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1007135

registered interest
date	14/11/2018
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	Zero Hours Contracts: Young People
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 her Department's press release entitled Youth unemployment down 50% since 2010, published on gov.uk on 16 October 2018, what proportion of recorded employment was under a zero-hours contract.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	191422
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2018 answer text <p>The Office for National Statistics (ONS) use the Labour Force Survey (LFS) to provide estimates for the number of people employed on zero hours’ contracts.</p><p> </p><p>The ONS figures for people in employment on zero hours’ contracts broken down by age, do not go back to 2010 and are only currently available up to April-June 2018. Therefore no directly comparable figures to the youth unemployment statistics cited are available.</p><p> </p><p>The majority of young people are not employed on zero hours’ contracts. In 2018 (Apr-Jun) there were 261,000 16-24 year olds on a zero hours’ contracts – representing only 6.9% of employed 16-24 year olds.</p><p> </p><p>This is down from 299,000 young people (7.8% of employed young people) in 2017 (Apr-Jun), but a slight increase from the first comparable data available, which shows in 2014 (Apr-Jun) there were 235,000 young people on a zero hours’ contract (or 6.3% of employed young people).</p><p> </p><p>Many people in full-time education are employed on zero hours’ contracts, in part because of the flexibility they provide. 18.5% of all people in 2018 (Apr-Jun) on zero hours’ contracts were in full-time education – compared to 2.3% of people not on a zero hours’ contract.</p><p> </p><p>The ONS data shows that the majority of people on zero hours’ contracts are happy with the hours provided by their zero hours’ contract.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 20/11/2018 16:24:01 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma previous answer version 85857 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1050523

registered interest
date	29/01/2019
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	Work Capability Assessment: Slavery
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether victims of modern slavery are exempt from the requirement to take an annual work capability assessment; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Gedling
tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
uin	213946
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>Ending modern slavery is one of this Government’s top priorities, and we are sensitive to the challenges faced by victims. We have worked with the Salvation Army to improve the service provided by DWP to victims. The purpose of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is to assess the impact of mental and physical health conditions, including any resulting from being a victim of modern slavery on a person, so that the right level of benefit and support can be provided. There are no exemptions from being assessed for those claiming Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), or Universal Credit (UC) due to illness or disability. In addition to completing the application form or forms people or those supporting them are encouraged to provide additional evidence, including medical reports, to support their claim. If it is possible for the assessor to provide advice to the decision maker without requiring the claimant to attend a face-to-face assessment, they will do so.</p><p><br></p><p>The WCA is not an annual assessment. Re-referral dates can be up to 24 months for those found to have limited capability for work, and up to 3 years for those found to have limited capability for work-related activity. Furthermore, from 29 September 2017 those placed in ESA’s Support Group and the UC equivalent who have the most severe and lifelong health conditions or disabilities, whose level of function would always mean that they would have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity, and be unlikely ever to be able to move into work, will no longer be routinely reassessed.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 04/02/2019 16:42:28 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1648624

registered interest
date	28/06/2023
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	Weed Control: Health and Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Health and Safety Executive plans to publish guidance on the use of drones to spray bracken.
tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
tabling member printed	Sir Bill Wiggin
uin	191517
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2023 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not plan to publish guidance on the use of drones to spray bracken with pesticides.</p><p> </p><p>HSE already accepts requests to permit the application of pesticides by drones and information is provided on HSE’s website, with potential applicants advised to contact HSE directly.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 06/07/2023 08:47:04 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin

1002760

registered interest
date	06/11/2018
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: 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 process is used by her Department to estimate the (a) average call duration and (b) amount of calls taken by case managers working on universal credit; and if she will publish the results of such estimates for each year for which information is available.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	188875
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/11/2018 answer text <p>Data can be extracted from the Universal Credit Full Service system to establish the average number of calls per day and the average duration.</p><p> </p><p>We have no plans to collect or publish this data routinely given the costs involved in maintaining it to official statistics standards.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 12/11/2018 18:05:10 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1002761

registered interest
date	06/11/2018
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: 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 estimate her Department has made of the number of case managers working on universal credit who are seconded to the national telephony team for each shift; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	188876
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/11/2018 answer text <p>We currently have 400 colleagues assigned to Universal Credit national tier telephony. We retain the flexibility to adjust the number of colleagues working on some of the core functions within Universal Credit to accommodate fluctuations in demand and the number of colleagues deployed to National Tier telephony will vary month on month as required.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 12/11/2018 18:02:05 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1190110

registered interest
date	24/04/2020
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: Sheffield City Region
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants had their applications for universal credit (a) approved and (b) rejected in the (i) Sheffield City Region and (ii) Barnsley Central constituency since 1 March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	39601
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available at constituency level and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 39586 39602 39716 question first answered 29/04/2020 15:47:34 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1190111

registered interest
date	24/04/2020
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: Sheffield City Region
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants had their applications for an advance on their first payment (a) approved and (b) rejected in the (i) Sheffield City Region and (ii) Barnsley Central constituency since 1 March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	39602
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available at constituency level and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 39586 39601 39716 question first answered 29/04/2020 15:47:34 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1010366

registered interest
date	19/11/2018
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: Self-employed
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 the calculation of universal credit for self-employed people (a) accurately reflects (i) the amount that they allocate to expenses to maintain their business and (ii) their take-home earnings and (b) leaves those people in a better financial position as a result of being in work.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	192922
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2018 answer text <p>Claimants with earnings from self-employment are required to report them to DWP on a monthly basis. These earnings are reported on a simplified 'cash accounting' basis, which asks for the total income from receipts into the business and details of payments out of the business under defined categories during the assessment period. We assess net earnings after deducting business expenses. The requirements were designed to be as simple as possible in order for self-employed claimants to easily report their earnings and monthly reporting allows Universal Credit to be adjusted on a monthly basis.</p><p> </p><p>Where claimants are in the 12-month grace period or are gainfully self-employed and earning above the Minimum Income Floor (MIF), the single taper rate acts to ensure that they are better off working and earning more under Universal Credit, removing the cliff edges from the old legacy benefits system.</p><p>We announced at Autumn Budget 2018 that all new gainfully self-employed claimants can, from September 2020, access a 12-month exemption period from the MIF. This change will assist all gainfully self-employed claimants to grow their earnings, prepare and adjust for the application of the MIF. In 2022/23 it will allow 130,000 self-employed people the space to grow a successful business when moving on to Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 22/11/2018 16:20:35 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1343819

registered interest
date	05/07/2021
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: Mental Health
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 implications for her policies of the findings by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, published May 2021, on the design of the universal credit journal and the ability of people with mental health problems to use third party support to help manage their universal credit account.
tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
uin	27191
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made. Universal Credit (UC) provides personalised and tailored support for all claimants and Work Coaches are available to discuss any queries they may have about their online journals. Claimants can also provide authority for a third party to discuss aspects of their claim on their behalf.</p><p> </p><p>The Department provides mental health training for staff who have direct contact with claimants, including all Work Coaches, to equip them to identify mental wellbeing issues or vulnerabilities, and to take appropriate action to support individuals. Work Coaches will tailor support to the needs of the individual and work closely with local organisations that provide additional specialist support. To enable Work Coaches to provide that tailored experience, with the permission of the claimant, they are able to record, in a free text format, through the use of ‘pinned notes’ in the UC system, information which supports staff in identifying and managing relevant experiences and circumstances of individual claimants.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society, in both making and maintaining their claim. Help to Claim, delivered through Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, offers tailored and practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 09/07/2021 12:26:08 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1287080

registered interest
date	19/02/2021
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: Housing
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 the number of benefit claimants that face a shortfall between their actual rent and the amount for rent included in their universal credit payment; and what assessment she has made of the average size of that shortfall in each region.
tabling member constituency	North Warwickshire
tabling member printed	Craig Tracey
uin	155250
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>This is published in the supplementary tables available here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-14-january-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-14-january-2021</a>.</p><p> </p><p>For those that do experience a shortfall, Discretionary Housing Payments are available. Since 2011 we have provided over £1 billion in Discretionary Housing Payment funding, enabling local authorities to support households that need additional help by making financial awards to people experiencing financial difficulty with housing costs who qualify for Housing Benefit or the housing costs element of Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Universal Credit household shortfalls November 2020</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Average monthly shortfall</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Midlands</p></td><td><p>£126</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East of England</p></td><td><p>£181</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London</p></td><td><p>£259</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North East</p></td><td><p>£92</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North West</p></td><td><p>£116</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scotland</p></td><td><p>£114</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South East</p></td><td><p>£194</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>£142</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wales</p></td><td><p>£112</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Midlands</p></td><td><p>£130</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Yorkshire and The Humber</p></td><td><p>£107</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Great Britain</p></td><td><p>£154</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/03/2021 16:43:15 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4509 label Biography information for Craig Tracey