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1146581

registered interest
date	26/09/2019
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	Food Supply
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to prevent food insecurity after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	291446
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government has been clear that leaving the EU with a deal is its preferred option.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has put in place contingency plans for a range of exit scenarios. These contingencies ensure that DWP can continue to provide our vital services and that individuals will continue to be able to access DWP benefits and services on the same basis as they do now.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to providing a strong safety-net through the welfare system. We continue to spend over £95 billion a year on benefits for people of working age. DWP continues to monitor the effects of EU exit on the economy. Rates of benefits continue to be reviewed in line with the relevant legislation for uprating.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 290576 291140 question first answered 04/10/2019 10:15:06 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1146582

registered interest
date	26/09/2019
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: Payments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment she has made of the average length of time for a claimant to receive their first (a) legacy benefit payment and (b) universal credit payment in the each of the last two years.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	291447
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>The design of Universal Credit is fundamentally different to legacy benefits, so any assessment would not reflect this adequately.</p><p> </p><p>The Department published an assessment of legacy benefit and Universal Credit payment timeliness in its Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19. This showed that the speed of Universal Credit payments has continued to improve during its rollout and the Department continues to introduce improvements. Between February 2018 to February 2019 Universal Credit payment timeliness improved with 86% of new claims to Universal Credit receiving full payment on time in February 2019, an increase from 78% in February 2018.</p><p> </p><p>Monthly assessment periods align to the way the majority of employees are paid, and how utility companies and other service providers collect payments. This allows Universal Credit to be adjusted each month, which means that if a claimant’s income falls they will not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>Overall, Universal Credit provides more tailored support, and makes it more financially rewarding to increase earnings when in employment compared to legacy benefits.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/10/2019 15:55:01 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1146583

registered interest
date	26/09/2019
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: Payments
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 whether households have reduced their expenditure on non-essential items in order to avoid debt while waiting for their first payment of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	291448
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>For new claimants applying for Universal Credit (UC), new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed quickly, until their first UC payment is due.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to this, the Department has delivered a number of improvements to support claimants during their first assessment period, such as removing waiting days and paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.</p><p> </p><p>For those who need help with budgeting, support is available for Universal Credit claimants via the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS). MaPS will help UC claimants with personal budgeting and money management through its free helpline, printed guides and digital guidance.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/10/2019 15:52:55 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1146584

registered interest
date	26/09/2019
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: Payments
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 the potential merits of introducing a policy of backdating universal credit payments.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	291449
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>Under Universal Credit, claims may be backdated, by up to one calendar month, in some circumstances for vulnerable claimants who may be delayed in claiming Universal Credit through no fault of their own. Claims may also be backdated in specific circumstances when a couple separates to ensure that there is no gap in entitlement between the couple claim and the new claim made by a single claimant.</p><p> </p><p>In order to provide the best possible support to our claimants it is important that we are able to have discussions about their claim and circumstances at the earliest possible opportunity, whether to support them back into work or to provide or signpost other support and guidance. It is therefore important that backdating provisions are used in specific circumstances, and that all claimants are encouraged to engage with us at the earliest opportunity.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/10/2019 15:44:06 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1145824

registered interest
date	25/09/2019
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	Workplace Pensions: Airdrie and Shotts
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 people in Airdrie and Shotts constituency have (a) opted out after being auto-enrolled into a workplace pension and (b) saved more than the auto-enrolment minimum contribution.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	290806
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2019 answer text <p>Automatic enrolment has achieved a quiet revolution through getting employees into the habit of pension saving, and reversing the decline in workplace pension participation in the decade prior to these reforms. Since automatic enrolment started in 2012 participation rates have been transformed with 87% of eligible employees saving into a workplace pension in 2018, up from 55% in 2012.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not hold data for individual constituencies in relation to opt outs or the number of individuals who have saved above the automatic enrolment minimum contribution level. However, we do know that overall around 9% of automatically enrolled workers have chosen to opt out which is significantly below original estimates, and our latest evaluation report shows that in April 2017, approximately 5.9 million eligible employees were already meeting the April 2019 minimum contribution rates.</p><p> </p><p>In the Airdrie and Shotts constituency, from 2012 to August 2019, approximately 8,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 960 employers have met their duties.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 01/10/2019 15:02:43 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman previous answer version 136338 answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray