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1716914

registered interest
date	09/05/2024
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: Equality
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 7 March 2024 to Question 17024 on Department for Work and Pensions: Equality, how many people work in the (a) Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing and (b) specialist equalities team.
tabling member constituency	Harborough
tabling member printed	Neil O'Brien
uin	25560
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>In the EDIW team, part of the wider HR function on the 1<sup>st</sup> May there were 25 people.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>As of the 13<sup>th</sup> May 2024, there is a headcount of 29 people on the Customer Accessibility, Standards and Assurance (CASA) team driving forward changes as part of continuous improvement. The team is developing an assurance framework and a clear set of standards to support the change process in the department.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 15/05/2024 13:40:00 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien

1716916

registered interest
date	09/05/2024
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: Widowed People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support widowed pensioners to manage their finances.
tabling member constituency	Southport
tabling member printed	Damien Moore
uin	25543
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government recognises that people face important decisions about how to use their pension savings and ensures everyone has access to free, impartial pension guidance through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS).</p><p> </p><p>Pension Wise, a service delivered through MaPS’ MoneyHelper brand, can help anyone over 50 understand their options for accessing their Defined Contribution pension pots. After entering retirement, ongoing guidance is available through the MoneyHelper website, hotline and webchat. This ranges from budget planners and retirement-specific benefits, to long-term care and debt support.</p><p> </p><p>MoneyHelper also provides support for people who need help with their money matters when someone has died, including specific guidance on pensions and bereavement. This includes how to register a power of attorney.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, in November 2023 the Government, in the response to the ‘Helping savers understand their pension choices: supporting individuals at the point of access’ consultation, signalled its intent to place duties on all trustees of occupational pension schemes to offer a decumulation service to support their members with decisions around accessing their pension savings. This includes offering a range of products at an appropriate quality and price.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard grouped question UIN 25544 question first answered 15/05/2024 13:54:07 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4669 label Biography information for Damien Moore

1716917

registered interest
date	09/05/2024
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: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support pensioners to manage their finances.
tabling member constituency	Southport
tabling member printed	Damien Moore
uin	25544
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government recognises that people face important decisions about how to use their pension savings and ensures everyone has access to free, impartial pension guidance through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS).</p><p> </p><p>Pension Wise, a service delivered through MaPS’ MoneyHelper brand, can help anyone over 50 understand their options for accessing their Defined Contribution pension pots. After entering retirement, ongoing guidance is available through the MoneyHelper website, hotline and webchat. This ranges from budget planners and retirement-specific benefits, to long-term care and debt support.</p><p> </p><p>MoneyHelper also provides support for people who need help with their money matters when someone has died, including specific guidance on pensions and bereavement. This includes how to register a power of attorney.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, in November 2023 the Government, in the response to the ‘Helping savers understand their pension choices: supporting individuals at the point of access’ consultation, signalled its intent to place duties on all trustees of occupational pension schemes to offer a decumulation service to support their members with decisions around accessing their pension savings. This includes offering a range of products at an appropriate quality and price.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard grouped question UIN 25543 question first answered 15/05/2024 13:54:07 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4669 label Biography information for Damien Moore

1716029

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
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: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the address to which to submit pre-action correspondence to his Department changed from DWP Legal Advisers to the Treasury Solicitor in January 2024.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	25035
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The relevant pre-action protocol continues to require, as it did before 1<sup>st</sup> January 2024, that pre-action correspondence be sent to the place where the decision was made, i.e. to the address on the letter notifying the decision. Once a claim is issued, service should be on the Treasury Solicitor.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 15/05/2024 13:39:25 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1716030

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
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: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to communicate to benefits advisers the change of address to which to submit pre-action correspondence relating to his Department.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	25036
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The relevant pre-action protocol continues to require, as it did before 1<sup>st</sup> January 2024, that pre-action correspondence be sent to the place where the decision was made. There has therefore been no change to communicate.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 15/05/2024 13:36:36 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1716031

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
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: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pieces of pre-action correspondence relating to his Department have been (a) received by the Treasury Solicitor and (b) responded to since 1 January 2024.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	25037
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The Department responds to a range of correspondence badged by the sender as “pre-action”, sent into a variety of offices across DWP. These are handled on a case-by-case basis. It does not currently collect data that can answer the question asked, and nor is there a requirement for it to do so.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 15/05/2024 13:38:32 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1716032

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
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: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time is between pre-action correspondence relating to his Department being (a) received by the Treasury Solicitor and (b) responded to in the latest period for which data is available.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	25038
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The Department responds to a range of correspondence badged by the sender as “pre-action”, sent into a variety of offices across DWP. These are handled on a case-by-case basis. It does not currently collect data that can answer the question asked, and nor is there a requirement for it to do so.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 15/05/2024 13:35:05 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1716187

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
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 many child maintenance cases were moved from collect and pay to direct pay in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Ashley Dalton
uin	25127
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates 2 service types: Direct Pay and Collect and Pay. In Direct Pay cases, the CMS provides a maintenance calculation and issues a payment schedule, but the payments are arranged privately between the receiving parent and the paying parent. In Collect and Pay, the CMS collects the maintenance from the paying parent and transfers it to the receiving parent.</p><p>Since Direct Pay was introduced, the CMS has made several improvements to how the service operates. The importance of full and on-time maintenance payments is emphasised in all cases and the CMS will notify parents at the start of every case, and at each annual review, what to do if their arrangement breaks down.</p><p>The CMS also sends SMS messages to all receiving parents using the Direct Pay service to remind them to contact the CMS if their maintenance arrangement is not working. My Child Maintenance Case, which is a parent’s online service account with the CMS, also reminds parents to check their bank account for receipt of direct payments and encourages digital reporting of any missed payments.</p><p>If a Direct Pay arrangement breaks down, the case will be moved to Collect and Pay where the CMS collects the money from the paying parent and transfers it to the receiving parent. Further enforcement action can also be taken if parents continue to fail to pay.</p><p>Government takes the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously and recognises that domestic abuse often continues and can worsen after separation, which can have detrimental impacts on the welfare of children.</p><p>The CMS has procedures in place to ensure victims and survivors of domestic abuse can use its services safely. Of 29,000 new applications to the CMS in the quarter ending December 2023, 56% of applications were exempt from the application fee, largely on the grounds of domestic abuse.</p><p>The CMS recognises that domestic abuse can take many forms including physical, emotional, or financial abuse, violent or threatening behaviour and coercive control and has procedures in place to ensure domestic abuse cases are handled appropriately.</p><p>For parents using the Direct Pay service, the CMS can act as an intermediary to facilitate the exchange of bank details to help ensure there is no unwanted contact between parents and can provide information on how to set up bank accounts with a centralised sort code, which reduces the risk of a parent’s location being traced. CMS caseworkers will also signpost, where needed, to suitable domestic abuse organisations, if domestic abuse is raised or suspected.</p><p>The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the CMS. Latest statistics are available up to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-december-2023" target="_blank">December 2023</a>, with statistics for the number of child maintenance cases moved from collect and pay to direct pay shown in ‘Table 4: Service Type Changes, Great Britain, October 2015 to December 2023’ of the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6601806ff1d3a0666832ac65/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-december-2023.ods" target="_blank">National tables</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested in relation to how many child maintenance cases were moved from collect and pay to direct pay where the child maintenance service was aware of domestic abuse in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023, is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p><p>The Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 28 June 2023 following a Private Members Bill that had full Government support. We announced a consultation early 2024 to seek views on how the CMS collects and transfers maintenance.</p><p> </p><p>On 8 May, the Department published a public consultation, Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, which follows the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023 receiving Royal Assent. The consultation proposes to remove the Direct Pay service completely, which will go further than the measures set out in the Act and provide the same level of protection for all parents.</p><p> </p><p>The consultation closes 31<sup>st</sup> July 2024. The Government will then carefully consider the feedback and a response will be published.</p><p> </p><p>To find out more information go to: Child Maintenance: Improving the collection and transfer of payments - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard grouped question UIN 25128 25129 question first answered 15/05/2024 13:49:18 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4981 label Biography information for Ashley Dalton

1716188

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
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 many child maintenance cases were moved from collect and pay to direct pay where the child maintenance service was aware of domestic abuse in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Ashley Dalton
uin	25128
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates 2 service types: Direct Pay and Collect and Pay. In Direct Pay cases, the CMS provides a maintenance calculation and issues a payment schedule, but the payments are arranged privately between the receiving parent and the paying parent. In Collect and Pay, the CMS collects the maintenance from the paying parent and transfers it to the receiving parent.</p><p>Since Direct Pay was introduced, the CMS has made several improvements to how the service operates. The importance of full and on-time maintenance payments is emphasised in all cases and the CMS will notify parents at the start of every case, and at each annual review, what to do if their arrangement breaks down.</p><p>The CMS also sends SMS messages to all receiving parents using the Direct Pay service to remind them to contact the CMS if their maintenance arrangement is not working. My Child Maintenance Case, which is a parent’s online service account with the CMS, also reminds parents to check their bank account for receipt of direct payments and encourages digital reporting of any missed payments.</p><p>If a Direct Pay arrangement breaks down, the case will be moved to Collect and Pay where the CMS collects the money from the paying parent and transfers it to the receiving parent. Further enforcement action can also be taken if parents continue to fail to pay.</p><p>Government takes the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously and recognises that domestic abuse often continues and can worsen after separation, which can have detrimental impacts on the welfare of children.</p><p>The CMS has procedures in place to ensure victims and survivors of domestic abuse can use its services safely. Of 29,000 new applications to the CMS in the quarter ending December 2023, 56% of applications were exempt from the application fee, largely on the grounds of domestic abuse.</p><p>The CMS recognises that domestic abuse can take many forms including physical, emotional, or financial abuse, violent or threatening behaviour and coercive control and has procedures in place to ensure domestic abuse cases are handled appropriately.</p><p>For parents using the Direct Pay service, the CMS can act as an intermediary to facilitate the exchange of bank details to help ensure there is no unwanted contact between parents and can provide information on how to set up bank accounts with a centralised sort code, which reduces the risk of a parent’s location being traced. CMS caseworkers will also signpost, where needed, to suitable domestic abuse organisations, if domestic abuse is raised or suspected.</p><p>The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the CMS. Latest statistics are available up to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-december-2023" target="_blank">December 2023</a>, with statistics for the number of child maintenance cases moved from collect and pay to direct pay shown in ‘Table 4: Service Type Changes, Great Britain, October 2015 to December 2023’ of the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6601806ff1d3a0666832ac65/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-december-2023.ods" target="_blank">National tables</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested in relation to how many child maintenance cases were moved from collect and pay to direct pay where the child maintenance service was aware of domestic abuse in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023, is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p><p>The Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 28 June 2023 following a Private Members Bill that had full Government support. We announced a consultation early 2024 to seek views on how the CMS collects and transfers maintenance.</p><p> </p><p>On 8 May, the Department published a public consultation, Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, which follows the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023 receiving Royal Assent. The consultation proposes to remove the Direct Pay service completely, which will go further than the measures set out in the Act and provide the same level of protection for all parents.</p><p> </p><p>The consultation closes 31<sup>st</sup> July 2024. The Government will then carefully consider the feedback and a response will be published.</p><p> </p><p>To find out more information go to: Child Maintenance: Improving the collection and transfer of payments - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard grouped question UIN 25127 25129 question first answered 15/05/2024 13:49:18 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4981 label Biography information for Ashley Dalton

1716189

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
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 Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his planned timetable is for laying secondary legislation to implement the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Ashley Dalton
uin	25129
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates 2 service types: Direct Pay and Collect and Pay. In Direct Pay cases, the CMS provides a maintenance calculation and issues a payment schedule, but the payments are arranged privately between the receiving parent and the paying parent. In Collect and Pay, the CMS collects the maintenance from the paying parent and transfers it to the receiving parent.</p><p>Since Direct Pay was introduced, the CMS has made several improvements to how the service operates. The importance of full and on-time maintenance payments is emphasised in all cases and the CMS will notify parents at the start of every case, and at each annual review, what to do if their arrangement breaks down.</p><p>The CMS also sends SMS messages to all receiving parents using the Direct Pay service to remind them to contact the CMS if their maintenance arrangement is not working. My Child Maintenance Case, which is a parent’s online service account with the CMS, also reminds parents to check their bank account for receipt of direct payments and encourages digital reporting of any missed payments.</p><p>If a Direct Pay arrangement breaks down, the case will be moved to Collect and Pay where the CMS collects the money from the paying parent and transfers it to the receiving parent. Further enforcement action can also be taken if parents continue to fail to pay.</p><p>Government takes the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously and recognises that domestic abuse often continues and can worsen after separation, which can have detrimental impacts on the welfare of children.</p><p>The CMS has procedures in place to ensure victims and survivors of domestic abuse can use its services safely. Of 29,000 new applications to the CMS in the quarter ending December 2023, 56% of applications were exempt from the application fee, largely on the grounds of domestic abuse.</p><p>The CMS recognises that domestic abuse can take many forms including physical, emotional, or financial abuse, violent or threatening behaviour and coercive control and has procedures in place to ensure domestic abuse cases are handled appropriately.</p><p>For parents using the Direct Pay service, the CMS can act as an intermediary to facilitate the exchange of bank details to help ensure there is no unwanted contact between parents and can provide information on how to set up bank accounts with a centralised sort code, which reduces the risk of a parent’s location being traced. CMS caseworkers will also signpost, where needed, to suitable domestic abuse organisations, if domestic abuse is raised or suspected.</p><p>The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the CMS. Latest statistics are available up to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-december-2023" target="_blank">December 2023</a>, with statistics for the number of child maintenance cases moved from collect and pay to direct pay shown in ‘Table 4: Service Type Changes, Great Britain, October 2015 to December 2023’ of the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6601806ff1d3a0666832ac65/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-december-2023.ods" target="_blank">National tables</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested in relation to how many child maintenance cases were moved from collect and pay to direct pay where the child maintenance service was aware of domestic abuse in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023, is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p><p>The Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 28 June 2023 following a Private Members Bill that had full Government support. We announced a consultation early 2024 to seek views on how the CMS collects and transfers maintenance.</p><p> </p><p>On 8 May, the Department published a public consultation, Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, which follows the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023 receiving Royal Assent. The consultation proposes to remove the Direct Pay service completely, which will go further than the measures set out in the Act and provide the same level of protection for all parents.</p><p> </p><p>The consultation closes 31<sup>st</sup> July 2024. The Government will then carefully consider the feedback and a response will be published.</p><p> </p><p>To find out more information go to: Child Maintenance: Improving the collection and transfer of payments - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard grouped question UIN 25127 25128 question first answered 15/05/2024 13:49:18 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4981 label Biography information for Ashley Dalton