Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

855982

registered interest
date	06/03/2018
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	Support for Mortgage Interest
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps (a) her Department and (b) SERCO have taken to provide the full terms and conditions of the Support for Mortgage Interest Payments Loan to people who are entitled to apply for those loans.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	131148
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2018 answer text <p>The information provision process for Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans is being conducted by Serco on behalf of the Department. Existing SMI claimants are sent information about how the SMI loan will work, about possible alternatives to the loan and organisations that may offer further information and support. This is followed up by telephone calls from Serco, to explain the information and answer any questions. A leaflet containing Frequently Asked Questions is issued after this informed discussion. Where a claimant expresses an interest in taking up the offer of an SMI loan they will be sent a loan agreement and charge form, including all terms and conditions, to complete and return. They also receive detailed guidance on how to complete these documents.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 13/03/2018 11:28:56 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

855545

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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	Support for Mortgage Interest
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 as to the savings that will be accrued to the public purse as a result of the replacement of support for mortgage Interest with a loans-based system from April 2018.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	130852
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2018 answer text <p>The introduction of Support for Mortgage Interest loans is about increasing fairness and sustainability. It will save £160 million per year in welfare spending whilst continuing to support homeowners to avoid the threat of repossession.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 09/03/2018 09:18:59 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

855590

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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	Members: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance she has issued to her Department's Director General of Operations on the timescales for responding to correspondence from Members of Parliament on constituency casework.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	130897
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2018 answer text <p>The Department has a 15 working day target for MP to Director General Correspondence and this timescale is in line with Cabinet Office directives.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 12/03/2018 16:52:28 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

855643

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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 for benefit claimants who are fleeing domestic violence.
tabling member constituency	Telford
tabling member printed	Lucy Allan
uin	130950
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2018 answer text <p>The Government is fully committed to the prevention of abuse and the Department for Work and Pensions has a range of measures designed to support people who flee violent households. Easements in benefit conditionality give claimants the space and time needed to stabilise their lives. Job-seeking and work-preparation requirements can be suspended for up to 13 weeks. There is special provision in Housing Benefit for when someone is temporarily absent from their home through fear of domestic violence and abuse. If the person intends to return to their former home, they can receive Housing Benefit for both a former permanent home and temporary accommodation. There is similar provision in respect of the housing cost element of Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit provides an exemption for 18 to 21 year old claimants to be entitled to help with housing if they are a victim of domestic violence and abuse. There is provision for Universal Credit claimants to request separate benefit payments from their partner. There is also an exemption made in Universal Credit to support a third or subsequent child who is born on or after 6 April 2017 as a result of a non-consensual sexual act.</p><p> </p><p>Housing support for exempt accommodation such as a refuge is excluded from the calculation of the benefit cap for victims of domestic violence and abuse. The removal of the spare room subsidy will not apply to those victims of domestic violence who are staying in exempt accommodation.</p><p> </p><p>The department provides funding for Discretionary Housing Payments which are available from local authorities. These are aimed at a number of groups likely to be affected by welfare reform, including individuals or families fleeing domestic violence.</p><p> </p><p>Customers who have reported domestic violence are exempt from paying the £20 application fee to use the child maintenance service.</p><p> </p><p>A person that came to the UK on a family visa as a spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner, who needs to leave home through fear of domestic violence and abuse, can apply for a Home Office Destitute Domestic Violence concession. This will allow someone to claim benefits for up to 3 months while UK Visas and Immigration consider their application to settle in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Jobcentre Plus work coaches signpost and refer domestic violence victims to organisations that can provide further support.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Information on our support to victims of domestic violence was published on gov.uk on 5 January 2018 at the following link</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-violence-and-abuse-help-from-dwp" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-violence-and-abuse-help-from-dwp</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 12/03/2018 16:29:52 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4411 label Biography information for Lucy Allan

855700

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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	Department for Work and Pensions: Apprentices
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of the staff employed by her Department are apprentices.
tabling member constituency	Blackpool South
tabling member printed	Gordon Marsden
uin	131006
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2018 answer text <p>DWP’s headcount at the end of January 2018 is 83,147 of which 2,563 are currently undertaking an apprenticeship. This equates to 3.1% of DWP employees as of 31 January 2018.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 08/03/2018 11:15:48 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	465 label Biography information for Gordon Marsden

855728

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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	Support for Mortgage Interest
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people that will sell their home because of the introduction of the replacement loan for support for mortgage interest payments.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	131034
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2018 answer text <p>There is no reason for anyone to sell their home because of the introduction of Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 08/03/2018 15:22:42 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

855734

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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	Support for Mortgage Interest
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will issue guidance on accessing free and impartial financial advice on the support for mortgage interest payments loan.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	131040
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2018 answer text <p>All existing SMI claimants are sent information about how the SMI loan will work, about possible alternatives to the loan and organisations that may offer further information and support. This is followed up by telephone calls from Serco to explain the information and answer any questions. A leaflet containing Frequently Asked Questions is issued to support this informed discussion. The information provision explicitly does not provide advice but does signpost to other impartial organisations that can help customers who may need assistance on reaching a financial decision such as Money Advice Service.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 13/03/2018 11:27:12 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

855736

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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	Support for Mortgage Interest
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 replacement loan for support for mortgage interest payments is based on the Gilt interest rate.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	131042
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2018 answer text <p>SMI loans are interest bearing at the Gilt Forecast Rate, as set out in the most recent forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). This rate was chosen as this reflects the cost of the Government borrowing to fund SMI loans.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 08/03/2018 15:22:45 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

855742

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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	State Retirement Pensions: Females
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 22 February 2018 to Question 128116, what the average time taken is between (a) a complaint being received on the equalisation of the state pension age and (b) the completion of checks on that complaint to establish it can be accepted for examination by her Department's independent case examiner.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Ged Killen
uin	131048
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2018 answer text <p>The average time taken from receipt of a complaint about the equalisation of the state pension age, to the point at which the Independent Case Examiner’s Office makes a decision on whether it can be accepted for examination is currently 4 weeks.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 08/03/2018 11:15:52 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4672 label Biography information for Ged Killen

855772

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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: Day Care
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 research published by the Family and Childcare Trust on childcare costs published in February 2018, whether her Department has plans to change the current limit on childcare costs covered by universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Manchester Central
tabling member printed	Lucy Powell
uin	131077
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2018 answer text <p>We have already increased the level of support for childcare costs within Universal Credit from 70% to 85%, it’s highest ever level. This is more generous than the support available to people on legacy benefits, and means that hard working families on Universal Credit can now reclaim up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs. This gives parents up to £646.35 per month for one child and £1108.04 per month for two or more children.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government now provides more support than ever before to help parents with the costs of childcare, including providing 15 hours a week of free childcare in England for all 3 and 4 year olds and disadvantaged 2 year olds, doubling free childcare available for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours a week.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>DWP has no plans to change the current limit on childcare costs covered by Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 08/03/2018 17:36:24 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4263 label Biography information for Lucy Powell