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100914

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
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: Medical Examinations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what payments were made in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14 in compensation for delays to claimants arising from the Atos assessment process (a) nationwide and (b) in the Stoke-on-Trent area; what steps he is taking to ensure that no further such delays are incurred; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent North
tabling member printed	Joan Walley
uin	211896
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>My response relates to Work Capability Assessments.</p><p> </p><p>The reasons for making special payments are not routinely recorded and to provide the requested information would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We are continuing to work closely with Atos under the current contract and process claims as quickly as possible. DWP’s aim is to continually improve the Work Capability Assessment process and help bring down waiting times for claimants.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 29/10/2014 14:44:47 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	286 label Biography information for Joan Walley

100916

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
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: Disability
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 adequacy of the support available for people with progressive conditions; and to what extent the assessment process for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payments takes into account the fluctuating and progressive nature of conditions such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	211882
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Both Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) have been designed to take full account of fluctuating conditions and healthcare professionals who undertake assessments are required to fully explore and report any fluctuations in a claimant’s condition(s).</p><p> </p><p>If a claimant has a progressive medical condition, healthcare professionals will take this into consideration when advising the Department as to when the claimant might need to be reviewed.</p><p> </p><p>Entitlement to both ESA and PIP is based on the impact of the claimant’s disability or health conditions.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 29/10/2014 14:56:59 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

100917

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
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: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training his Department makes available to staff who assess people with progressive health conditions for employment and support allowance or personal independence payment on the nature of those conditions.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	211883
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p> </p><p>All healthcare professionals who carry out either Work Capability Assessments or Personal Independence Payment assessments undergo broad and thorough training in disability analysis, as well as training in specific conditions, including progressive conditions. Atos Healthcare and Capita are required to conform to a rigorous set of quality and recruitment standards which are closely monitored by the Department for Work and Pensions.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 29/10/2014 15:04:11 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

100919

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
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 he will make an assessment of the potential merits of universal credit access to childcare accounts equivalent to those proposed in the Childcare Payments Bill for claimants of tax-free childcare.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	211857
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Universal credit prepares claimants for the world of work in which around 75% of employees are paid monthly and in arrears. Monthly payment of benefit, which includes support for childcare costs that have been paid out, makes for more straightforward reporting and helps households to budget on a monthly income, which eases the transition into paid work.</p><p> </p><p>Moving to a system of ‘childcare accounts’ which ring-fences childcare costs would complicate the system for these claimants. It would add complexity to the Universal Credit system, which is being rolled out in a safe and controlled manner and could potentially increase the administration costs of running two systems in parallel.</p><p> </p><p>We have worked with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to support claimants that may wish to switch between Universal Credit and Tax Free Childcare. It will be easy for parents to register and open a childcare account online for Tax Free Childcare, and those who wish to move back to Universal Credit may do so without having to report the change to HMRC. Both systems are designed to be simple, responsive and flexible.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the importance of providing information and support to help parents make an informed choice about which scheme to access. Alongside wider guidance and information, we will provide support and online tools for parents choosing between Universal Credit and Tax-Free Childcare.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 29/10/2014 14:39:47 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

100920

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
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	Employment: Older Workers
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 implications for his policies of the findings of the Mid-life Career Review Project.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	211858
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>I welcome the findings of the Mid-life Career Review. As identified in our publication “Fuller Working Lives – A Framework For Action”, re-skilling is an essential component in ensuring that people can work, earn and save for as long as they wish. A number of lessons learned from the pilot have already been integrated into existing career and skills provider practice, and the Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will continue to work with the National Careers Service and the wider network of advisers in the community, and with business, on ways to meet career review needs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 29/10/2014 14:51:16 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

100827

registered interest
date	23/10/2014
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	Performance Appraisal
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department have more than one member of staff on personal improvement plans.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	211826
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The Department does not centrally maintain fully comprehensive records of all employees who have been placed under performance improvement plans as many of these are dealt with informally.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb grouped question UIN 211824 211825 question first answered 29/10/2014 14:54:48 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

100829

registered interest
date	23/10/2014
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	Performance Appraisal
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department (a) are on a personal improvement plan, (b) have been on a personal improvement plan for over one year and (c) have been on a personal improvement plan for more than two consecutive years; and what the grades are or were of such staff.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	211824
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The Department does not centrally maintain fully comprehensive records of all employees who have been placed under performance improvement plans as many of these are dealt with informally.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb grouped question UIN 211825 211826 question first answered 29/10/2014 14:54:48 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

100830

registered interest
date	23/10/2014
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	Performance Appraisal
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department are responsible for mentoring staff on personal improvement plans.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	211825
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The Department does not centrally maintain fully comprehensive records of all employees who have been placed under performance improvement plans as many of these are dealt with informally.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb grouped question UIN 211824 211826 question first answered 29/10/2014 14:54:48 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

100526

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
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	Jobseeker's Allowance Sanctions Independent Review
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 terms of reference for Matthew Oakley's review of jobseeker's allowance sanctions omitted sanctions for employment and support allowance.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Yardley
tabling member printed	John Hemming
uin	211634
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Act 2013, required the Secretary of State to appoint an independent person to prepare a report on the operation of sanctions validated by the legislation. The terms of reference reflect this requirement.</p><p>However, the Government Response to the Oakley Review goes wider than the terms of reference. For example, we are reviewing all claimant communications and sanctions processes, not only for those Jobseekers Allowance claimants who come under the remit of the Report, but all JSA claimants and also all Employment Support Allowance claimants.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 29/10/2014 14:49:03 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
tabling member	1483 label Biography information for John Hemming

100548

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
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: Payments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on bank transfer transactions for each type of benefit and pension payment in the last financial year; and what the total cost was of those transfers.
tabling member constituency	Redcar
tabling member printed	Ian Swales
uin	211429
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>DWP can provide a total figure for UK benefit bank transfers for 2013/14 (including pensions) by BACS, broken down by benefit as follows:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Benefit</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Volume</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Banking Costs</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE (AA) (inc Overseas)</p></td><td><p>14,914,870</p></td><td><p>£65,625.43</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE (DLA) (inc Overseas)</p></td><td><p>47,522,463</p></td><td><p>£209,098.84</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND (ESF)</p></td><td><p>288</p></td><td><p>£1.27</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>CARERS ALLOWANCE (CA) (inc Overseas)</p></td><td><p>27,066,880</p></td><td><p>£119,094.27</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>INCAPACITY BENEFIT (INCAP)</p></td><td><p>10,093,974</p></td><td><p>£44,413.49</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>INCOME SUPPORT (IS)</p></td><td><p>146,845,498</p></td><td><p>£646,120.19</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>INDUSTRIAL INJURIES (IIDB)</p></td><td><p>11,975,719</p></td><td><p>£52,693.16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>OVERSEAS DIVISION (ODIIDB)</p></td><td><p>73,828</p></td><td><p>£324.84</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>JSA</p></td><td><p>30,546,139</p></td><td><p>£134,403.01</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>MORTGAGE DIRECT (JSA MD)</p></td><td><p>239,080</p></td><td><p>£1,051.95</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>LPS</p></td><td><p>71,171</p></td><td><p>£313.15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>LPS MID</p></td><td><p>1,900</p></td><td><p>£8.36</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>MORTGAGE DIRECT (MI)</p></td><td><p>1,299,364</p></td><td><p>£5,717.20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>RETIREMENT PENSIONS</p></td><td><p>339,855,838</p></td><td><p>£1,495,365.69</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>THIRD PARTY PAYMENTS (TPP)</p></td><td><p>44,715</p></td><td><p>£196.75</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>WINTER FUEL NEW RULE (WFNR)</p></td><td><p>953,886</p></td><td><p>£4,197.10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>SOCIAL FUND (SF)</p></td><td><p>1,157,008</p></td><td><p>£5,090.84</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP ESA MID</p></td><td><p>617,369</p></td><td><p>£2,716.42</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP ESA</p></td><td><p>44,349,674</p></td><td><p>£195,138.57</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP CPS LOCAL PAYMENTS</p></td><td><p>1,930,311</p></td><td><p>£8,493.37</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PIP</p></td><td><p>282,631</p></td><td><p>£1,243.58</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Universal Credit</p></td><td><p>13,556</p></td><td><p>£59.65</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Benefits Total</p></td><td><p>679,559,975</p></td><td><p>£2,990,063.89</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Excluding CSA/SPVA/CMS</p></td><td><p>686,118,046</p></td><td><p>£3,018,919.40</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>TOTAL BACS</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>699,386,621</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£3,077,301.13</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Department does not have the breakdown for Faster Payments by benefit type, however the total volume figure of payments is 3,261,640 and a transaction value of £526,273.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 29/10/2014 14:27:34 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	4045 label Biography information for Ian Swales