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 grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1134464

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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	Jobcentres: Stanley
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints Stanley Job Centre has received in relation to disabled access throughout the building in the last five years.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	269005
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>Due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), information about complaints is only held for the last 14 months, not the last five years that has been requested. For this period we have identified one complaint that was raised about disabled access in Stanley Jobcentre.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is committed to meeting the needs of all disabled customers and has a legal duty to ensure all services are accessible to them. Staff at Stanley Jobcentre have access to a range of comprehensive guidance that covers the key areas of customer accessibility needs. These include customer accessibility instructions, general rules regarding access to benefits and services, customer access to Jobcentre staff lift facilities and customer access to Jobcentre staff toilet facilities.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 269006 question first answered 01/07/2019 16:19:23 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

1134465

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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	Jobcentres: Stanley
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department has issued to staff at Stanley Job Centre in relation to disabled access in advance of arranging appointments with claimants.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	269006
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>Due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), information about complaints is only held for the last 14 months, not the last five years that has been requested. For this period we have identified one complaint that was raised about disabled access in Stanley Jobcentre.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is committed to meeting the needs of all disabled customers and has a legal duty to ensure all services are accessible to them. Staff at Stanley Jobcentre have access to a range of comprehensive guidance that covers the key areas of customer accessibility needs. These include customer accessibility instructions, general rules regarding access to benefits and services, customer access to Jobcentre staff lift facilities and customer access to Jobcentre staff toilet facilities.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 269005 question first answered 01/07/2019 16:19:24 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

1134485

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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
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 publish the changes in a claimant's circumstances that would result in natural migration from legacy benefits to universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Alyn and Deeside
tabling member printed	Mark Tami
uin	268991
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>Currently people only move to Universal Credit because they have had a significant change in their circumstances which would previously have led them to make a new claim to a legacy benefit.</p><p> </p><p>Claimant circumstances within the legacy system are diverse and interact with a range of benefits in different ways. Eligibility for Universal Credit is dependent on individuals’ circumstances, the specific nature of the change and rules for access to legacy benefits.</p><p>Therefore, it is not possible to give a definitive list as each will depend on the individual circumstances of the claimants involved and the specific nature of the change.</p><p>However, some specific examples of changes which would cause a claimant to move on to Universal Credit are:</p><ul><li>A single Jobseeker’s Allowance claimant starts working for more than 16 hours per week;</li><li>A Housing Benefit claimant moves to new rented accommodation in a different local authority area;</li><li>An Income Support claimant wishes to claim support for their first child;</li><li>A Working Tax Credits claimant’s only employment ends and they wish to claim support because they have insufficient income (whether during or at the end of the WTC run-on period);</li><li>The child (or youngest child) of an Income Support claimant reaches the age of five (and the claimant does not belong to any other prescribed category for continuing to receive Income Support);</li><li>A Child Tax Credit claimant moves to new accommodation, and they need support with rent costs for the first time.</li></ul><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 03/07/2019 11:45:03 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	1383 label Biography information for Mark Tami

1134486

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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: Alyn and Deeside
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unsuccessful claims for universal credit there were in Alyn and Deeside constituency in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Alyn and Deeside
tabling member printed	Mark Tami
uin	268992
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>The requested information is not available.</p><p>The Department supports claimants to make a successful claim to Universal Credit where they wish to do so. For example, those claimants who are unable to access or use our digital services, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available via the Freephone Universal Credit helpline. Face-to-face support is also available in Jobcentres. In exceptional circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim.</p><p>From 1 April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland are delivering the new ‘Help to Claim’ support to claimants making a new Universal Credit (UC) claim or moving from a legacy benefit to UC because of a change of circumstances. The Citizens Advice Help to Claim offers tailored, practical support to help people make a UC claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. It is available online, through web-chat, through a Freephone number and face to face through local Citizens Advice services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 03/07/2019 11:52:06 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	1383 label Biography information for Mark Tami

1134487

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of unsuccessful claims for universal credit were as a result of (a) a claimant's lack of digital skills and (b) inadequate support for that claimant.
tabling member constituency	Alyn and Deeside
tabling member printed	Mark Tami
uin	268993
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>Data on the proportion of unsuccessful claims to Universal Credit which were a result of (a) a claimant's lack of digital skills and (b) inadequate support for that claimant is not gathered by the Department.</p><p> </p><p>The Universal Credit Full Service Claimant Survey found that 98 per cent of claimants claimed online. This can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-full-service-claimant-survey" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-full-service-claimant-survey</a></p><p> </p><p>For those claimants who are unable to access or use our digital services, there is assistance available to make and maintain their claim using the Freephone Universal Credit helpline. Face-to-face support is also available in all Jobcentres. In exceptional circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim.</p><p> </p><p>Running alongside the national Jobcentre offer from 1 April 2019 is the Citizens Advice Help to Claim which support claimants in making a new Universal Credit claim or moving from a legacy benefit to Universal Credit because of a change of circumstances. Help to Claim offers tailored, practical support to help people make their claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. It is widely available online, through a Freephone number and face to face through local Citizens Advice services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 03/07/2019 11:59:14 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	1383 label Biography information for Mark Tami

1134488

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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
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 natural migrations to universal credit from legacy benefits were as a result of (a) a trigger for natural migration, (b) claimant error, (c) official error, (d) incorrect advice from staff or contractors and (e) inadequate advice from third party advisers.
tabling member constituency	Alyn and Deeside
tabling member printed	Mark Tami
uin	268994
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>The requested information is not available.</p><p> </p><p>Currently people only move to Universal Credit (UC) because they have had a significant change in their circumstances which would previously have led them to make a new claim to a legacy benefit. It has always been the case that in such circumstances, new claims would be assessed based upon their new circumstances and under the rules of the new benefit.</p><p> </p><p>Claimant circumstances within the legacy system are diverse and interact with a range of benefits in different ways. Eligibility for UC is dependent on individuals’ circumstances, the specific nature of the change and rules for access to legacy benefits.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 03/07/2019 12:05:46 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	1383 label Biography information for Mark Tami

1134522

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many civil penalties relating to failure to undertake tasks required for universal credit compliance have been issued in each of the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	High Peak
tabling member printed	Ruth George
uin	269119
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>A £50 Civil Penalty may be imposed by both Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Local Authorities where an individual incurs a recoverable overpayment as a result of failing to provide accurate information as part of their benefit claim or in connection with an award of benefit, and has not taken reasonable steps to correct the error.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the volume of Civil Penalties applied to UC Overpayments in the last 12 months along with the value of recoveries in the last 12 months where a Civil Penalty was imposed on a UC debt. *</p><p> </p><p>Note that there is no correlation between the number applied and the value of recovery for the associated month. Civil Penalties issued in a 12-month period will not necessarily be recovered in that same 12-month period as debts will be repaid over different timeframes, in accordance with a debtor’s particular commitments.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Month</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number applied to UC overpayment </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Value of </strong> <strong>Recovery </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Jun-18</strong></p></td><td><p>140</p></td><td><p>£4,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Jul-18</strong></p></td><td><p>120</p></td><td><p>£4,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Aug-18</strong></p></td><td><p>190</p></td><td><p>£8,100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Sep-18</strong></p></td><td><p>130</p></td><td><p>£5,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Oct-18</strong></p></td><td><p>80</p></td><td><p>£8,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Nov-18</strong></p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>£5,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Dec-18</strong></p></td><td><p>Fewer than 5</p></td><td><p>£5,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Jan-19</strong></p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>£4,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Feb-19</strong></p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>£3,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Mar-19</strong></p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>£3,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Apr-19</strong></p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>£2,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>May-19</strong></p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>£1,600</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>When recovering overpayments, DWP ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect claimants from any undue financial hardship. Like the Department, private collection agencies will look to establish sustainable repayment arrangements.</p><p> </p><p><em>*The data provided in this response has been sourced from internal management information and was not intended for public release. It should therefore not be compared to any other, similar data subsequently released by the Department. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. </em></p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 269120 question first answered 03/07/2019 15:34:36 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 126281 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1134009

registered interest
date	24/06/2019
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on a universal credit claimant’s health and well-being of the ability to repay hardship payments.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	268345
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>Hardship payments are available as a safeguard if a claimant demonstrates that they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs (including accommodation, heating, food and hygiene) as a result of a benefit sanction.</p><p> </p><p>Work Coaches ensure they consider the claimant’s circumstances, including issues relating to their health and well-being, at the point of the new claim to Universal Credit, to tailor the service accordingly. This also includes when claimants are repaying any hardship payments.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 27/06/2019 14:23:18 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1134069

registered interest
date	24/06/2019
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
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 21 June 2019 to Question 264333, how many and what proportion of individual claims for universal credit were not paid (a) on time and (b) in full in each for the last six months for which information is available.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	268397
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text The Department intends to publish this data at household level in the near future as part of Official Statistics. answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 27/06/2019 16:40:51 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1134083

registered interest
date	24/06/2019
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
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 21 June 2019 to Question 264335, how many of the 77,952 calculations that were disputed by claimants related to late reporting of wages by employers to HMRC.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	268398
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>During the period 17 June 2018 to 16 June 2019 there were 77,952 RTI calculations disputed by claimants, of which around a fifth were upheld. 42,715 (55%) were as a result of late RTI data from employers.</p><p> </p><p>The Department continues to work with HMRC to reduce the impact of late RTI on Universal Credit payments. We monitor RTI data, and where expected earnings are not reported, HMRC will contact the employer to investigate, with the intention of all earnings being reported before the end date of a claimant’s Universal Credit Assessment Period.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 27/06/2019 16:45:33 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead