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1186422

registered interest
date	19/03/2020
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: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department is providing to people on zero-hours contracts whose employment has been terminated as a result of covid-19 and do not qualify for Statutory Sick Pay because they are not self-isolating.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	32138
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances and we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Government has been clear in its commitment to support those affected in these difficult times and we have made a number of changes to the welfare system in the past fortnight to ensure people are supported in doing this. These changes include:</ins><br /></p><ul><li><ins class="ministerial">making it easier to access benefits. Those applying for Contributory ESA will be able to claim from day 1 – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessment. Both Universal Credit and Contributory ESA can now be claimed by phone or online;</ins></li><li><ins class="ministerial">increasing the standard allowance of Universal Credit and working tax credit for this year by around £1000 per year;</ins></li><li><ins class="ministerial">temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) for all self-employed claimants affected by the economic impact of COVID-19 to ensure that the self-employed can access UC at a more generous rate; and</ins></li><li><ins class="ministerial">increasing in the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest third of local rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.</ins></li></ul><p><ins class="ministerial">Together, these measures represent an injection of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Chancellor has also confirmed that, depending on their status, workers on zero hours contracts may be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and we would urge people to explore this avenue too.</ins></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 24/03/2020 11:57:37 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 15:01:33 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson previous answer version 14226 answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1186092

registered interest
date	18/03/2020
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	Self-employed: Coronavirus
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 oral contribution of the Chancellor of the Exchequer of 17 March 2020, Official Report column 953, that self-employed people who self-isolate can apply for employment and support allowance (ESA), whether ESA will be available to people who are not themselves ill.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	31422
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Everyone infected with Covid-19 or required to self-isolate will be treated as having Limited Capability for Work in ESA and UC without the requirement for fit notes or undergoing a Work Capability Assessment. Those applying for Contributory ESA will be able to claim from day 1 – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessment. </ins></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/03/2020 12:53:43 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 15:01:13 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson previous answer version 13830 answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1186243

registered interest
date	18/03/2020
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	Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether personal independence payments (PIP) claimants who are due for reassessment will continue to receive payments of PIP until face-to-face assessments are recommenced.
tabling member constituency	Luton South
tabling member printed	Rachel Hopkins
uin	31617
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">From 17th March, we suspended all face-to-face assessments for health and disability benefits for three months. For existing claimants, we have automatically extended awards and suspended any new review or reassessment activity, except where claimants notify us of changes to their needs that may result in an increase to their award. This temporary measure is being taken to ensure the Department’s resources are focused on providing access to financial support for new claimants, and it will also reassure claimants about continuity of their benefit during the coronavirus outbreak.</ins></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/03/2020 13:14:57 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 15:01:43 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson previous answer version 13839 answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4873 label Biography information for Rachel Hopkins

1186292

registered interest
date	18/03/2020
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	Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions her Department has had with the Treasury on increasing the amount of Statutory Sick Pay paid to people who have to (a) self-isolate or (b) are diagnosed with covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Wallasey
tabling member printed	Ms Angela Eagle
uin	31442
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The current Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) rate is the legal minimum rate that an employer must pay to an employee; many employers have their own occupational health schemes. The SSP system is designed to balance support for the individual with the costs to the employer and, as such, there are no plans to make this change. The Government has been clear in its commitment to support those affected in these difficult times and we have made a number of changes to the welfare system in the past fortnight to ensure people are supported in doing this. These changes include:</ins></p><ul><li><ins class="ministerial">making it easier to access benefits. SSP is now payable from day 1 – as opposed to day 4 – and those applying for Contributory ESA will be able to claim from day 1 – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessment. Both Universal Credit and Contributory ESA can now be claimed by phone or online;</ins></li><li><ins class="ministerial">increasing the standard allowance of Universal Credit and working tax credit for this year by around £1000 per year; and</ins></li><li><ins class="ministerial">increasing in the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest third of local rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.</ins></li></ul><p><ins class="ministerial">Together, these measures represent an injection of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system.</ins></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/03/2020 13:01:31 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 15:01:51 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson previous answer version 13832 answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	491 label Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle

1186319

registered interest
date	18/03/2020
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 and Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional steps the Government is taking to protect the employment and benefits of people who (a) live with and (b) care for people with weakened immune systems during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	31663
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">It is likely that many employees who have received a shield letter will be able to work from home and therefore be entitled to normal pay. We would encourage employers to make this happen where possible. For those that cannot work from home, employers have discretion to offer occupational sick pay or paid leave depending their policies. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We are also encouraging employers to make use of the Government’s Job Retention Scheme where possible. Under the scheme small and large employers will be eligible to apply for a government grant of 80% of workers’ salaries up to £2,500 a month. The scheme will be backdated to 1st March and available for at least three months, with the first grants expected to be paid within weeks.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">There is also the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme which will help eligible freelance workers receive up to £2,500 per month in grants for at least three months.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Government has set up an advice contact centre and website exclusively to help those who have been identified as shielding to access support. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">A new Local Support System in England will make sure those individuals that have been identified by the NHS to stay at home, and who are without a support network of friends and family, will receive essential supplies such as groceries and medicine.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Everyone infected with Covid-19 or required to self-isolate will be treated as having Limited Capability for Work in ESA and UC without the requirement for fit notes or undergoing a Work Capability Assessment. Those applying for Contributory ESA will be able to claim from day 1 – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessment.</ins></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/03/2020 13:23:58 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 15:01:02 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson previous answer version 13849 answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1185307

registered interest
date	16/03/2020
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	Carers: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Government has plans to extend financial support for people that need to take time off work to care for vulnerable relatives suffering from covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	30043
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">It is likely that many employees who have received a shield letter will be able to work from home and therefore be entitled to normal pay. We would encourage employers to make this happen where possible. For those that cannot work from home, we would encourage employers to furlough these staff. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Under the scheme employers will be eligible to apply for a government grant of 80% of workers’ salaries up to £2,500 a month. The scheme will be backdated to 1st March and available for at least three months, with the first grants expected to be paid within weeks.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">There is also the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme which will help eligible freelance workers receive up to £2,500 per month in grants for at least three months.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Government has set up an advice contact centre and website exclusively to help those who have been identified as shielding to access support. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">A new Local Support System in England will make sure those individuals that have been identified by the NHS to stay at home, and who are without a support network of friends and family, will receive essential supplies such as groceries and medicine.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Everyone infected with Covid-19 or required to self-isolate will be treated as having Limited Capability for Work in ESA and UC without the requirement for fit notes or undergoing a Work Capability Assessment. Those applying for Contributory ESA will be able to claim from day 1 – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessment.</ins></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 24/03/2020 12:23:10 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 15:01:23 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson previous answer version 14242 answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1171008

registered interest
date	15/01/2020
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 and Support Allowance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what savings have accrued to the public purse under the £30 reduction for claimants of employment and support allowance in the work-related activity group in each month since that reduction was implemented.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	3794
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">There are no savings from the removal of the Employment and Support Allowance Work Related Activity Component for new claims from April 2017.</del></p><p> </p><p><del class="ministerial">This change enabled the Department to recycle money into providing practical support that will make a significant difference to the life chances of those in the Work-Related Activity Group. We have invested £330m over 4 years with £100m available in 2020/21 and will support those with limited capability for work to move towards and into suitable employment.</del></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial"><em>The information requested on the savings accrued from the removal of the Work Related Activity Component (WRAC) is not available. It would incur disproportionate cost to calculate any actual net savings from the removal of the WRAC. </em></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"><em> </em></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"><em>When the WRAC was removed we made a clear commitment to instead provide practical support that will make a significant difference to the life chances of those in the Work-Related Activity Group. We have been investing an additional £330m over 4 years to support those with limited capability for work to move towards and into suitable employment. </em></ins></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 20/01/2020 15:00:20 question first ministerially corrected 24/01/2020 14:36:26 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson previous answer version 1615 answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1105758

registered interest
date	27/03/2019
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	Work Capability Assessment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of whether Maximus is meeting the SC12 and SC13 targets in schedule 2.2 of the Health and Disability Assessment Services contract; and whether the Government collates data from individual assessment centres on those targets.
tabling member constituency	Falkirk
tabling member printed	John McNally
uin	237797
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2019 answer text <p>The supplier aims to deliver quality assessments as efficiently as possible. Our priority is to ensure that claimants who attend an assessment centre are seen and the supplier is achieving the SC1<ins class="ministerial">3</ins><del class="ministerial">2</del> target which measures the percentage of claimants sent home unseen. Currently, more people are waiting longer in assessment centres than we would like; the supplier is currently just below the SC1<ins class="ministerial">2</ins><del class="ministerial">3</del> target level which measures waiting times in assessment centres. SC12 and SC13 are national contractual service levels, but the Department does monitor performance at assessment centre-level. We are working closely with the supplier to improve waiting times for more claimants while ensuring the length of the assessment meets the individual claimant’s needs and claimants who attend for an assessment are seen.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 04/04/2019 13:46:25 question first ministerially corrected 29/04/2019 16:36:42 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson previous answer version 112078 answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1010390

registered interest
date	19/11/2018
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: Housing
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 claimants receiving the housing element of universal credit are also claiming the state pension.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	192811
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>The table gives the estimated number of households receiving the Housing Element of Universal Credit in Great Britain, May 2018. The notes should be read in conjunction with the information provided in the table.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p>Estimated number of households in payment and receiving the Housing Element of Universal Credit in Great Britain, May 2018</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p><del class="ministerial">471,800</del><ins class="ministerial">425,400</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Claiming State Pension</p></td><td><p>200</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Source:</strong> Household on Universal Credit dataset <strong>and</strong> Work and Pensions Longitudinal Survey.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><ol><li>The figures are derived from unpublished information and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.</li></ol><ol start="2"><li>Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. Individual figures may not add up to the total due to rounding.</li><li>A count date of the second Thursday of the month is used when calculating the statistics for households on Universal Credit.</li><li>Further information on the background and methodology for Universal Credit can be accessed here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/739399/universal-credit-statistics-background-methodology.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/739399/universal-credit-statistics-background-methodology.pdf</a></li></ol> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 27/11/2018 11:22:16 question first ministerially corrected 06/12/2018 16:58:29 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson previous answer version 87254 answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams