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1005853

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	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	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's policy is on supporting benefit claimants who must pay for the funeral of a family member; and if her Department will introduce an allowance for benefit claimants who must pay for the funeral of a family member to ensure that their benefit claims are not adversely affected.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	190493
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2018 answer text <p>The Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment scheme makes a contribution towards the cost of a funeral for people in receipt of certain income related benefits and tax credits. To qualify, the applicant must be accepted as responsible for arranging the funeral, they (or their partner) must receive one of the qualifying benefits and they must be the partner or a close relative or close friend of the deceased.</p><p> </p><p>The amount payable depends on whether there is any other money available, for example from the deceased’s estate. As the Payment is linked to the deceased’s assets, it does not adversely affect the applicant’s savings.</p><p> </p><p>The scheme offers support by meeting the ‘necessary costs’ of a cremation or burial, including acquiring a burial plot. An allowance of up to £700 is also available to meet other funeral costs such as a coffin, religious venue and funeral director fees.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 15/11/2018 09:55:33 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

943066

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2018
	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	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons her Department uses shared care bands when calculating reductions to child maintenance payments; and what her Department's rationale was in deciding what those bands should be.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	165064
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>Where there is shared care an adjustment may be made to the maintenance calculation to take account of the overnight care a paying parent is expected to have over a twelve month period.</p><p> </p><p>Bands are used to allow for simpler calculations and to reduce the need to consider small changes. Child maintenance is calculated at a weekly rate so the reduction is applied in ratios of sevenths to reflect how the number of nights per year relates to a weekly amount.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/07/2018 11:18:13 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

943068

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2018
	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	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons her Department is mandating paying parents to continue paying maintenance under the Child Maintenance Service when they have shared care for their child for more than 50 per cent of the year.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	165065
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>In most cases where care of a child is shared by parents, one parent tends to take a greater share of responsibility for that child. In such cases, it is right that the other parent remains financially liable for supporting their child, although the care they are providing will often result in a low maintenance liability.</p><p><em> </em></p><p>Where there is equal day to day care, there will be no requirement to pay maintenance. This reflects the fact that, in these circumstances, both parents are meeting their obligations to their children equally, so there is no need for one to make additional payments of child maintenance.</p><p> </p><p>Parents may choose to make a family based arrangement that works for their individual circumstances without any Child Maintenance Service involvement.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/07/2018 11:20:45 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

944830

	registered interest
	date	19/07/2018
	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	Social Security Benefits: Domestic Abuse
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department provides to people fleeing abuse from their home where they have a financial interest such as a mortgage and are therefore unable to claim the housing benefit element of universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	166214
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>DWP has a range of measures designed to support people who flee abusive or violent households. These include easements to benefit conditionality to give claimants the space and time needed to stabilise their lives, special provisions in both Housing Benefit and Universal Credit housing support when a claimant is temporarily absent from their home through fear of violence, and exemptions from Child Maintenance fees. Work Coaches may also signpost and refer domestic violence victims to organisations that can provide further support.</p><p> </p><p>In particular, a claimant who leaves a mortgaged home due to domestic abuse or violence can continue to receive a support for mortgage interest (SMI) loan in respect of that property for up to 52 weeks, where they intend to return to the property, and were receiving an SMI loan at the time they fled the property.</p><p> </p><p>If the claimant has fled to a refuge, support for the rental costs is available from Housing Benefit, or if the claimant has fled and rented a general needs home, support for the housing costs is available from Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>In Universal Credit, support for housing costs is available for victims who take a new rent liability for up to 52 weeks, as the capital value of the home they have fled from is disregarded; or in Housing Benefit for those who have fled to a refuge, if the former home is occupied by a partner from whom the claimant is estranged, the capital value from the home is disregarded for up to 26 weeks.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 24/07/2018 16:09:46 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

964287

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2018
	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	Children: Maintenance
	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 Child Maintenance Service uses up-to-date income information automatically obtained from HMRC for non-resident parents when making maintenance calculations where HMRC does not possess income information for a full tax year.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	169509
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2018 answer text <p>Where the Child Maintenance Service requests information about a Paying Parent’s income HMRC will provide information for the most recent complete tax year they have in the last six years. In the majority of cases this will generate a clear and easily understood income figure. Where this is not possible the Child Maintenance Service will make a calculation based on information, which parents are legally required to provide, which demonstrates what the Paying Parent’s current income is.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 06/09/2018 12:24:16 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

964310

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2018
	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	Children: Maintenance
	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 23 July 2018 to Question 165065 Children: Maintenance and with reference to page 27 of his Department's paper How We Work Out Child Maintenance: A Step-by-Step Guide, for what reason a parent with 50-50 shared care of their child is require to pay child maintenance.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	169510
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2018 answer text <p>In cases where exactly equal care is provided by both parents neither parent is required to pay maintenance. If shared care is provided for at least 175 nights in the year on average, maintenance is reduced by one half to reflect the care contribution made by the Paying Parent. <br>Maintenance is still due, but at a reduced level because it is expected that the principal provider of care would still bear a greater proportion of the associated costs of day to day care of the child.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 06/09/2018 12:27:51 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

982640

	registered interest
	date	08/10/2018
	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	Children: Maintenance
	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 6 September 2018 to Question 169510 on Children: Maintenance; what criteria is used to decide the (a) principal provider of care and (b) proportion of the associated costs of day to day care when that care is shared.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	176386
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/10/2018 answer text <p>The principle provider of care for the purpose of child maintenance is the person who has the main day to day care of the child. This person is referred to as the Receiving Parent as they are entitled to receive child maintenance. The Child Maintenance Service will primarily determine who the Receiving Parent is based on eligibility for Child Benefit.</p><p> </p><p>Where day to day care is equally shared neither parent is required to pay child maintenance.</p><p> </p><p>Child maintenance payments are reduced to take account of the cost of overnight care provided by the parent who pays maintenance. The proportion of the reduction is based on the average number of nights a child stays with the other parent, up to a maximum reduction of 50%.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 11/10/2018 09:48:46 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

993556

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2018
	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	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much revenue has been raised from the £20 fee on applications to the Child Maintenance Service to date.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	182810
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2018 answer text <p>Applications fees data is not explicitly available but forms part of the broader Receipts and Payments Statement information within the published Client Fund Accounts these can be accessed at the following links:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/667954/hc610-client-funds-account-2016-17-2012-cms.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/667954/hc610-client-funds-account-2016-17-2012-cms.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/578769/hc856-client-funds-account-2015-16-2012-cms.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/578769/hc856-client-funds-account-2015-16-2012-cms.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>Information on fees for 2017/18 financial year will not be available until audit of the 2017/18 Client Funds Account has been completed, anticipated by January 2019.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 26/10/2018 13:46:39 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

993557

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2018
	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	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will automatically include unearned income drawn from HMRC in all child maintenance calculations.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	182811
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2018 answer text <p>We are working with HMRC to increase awareness among clients as to what unearned income is and the impact it can have on child maintenance liabilities. We believe that this, along with enhancing case worker training in this area, will help identify and factor unearned income into the calculation at an earlier point in case.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 26/10/2018 09:36:12 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

995511

	registered interest
	date	26/10/2018
	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	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much child maintenance has not been paid by non-resident parents to parents with care to date (a) in total and (b) under the Collect and Pay scheme in each year since 2012 where figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	184399
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2018 answer text <p>The latest statistics on unpaid maintenance are published in Table 9 of the Child Maintenance Service: August 2013 to June 2018 (experimental) statistics available online at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-august-2013-to-june-2018-experimental" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-august-2013-to-june-2018-experimental</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The figures include all unpaid maintenance from Direct Pay arrangements that have broken down and subsequently transferred onto the Collect &amp; Pay Service. Data on payments made directly between parents on Direct Pay are not available.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 31/10/2018 10:13:13 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows