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1519761

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2022
	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	State Retirement Pensions: Cost of Living
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment has she made of the potential merits of (a) lowering the state pension age and (b) increasing state pension payments in line with rises in the cost of living.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	59906
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2022 answer text <p>Work is underway on the second Government Review of State Pension age which, under the Pensions Act 2014, must be published by May 2023. This Review will consider a wide range of evidence, including findings from two independent reports, to assess whether the rules about State Pension age remain appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has committed to implementing the Triple Lock in the usual way for 2023/24 and the remainder of the Parliament.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 14/10/2022 10:19:52 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1464495

	registered interest
	date	19/05/2022
	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 steps she is taking to support vulnerable people to make claims for Universal Credit as part of the process of managed migration from legacy benefits.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	5465
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2022 answer text <p>We are committed to fully complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty as we proceed with managed migration and will be regularly reviewing and updating our equality analysis as we progress through the discovery phase and iterate our approach.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently reviewing our explicit consent process to make it easier for those who need the support but do not have or need an appointee to have someone to act on their behalf.</p><p> </p><p>A variety of support is in place for those issued with migration notices, including for individuals with health conditions and disabilities. As we progress through the discovery phase, we are keen to understand what additional support is required for people to make their claim to UC.</p><p> </p><p>Our current support consists of:</p><p> </p><p>• A dedicated phoneline</p><p> </p><p>• Further guidance on Gov.uk</p><p> </p><p>• Specially trained staff in JCP’s and service centres who can identify local tailored support</p><p> </p><p>• Support through Help to Claim</p><p> </p><p>Our aim throughout remains to bring each legacy claimant across to Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 24/05/2022 16:54:05 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1464494

	registered interest
	date	19/05/2022
	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: Mental Health
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has she made of the mental health impact on individuals of managed migration from legacy benefits to Universal Credit.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	5464
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2022 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ensuring the final phase of Universal Credit is rolled out safely and is responsibly delivered by the end of 2024. We have considered additional needs for those with heath conditions including those with mental health conditions the current support consists of:</p><p> </p><ul><li>A dedicated DWP phoneline for those receiving a migration notice</li><li>Comprehensive guidance on Gov.uk</li><li>Specially trained staff in JCP’s and service centres who can identify and signpost to local tailored support</li><li>Support through Help to Claim</li><li>And reminding claimants that 1.4m households will gain financially from move to Universal Credit.</li></ul><p> </p><p>During our Discovery phase, we will continue to learn how best to support claimants successfully move to Universal Credit and adapt our approach as we learn.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 24/05/2022 16:43:44 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1356868

	registered interest
	date	20/09/2021
	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 she has made of the impact of the 3.2 per cent rise in inflation on the financial wellbeing of recipients of universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	51772
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2021 answer text <p>The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to Universal Credit uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.</p><p>Separately to the Universal Credit Uplift, the Secretary of State completes an annual review of most benefit rates for people below State Pension age to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices. Where prices have increased relative to the value of those benefits, the Secretary of State will increase certain disability and carers’ benefits – such as Personal Independence Payments and Carer’s Allowance – at least in line with that increase. She may also decide to increase other benefits, such as the Universal Credit Standard Allowance. That decision is discretionary, but it is conventional that these rates are also increased in line with the increase in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index. The up-rating review is conducted in the Autumn of each year, with the outcome announced in November and the new rates implemented the following April.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley grouped question UIN 51775 question first answered 27/09/2021 10:45:35 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley previous answer version 23498 answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1356873

	registered interest
	date	20/09/2021
	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, whether she plans to review the planned removal of the uplift to universal credit in response to the increase in inflation to 3.2 per cent.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	51775
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2021 answer text <p>The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to Universal Credit uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.</p><p>Separately to the Universal Credit Uplift, the Secretary of State completes an annual review of most benefit rates for people below State Pension age to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices. Where prices have increased relative to the value of those benefits, the Secretary of State will increase certain disability and carers’ benefits – such as Personal Independence Payments and Carer’s Allowance – at least in line with that increase. She may also decide to increase other benefits, such as the Universal Credit Standard Allowance. That decision is discretionary, but it is conventional that these rates are also increased in line with the increase in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index. The up-rating review is conducted in the Autumn of each year, with the outcome announced in November and the new rates implemented the following April.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley grouped question UIN 51772 question first answered 27/09/2021 10:45:35 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1490663

	registered interest
	date	19/07/2022
	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	Debts: Disclosure of Information
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department's Debt Management's policy to include full details of relevant debt in (a) email and (b) other written correspondence advising individuals of the debt.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	39915
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2022 answer text <p>All benefit overpayments are notified to claimants. The notification sets out why the overpayment occurred, the amount overpaid and the period of overpayment, along with the debtor’s appeal rights. For other claimant liabilities, such as advances and loans, the amount to be paid and repayment terms are agreed in advance.</p><p> </p><p>Once any debts or other liabilities are transferred to Debt Management for recovery, any notifications will typically show the current overall balance outstanding for all debts and liabilities, rather than listing individual debts.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently developing an on-line service whereby individuals are able to go and view their outstanding balances. A number of claimants are already accessing this service.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 26/07/2022 14:44:01 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1357159

	registered interest
	date	21/09/2021
	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: Young People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on (a) extending Automatic Enrolment to workers under 22 and (b) removing the automatic enrolment lower earnings threshold by the mid-2020s.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	52549
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/09/2021 answer text <p>We are committed to implementing the 2017 Automatic Enrolment Review ambitions in the mid-2020s, lowering the age for being automatically enrolled from 22 to 18 and abolishing the automatic enrolment lower earnings limit, so that contributions are payable from the first pound of earnings.</p><p> </p><p>In this way we will expand coverage of the successful workplace pension reforms and increase the amounts being put into retirement savings by millions of workers, particularly younger people and lower earners.</p><p> </p><p>The 2017 Review report was clear that implementation will be subject to learning from previous workplace pension contribution increases, discussions with employers and others on the right approach, and finding ways to make these changes affordable. We will do this in light of the impact of the pandemic and our overall support for economic recovery, while continuing to support long-term saving, balancing the needs of savers, employers and tax-payers.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 28/09/2021 15:10:24 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1357160

	registered interest
	date	21/09/2021
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of people who are automatically enrolled that are likely to reach a moderate lifestyle in retirement as defined by the PLSA’s Retirement Living Standards.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	52550
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2021 answer text <p>This Government is focussed on its goal of expanding the benefits of automatic enrolment in the mid-2020s, increasing the overall amounts being saved by working people, and extending the benefits of workplace pensions to younger workers. I welcome the PLSA standards as a contribution to the debate.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 27/09/2021 10:52:52 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1281300

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2021
	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: Marketing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department spent on (a) communications, (b) advertising and (c) marketing in (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Northern Ireland, (iv) Scotland and (v) Wales in each month from August 2020 to December 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	144750
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2021 answer text <p>The Cabinet Office publishes expenditure on COVID-19 and other national campaigns on a rolling monthly basis on gov.uk as part of routine government transparency arrangements.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 02/02/2021 16:55:03 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1489543

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2022
	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	Parental Pay: Living Wage
	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 make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing Statutory (a) Maternity and (b) Paternity Pay to the level of the real living wage as determined by the Living Wage Foundation.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	37563
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2022 answer text <p>Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) are not, and have never been, intended to replace earnings completely. Both are reviewed annually, alongside state benefits, and are generally increased in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). From April 2022 the standard rate of SMP and SPP increased to £156.66, in line with the September 2021 CPI rate of 3.1%.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 20/07/2022 14:20:00 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson