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1156130

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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	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 his Department defines what a reasonable chance of collection is before deciding to write-off arrears accrued under the Child Support Agency.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	5054
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>Where a receiving parent makes representations for the arrears to be collected, the Service will make every effort to trace the paying parent associated with the case and verify the arrears. The paying parent will also be given an opportunity to make representations as part of the process. Once the debt is moved to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) it will exhaust all available collection methods available in an attempt to secure a payment.</p><p> </p><p>Some of the collection options available to the CMS include imposing a deduction from earnings order and lump sum deduction orders. If all attempts are unsuccessful the debt may then be deemed uncollectable and write-off considered.</p><p /><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 29/10/2019 16:40:36 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1156131

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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	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 estimate she has made of the number of receiving parent's arrears accrued under the Child Support Agency that were written off while a Deduction from Earnings Order was in place.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	5055
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>Only cases with CSA debt that haven’t made payments for the last three months are in scope for selection as part of the Compliance &amp; Arrears Strategy. Cases with a paying Deduction from Earnings Order in Place will not be selected.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 29/10/2019 16:45:29 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1156132

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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	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 reason receiving parents were not compensated for the decision to write-off arrears for money they were owed which accrued under the Child Support Agency.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	5056
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>Writing off some historic Child Support Agency (CSA) arrears was not a quick or easy decision, and involved exhausting other approaches to deal with the debt, including using debt collection agencies without success. Much of the debt that accrued under the CSA is now old and generally uncollectable, and most parents accept this.</p><p> </p><p>It is a long-established principle of the child maintenance system that where non-resident parents do not pay the maintenance they are legally required to pay, the obligation on the government is to do its best to ensure collection – not for the taxpayer to pay the maintenance.</p><p> </p><p>We are making one last attempt to collect the debt, where it is cost effective to do so and there is a reasonable chance of collection. Debts of smaller amounts may be written off as part of the process.</p><p> </p><p>Attempting to collect would have cost around £1.5bn, and would have recovered between £0.1bn and £0.6bn. Had we not written off we would have needed to maintain the debt indefinitely at a cost of £30 million per year.</p><p> </p><p>Addressing these cases will enable us to close the CSA completely and focus on collecting money that will benefit today’s children, and avoid the build-up of arrears in the Child Maintenance Service.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 5057 question first answered 29/10/2019 16:49:20 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1156133

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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	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 recourse is available to receiving parents whose arrears accrued under the Child Support Agency have been written off.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	5057
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>Writing off some historic Child Support Agency (CSA) arrears was not a quick or easy decision, and involved exhausting other approaches to deal with the debt, including using debt collection agencies without success. Much of the debt that accrued under the CSA is now old and generally uncollectable, and most parents accept this.</p><p> </p><p>It is a long-established principle of the child maintenance system that where non-resident parents do not pay the maintenance they are legally required to pay, the obligation on the government is to do its best to ensure collection – not for the taxpayer to pay the maintenance.</p><p> </p><p>We are making one last attempt to collect the debt, where it is cost effective to do so and there is a reasonable chance of collection. Debts of smaller amounts may be written off as part of the process.</p><p> </p><p>Attempting to collect would have cost around £1.5bn, and would have recovered between £0.1bn and £0.6bn. Had we not written off we would have needed to maintain the debt indefinitely at a cost of £30 million per year.</p><p> </p><p>Addressing these cases will enable us to close the CSA completely and focus on collecting money that will benefit today’s children, and avoid the build-up of arrears in the Child Maintenance Service.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 5056 question first answered 29/10/2019 16:49:20 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1156136

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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	Retail Trade: Unemployment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to help workers from the retail industry who have lost their jobs transition to new roles.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	4921
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>Jobcentre Plus is geared-up to offer advice to those claiming welfare benefits.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit has replaced six working age benefits with one; to simplify the welfare system and make work pay. As a result, people claiming Universal Credit move into work faster, stay in work longer and spend more time looking to increase their earnings. Universal Credit also provides more help with childcare costs, a dedicated Work Coach and scraps the 16, 24 and 30 hour ‘cliff edges’.</p><p> </p><p>Through Jobcentre Plus, individuals can get advice on finding a job; help with retraining or skills advice, CV and job applications; and access to new vacancies we record every day. They can also access a range of tailored opportunities to improve their likelihood of entering or re-entering the labour market, including demand-led training for higher skilled jobs in specific sectors.</p><p> </p><p>Jobcentre Plus also provides numerous leads and good practice ideas to help people direct their job search in the most effective manner.</p><p> </p><p>DWP also supports people affected by redundancy through the Rapid Response Service (RRS). This is designed to give tailored support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. Each Jobcentre Plus district deploys resources according to the situation and the requirements of those affected. The RRS is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 29/10/2019 16:30:06 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1156208

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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	Unemployment
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 were economically inactive in the UK in (a) 2010 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	4934
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>In February-April 2010 there were 9.5 million economically inactive people in the UK. This number has dropped to 8.7 million people for the period June-August 2019. These statistics are for the 16-64 age group, which is the Office for National Statistic’s headline rate for economic inactivity.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 29/10/2019 16:34:09 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1156210

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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	Working Hours
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 of the number of people that worked less than 15 hours a week in each (a) country and (b) region of the UK in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	4936
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2019 answer text <p>The independent Office for National Statistics (ONS) uses the Labour Force Survey (LFS) to provide estimates for the usual weekly hours of work for people. The table below sets out data ONS publishes on those working fewer than 6 hours, and between 6 and 15 hours. Breakdowns for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and regional breakdowns, are not provided because of small sample sizes. Estimates are based on the number of people who report the numbers of hours worked.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table: People working fewer than 6 hours, and 6 to 15 hours for April to June each year</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p>fewer than 6 Hours</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>6 up to 15 hours</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>level (thousands)</p></td><td><p>% of total people in employment</p></td><td><p>level (thousands)</p></td><td><p>% of total people in employment</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-Jun 2010</p></td><td><p>417</p></td><td><p>1.5</p></td><td><p>2,011</p></td><td><p>7.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-Jun 2011</p></td><td><p>473</p></td><td><p>1.7</p></td><td><p>1,959</p></td><td><p>6.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-Jun 2012</p></td><td><p>469</p></td><td><p>1.6</p></td><td><p>2,034</p></td><td><p>7.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-Jun 2013</p></td><td><p>445</p></td><td><p>1.5</p></td><td><p>2,033</p></td><td><p>7.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-Jun 2014</p></td><td><p>463</p></td><td><p>1.6</p></td><td><p>2,034</p></td><td><p>6.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-Jun 2015</p></td><td><p>487</p></td><td><p>1.6</p></td><td><p>1,899</p></td><td><p>6.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-Jun 2016</p></td><td><p>474</p></td><td><p>1.5</p></td><td><p>2,058</p></td><td><p>6.7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-Jun 2017</p></td><td><p>424</p></td><td><p>1.4</p></td><td><p>2,048</p></td><td><p>6.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-Jun 2018</p></td><td><p>426</p></td><td><p>1.4</p></td><td><p>2,043</p></td><td><p>6.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-Jun 2019</p></td><td><p>471</p></td><td><p>1.5</p></td><td><p>2,066</p></td><td><p>6.5</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: Table HOUR02NSA, ONS, Labour Force Survey</p><p> </p><p>At UK level people in full-time work have made up over three quarters of the overall increase in employment since 2010.</p><p> </p><p /> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 01/11/2019 12:53:53 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1156211

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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	Zero Hours Contracts
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 of the number of people employed on zero-hour contracts in each (a) nation and (b) region of the UK in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	4937
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>The independent Office for National Statistics (ONS) use the Labour Force Survey (LFS) to provide estimates for the number of people in employment on contracts that do not guarantee minimum hours (known as ‘zero hours’ contracts’). This data is available for the Oct-Dec quarter only for each year from 2010 to 2018 and is set out in the table below.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Table: Level and rate of people aged 16 and over on zero-hours contracts October to December each year</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p>UK, not seasonally adjusted</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p>Percentage of people in employment on a zero-hours contract</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>0.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>0.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>0.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>1.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>2.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>2.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>2.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>2.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>2.6</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p>Source: ONS Labour Force Survey</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p>The estimates for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 are considered precise</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>ONS advise that the increased media coverage of zero-hours’ contracts arrangements in the latter half of 2013 may have affected the response to this question by raising awareness of this existing type of contractual arrangement. The ONS therefore advise not to compare pre- and post-2013 data.</p><p> </p><p>Data for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the English regions has been published every six months by ONS for since 2016. However, because the data is drawn from a survey, many of these sub-UK breakdowns are considered too unreliable for practical purposes. Regional data and guidance on its reliability can be found in tab 4 of table EMP17 published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/emp17peopleinemploymentonzerohourscontracts/current" target="_blank">https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/emp17peopleinemploymentonzerohourscontracts/current</a></p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 04/11/2019 18:38:37 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1156212

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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: Telephone Services
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 the Answer of 3 April 2019 to Question 238679 on Universal Credit: Telephone Services, whether calls which are transferred to a different case manager or helpline advisor continue to be (a) recorded and (b) retrievable; and what steps she is taking to ensure that all calls on universal credit are recorded to maintain a complete record of a claimant's interactions with the Department.
tabling member constituency	North West Durham
tabling member printed	Laura Pidcock
uin	5096
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>Service centre calls are recorded and retained for a period of 14 months; this includes inbound and outbound calls to and from UC telephony service centres and any transfers within the service centres.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 29/10/2019 11:52:00 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4665 label Biography information for Laura Pidcock

1156245

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect of delays at the ENGIE Document Scanning facility at Kidderminster on benefit claimants.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	4928
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>The Mail Opening Unit at Kidderminster meets it’s contracted performance requirements and there are no delays. There are full business continuity measures in place and these are regularly reviewed by the relevant officials.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 29/10/2019 16:41:48 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead