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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

1687742

	registered interest
	date	06/02/2024
	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	Bank Services: Fraud and Social Security Benefits
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to use the proposed powers under the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill to monitor the bank accounts of (a) people suspected of fraud and (b) all people who claim means-tested benefits.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	13333
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2024 answer text <p>The powers sought under the Bill would not give DWP direct access to citizen’s bank accounts.</p><p>What this power will do is require designated third parties to look within their own data and provide relevant information to DWP that may signal where some claimants may not meet the eligibility criteria for the benefit they are receiving. This data may signal fraud or error and require a further review by DWP (through business-as-usual processes) to determine whether incorrect payments are being made. The power covers all DWP benefits and payments, including those that are means tested or have residency requirements, but it will initially be focussed on benefits where there is a significant fraud challenge. No personal information will be shared by DWP and only the minimum amount of information on those in receipt of DWP payments will be provided to the Department so we can identify those people whose claims have matched the criteria we have set.</p><p>With fraud becoming a growing problem, accounting for over 40% of all crime, the welfare system is not immune to this. It is vital that the Government takes measures to address this issue and ensure the right support is provided to the right people.</p><p>We expect this measure to save up to £600m in the next five years.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 14/02/2024 13:17:11 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1643159

	registered interest
	date	08/06/2023
	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	Basic Income: Pilot Schemes
	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 publish a response to Autonomy’s universal basic income trial when those results are published.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	188639
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2023 answer text <p>No, we do not intend to publish a response.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 13/06/2023 13:50:24 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1487936

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2022
	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	Boilers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the average number of boilers installed per year per Gas Safe registered engineer.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	33951
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2022 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) holds the Gas Safe Register (GSR) Service Concession Agreement.</p><p> </p><p>GSR maintain the register of businesses and operatives who are competent to undertake both piped natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) work in domestic and commercial premises in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Guernsey.</p><p> </p><p>GSR does not collect data on the “average number of boilers installed per year per Gas Safe engineer”, but does hold information on the numbers of engineers and notifications received for installation of domestic gas boilers.</p><p> </p><p>Further information about GSR and domestic gas health and safety can be found on HSE’s <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/index.htm" target="_blank">website</a>. <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/newschemecontract.htm" target="_blank">Gas Safe Register (hse.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>In England and Wales from the 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Number of engineers on Register</p></td><td><p>Number of businesses on Register</p></td><td><p>Number of businesses competent to install domestic gas boilers</p></td><td><p>Total number of notifications received for installation of domestic gas fired boiler (natural gas)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>130,703</p></td><td><p>78,644</p></td><td><p>66,914</p></td><td><p>1,210,407</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 18/07/2022 15:17:22 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1387345

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2021
	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	Carer's Allowance
	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 it her policy to allow those not in receipt of housing benefit or pension credit, to continue to receive carer’s allowance once they reach state pension age.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	92113
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2021 answer text <p>There is no upper age limit to receipt of Carer’s Allowance provided the conditions of entitlement are satisfied. It has been a long-held feature of the UK’s benefit system, under successive Governments, that where someone is entitled to two benefits in broadly the same circumstance (and this includes Carer’s Allowance and State Pension) then only one will be paid in full. This means while many pensioners receive an underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance, which can help them qualify for an additional amount in Pension Credit, they do not actually receive any payment of Carer’s Allowance.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 20/12/2021 14:49:39 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1549061

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2022
	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	Carers' Benefits: Foetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder
	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 potential impact of the policies announced in the Autumn Statement 2022 on parents of children who have Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder who receive Carers Benefit and Income support.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	104449
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2022 answer text <p>This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by carers, in supporting some of the most vulnerable in society, including children and adults with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>Where a child with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder is entitled to Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment (or Child Disability Payment or Adult Disability Payment in Scotland), the parents may be entitled to additional support through the benefit system.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State announced the outcome of his statutory annual up-rating review on 17 November. All relevant benefit rates for working age households and disabled people will increase by 10.1% from next April, subject to parliamentary approval, in line with the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2022. This includes the rates of Income Support, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Universal Credit and Carer’s Allowance, and the additional amounts for carers in Income Support and Universal Credit. For those benefits which are devolved to the Scottish Parliament, but which are currently being delivered by DWP on behalf of Scottish Ministers under agency agreements, equivalent up-rating provision will be brought forward by the Scottish Government. This includes Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Carer’s Allowance.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, to ensure stability and certainty for households, the Autumn Statement announced £26 billion in cost of living support for 2023/24. This includes further Cost of Living Payments for disabled people and people in receipt of certain means-tested benefits, as well as pensioners, in addition to those being made in the current financial year. In 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to a further £900 in Cost of Living Payments. A £300 payment will be made to pensioner households and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. This is in addition to the support provided by the amended Energy Price Guarantee, which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24.</p><p> </p><p>For those who require extra support, the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England in the next financial year. This is on top of what it has already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding to £2.5 billion. In England this will be delivered through an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £842 million, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which local authorities use to help households with the cost of essentials. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding.</p><p> </p><p>The Government does not intend to conduct a specific assessment of the impact of these measures with reference to the parents of children with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 12/12/2022 15:57:11 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1608692

	registered interest
	date	29/03/2023
	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	Child Maintenance Service: Staff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff there were at the Child Maintenance Service in (a) 29 March 2018 and (b) 29 March 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	176772
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2023 answer text <p>The following number of staff were employed by Child Maintenance in each of the years requested:</p><p> </p><ul><li>March 2018 – 5797.23 FTE</li><li>February 2023 – 3971.58 FTE</li></ul><p> </p><p>The figures quoted are at month end and as March 23 figures are not yet available February 23 has been given.</p><p> </p><p>It is worth noting that in 2018 there were two Child Maintenance schemes in operation – Child Support Agency and Child Maintenance Scheme. The Child Support Agency scheme closed in 2020.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 19/04/2023 10:13:24 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1484292

	registered interest
	date	28/06/2022
	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
	hansard heading	Cost of Living Payments: Housing Benefit
	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 housing benefit claimants eligible for the £650 cost of living payment.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	26876
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2022 answer text <p>Housing Benefit is not an income replacement means tested benefit. It is also administered directly from Local Authorities, often directly to a landlord.</p><p> </p><p>However, the vast majority of Housing Benefit claimants will be eligible for the £650 Cost of Living Payment through a separate means tested benefit entitlement. Pensioners on Housing Benefit will also be entitled to the increased winter fuel payment of £300 per household.</p><p> </p><p>For those that are not eligible for the means-tested cost of living payment, or for families that still need additional support; the Government is providing an additional £500 million to help households bringing total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England, this will take the form of an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m and is administered by Local Authorities. Devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula.</p><p> </p><p>These payments are part of the Government’s wider £15 billion package of support and sits alongside:</p><p> </p><ul><li>the £400 of support for energy bills that the Government is providing through the expansion of the Energy Bills Support Scheme, doubling the £200 of support announced earlier this year and making the whole £400 a non-repayable grant.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>new support, people on low incomes but not means-tested benefits may also benefit from previously announced measures to help people tackle the cost of living, including frozen fuel duty, raising the NICs threshold, £150 council tax rebates and the further rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour from April 2022.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The guidance with the full list of support can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-living-support/cost-of-living-support-factsheet-26-may-2022" target="_blank">Cost of living support factsheet: 26 May 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 06/07/2022 16:13:43 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1467285

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2022
	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
	hansard heading	Cost of Living Payments: Social Security Benefits
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make the £650 one-off cost of living payment for people on means tested benefits also available to those claiming (a) contribution based Employment Support Allowance and (b) other non-means tested benefits.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	11891
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>The Government is committed to managing the public finances in a responsible way by targeting the £650 Cost of Living Payment support at low income means tested households where it is most needed.</p><p>The guidance with the full list of support can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-support-for-the-cost-of-living-factsheet/government-support-for-the-cost-of-living-factsheet" target="_blank">Overall government support for the cost of living: factsheet - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p>Cost of Living Payments have been designed to target support for households with low incomes, on means-tested benefits. These payments are in addition to the £400 of support for energy bills that the Government is providing through the expansion of the Energy Bills Support Scheme, doubling the £200 of support announced earlier this year and making the whole £400 a non-repayable grant. In addition, individuals may be able to benefit from the disability and pensioner Cost of Living Payments if they are in receipt of disability benefits or eligible for Winter Fuel Payments.</p><p>From October 2022, Government is also providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, bringing the total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England, £421m will be used to further extend the Household Support Fund (October 2022 – March 2023). Guidance and individual local authority indicative allocations for this further extension to the Household Support Fund will be announced in due course.</p><p>In addition to the new support, people on low incomes but not means-tested benefits may also benefit from previously announced measures to help people tackle the cost of living, including frozen alcohol duty and fuel duty, raising the NICs threshold, council tax rebates and the further rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour from April 2022.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 13/06/2022 16:36:18 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1650879

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2023
	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	Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his planned timetable is for the publication of a consultation on the National Disability Action Plan.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	192917
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2023 answer text <p><strong></strong></p><p>We are planning to consult on the Disability Action Plan this summer; and to publish the final plan once we have fully considered the consultation responses.</p><p>The consultation in the summer will be an opportunity for everyone - disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, and other interested parties - to have their say on the Disability Action Plan.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 12/07/2023 10:34:35 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols