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1242054

registered interest
date	09/10/2020
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	Pension Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps Department is taking to maximise uptake of pension credit.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North East
tabling member printed	Anne McLaughlin
uin	101292
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2020 answer text <p>While over 1.5 million pensioners currently receive Pension Credit, the Government wants to make sure that all pensioners eligible can claim the Pension Credit to which they are rightly entitled. That is why in February this year we launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of Pension Credit and help dispel some of the misconceptions that people might have about Pension Credit eligibility.</p><p> </p><p>We are also continuing to work with our stakeholders all across the UK, to help spread the key messages from the campaign because we know that often the best ways to reach eligible pensioners is through trusted stakeholders working in the local community. Our online Pension Credit toolkit (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit</a>) has been updated with the recent awareness campaign materials to supplement the resources it already contains for those working with pensioners, such as guides to Pension Credit and information designed to help older people understand how they could get Pension Credit.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In May this year we also launched an online claim service for Pension Credit to supplement the existing telephone and postal claim services (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit</a>). The new online service enables pensioners to apply for Pension Credit at a time that suits them.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 14/10/2020 16:40:12 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4437 label Biography information for Anne McLaughlin

1401783

registered interest
date	11/01/2022
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	Child Benefit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department takes to inform new mothers of their rights to claim child benefit; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	101612
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2022 answer text <p>DWP does not administer Child Benefit. However, should a new parent raise a Child Benefit query, DWP staff can direct customers to submit a claim with HMRC. This includes signposting to helpful Child Benefit advice and guidance readily available on the Gov.uk website.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 19/01/2022 11:48:51 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1401784

registered interest
date	11/01/2022
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	Child Benefit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions officials in his Department have had with (a) Ministers and (b) officials in other Government departments on the level of information contained in Bounty Joy Ltd information provided to new mothers on the possible loss of some future pension rights in the event that those women do not apply for child benefit; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	101613
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2022 answer text <p>The Government has encouraged families who are responsible for a child under 12 to claim Child Benefit regardless of household income to help them build qualifying years of National Insurance for future State Pension entitlement. The Child Benefit claim form and guidance notes were redesigned in April 2019 to help people understand the importance of claiming Child Benefit whether or not they decide to receive Child Benefit payments.</p><p> </p><p>The Child Benefit claim form is also available online at GOV.UK, through the HMRC helpline and through partners such as Citizen’s Advice.</p><p> </p><p>Qualifying Years of National Insurance can be built through a number of ways; National Insurance (NI) contributions whilst working or self-employed; by being credited with NI credits including for Child Benefit; and through making voluntary NI contributions. Additionally, individuals may build up sufficient qualifying years for the full rate of the new State Pension, over an expected working life of 50 years, even if there are some gaps in their NI record. Most individuals under the age of 50 will get the full rate of the new State Pension with 35 qualifying years.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not believe that there have been any recent discussions on the matter raised.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 19/01/2022 11:30:05 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1547634

registered interest
date	02/12/2022
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: Veterans
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 2 November 2022 to Question 72201 on Universal Credit: Veterans, how many Universal Credit claimants have been identified as (a) serving and (b) having previously served in the Armed Forces for the assessment periods ending in October 2022.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	101692
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2022 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started collecting data on the Armed Forces status of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Great Britain (GB) in April 2021. Initially only new claimants were asked about their Armed Forces status. From June 2021 onwards, other UC claimants reporting changes in their work and earnings have also been able to report their status. From July 2021 onwards, UC agents have also been able to record claimants’ Armed Forces status if they are told about this via other means such as journal messages, face-to-face meetings or by telephone.</p><p> </p><p>Data coverage continues to improve over time and by October 2022 data was held on the armed forces status of approximately 56% of the GB UC caseload (see table below).</p><p> </p><p>It should be noted that Armed forces status is self-reported by claimants and is not verified by the Ministry of Defence or Office for Veterans’ Affairs. A claimant’s status can be recorded as “currently serving”, “served in the past”, “not served” or “prefer not to say”. Data is not collected on the specific branch of the Armed Forces that claimants are serving in or have served in in the past.</p><p> </p><p>Data is not held on the total number of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past, but data is held on those who have identified themselves so far.</p><p> </p><p>The way the data is collected means the claimants for whom an Armed Forces status is recorded are not representative of the UC caseload as a whole. This means it is not yet possible to produce reliable estimates of the overall number or proportion of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past.</p><p> </p><p>Increases in the numbers of claimants, on UC, with a recorded status of “currently serving” or “served in the past” do not necessarily mean the overall numbers of claimants who are currently serving or have served in the past have increased and may reflect increases in the number of claimants for whom data is held as data coverage improves over time.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the proportion of the GB UC caseload with a recorded Armed Forces status. It also shows how many claimants on the caseload had a recorded status of each type.</p><p> </p><p>GB UC caseload by recorded Armed Forces status</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>UC caseload Month</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion of caseload with a recorded status</strong></p></td><td><p><strong> Currently serving</strong></p></td><td><p><strong> Served in the past</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Not served</strong></p></td><td><p><strong> Prefer not to say”</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>October 2022</p></td><td><p>56%</p></td><td><p>3,400</p></td><td><p>43,500</p></td><td><p>3,173,000</p></td><td><p>23,800</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p>1. Data is not collected on the Armed Forces status of UC claimants in Northern Ireland. The figures provided only relate to Great Britain.</p><p>2. Percentages are rounded to the nearest percent and numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.</p><p>3. Figures may be subject to retrospective changes as more up-to-date data becomes available or if methodological improvements are made.</p><p>4. Due to methodological improvements, these figures are based on the Official Statistics UC caseload definition. Some previous figures have used an alternative caseload definition based on assessment period end dates.</p><p>5. Further information on the caseload definition used for the UC official statistics can be found on Stat-Xplore: <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/</a></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 07/12/2022 11:53:39 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

1547687

registered interest
date	02/12/2022
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	Cost of Living Payments and 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 1 December to Question 96602 on Cost of Living Payments and Universal Credit, if he will take steps to collate the cost of living payment and Universal Credit payments so that claimants avoid benefit overlap which would require them to reapply for Universal Credit.
tabling member constituency	North Tyneside
tabling member printed	Mary Glindon
uin	101726
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2022 answer text <p>I refer the Hon member to the response I gave to her last <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-11-25/96602/" target="_blank">PQ 96602</a>, the cost of living payments have no impact on existing benefit awards, and so they do not cause claimants to have to reapply for Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 07/12/2022 14:04:49 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4126 label Biography information for Mary Glindon

1547679

registered interest
date	02/12/2022
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: Payments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for Hardship Payments for Universal Credit were (a) received and (b) approved in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	101728
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2022 answer text <p>It is not possible to respond to this Question with sufficient precision as there is no data on applications made.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 07/12/2022 12:42:05 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1547682

registered interest
date	02/12/2022
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 and Health Programme
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 have left the Work and Health programme as a result of finding employment in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	101731
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2022 answer text <p>The number of job outcomes each month for the Work and Health Programme is available on GOV.UK and can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/work-and-health-programme-statistics-to-august-2022" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 07/12/2022 11:56:16 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1547683

registered interest
date	02/12/2022
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 and Health Programme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on the Work and Health programme in each of the last five calendar years.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	101732
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2022 answer text <p>The contract costs for Work and Health Programme over the last 5 financial years.</p><p /><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019/20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2020/21</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2021/22</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Area</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>ACTUAL</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>ACTUAL</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>ACTUAL</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>ACTUAL</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>ACTUAL</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>WHP – National Contracts</p></td><td><p>5,859,285</p></td><td><p>32,939,838</p></td><td><p>46,939,390</p></td><td><p>58,036,873</p></td><td><p>67,314,474</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>WHP – Devolved Contracts</p></td><td><p>887,827</p></td><td><p>13,044,931</p></td><td><p>15,947,618</p></td><td><p>17,138,146</p></td><td><p>16,730,739</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>6,747,112</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>45,984,769</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>62,887,009</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>75,175,019</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>84,045,212</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 07/12/2022 11:29:16 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1401976

registered interest
date	11/01/2022
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: Complaints
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 the number of complaints made about her Department accepted by the Independent Case Examiner has increased over the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	101734
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2022 answer text <p>The Independent Case Examiner (ICE) plays an important role in responding to complaints about the Department, where the customer remains dissatisfied with DWP’s final response, and there are a variety of factors that can influence the numbers of complaints accepted by the ICE office.</p><p> </p><p>As yet, it is too early to draw any firm conclusions about what may have caused any increase in complaints being accepted by ICE over the last 12 months, but we continue to monitor escalation rates closely and work with the ICE office to identify and address potential drivers.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 14/01/2022 14:23:50 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1401999

registered interest
date	11/01/2022
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	Pensioners: Fuel Poverty
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 impact of the rise in the cost of energy on people in receipt of their pension.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	101776
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2022 answer text <p>The Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Act 2021 introduced a double lock and allowed the Government to increase pensions by the higher of inflation or 2.5%. From April 2022 state pensions will be increased by 3.1% and this represents an additional £4bn spend on pensioner benefits in 2022/23.</p><p> </p><p>Pension Credit also provides invaluable financial support for vulnerable pensioners. Around 1.4 million eligible pensioners across Great Britain receive some £5bn in Pension Credit, which tops up their retirement income and is a passport to other financial help such as support with housing costs, council tax, heating bills and a free TV licence for those over 75.</p><p> </p><p>Local Authorities in England have discretion to design their own bespoke local schemes within the overall parameters of the Household Support Fund, with support primarily focused on food, energy &amp; water bills and wider essentials. Up to 50% of the Fund is available for councils to spend on households without children, including those of State Pension age.</p><p> </p><p>Other support for pensioners includes Winter Fuel Payments which continue to be payable to customers of State Pension age. We pay £200 to households with a customer aged between 66 and 79 and £300 to a household with someone aged 80 or over. We pay over 11 million winter fuel payments annually at a cost of £2bn which is a significant contribution to winter fuel bills.</p><p> </p><p>Cold Weather Payments are also available and help vulnerable people in receipt of certain income-related benefits to meet additional heating costs, during periods of unseasonably cold weather between 1 November and 31 March. This includes older people in receipt of Pension Credit.</p><p> </p><p>The Warm Home Discount Scheme provides those in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit a discount of £140 on their energy bill providing their supplier is part of the scheme.</p><p>There are now 200 thousand fewer pensioners in absolute poverty (both before and after housing costs) than in 2009/10.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 103593 question first answered 19/01/2022 11:54:32 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell