Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1191767

registered interest
date	29/04/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that claimants are aware that making a claim for universal credit could automatically stop existing benefits.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	41471
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/05/2020 answer text <p>(During the coronavirus) The Department has prioritised ensuring people have the information they need to understand the benefits and employment support they may be eligible for, including launching a new website to help people navigate the range of support available and apply for it.</p><p> </p><p>Although neither HMRC nor DWP can advise tax credit claimants whether they should claim UC, we have actively encouraged them to use benefit calculators to check their eligibility for Universal Credit before applying, and have explained that applying for UC will stop their tax credit claim. This includes adding information to HMRC’s Interactive Voice Response for people calling on the phone, and updating GOV.UK pages. We have used the DWP Twitter and Facebook channels to share messages for tax credit claimants, and used paid media to ensure we reach millions of people.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/05/2020 12:41:02 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1641420

registered interest
date	02/06/2023
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Infectious Diseases: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government supports provisions in the proposed international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response on (a) public interest conditions on public research &and development funding, b() price transparency and (c) tech transfer of end products.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Ms Anum Qaisar
uin	187408
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2023 answer text <p>As negotiations on the pandemic instrument are live and in their early stages, we cannot comment on the details of the United Kingdom’s negotiating position. Driving access to safe, affordable essential medical countermeasures is a key priority for the UK in these negotiations, as is ensuring that measures incentivise innovation to strengthen research and development. Officials are working with international partners and non-state actors to ensure the instrument improves access to vaccines, drugs and tests, while also supporting the life sciences sector.</p><p>We have also been clear that the UK will not sign up to a pandemic instrument or any instrument that would compromise the UK’s ability to make domestic decisions on national measures concerning public health policy.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 13/06/2023 10:45:06 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4917 label Biography information for Ms Anum Qaisar

1168781

registered interest
date	20/12/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Employment: Poverty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to tackle in-work poverty.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2020 answer text <p>Delivering a sustainable, long-term solution to all forms of poverty is a priority for this Government. There is clear evidence that full-time work substantially reduces the risk of in-work poverty; for example, there is only a 7% chance of a child being in poverty if both parents</p><p>work full-time compared with 66% for two-parent families with only part-time work.</p><p>The number of people in employment is at a near-record high of 3.8 million. Around three-quarters of the growth in employment has been in full-time work, substantially reducing the risk of poverty.</p><p>Universal Credit promotes full-time work through smooth incentives to increase hours, a general expectation that lone parents and partners should work (unless caring for young children or a disabled person); and generous childcare subsidies. We will therefore continue with our reforms to the welfare system so that it works with the tax system and the labour market to support employment and higher pay.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/01/2020 14:50:26 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1240394

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Coronavirus
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 potential effect on levels of (a) absolute and (b) relative poverty of removing the temporary uplift to universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	98977
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2020 answer text <p>Estimating the potential impact of individual policies on future levels of poverty is not possible as it would require making judgements about what will happen to every person’s income in the future and then also isolating potential changes in income due to the effect of specific policies on certain individuals. It is not possible to do this accurately as there is so much uncertainty involved in projecting incomes.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 98978 question first answered 08/10/2020 16:51:49 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1240397

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on levels of (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty of turning advance loans into grants when an applicant qualifies for universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	98978
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2020 answer text <p>Estimating the potential impact of individual policies on future levels of poverty is not possible as it would require making judgements about what will happen to every person’s income in the future and then also isolating potential changes in income due to the effect of specific policies on certain individuals. It is not possible to do this accurately as there is so much uncertainty involved in projecting incomes.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 98977 question first answered 08/10/2020 16:51:48 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1252652

registered interest
date	17/11/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to resume the universal credit managed migration pilot in Harrogate.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	116496
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2020 answer text <p>Following the outbreak of COVID-19, and the significant increase in the Universal Credit caseload to 5.7 million, the decision was taken to temporarily suspend the Move to UC pilot in the area served by Harrogate Jobcentre, as part of the Government’s wider and ongoing response to the pandemic.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/11/2020 16:24:33 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1169840

registered interest
date	09/01/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department enforces the (a) repayment of social security overpayments and (b) prosecutions when the error was made by her Department.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	1759
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2020 answer text <p>For all benefits other than Universal Credit, New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and New Style Employment Support Allowance (ESA), overpayments resulting from Departmental error are not recoverable.</p><p> </p><p>Section 105 of The Welfare Reform Act 2012 amended the Social Security Act 1992, so that for Universal Credit, New Style JSA and New Style ESA, any payment in excess of the entitlement is recoverable, regardless of how the overpayment of entitlement occurred. This policy was brought in to reflect the need for a better value for money welfare system and to reinforce the overarching aim that Universal Credit mirrors work.</p><p> </p><p>As a Department, we understand the impact that debt can have on the wellbeing of claimants and we endeavour to ensure that the recovery of any overpayment is managed in a way that takes account of the claimant’s individual circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>I can confirm that the Department would not prosecute a claimant if an overpayment occurred purely as a result of a Departmental error, and would only consider prosecuting a claimant where there is strong evidence to suggest they may have committed benefit fraud</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 14/01/2020 17:53:56 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1146583

registered interest
date	26/09/2019
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	Universal Credit: Payments
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 households have reduced their expenditure on non-essential items in order to avoid debt while waiting for their first payment of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	291448
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>For new claimants applying for Universal Credit (UC), new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed quickly, until their first UC payment is due.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to this, the Department has delivered a number of improvements to support claimants during their first assessment period, such as removing waiting days and paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.</p><p> </p><p>For those who need help with budgeting, support is available for Universal Credit claimants via the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS). MaPS will help UC claimants with personal budgeting and money management through its free helpline, printed guides and digital guidance.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/10/2019 15:52:55 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1280620

registered interest
date	26/01/2021
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	Universal Credit: ICT
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 14 January 2021 to Question 137948, what the exceptions are to providing an individual with an explanation of amendments to their universal credit journal.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	143772
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2021 answer text <p>In response to Questions 137946, 137947 and 137948, where a journal entry is modified or removed, an explanation should also be supplied through the journal. As claimant circumstances can be varied and complex, Work Coaches and Case Managers, using their knowledge of an individual claimant’s needs, are also able to use their discretion to communicate through an alternative channel, such as telephone or SMS, where this better suits the needs of the claimant, or where actions on the journal need additional clarification.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 01/02/2021 16:05:42 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1170313

registered interest
date	13/01/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Employment: Poverty
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 7 January 2020 to Question 318 on Employment: Poverty, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on in-work poverty of raising the statutory National Living Wage to at least the level of the Real Living Wage.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	2555
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2020 answer text <p>It is not possible to predict the impact of the real living wage on in-work poverty as poverty projections are inherently speculative as they require projecting how income will change for every individual in society which are affected by a huge range of unknown factors.</p><p> </p><p>On 1 April 2020, the Government will increase the National Living Wage (NLW) for over 25s by 6.2% to £8.72. This increase is projected to meet the Government’s target of reaching 60% of median earnings by 2020. This latest increase will mean that the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW will have increased by nearly £3,700 since the year the policy was announced. In September last year, the Chancellor pledged to raise the NLW to two-thirds of median earnings within five years, making the UK the first major economy in the world to set such an ambition.</p><p>The Government considers the expert and independent advice of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) when setting the NMW and NLW rates. The LPC draws on economic, labour market and pay analysis, independent research and stakeholder evidence. The key distinction between the NLW and other rates, such as the Living Wage Foundation’s voluntary Living Wage, is that the LPC considers the impact on businesses and the economy when making its recommendations.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 16/01/2020 14:13:32 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray