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1139898

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2019
	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: Fraud
	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 15 July 2019 to Question 275665 on universal credit: fraud, what recourse is available to people who without their full knowledge have had their information used to make a fraudulent claim.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	278344
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>The Department takes benefit fraud very seriously and ensures that all cases are investigated thoroughly.</p><p> </p><p>If a claimant has been the victim of fraud, and has not benefitted financially in any way, they will not be asked to repay the money. The Department considers all cases on their own merits and decisions are made on the strength of the evidence provided.</p><p> </p><p>The Department remains committed to tackling the issue of fraudulent Universal Credit advance claims. We have set up a dedicated team of investigators to work on advances fraud cases, released a campaign on social media to raise awareness and remind people of the importance of safeguarding their identity and have been working with Social Media sites to shut down pages which promote this fraud, having shut down 52 so far.</p><p /><p>If any claimant has concerns about the safety of their personal information, they should speak to a member of Jobcentre staff or get help from Action Fraud.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 22/07/2019 14:46:55 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1139908

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Special Educational Needs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2019 to Question 231895, whether prison governors have assessed all new prisoners for learning difficulties and/or disabilities on reception since April 2019; and what proportion of the new prison population has been identified as having learning difficulties or disabilities.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	278346
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) introduced a Management Information System alongside the new education contracts in April this year to help collect a range of data for prison education including information on all new prisoners screened for learning difficulties and/or disabilities on reception to prison. Following this, for those who go into learning and where screening indicates an issue, education suppliers will assess them to ensure the right adaptations and support arrangements are put in place (including for maths and English delivery).</p><p> </p><p>The new system is still being embedded across the prison estate. I will therefore write to the Hon</p><p>Member with the information once the data requested is verified and becomes available. A copy</p><p>of my letter will also be placed in the Library.</p><p> </p><p>I can assure the Hon Member that prisoners continue to be screened for learning difficulties and/or disabilities on reception into prison using existing paper-based systems.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 22/07/2019 15:50:29 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1139913

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Private Rented Housing: Pensioners
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from pensioners on the challenges they have faced when renting a home from a private landlord.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	278349
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not record correspondence to the level of detail requested.</p><p>The Government has undertaken a number of measures to tackle the challenges faced by tenants, including older renters. These include banning unfair letting fees and capping deposits with the Tenant Fees Act 2019, empowering tenants who are paying rent for unfit properties to take action against their landlords and get compensation through the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, and making £20 million available through the Private Rented Sector Access Fund to enable better access and sustainment of tenancies for people who are, or at risk of becoming, homeless.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 22/07/2019 13:57:51 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1139917

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Insolvency
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to prevent insolvency; and what assessment he has made of the disparity in insolvency rates between (a) regions of England and Wales and (b) men and women.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	278351
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to helping people make good financial decisions, establishing the Money and Pensions Service to provide free support and guidance on all aspects of people’s financial lives. It has increased funding for the provision of debt advice in each of the past two years rising to almost £56million this year in England, which will deliver 560,000 debt advice sessions.</p><p> </p><p>Where individuals do get into problem debt the government has announced it will deliver its manifesto commitment for a Breathing Space scheme, which will protect debtors from creditor action, help them get professional advice on their debt problems, and enable them to find an appropriate and sustainable debt solution.</p><p> </p><p>The regional personal insolvency rate increased in 2018, driven mainly by individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs), with all regions following the national trend.</p><p> </p><p>Historically, males had a higher rate of insolvencies per 10,000 adults than females, but the gender gap noticeably narrowed from 2009 onwards and, by 2014, females began to have higher insolvency rates than males. This change coincided with a decline in the number of bankruptcies (where males have a higher rate of insolvency), the introduction and growth in the number of debt relief orders (where the rate for women is higher), and the narrowing and subsequent reversal of the gender gap for IVAs.</p><p> </p><p>The latest data providing a breakdown of individual insolvencies can be found in Individual Insolvencies by Location, Age and Gender, England and Wales, 2018; released on 17th July 2019 on the GOV.UK website.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 23/07/2019 15:12:07 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 130462 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1139918

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Police: Mental Illness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help support police officers who are experiencing mental health difficulties.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	278352
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government takes the issue of police wellbeing, including mental health, very seriously and has invested in programmes which offer help directly to officers and staff. In July 2017 the Home Office awarded £7.5 million from the Police Transformation Fund to the College of Policing over three years to pilot and, if these pilots were successful, roll out a dedicated national service to help provide enhanced welfare support to serving police officers and staff.</p><p>Following two years of development and piloting, the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS) was launched in April 2019. The NPWS has developed evidence-based guidance, advice, tools and resources which can be accessed by forces, as well as individual officers and staff. These include resources for forces to help forces better support officers and staff who are experiencing mental health problems.</p><p>In July 2018, we launched ‘A common goal for police wellbeing – to be achieved by 2021.’ This requires that by 2021, policing will ensure that every member of the police service feels confident that their welfare and wellbeing is actively supported by their police force throughout their career. The goal was published by the Home Office and jointly owned by a number of different or-ganisations, including Public Health England. This goal represents the result of six months of engagement by the Home Office with policing partners and health experts, setting out a shared vision for ensuring police officers and staff have the support they need to flourish.</p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 22/07/2019 16:16:56 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1139919

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Charitable Donations
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to tackle the financial imbalance in donations received by state schools in affluent areas and those in poorer areas.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	278353
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>Schools have historically generated income to bring communities together as well as to bring in extra funding, over and above schools’ core budget. There are many types of income generation, which range from letting out premises to beetle drives. Overall, schools generate around £1.3 billion a year, which is roughly 4% of the schools’ budget. Income specifically from donations and voluntary funds has remained steady at about 0.7% of schools’ overall budgets since 2011-12.</p><p>As set out in the Department’s Supporting Excellent School Resource Management strategy, the Department intends to publish guidance for schools on these issues.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 22/07/2019 16:20:25 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1138168

	registered interest
	date	10/07/2019
	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
	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 18 June 2019 to Question 263677, for what reason the letter sent to a universal credit claimant’s journal to confirm an advance payment does not specify the (a) amount to be repaid each month or (b) number of months that the repayments will last; and if he will add that information to that letter.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	275662
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The Department encourages all Universal Credit claimants to actively consider how best to manage their personal budget, with additional advice and support available from work coaches and case managers. When an advance payment is appropriate, claimants decide what percentage of their expected monthly award to apply for and over what period to repay it, up to a maximum of 12 monthly instalments.</p><p>Claimants have the ability to make the decision for themselves on the time period for repayment. Most claimants (around 85%) choose to repay their advance over a 12-month period, with others repaying in a shorter timeframe.</p><p>The Department has taken a number of steps to ensure that advances meet the needs of claimants and that recovery arrangements are personalised and reasonable. From October 2019 we are reducing the maximum rate of deductions to 30 per cent and from October 2021 we are increasing the maximum recovery period for advances from 12 to 16 months.</p><p>Claimants can view their Universal Credit statement online to see how their award is calculated and a breakdown of what deductions are being made.</p><p>We are committed to keeping all Universal Credit services and processes, under review and will make improvements where necessary.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 15/07/2019 15:51:24 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1138169

	registered interest
	date	10/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Commonwealth
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish a response to EDM 2164 on visa costs for Commonwealth service personnel.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	275663
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>All immigration and nationality fees are set within strict financial limits agreed with HM Treasury and Parliament, and are also aligned with clear principles that balance a number of complex factors, including the benefits likely to be accrued.</p><p>The issue of settlement fees for service personnel and their dependants is a complex matter to which the Home Office is giving careful and ongoing consideration.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 16/07/2019 11:09:57 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1138170

	registered interest
	date	10/07/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Whirlpool Corporation: Tumble Dryers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on ensuring that (a) people who purchased a defective Whirlpool tumble driers are compensated and (b) those dryers are made safe.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	275664
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>Under the agreed terms of the recall that Whirlpool is carrying out, consumers with an unmodified affected tumble dryer are entitled to a new replacement machine. This will be delivered and installed, with the old one removed, all at no cost. Alternatively, consumers can choose to upgrade to a different model for a reduced fee. A refund based on product age or a modification will be available to those consumers who do not want to take up the offer of a free replacement dryer from Whirlpool.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 16/07/2019 16:39:34 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1138172

	registered interest
	date	10/07/2019
	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: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the extent to which fraudulent claims for universal credit have been made by people using a loophole in the online application process to make an application and claim an advance using another person’s information.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	275665
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The Department is committed to bringing fraudsters to justice. Last year we, working alongside local authorities, recovered more than £1.1bn in fraud and error across all benefits and brought almost 5,000 prosecutions in 2017/18.</p><p> </p><p>As of June 2019, the Department has received around 42,000 fraud referrals from staff relating to potential fraudulent advance claims, which equates to less than 1 per cent of all Universal Credit claims.</p><p> </p><p>Our investigations are ongoing and we are therefore unable to provide details of how many may have used another person’s identity to make their claim, or to quantify the amount spent on investigations of this type. However, any cases in which this has occurred will be treated accordingly, with the continued use of both prosecutions and tough financial penalties to deter this fraudulent behaviour.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 275666 question first answered 15/07/2019 15:21:01 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe