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171847

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2014
	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: Migrants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on amendments required to EU law to limit the access of migrants to national welfare systems.
	tabling member constituency	Thirsk and Malton
	tabling member printed	Miss Anne McIntosh
	uin	906838
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Ministers and officials are in regular dialogue with the European Commission and other Member States about the coordination of social security in the European Union. DWP Ministers and officials have met with a number of their European counterparts in recent months to discuss mutual matters of interest where reforms to the social security coordination system have been discussed.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 06/01/2015 13:15:31 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

172018

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2015
	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	Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on using 0845 business rate telephone numbers for benefits claimants.
	tabling member constituency	Wythenshawe and Sale East
	tabling member printed	Mike Kane
	uin	219754
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Calls to claim benefit by telephone are free as the Department uses 0800 free phone numbers for these lines. The use of 0845 numbers were inherited from previous Government and this Department has since introduced 0345 numbers, but will retain the 0845 prefixes for the time being given it can still cost less to call these numbers from some operators’ packages.</p><p> </p><p>Any charges that apply to these calls will be set by the customer’s telephone or mobile operator. Charge variations will occur due to operator packages and individual price plans. We are aware of possible concerns about call charges to our enquiry lines so we will offer to call a customer back if concerns are raised over the cost of the call.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 12/01/2015 16:24:43 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	4316 label Biography information for Mike Kane

171851

	registered interest
	date	02/01/2015
	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	Unemployed People: Training
	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 bring forward proposals to introduce a loan repayment scheme to assist jobseekers to enrol on training courses.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Greg Mulholland
	uin	219594
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>DWP offer jobseekers a range of free training options tailored to their requirements through the Work Programme or through local provision in Jobcentre Plus Districts</p><p> </p><p>In England, for those wishing to enrol in other courses, Advanced Learning Loans may be available.</p><p> </p><p>Skills is a devolved issue, and funding the responsibility of the Devolved Administrations.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 08/01/2015 15:46:02 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	1540 label Biography information for Greg Mulholland

171231

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	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, what estimate he has made of the value of unclaimed benefits in each (a) constituency, (b) local authority and (c) region and constituent part of the UK in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	219130
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Estimates of benefit take-up are not available at geographies below Great Britain. This is due to the size of the survey sample they are based on and methods used to generate robust national figures.</p><p> </p><p>Following a consultation at July 2012 on the future on the “Income Related Benefits: Estimates for Take-Up” National Statistics series, DWP are planning to publish Experimental Statistics on benefit take-up rates. Further details are available here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-201213-experimental" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-201213-experimental</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In February 2012 the Department for Work and Pensions published the report “Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up in 2009-10”. The full report can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up</a></p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 08/01/2015 15:34:25 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

170790

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	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	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what safeguards are in place to ensure that a person who loses their employment and support allowance as a result of a sanction will not also lose their housing benefit because of a misunderstanding by the local authority.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	218957
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Following Matthew Oakley’s report we have implemented a number of improvements to communications to ensure that claimants understand the sanctions process and can take the necessary action.</p><p>An investigation of housing benefit with local authorities showed that the IT solution is working to specification and correct notifications are being sent. As a safeguard we have also improved guidance to ensure that staff advise all claimants, when sanctioned, to inform their local authority so that their housing benefit is not inadvertently stopped.</p><p>We will continue to monitor the position in cooperation with local authorities.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 05/01/2015 16:30:58 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

170793

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	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, what steps his Department plans to take to make benefit claimants aware of (a) short-term benefit advances and (b) hardship payments.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	218961
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the oral answer given to him by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Official Report, 8 December 2014, column 633. The Secretary of State set out how the department will be doing more to raise awareness of Short Term Benefit Advances (STBAs). This will include providing more information to claimants about STBAs online and in Jobcentres. Staff guidance on STBAs will also be updated and staff reminded of the process for considering an STBA.</p><p>The department has already made improvements to the hardship process. In July 2014 we strengthened guidance for work coaches so that all claimants are informed about how and when they can make an application for hardship payment and processing times have also been improved.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 05/01/2015 14:00:16 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

170792

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	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	Work Programme: Lone Parents
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone parents were referred to the Work Programme between June 2011 and June 2014; and how many such parents achieved a sustained job outcome.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	218962
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Information in relation to the Work Programme referrals and job outcomes by lone parent status, up to June 2014, is published and can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html" target="_blank">http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for users is available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance</a></p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 05/01/2015 13:42:34 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

170791

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	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, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference in the number of short-term benefit allowance payments in 2013-14 and the number of crisis loan alignment payments in each of the previous six years.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	218964
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>It is not possible to compare the number of Short Term Benefit Advance (STBA) payments with the number of Crisis Loan alignment payments as there are a number of key differences in the respective rules and processes.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 05/01/2015 13:42:09 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

170548

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Written Questions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems his Department has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	218795
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>No estimate has been made of savings arising from the introduction of the Q&amp;A system. The introduction of the Q&amp;A system has had no impact on existing or planned ICT systems.</p><p> </p><p>One of the benefits of the new system is the possibility for the reporting of the timeliness of answers to Parliamentary Questions to be delivered with greater consistency and accuracy across all answering bodies. It will be for the Procedure Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system in improving performance when it assesses the evidence following the end of the session.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 05/01/2015 14:07:04 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

172449

	registered interest
	date	07/01/2015
	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	Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the staff in his Department responsible for the Work Programme are divided between those dealing with contracting and those dealing with performance; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that division on his Department's efficiency.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	219991
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Staff responsible for commercial and performance aspects of the Work Programme are part of the Department’s Finance Group. Commercial staff work closely alongside Performance staff who focus their activities on further driving up performance with those suppliers. This approach allows greater flexibility and efficiency in deploying staff across the Department’s portfolio of contracts. This approach fits with best practice endorsed by Cabinet Office.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 12/01/2015 14:16:06 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms