141

	registered interest
	date	12/09/2023
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that Personal Independent Payment assessors receive training on the (a) symptoms of Parkinson's disease and (b) effects that Parkinson's disease has on people's lives.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	199101
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>Health Professionals (HPs) delivering Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments receive comprehensive training in assessing functional capability relating to physical and mental health conditions. They also have access to a wide range of clinical resources to research any conditions presented. Both PIP providers have condition specific information on Parkinson’s disease, which has been quality assured by relevant external experts.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Understanding the effects of health conditions and impairments on the claimant’s daily life is fundamental. PIP providers ensure HPs are experts in disability analysis, focusing on the effects of health conditions and impairments on the claimant’s daily life.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 18/09/2023 14:35:57 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1172389

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2020
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people with epilepsy they have supported into employment since October 2016.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	uin	HL613
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2020 answer text <p>No assessment has been made of the number of people with epilepsy who have been supported into work by the Government since October 2016.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to reducing the disability employment gap and seeing a million more disabled people in work by 2027. We support disabled people, including people with epilepsy, to return to work through programmes such as the Work and Health Programme, Access to Work and the new Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme. We will publish a National Strategy for Disabled People before the end of 2020. This will look at ways to improve the benefits system, opportunities and access for disabled people in terms of housing, education, transport and jobs.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 27/01/2020 16:36:14 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1471967

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2022
	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
	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 publish the financial criteria for eligibility for the Social Fund Funeral Payment scheme; and what was the average proportion of funeral costs that this scheme covered in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
	tabling member printed	Mr Toby Perkins
	uin	22396
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2022 answer text <p>The Funeral Expenses Payments (FEP) scheme provides an important contribution towards the cost of a simple, respectful funeral arranged by someone who is in receipt of certain income related benefits or tax credits.</p><p><br> The scheme meets the necessary costs of a burial or cremation in full and offers up to £1000 to meet other funeral expenses such as, the cost of a coffin, church and funeral director fees. In April 2020, we increased the maximum amount families can claim for these additional costs by 43%, from £700 to £1000, providing vital financial support to families grieving the loss of a loved one.</p><p> </p><p>The average FEP award in 2020/21 was £1,838, while the average cost of a cremation was £3,765 and average cost for a burial funeral was £4,927. (Costs vary significantly by region).</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 29/06/2022 15:38:34 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

1111033

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	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
	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 the 192 shared accommodation rates of local housing allowance have been uprated as a result of the targeted affordability fund in each year since this was introduced.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	243316
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p><strong>The information requested is in the table below.</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Shared Accommodation Rates</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017/2018</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>22 </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>11%</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2018/2019</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>60</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>31%</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2019/2020</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>87</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>45%</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/04/2019 14:47:10 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1111043

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	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
	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 the Impact Assessment for the extension of the Shared Accommodation Rate to 25-34 year-olds, how many claimants were affected; and what assessment she has made of the effect of that extension on the average weekly income since January 2012.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	243318
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>The number of households aged 25-34 who are entitled to the Shared Accommodation Rate is available on Stat-Xplore from January 2013 onwards.</p><p> </p><p>An independent evaluation of the 2011/12 Local Housing Allowance reforms including the changes to the Shared Accommodation Rate was published in 2014 - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-monitoring-the-impact-of-changes" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-monitoring-the-impact-of-changes</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/04/2019 12:13:52 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1683107

	registered interest
	date	17/01/2024
	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	AEA Group: Pensions
	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 introduce legislation to allow the (a) Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and (b) Pensions Ombudsman to investigate complaints about the AEA Technology pension scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	10297
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2024 answer text <p>Complaints about the AEAT scheme have previously been considered by relevant government bodies, including The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) and The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). Decisions on these complaints including whether they are able to investigate them have been taken according to the remits given to them by Parliament and other broader statutory constraints.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has no plans to bring forward new legislation for these bodies in relation to this scheme.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 22/01/2024 16:22:35 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1351277

	registered interest
	date	18/08/2021
	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	AEA Group: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions officials in her Department have had with representatives of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on a potential investigation into the AEA Technology pension scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	tabling member printed	Martyn Day
	uin	41038
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2021 answer text <p>There have been no meetings between Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) officials and PHSO representatives regarding a potential investigation into the AEA Technology pension scheme. PHSO is an independent body accountable directly to Parliament, it would be inappropriate for DWP officials to influence its investigations.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 08/09/2021 12:41:12 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1351278

	registered interest
	date	18/08/2021
	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	AEA Group: Pensions
	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 help people affected by the collapse of the AEA Technology pension scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	tabling member printed	Martyn Day
	uin	41039
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2021 answer text <p>On 7 July 2016 the AEA Technology (AEAT) pension scheme transferred to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF).</p><p> </p><p>The PPF is the statutory compensation scheme. It provides compensation to members of eligible defined benefit pension schemes where the sponsoring employer has become insolvent and the scheme is unable to secure its pension liabilities at least at PPF compensation levels.</p><p> </p><p>AEAT scheme members who are over their scheme’s normal pension age (NPA) at the date that their employer became insolvent would receive 100 per cent of their accrued scheme benefits, as calculated at the date of employer insolvency. Those members under NPA at the date that the employer became insolvent would receive PPF compensation paid at 90 per cent of accrued scheme benefits, as calculated at the date of employer insolvency.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 08/09/2021 12:45:31 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1351280

	registered interest
	date	18/08/2021
	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	AEA Group: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing an independent savings and pension commission to better ensure that pensions and savings policies (a) are fit for purpose and (b) avoid such instances as the collapse of the AEA Technology pension scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	tabling member printed	Martyn Day
	uin	41041
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made, but the Pension Protection Fund continue to provide statutory compensation where a sponsoring employer becomes insolvent.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 08/09/2021 13:16:50 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1690526

	registered interest
	date	20/02/2024
	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	AEA Group: Pensions
	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 Q329 of the oral evidence given by the Minister for Pensions to the Work and Pensions Select Committee on 10 January 2024, HC 144, what discussions his Department has had with the Cabinet Office on adequate means of redress for individuals impacted by the collapse of the AEA Technology pension scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	14895
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2024 answer text <p>Discussions between officials from my Department and Cabinet Office have not concluded. It would be unreasonable to pre-empt the outcome of those discussions. Wider considerations, such as potential routes of redress beyond the powers of the Pensions Ombudsman, fall outside the remit of my Department.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 23/02/2024 12:05:38 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1698340

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	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	AEA Group: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of retired Atomic Energy Agency Technology personnel who have died in the last (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years without having resolved matters relating to their pensions.
	tabling member constituency	New Forest East
	tabling member printed	Sir Julian Lewis
	uin	20129
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold information on members of the Atomic Energy Agency Technology pension scheme.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 15/04/2024 14:10:49 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	54 label Biography information for Sir Julian Lewis

1698341

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2024
	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	AEA Group: Pensions
	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 Q329 of the oral evidence given to the Work and Pensions Committee by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions on 10 January 2024, what progress his Department has made on formulating an adequate means of redress for Atomic Energy Agency Technology pensioners; and what his time-scale is for implementing remedial action.
	tabling member constituency	New Forest East
	tabling member printed	Sir Julian Lewis
	uin	20130
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>Following the Work and Pensions Committee (WPC) on the 10 January, The Department of Work and Pensions officials have met with their Cabinet Office counterparts who have responsibility for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Conversations with Cabinet Office are ongoing. This is a complex issue requiring further consideration, therefore there is no set timescale.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 15/04/2024 14:08:38 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	54 label Biography information for Sir Julian Lewis

1699009

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	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	AEA Group: Workplace Pensions
	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 the Third Report of the Work and Pensions Committee of 2023-24 on Defined benefit pension schemes, HC 144, published on 26 March 2024 and the Fifty-Seventh Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of 2022-23 on AEA Technology Pension Case, HC 1005, published on 14 June 2023, if he will publish a redress scheme for AEA Technology pension scheme members by 23 July 2024.
	tabling member constituency	Mole Valley
	tabling member printed	Sir Paul Beresford
	uin	20493
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>This is a complex issue, which spans the responsibility of several departments. My officials are in discussion with their counterparts at the Cabinet Office.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the government’s response to the Third Report of the Work and Pensions Committee of 2023-24 on Defined Benefit pension schemes (HC144) we will carefully consider this issue, involving other relevant departments as appropriate and respond in due course.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 16/04/2024 10:05:15 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	103 label Biography information for Sir Paul Beresford

1660691

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2023
	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	ASW: Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with former Allied Steel & Wire employees regarding the non-payment of those employees' industrial pensions for the past 21 years.
	tabling member printed	Lord Wigley
	uin	HL10171
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2023 answer text <p>The Allied Steel and Wire pension scheme was among the earliest of the major schemes to benefit from the Financial Assistance Scheme. The former Minister for Pensions and Financial Inclusion, Guy Opperman, met with members of the Allied Steel and Wire pension scheme on 16 June 2021 to discuss the financial assistance payments they have been receiving, in lieu of their pensions.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 21/09/2023 11:04:36 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	547 label Biography information for Lord Wigley

1273953

	registered interest
	date	06/01/2021
	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	ASW: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of pensions paid to former ASW steelworkers.
	tabling member constituency	Newport West
	tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
	uin	134133
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2021 answer text <p>The Financial Assistance Scheme was created by previous governments and intended to give financial assistance to relevant scheme members, not to provide a complete replacement of any lost pensions.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to change the level of financial assistance provided by the Financial Assistance Scheme.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 13/01/2021 15:11:11 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1367481

	registered interest
	date	09/11/2021
	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	ASW: Pensions
	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 real-terms change in the value of pension payments that were not index linked for Allied Steel and Wire pensioners under the FAS in each of the last five years as a result of inflation.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
	tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
	uin	72461
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2021 answer text <p>No such assessment has been made by the Secretary of State.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 15/11/2021 13:06:22 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1687013

	registered interest
	date	02/02/2024
	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	ASW: Workplace Pensions
	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 of the real-terms change as a result of inflation in the value of pension payments that were not index linked for Allied Steel and Wire pensioners under the FAS since 2007.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	12793
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2024 answer text <p>The information required to carry out such an assessment is not readily available and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs. The Department has therefore made no such assessment and does not intend to do so, at this time.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 07/02/2024 12:17:52 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1503893

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	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	ASW: Workplace Pensions
	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 make an assessment of how much (a) Allied Steel and Wire pensioners have received collectively as of 2 September 2022 and since their pension deal was agreed in 2007 and (b) those pensioners would have received collectively as of 2 September 2022 in the even that their pension deal been fully linked to inflation.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	45501
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2022 answer text <p>The information required to carry out each assessment is not readily available and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs. The Secretary of State has therefore made no such assessment and does not intend to do so at this stage.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 45969 question first answered 07/09/2022 11:26:11 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1503993

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	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	ASW: Workplace Pensions
	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 make an assessment of the real-terms change in the value of pension payments that were not index linked for Allied Steel and Wire pensioners under the FAS in each of the last five years as a result of inflation.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	45969
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2022 answer text <p>The information required to carry out each assessment is not readily available and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs. The Secretary of State has therefore made no such assessment and does not intend to do so at this stage.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 45501 question first answered 07/09/2022 11:26:11 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1689379

	registered interest
	date	16/02/2024
	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	Access to 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 assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of demand for the Access to Work scheme since October 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	14278
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>Information on Access to Work applications is available but to provide it would incur a disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Access to Work statistics from previous years includes how many applications result in provision being approved from 2007/08 to 2022/23. Please see Table 3 of the Access to Work statistics.</p><p> </p><p>The latest Access to Work statistics can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2023" target="_blank">here.</a></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 26/02/2024 17:29:18 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1586194

	registered interest
	date	17/02/2023
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many advisers are employed by his Department to process and support Access to Work applications.
	tabling member constituency	Wirral South
	tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
	uin	146951
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2023 answer text <p>The total number of colleagues employed by the department to process and support Access to Work applications is 451. A further 50 colleagues have been recruited and will join the team in March and April 2023.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 22/02/2023 12:44:44 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1604168

	registered interest
	date	14/03/2023
	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	Access to Work Programme
	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 February 2023 to Question 146951 on Access to Work Programme, how many advisors there are in each region.
	tabling member constituency	Wirral South
	tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
	uin	165354
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2023 answer text <p>There are 303 Case Managers (Advisors) in Access to Work (ATW), out of the 451 currently employed ATW colleagues.</p><p> </p><p>The programme is delivered nationally, so covers all regions and colleagues are based across 5 sites:</p><ul><li>Barnsley;</li><li>Bradford;</li><li>Halifax;</li><li>Harrow; and</li><li>Salford.</li></ul> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 16/03/2023 16:21:55 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1702247

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2024
	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	Access to 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 the average waiting time was for an initial assessment for people on the Access to Work Scheme in 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Wirral South
	tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
	uin	22547
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>The average waiting time for a decision on an AtW application for the financial year 2023/24 was 45.1 days.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 24/04/2024 16:40:11 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1605967

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2023
	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	Access to 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 recent progress his Department has made on increasing processing times for access to work applications made by disabled people.
	tabling member constituency	Harrogate and Knaresborough
	tabling member printed	Andrew Jones
	uin	170576
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>Access to Work have recruited more people and redeployed existing colleagues to support the processing of applications. We have also reviewed our processes and looked to streamline, where we can, to speed up decision making. Alongside that, we are continuing to transform the service through digitalisation and aim to introduce an online claims portal and an improved application process in the Spring. Whilst we still have a number of newer colleagues in training, these activities are showing positive results with an improvement in processing times and increases in clearances.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 28/03/2023 11:36:00 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	3996 label Biography information for Andrew Jones

1417752

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2022
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) applications and (b) successful applications were made to the Access To Work scheme in each year since 2010-11 inclusive.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford East
	tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
	uin	113823
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>The information requested on number of applications received is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Access to Work statistical release includes how many applications results in provision being approved from 2007/08 to 2019/20. Please see Table 1 of the Access to Work statistics.</p><p> </p><p>The latest Access to Work statistical release can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2021" target="_blank">Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 07/02/2022 17:40:18 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1417753

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2022
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) applications and (b) successful applications there were to the Access To Work Mental Health Support Service scheme in each year since 2010-11 inclusive.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford East
	tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
	uin	113824
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>The information requested on number of applications received is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Access to Work statistical release includes how many applications results in provision being approved broken down by element type from 2007/08 to 2019/20. Please see Table 2 of the Access to Work statistics.</p><p> </p><p>The latest Access to Work statistical release can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2021" target="_blank">Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 07/02/2022 17:38:16 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1417754

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2022
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) small employers, (b) medium sized employers and (c) large employers were required to pay some of the costs of elements implemented under the Access To Work scheme in (i) 2018-19, (ii) 2019-20 and (iii) 2020-21.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford East
	tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
	uin	113825
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>The information requested on how many employers were required to pay some of the Access to Work element costs by employer size is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 07/02/2022 17:43:48 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1417755

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2022
	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	Access to Work Programme
	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 Access To Work scheme funding were subject to the scheme’s overall cap in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford East
	tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
	uin	113826
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>The information requested on how many people were subject to the Access to Work cap is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 07/02/2022 17:40:50 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1417756

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2022
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department spent on (a) assessments and (b) elements under the Access To Work scheme in each year since 2010-11 inclusive.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford East
	tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
	uin	113827
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>The yearly expenditure for assessments and elements, for the period 2009/10-2021/21 inclusive, is available in Table 11 and Table 11a of the Access to Work Statistic publications</p><p> </p><p>The latest Access to Work official statistics can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2021" target="_blank">Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p><strong><br> Access to Work expenditure on assessments and elements for the period 2010/11 to 2020/21 inclusive, in real terms.</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Assessments</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Elements</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2010/11</strong></p></td><td><p>£6,274,000</p></td><td><p>£127,562,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2011/12</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,798,000</p></td><td><p>£110,694,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2012/13</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,201,000</p></td><td><p>£111,751,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2013/14</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,428,000</p></td><td><p>£124,528,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2014/15</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,361,000</p></td><td><p>£110,064,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2015/16</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,160,000</p></td><td><p>£108,748,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,702,000</p></td><td><p>£113,749,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,899,000</p></td><td><p>£119,368,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,403,000</p></td><td><p>£136,952,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2019/20</strong></p></td><td><p>£4,451,000</p></td><td><p>£146,186,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2020/21</strong></p></td><td><p>£2,669,000</p></td><td><p>£106,624,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Access to Work expenditure on assessments and elements for the period 2010/11 to 2020/21 inclusive, in nominal terms.</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Assessments</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Elements</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2010/11</strong></p></td><td><p>£5,018,000</p></td><td><p>£102,034,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2011/12</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,084,000</p></td><td><p>£89,884,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2012/13</strong></p></td><td><p>£2,652,000</p></td><td><p>£92,597,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2013/14</strong></p></td><td><p>£2,892,000</p></td><td><p>£105,045,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2014/15</strong></p></td><td><p>£2,875,000</p></td><td><p>£94,125,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2015/16</strong></p></td><td><p>£2,725,000</p></td><td><p>£93,758,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,271,000</p></td><td><p>£100,497,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,506,000</p></td><td><p>£107,318,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p></td><td><p>£3,131,000</p></td><td><p>£125,989,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2019/20</strong></p></td><td><p>£4,187,000</p></td><td><p>£137,514,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2020/21</strong></p></td><td><p>£2,669,000</p></td><td><p>£106,624,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Please note the following points on the figures provided:</p><ul><li>Due to the Access to Work digital transformation programme and the move to a new administrative system, we cannot say how many people had an approval or received a payment for Communication Support for Interviews (CSI) in 2020/21. Access to Work continued to provide Communication Support for Interviews to individuals throughout this period.</li><li>The expenditure data in these statistics covers payments directly to individuals and empIoyers, as well as to assessment providers and the Mental Health Support Service. The expenditure data in these statistics does not include DWP’s staffing and operational costs relating to Access to Work.</li><li>Expenditure statistics on Assessments, Communication Support for Interviews and Mental Health Support Service in 2020/21 have been derived directly from SOP. The remaining expenditure statistics in this publication have been derived from DiSC to provide granularity but have been reweighted so that total expenditure is consistent with the Department’s accounts.</li><li>Real terms expenditure (where actual spending has been adjusted to remove the effects of general price level changes (inflation) over time using price levels from a base year) has been calculated using the GDP deflators published by HM Treasury. Real terms figures provide a more meaningful measurement of change over time.</li></ul><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 07/02/2022 17:44:44 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1417757

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2022
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls the Access To Work helpline received in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford East
	tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
	uin	113828
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>The Access to Work helpline received the following volume of calls in the periods in question:</p><p> </p><ol><li>April 2018 – March 2019 – <strong>98,500</strong></li><li>April 2019 – March 2020 – <strong>113,000</strong></li><li>April 2020 – March 2021 – <strong>79,700 </strong></li></ol><p> </p><p>Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 07/02/2022 17:42:38 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1417758

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2022
	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	Access to 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 steps her Department is taking to promote awareness of the Access To Work scheme to people eligible to apply.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford East
	tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
	uin	113829
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>Over the past 18 months, a considerable amount of work has been undertaken to increase the awareness and take up of the Access to Work Scheme.</p><p>Access to Work have delivered in-depth upskilling sessions to a wide variety of internal colleagues, including Work Coaches, Disability Employment Advisers and Employer Advisers. Externally we have also worked with a range of organisations, employers and customer representative groups, providing awareness of Access to Work. We will continue to do this throughout 2022, focusing activities in the areas of the country with the largest disability employment gap.</p><p>We frequently promote Access to Work through the Department’s social media channels and have introduced specific Access to Work pages on the JobHelp website (to maximise reach via our Jobhelp TV campaign), and on gov.uk. In addition, we are continuing to promote Access to Work to employers as part of the Disability Confident scheme.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 07/02/2022 17:52:07 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1568122

	registered interest
	date	18/01/2023
	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	Access to 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 percentage of invoices for support under the Access to Work scheme were paid within 30 days in (a) 2022 and (b) to date in 2023; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken to pay of Access to Work scheme invoices.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	126582
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2023 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The data to produce the requested information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>However, we are transforming the Access to Work service through increased digitalisation, which will make the service more efficient, will make the application process easier, and will improve the time taken from application through to decision. We are also currently testing a revised digital payment journey for Access to Work claims which will provide Access to Work customers with the ability to submit claim information electronically. Moving away from the current clerical process will provide a more efficient, streamlined service for customers.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 24/01/2023 12:13:11 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1609290

	registered interest
	date	30/03/2023
	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	Access to 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 steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for Access to Work assessments.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry North East
	tabling member printed	Colleen Fletcher
	uin	177838
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2023 answer text <p>Access to Work has received a significant increase in applications over the last year and we have recruited new staff to meet the increased demand and reduce the time it takes to make decisions. Customers making new applications, where they are starting work within the next 4 weeks, or have a grant coming to an end that requires renewal, are prioritised to ensure customers are able to enter, and remain in, the labour market. We are also streamlining and transforming the Access to Work service through increased digitalisation, that will make the service more efficient, will make the application process easier, and improve the time taken from application through to decision.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 17/04/2023 11:04:35 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4378 label Biography information for Colleen Fletcher

1402684

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2022
	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	Access to Work Programme
	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 has plans to reduce the required application frequency by disabled people for support through the Access To Work scheme, where their needs have not changed.
	tabling member constituency	Southport
	tabling member printed	Damien Moore
	uin	103678
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2022 answer text <p>Access to Work is committed to improving customer experience and transforming the service disabled people receive. This will introduce a new digital customer journey and explores how we can streamline the current processes, including reviewing the frequency of applications.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, we are developing the Adjustments Passport which aims to reduce the need for holistic assessments where the customer’s needs remain the same. The Adjustments Passport is currently being piloted with freelancers, contractors and universities. In 2022, it will include the Armed Forces service leavers and various Department for Education programmes supporting young disabled people.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 21/01/2022 13:58:19 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4669 label Biography information for Damien Moore

1221086

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2020
	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	Access to 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 steps her Department is taking to promote the Access to Work scheme to clinically extremely vulnerable people who are shielding with (a) arthritis and (b) other conditions.
	tabling member constituency	Brent Central
	tabling member printed	Dawn Butler
	uin	69480
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2020 answer text <p>Disabled people in the clinically extremely vulnerable group who are currently in work can apply to Access to Work for support to overcome barriers they face in the workplace and while working from home, including those resulting from Covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the Access to Work home working support offer, we have introduced various easements to further support those who are shielding and in the clinically extremely vulnerable group, allowing flexibilities while working from home. We are transporting assistive technology from the workplace to the home environment to support home working and, where this is not possible, Access to Work will work with the disabled person and their employer to consider new adjustments to support adaptations to standard equipment. We have also extended timeframes for receiving claims for payments, and started accepting email claim forms and employer/support signatures via email so customers can shield. Access to Work assessments are being carried out through virtual means to further protect customers.</p><p> </p><p>To promote the scheme and support offered, we have updated GOV.UK to make clear the latest guidance on the Access to Work programme, including advising of the help available to people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This has been promoted through Touchbase, DWP’s stakeholder newsletter which goes to around 8000 stakeholders. The department has also produced several animated explainer videos and social media posts on Access to Work which have been posted across a range of social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to promote the latest Access to Work guidance through communications to employers, with stakeholders, jobcentres and providers, as well as through content promoted via our existing benefits and labour market campaigns which make use of both paid and no-cost social media channels.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 09/07/2020 12:53:41 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	1489 label Biography information for Dawn Butler

1299233

	registered interest
	date	03/03/2021
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new applications for Access to Work funding have been received by her Department from March 2020 to date.
	tabling member constituency	Oldham East and Saddleworth
	tabling member printed	Debbie Abrahams
	uin	162612
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2021 answer text <p>The information requested on number of applications received is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Access to Work statistics includes how many applications result in provision being approved from 2007/08 to 2019/20. Please see Table 3 of the Access to Work statistics.</p><p> </p><p>The latest Access to Work statistics can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2020</a></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 08/03/2021 17:45:31 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4212 label Biography information for Debbie Abrahams

1299632

	registered interest
	date	04/03/2021
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received Access to Work funding in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.
	tabling member constituency	Oldham East and Saddleworth
	tabling member printed	Debbie Abrahams
	uin	163229
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2021 answer text <p>The number of people who have received an Access to Work payment broken down by financial year up to 2019/20 is available in Table 6 of the Access to Work statistics publications.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested for 2020/21 is intended for future release in the 2020/21 Official Statistics publication.</p><p> </p><p>The latest Access to Work official statistics can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/access-to-work-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/access-to-work-statistics</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 09/03/2021 13:44:06 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4212 label Biography information for Debbie Abrahams

1463217

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2022
	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	Access to 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 steps her Department is taking to reduce delays in processing Access to Work claims.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	2521
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2022 answer text <p>DWP are in the process of recruiting and training extra staff for Access to Work, and using overtime working to process outstanding claim volumes.</p><p> </p><p>Applications with a job start within the next four weeks are being prioritised. In addition, we are now treating applications that are classified as renewal applications for on-going support as a priority group and contact will be made as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 24/05/2022 15:26:40 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1504149

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	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	Access to 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 steps her Department is taking to ensure support for individuals currently employed under the Temporary Employment Support Grant under Access to Work programs continues to move forward.
	tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
	tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
	uin	45901
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2022 answer text <p>The Transitional Employer Support Grant is a flat-rate time-limited grant paid by Access to Work to fund the in-work support needs of disabled individuals working in Supported Businesses who previously delivered the Work Choice programme. This grant is providing transitional protection for disabled employees while a long-term funding model is developed. A new more personalised funding model is currently being piloted which offers disabled employees more tailored support and recognises the adaptations the employer has made. If the new model is successful it is expected to replace the Transitional Employer Support Grant.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 16/09/2022 17:30:09 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1504150

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	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	Access to 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 steps her Department is taking to ensure that the (a) evidence and (b) definition of in-work support required for a supported employee is clearly outlined to employers who employ people under Access to Work Plus.
	tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
	tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
	uin	45902
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2022 answer text <p>Access to Work Plus is testing whether providing additional support for employers who are willing to do more and flex job roles for employees who need more than standard Access to Work, can help unlock more employment opportunities for disabled people. Access to Work will use its contracted supplier who have suitably qualified assessors to identify the employees in-work support needs and the adaptations the employer has made to the workplace and the job role to accommodate the employee.</p><p> </p><p>Access to Work already provides general advice on workplace adjustments for employers who employ disabled people, however, is unable to provide personalised advice as it is dependent on individual need. The Access to Work holistic assessment builds on this advice and considers the employee’s working environment, including any adjustments the employer has made. The assessment is carried out in the workplace with the employee and the employer present, the assessment will make tailored recommendations for the disabled employee and offer advice for employers on the support they can provide for their employee.</p><p>The Access to Work case manager will use the assessments recommendations to determine if the employer satisfies the Access to Work Plus criteria.</p><p> </p><p>To help build employer understanding of Access to Work Plus and the process used to determine eligibility, a series of communications have been developed and shared with a range of stakeholders, including Disability Confident employers and Jobcentre Plus. The reaction to these communications will be monitored to help inform further communication products and amended as necessary.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 16/09/2022 15:42:41 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1352997

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2021
	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	Access to 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 the average length of time is for beneficiaries to receive Access to Work Payments in each of the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston and Surbiton
	tabling member printed	Ed Davey
	uin	43384
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2021 answer text <p>The average length of time for beneficiaries to receive Access to Work Payments in each of the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 09/09/2021 14:02:21 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	188 label Biography information for Ed Davey

1353853

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2021
	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	Access to 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 steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken for beneficiaries to receive their Access to Work payments.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston and Surbiton
	tabling member printed	Ed Davey
	uin	45038
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>Access to Work aim for customers to be paid within 10 days of receipt of claims and all supporting evidence. During July and August postal delays held up payment claims being received into DWP.</p><p> </p><p>We have introduced scanning of all claims on day of receipt improving payment times, and Access to Work are also developing a digital claim portal which will allow customers to submit their claim online and upload any supporting information. We expect to start testing this with some customers in December 2021.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 13/09/2021 15:30:13 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	188 label Biography information for Ed Davey

1355106

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2021
	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	Access to 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 assessment her Department has made of whether there has been a change in the average time taken to process Access to Work payments in the most recent period for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston and Surbiton
	tabling member printed	Ed Davey
	uin	48133
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2021 answer text I refer to my response to <a href="https://dwp.ecase.co.uk/view_case?case_ref=PQN/21-22/2021/73119" target="_blank">PQN/21-22/2021/73119</a>21-<p> </p><p>Access to Work aim for customers to be paid within 10 days of receipt of claims and all supporting evidence.</p><p> </p><p>Following postal delays during July and August, we are seeing payment clearance times returning to normal levels.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 16/09/2021 14:59:09 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	188 label Biography information for Ed Davey

1338525

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2021
	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	Access to 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 the average timeframe is for Access to Work applications to (a) be allocated an advisor, (b) have evidence gathered and (c) reach a resolution.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
	tabling member printed	Emma Hardy
	uin	19660
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2021 answer text <p>The information requested about average timeframes for Access to Work applications for allocations, evidence gathering and reaching resolutions for people who have applied for support from Access to Work is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 25/06/2021 12:21:15 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4645 label Biography information for Emma Hardy

1583030

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2023
	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	Access to 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 assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of removing the need for an Access to Work renewal when support needs remain unchanged.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
	tabling member printed	Emma Hardy
	uin	138053
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2023 answer text <p>My department is working to transform the Access to Work service to improve the customer experience and reduce bureaucracy by creating a modern, efficient and more digital service for disabled people. As you would expect, this work, which is ongoing, involves keeping all existing processes under review, including the renewal journey. This includes reflecting on lessons learned from the Covid 19 easements.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 06/02/2023 11:52:30 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4645 label Biography information for Emma Hardy

1602857

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2023
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications to the Access to Work Scheme have not been processed as of 9 March 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
	tabling member printed	Emma Hardy
	uin	162267
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>At close of business on 9 March 2023, there are 7,235 applications in progress and 17,190 applications awaiting progression.</p><p> </p><p>Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 14/03/2023 11:37:02 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4645 label Biography information for Emma Hardy

1625776

	registered interest
	date	03/05/2023
	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	Access to 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 progress his Department has made on providing a cost of living update for the value of Access to Work grant payments.
	tabling member constituency	Enfield North
	tabling member printed	Feryal Clark
	uin	183841
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2023 answer text <p>As all Access to Work grants are tailored to the individual need, there is no automatic uprating. Instead, all increases in support costs are considered and where appropriate awards are increased, up to an upper limit per individual per annum.</p><p> </p><p>To provide support for those at the upper limit of Access to Work, the upper limit is normally increased on an annual basis. It was increased to £66,000 from April 2023.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 15/05/2023 10:41:45 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4822 label Biography information for Feryal Clark

1149471

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2019
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Access To Work grants have been awarded in (a) Birkenhead and (b) the UK; and what the total value of those grants was in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	451
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2019 answer text <p>To get help from Access to Work you must live in England, Scotland or Wales – there is a different system in Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p><p><strong>England, Scotland or Wales: </strong></p><p> </p><p>Number of people who receive an Access to Work payment and total Access to Work expenditure are published annually as part of the Access to Work statistics which can be found here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2019</a></p><p> </p><p>Please see specifically:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Table 6: The number of people who received a payment for any Access to Work provision of each type, 2009/10 - 2018/19</li><li>Table 11: Expenditure on Access to Work provision, 2009/10 - 2018/19 (Nominal Terms)</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p>The tables below show the number of people in Birkenhead who received an Access to Work grant payment in the last five financial years and the total value of those grants.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Birkenhead:</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2014/15</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015/16</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Number of people who received an Access to Work payment</strong></p></td><td><p>50</p></td><td><p>40</p></td><td><p>40</p></td><td><p>60</p></td><td><p>80</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Access to Work Expenditure</strong></p></td><td><p>£97,000</p></td><td><p>£90,000</p></td><td><p>£98,000</p></td><td><p>£110,000</p></td><td><p>£153,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Please note:</p><p> </p><ol><li>In some cases, Access to Work provision is approved however a DWP payment is not required, for example because provision can be provided at no cost or the employer covers the relevant costs. These cases are not captured above.</li><li>The same person can receive payment for more than one grant of Access to Work of the same type or of different types in a given financial year or in different financial years. The table above shows the number of people who received a payment for one or more Elements in each financial year.</li><li>Expenditure figures have been calculated using a methodology consistent with that used in the published Access to Work statistics. Please see the background information and methodology note for more information, in particular the “Weighting” section on pages 8-9.</li></ol><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-work-statistics-background-information-and-methodology" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-work-statistics-background-information-and-methodology</a></p><ol start="4"><li>Access to Work expenditure for Birkenhead is based on residency of the beneficiary as opposed to place of work.</li><li>Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 due to the weighting methodology used (see Note 3).</li><li>Number of people who received an Access to Work payment are rounded to the nearest 10 (in line with the published statistics).</li></ol><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 21/10/2019 13:48:28 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead