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1628193

registered interest
date	16/05/2023
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: Telephone Services
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 reduce call waiting times on the benefit enquiry line.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	185260
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2023 answer text <p>DWP plans resourcing according to forecasted telephony demand in an effort to keep wait times down. Wait time performance and forecasted demand is frequently reviewed, and DWP is continually working to improve the service that it delivers. The Benefit Enquiry Line (0800 169 0310) freephone service which supports Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support, is delivered by multiskilled colleagues, who are able to flex between lines to balance customer wait times. We are aware that the line is currently experiencing high wait times for ESA enquiries, although these can vary throughout the day, and we are working to improve this position.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is investing in a new capability that aims to better route customers to the right offer at the right time. This will reduce the time callers spend listening to a menu of choices and instead invite customers to say why they are calling, at the start of the call.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 23/05/2023 14:40:28 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1606037

registered interest
date	21/03/2023
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: Billing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the proportion of invoices his Department paid to small and medium-sized enterprises within five days in (a) the 2021-2022 financial year and (b) each of the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	170619
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2023 answer text <p>All government departments publish payment performance quarterly showing the percentage of invoices paid in 5 days, the percentage of invoices paid in 30 days, and net debt interest liability. This is available on GOV.UK. DWP Department’s payment performance is available at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-prompt-payment-data#2022-to-2023" target="_blank">DWP: prompt payment data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-prompt-payment-data#2021-to-2022" target="_blank">DWP: prompt payment data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p>In addition, in accordance with 113 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015, Contracting Authorities are required to publish annually the percentage of invoices paid in 30 days online. This is available at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-prompt-payment-data" target="_blank">DWP: prompt payment data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p>The Procurement Bill, currently passing through Parliament, will create a simpler and more transparent procurement regime that will further open up public procurement to SMEs. The Bill includes a new duty on contracting authorities to have regard to the particular barriers facing SMEs.</p><p>Specifically, the Procurement Bill will imply 30 day payment terms into every sub-contract that is substantially for the purpose of performing a public contract. This will ensure SMEs at every tier of the public supply chain can benefit from faster payments, even if 30 day terms aren't explicitly written into the contract.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 29/03/2023 11:11:59 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1604557

registered interest
date	15/03/2023
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the estimated cost is to his Department of upgrading its systems to ensure that individuals with a nil payment in a qualifying month receive any cost of living payments.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	166240
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2023 answer text <p>Keeping the rules for this policy simple enabled the government to make over 30 million separate payments to support with the cost of living while maintaining core benefit delivery in 2022. This includes the clear rule that you must be entitled to at least 1p of a qualifying social security benefit with respect to the qualifying period to receive a Cost of Living Payment.</p><p> </p><p>Including those on the benefits system, but not in payment of a qualifying benefit, would involve making payments to individuals who were ineligible during the qualifying period. The government’s published impact analysis released alongside the Social Security (Additional Payments) (No.2) Bill shows that 85% of those who received no Universal Credit award during the qualifying period for the first 2022 Cost of Living Payment of £326, had no award solely due to earnings. Of those with a no award due to earnings, most had no Universal Credit award for six assessment periods following the qualifying period solely due to earnings or left Universal Credit altogether. Paying those with financial resources available, which would make them ineligible for means-tested benefits, is not the intention of the Cost of Living Payments which are aimed at those on the lowest incomes.</p><p> </p><p>You can find the impact analysis here: <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-03/0244/SocSec(AdditionalPayments)IA.pdf" target="_blank">SocSec(AdditionalPayments)IA.pdf (parliament.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>Including those who received no payment of benefit would also involve making Cost of Living Payments to customers who had the payment of their benefit suspended during the qualifying period including those with suspected fraud or where there is a safeguarding risk related to a vulnerable claimant’s appointee.</p><p> </p><p>The department has therefore made no such assessment of costs of upgrading its system to include individuals with a nil payment during a qualifying period.</p><p> </p><p>The 2023/24 Cost of Living Payments are being delivered in three payments over the financial year to reduce the chance of someone missing out completely. To help households with the costs of essentials, including those who may not be eligible for the other support we are extending the Household Support Fund in England. The Devolved Administrations will receive Barnett funding to spend at their discretion with their local knowledge.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 21/03/2023 17:50:06 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1603555

registered interest
date	13/03/2023
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	Postal Services: Wolverhampton
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) parcels and (b) letters were processed by Mail Handling Site A Wolverhampton in each year since 2020.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	163823
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2023 answer text <p>Total number of envelopes (scanned and hard copy) processed at the Mail Opening Unit is as follows:<br></p><ul><li>Jan - Dec 2020 – 10,412,771</li><li>Jan – Dec 2021 – 9,986,764</li><li>Jan- Dec 2022 – 9,158,530</li><li>Jan 2023 – 912,636</li></ul><p> </p><p>In addition, internal courier delivery, documents amounting to:<br></p><ul><li>Jan- Dec 2020 – 1,856,577<br> Jan – Dec 2021 – 1,612,310</li><li>Jan- Dec 2022 – 1,103,679</li><li>Jan 2023 – 105,245</li></ul><p> </p><p>January 2023 is the most recent month for which we have figures.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 21/03/2023 16:37:11 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1603556

registered interest
date	13/03/2023
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	Postal Services: Wolverhampton
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) parcels and (b) letters are currently stored at Mail Handling Site A Wolverhampton and are unable to be processed.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	163824
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2023 answer text <p>All mail is actioned by the Mail Opening Unit on delivery from Royal Mail on date of receipt. It is processed within 24 hours which includes opening, scanning and routing to the relevant teams in DWP. There are no backlogs of work requiring opening or scanning that would require storage. Once scanned DWP manages a head of work of cases which are not automatically routed and require manual intervention. These are managed digitally.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 21/03/2023 14:14:34 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1601960

registered interest
date	07/03/2023
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: Publications
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 6 March 2023 to Question 152230 on Department for Work and Pensions: Publications, if he will make it his Department's policy to routinely send the Touchbase newsletter to all staff in his Department.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	160289
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites. It is the primary communication channel for DWP to a wide range of external stakeholders from diverse organisations across the UK who work with, support and advise our customers.</p><p>While Touchbase is not produced for Jobcentre Plus staff or Universal Credit claimants, DWP has a comprehensive internal communications programme which ensures that colleagues across the organisation are aware of the department’s priorities and the individual initiatives to deliver them.</p><p>The topics covered in Touchbase will routinely be part of this internal communications programme.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 160290 160291 160292 question first answered 14/03/2023 18:00:10 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1601961

registered interest
date	07/03/2023
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: Publications
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 6 March to Question 152230 on Department for Work and Pensions: Publications, what recent assessment his Department made of the effectiveness of Touchbase at communicating Department activity to Job Centre Plus staff.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	160290
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites. It is the primary communication channel for DWP to a wide range of external stakeholders from diverse organisations across the UK who work with, support and advise our customers.</p><p>While Touchbase is not produced for Jobcentre Plus staff or Universal Credit claimants, DWP has a comprehensive internal communications programme which ensures that colleagues across the organisation are aware of the department’s priorities and the individual initiatives to deliver them.</p><p>The topics covered in Touchbase will routinely be part of this internal communications programme.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 160289 160291 160292 question first answered 14/03/2023 18:00:10 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1601963

registered interest
date	07/03/2023
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: Publications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2023 to Question 152230 on Department for Work and Pensions: Publications, what steps he is taking to advertise Touchbase to staff in his Department.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	160291
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites. It is the primary communication channel for DWP to a wide range of external stakeholders from diverse organisations across the UK who work with, support and advise our customers.</p><p>While Touchbase is not produced for Jobcentre Plus staff or Universal Credit claimants, DWP has a comprehensive internal communications programme which ensures that colleagues across the organisation are aware of the department’s priorities and the individual initiatives to deliver them.</p><p>The topics covered in Touchbase will routinely be part of this internal communications programme.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 160289 160290 160292 question first answered 14/03/2023 18:00:10 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1601964

registered interest
date	07/03/2023
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: Publications
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 6 March 2023 to Question 152229 on Universal Credit, what steps his Department is taking to advertise Touchbase to Universal Credit claimants.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	160292
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites. It is the primary communication channel for DWP to a wide range of external stakeholders from diverse organisations across the UK who work with, support and advise our customers.</p><p>While Touchbase is not produced for Jobcentre Plus staff or Universal Credit claimants, DWP has a comprehensive internal communications programme which ensures that colleagues across the organisation are aware of the department’s priorities and the individual initiatives to deliver them.</p><p>The topics covered in Touchbase will routinely be part of this internal communications programme.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 160289 160290 160291 question first answered 14/03/2023 18:00:10 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1599322

registered interest
date	27/02/2023
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: Publications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his Department's policy to publish online editions of its Touchbase newsletter.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	153773
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2023 answer text <p>Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites.</p><p> </p><p>DWP has no plans at present to publish the email newsletters on GOV.UK because:</p><p> </p><ul><li>they can compete with other guidance in search results and make it harder for people to find the information they need.</li><li>they can duplicate other content on GOV.UK which is against the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/govuk-proposition/govuk-proposition" target="_blank">GOV.UK proposition Guidance</a>.</li><li>older editions can become out of date and there is a high risk that people will act on out of date guidance.</li><li>DWP focuses digital resources on making sure GOV.UK guidance is kept up to date</li></ul><p> </p><p>Anyone can subscribe to receive Touchbase at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/touchbase-dwp-news-about-work-working-age-benefits-and-services/touchbase-editions-after-march-2020" target="_blank">Touchbase editions after March 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 07/03/2023 17:24:44 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra