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1702533

	registered interest
	date	19/04/2024
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Maladministration
	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 has taken to reduce the costs of error in the last three financial years.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester South
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
	uin	22736
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>We are committed to tackling both fraud and error. DWPs quality assurance framework plays an important role in identifying common errors which contribute to over and underpayments. In addition, the department and HMRC has committed to provide assurance this winter over the integrity of the National Insurance records and how they interact with DWP’s benefit system.</p><p> </p><p>The Department launched a robust plan to drive down fraud and error from the benefits system, alongside investment of £900 million that will deliver £2.4 billion of savings by the end of 2024/25. This plan includes proposed powers to require the transfer of data from third-parties, which has been introduced as part of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (No.2). This legislation is forecast to save up to an additional £600m over the Treasury scorecard period.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 24/04/2024 12:29:57 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1702167

	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	State Retirement Pensions: Women
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to undertake a review into the potential merits of issuing compensation to all women impacted by changes to the State Pension age.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
	uin	22480
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>In laying the report before Parliament at the end of March, the Ombudsman has brought matters to the attention of this House, and a further update to the House will be provided once the report's findings have been fully considered.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 24/04/2024 11:41:43 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1702185

	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	State Retirement Pensions: Age
	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 merits of lowering the State Pension age to 60.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
	uin	22483
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to make such an assessment.</p><p> </p><p>Changes to State Pension age were made over a series of Acts by successive governments from 1995 onwards, following public consultations and extensive debates in both Houses of Parliament.</p><p> </p><p>Further changes were introduced through the Pensions Acts 2011 and 2014 in order to protect public finances and maintain the sustainability of the State Pension over the long term. Under the 2011 Pensions Act the State Pension age for women and men rose to 66.</p><p> </p><p>The rise in State Pension age to 67 has been planned since 2014. Since then, the Government has undertaken two statutory State Pension age reviews, one in 2017 and one in 2023. These reviews both considered whether the existing rules about the timetable for State Pension age rising to 67 remained appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>Both reviews, including the Independent Reports that supported them, concluded that the rules concerning the increase in State Pension age from 66 to 67 should continue as planned.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 24/04/2024 11:43:50 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1702254

	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	Pension Protection Fund
	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 extend member and trade union representation to the board of the Pension Protection Fund.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	22595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>There is no legal requirement for the Board of the Pension Protection Fund to include member or trade union representation, and there are no plans to extend representation to these groups.</p><p> </p><p>The Pension Protection Fund does, however, have Member Panels – which Board members are invited to attend – to enable members to feed in views on the service offered and thoughts about changes that could be made in the future.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 25/04/2024 13:59:18 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1702152

	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Fraud
	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 has taken to reduce the costs of fraud in his Department in the last three financial years.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester South
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
	uin	22575
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2024 answer text <p>We are committed to tackling fraud which is why in May 2022 the Department launched a robust plan to drive down fraud and error from the benefits system, alongside investment of £900 million that will deliver £2.4 billion of savings by the end of 2024/25. This plan includes proposed powers to require the transfer of data from third-parties, which has been introduced as part of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (No.2). This legislation is forecast to save up to an additional £600m over the Treasury scorecard period. The Department has set out a target to deliver £1.3bn in savings from our dedicated counter-fraud and error resource in 2023/24 as set out in the department’s Annual Reports and Accounts.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 23/04/2024 14:58:48 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1702274

	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	Carer's Allowance: Overpayments
	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 fines for overpayment of Carer's Allowance in (a) 2020, (b) 2021, (c) 2022, (d) 2023 and (e) as of 1 April 2024; and what was the total amount of these fines.
	tabling member constituency	Newport East
	tabling member printed	Jessica Morden
	uin	22534
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2024 answer text <p>Claimants have a responsibility to ensure they are entitled to benefits they claim and to inform the DWP of any changes in their circumstances that could impact their award.</p><p> </p><p>Overpayments occur when an individual receives a payment they are not entitled to. The fines imposed by DWP for overpayments vary depending on the circumstances of the overpayment.</p><p> </p><p>Administrative Penalties may be offered by the fraud investigator as an alternative to a prosecution in certain cases where there has been benefit fraud or attempted benefit fraud.</p><p> </p><p>The table below provides the volume and value of Administrative Penalties accepted due to an overpayment of Carer’s Allowance, by financial year.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Years</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Volume </strong><strong>of</strong> <strong>Administrative Penalties</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Value</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020/21</p></td><td><p>64</p></td><td><p>£114.4k</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021/22</p></td><td><p>43</p></td><td><p>£80.2k</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022/23</p></td><td><p>43</p></td><td><p>£81.3k</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023/24</p></td><td><p>75</p></td><td><p>£140.8k</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>For cases of claimant error, a £50 Civil Penalty may be imposed by DWP where an individual incurs an overpayment as a result of failing to provide accurate information and have not taken reasonable steps to correct the error.</p><p> </p><p>The table below provides the volume and value of Civil Penalties given due to an overpayment of Carer’s Allowance, by financial year.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Years</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Volume</strong><strong> of Civil Penalties</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Value</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020/21</p></td><td><p>14.9k</p></td><td><p>£0.747m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021/22</p></td><td><p>26.3k</p></td><td><p>£1.309m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022/23</p></td><td><p>24.8k</p></td><td><p>£1.241m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023/24</p></td><td><p>30.1k</p></td><td><p>£1.506m</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Note that our latest figures show there are approximately 1.4 million people claiming Carer’s Allowance.</p><p> </p><p>The data provided for this response is for the volume of penalties, and it is important to note that individuals can receive more than one penalty.</p><p> </p><p>Data been sourced from internal DWP management information, which is intended only to help the Department to manage its business. It is not intended for publication and has not been subject to the same quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. Our analysis has not captured a small but unknown number of penalties that are logged as debts in their own right on the debt MI system. Our understanding is that this approach is rarely used for Carer’s Allowance.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>More information about DWP penalties policy can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/penalties-for-social-security-fraud-and-error/penalties-policy-in-respect-of-social-security-fraud-and-error" target="_blank">Penalties policy: in respect of social security fraud and error - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 23/04/2024 16:57:25 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	1548 label Biography information for Jessica Morden

1702099

	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	Universal Credit: Overpayments
	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 value was of Universal Credit claim overpayments in the 2022-2023 financial year.
	tabling member constituency	Wallasey
	tabling member printed	Dame Angela Eagle
	uin	22504
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>DWP measures its overpayments via annual national statistics published each May. However, we do not produce an estimate for the average value of a Universal Credit overpayment.</p><p> </p><p>We estimate that the total value of Universal Credit overpayments in 2022-2023 was £5,540m: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-2022-to-2023-estimates" target="_blank">Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2022 to 2023 estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 24/04/2024 13:06:08 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	491 label Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle

1702100

	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	Social Security Benefits: Underpayments
	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 value was of a benefits underpayment in the 2022-2023 financial year.
	tabling member constituency	Wallasey
	tabling member printed	Dame Angela Eagle
	uin	22505
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>DWP does not produce an estimate for the average value of a benefit underpayment.</p><p> </p><p>We estimate that the total rate of benefit expenditure underpaid in 2022-2023 was £3.3bn: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-2022-to-2023-estimates/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-ending-fye-2023" target="_blank">Fraudand error in the benefit system Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 25/04/2024 16:14:25 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	491 label Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle

1702101

	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	Personal Independence Payment: Underpayments
	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 value was of an underpayment of the Personal Independence Payment in the 2022-2023 financial year.
	tabling member constituency	Wallasey
	tabling member printed	Dame Angela Eagle
	uin	22506
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>DWP measures its underpayments via annual national statistics published each May. However, we do not produce an estimate for the average value of a benefit underpayment.</p><p> </p><p>Our estimates relating to PIP underpayments in 2022-23 can be found at the link below:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-2022-to-2023-estimates" target="_blank">Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2022 to 2023 estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>Table 6 provides the total estimated value of PIP underpayments in 2022-23.</p><p> </p><p>Table 8 provides the estimated value of PIP underpayments due to claimant error. All claimant error underpayments were due to errors where the claimant’s condition had got worse, and they failed to inform the department (Functional Needs).</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard grouped question UIN 22507 question first answered 24/04/2024 13:01:27 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	491 label Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle

1702102

	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	Personal Independence Payment: Underpayments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total value was of underpayments of the Personal Independence Payment due to recipients’ failure to update their medical need in the 2022-2023 financial year.
	tabling member constituency	Wallasey
	tabling member printed	Dame Angela Eagle
	uin	22507
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>DWP measures its underpayments via annual national statistics published each May. However, we do not produce an estimate for the average value of a benefit underpayment.</p><p> </p><p>Our estimates relating to PIP underpayments in 2022-23 can be found at the link below:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-2022-to-2023-estimates" target="_blank">Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2022 to 2023 estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>Table 6 provides the total estimated value of PIP underpayments in 2022-23.</p><p> </p><p>Table 8 provides the estimated value of PIP underpayments due to claimant error. All claimant error underpayments were due to errors where the claimant’s condition had got worse, and they failed to inform the department (Functional Needs).</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard grouped question UIN 22506 question first answered 24/04/2024 13:01:27 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	491 label Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle