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174488

	registered interest
	date	19/01/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment: British Nationals Abroad
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what basis the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Barthélemy, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia are excluded from his calculations for the purposes of establishing the average mean winter temperature for France in connection with winter fuel payments.
	tabling member constituency	North Thanet
	tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
	uin	221255
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p> </p><p>The French Government and European Union law makes a distinction between the <em>pays et territoires d’outre-mer</em> (PTOM) and the <em>départements d’outre mer (DOMs). </em>The PTOM include Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Barthélémy, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia. These territories benefit from association with the EU but community law does not generally apply. With the exception of Saint- Barthélémy they have their own social protection schemes and are legally and financially autonomous. UK Winter Fuel Payments are not paid to residents in the PTOMs.</p><p> </p><p>The French Government treats its DOMs as integral parts of the French State and they are subject to the application of EU social security co-ordination regulations. Winter Fuel Payments are payable to residents in the DOMs, however this will end from September 2015.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 22/01/2015 12:35:10 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

386815

	registered interest
	date	30/06/2015
	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 proportion of work capability assessments have found the claimant to be fit for work in each year since 2008.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Philip Davies
	uin	4975
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2015 answer text <p /> <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The available information in respect of work capability assessments since 2008 is published, and can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-september-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-september-2014</a>.</p> answering member constituency Witham answering member printed Priti Patel question first answered 08/07/2015 08:53:38 answering member 4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel
	tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

391323

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2015
	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	Poverty: Children
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies <i>Living Standards, Poverty and Inequality in the UK: 2015;</i> and how they plan to respond to the findings that nearly 63 per cent of British children living in poverty are in working families.
	tabling member printed	Lord Tyler
	uin	HL1667
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2015 answer text <p /> <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The recent IFS report is positive about the Government’s new approach to tackling the root causes of poverty: they said that “focusing on a broad range of inputs into life chances and causes of poverty is sensible.” They also add that “family worklessness certainly is a sensible thing to track if one wants to reduce the prevalence of low living standards.”</p><p> </p><p>This Government knows that work remains the best route out of poverty. Research shows that around three-quarters of poor children in families that move into full employment exit poverty. We are committed to supporting parents to move into work, increase their earnings, and keep more of what they earn. Universal Credit, our investment in childcare and the introduction of the National Living Wage will all play an important part.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also recognises that improving skills and progression is the key to making work pay. That is why under this Government we intend to create three million more apprenticeships over the next five years, and to help people move on to better jobs by improving qualifications and providing additional support through Jobcentre Plus.</p> answering member printed Baroness Altmann question first answered 30/07/2015 13:27:22 answering member 4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann
	tabling member	225 label Biography information for Lord Tyler

101248

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	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	Disability Living Allowance: Appeals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who the decision maker is in the case of a DLA review; and what the assessment process is.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	212004
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>A Case Manager, the term for a DWP DLA decision maker, will conduct the review. In conducting the review, DLA Case Managers are instructed, through training and guidance, to ensure they have all the necessary information before making their decision. They will consider the evidence held and/or received, sending out for more evidence as appropriate, and only then make their decision.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 03/11/2014 17:47:22 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

114961

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2014
	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 and Support Allowance: 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, whether it is possible for an unemployed person refused employment and support allowance because a work capability assessment found them fit for work to be refused jobseeker's allowance on the grounds of not being fit for work; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	213596
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>A person found fit for work following their Work Capability Assessment may claim Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). They will receive a benefit so long as entitlement conditions for JSA are satisfied. These include being available for and actively seeking.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 10/11/2014 14:16:52 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

418986

	registered interest
	date	15/09/2015
	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: 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, how many work capability assessments in connection with claims for employment and support allowance have been carried out in (a) Inverclyde, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK in the last two years.
	tabling member constituency	Inverclyde
	tabling member printed	Ronnie Cowan
	uin	10296
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>A total of 5,100 work capability assessments were carried out in Inverclyde; 221,900 in Scotland, and; 1,914,000 in Britain between April 2013 and March 2015. All figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. The assessments include Employment and Support Allowance initial assessments, repeat assessments and Incapacity Benefit reassessments.</p> answering member constituency Witham answering member printed Priti Patel question first answered 23/09/2015 11:06:37 answering member 4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel
	tabling member	4465 label Biography information for Ronnie Cowan

385336

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2015
	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: Migrants
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 24 June (HL540), whether they plan to make such assessments in future; and if not, why not.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL819
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Although data regarding claimant nationality is not currently recorded on benefit payment systems, Universal Credit will record such data, when EEA nationals are able to claim. The Department has no plans to make specific assessments regarding Polish nationals when such data becomes available. However, we will continue to monitor EEA nationals’ access to benefits more generally.</p><p> </p><p>The Prime Minister has made clear that further steps are needed to reform welfare to reduce the incentives which have led to mass immigration from the EU.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 06/07/2015 11:59:13 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

349903

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2015
	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	Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing
	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 take steps to ensure planned changes to entitlements to housing benefit and local housing allowance do not adversely affect (a) young adults, (b) formerly looked after children, (c) pregnant women, (d) couples with children, (e) veterans and (f) disabled people.
	tabling member constituency	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
	tabling member printed	Dr Paul Monaghan
	uin	2235
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Any changes to Housing Benefit policy will be subject to a full policy equality assessment to ascertain the impacts on protected groups and ensure compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 16/06/2015 11:50:33 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4383 label Biography information for Dr Paul Monaghan

172933

	registered interest
	date	09/01/2015
	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	Widowed Parent's Allowance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment of proposed changes to the widowed parent's allowance; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	North Ayrshire and Arran
	tabling member printed	Katy Clark
	uin	220244
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Bereavement benefits including Widowed Parent’s Allowance will be replaced by Bereavement Support Payment from April 2017. Those already in receipt of the existing benefit will not be affected by the change.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>An impact assessment was published in April 2014: “Replacement of existing Bereavement Benefits for New Claims from April 2017 – Bereavement Benefits for the 21<sup>st</sup> Century (in Great Britain)”</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311318/pensions-act-ia-annex-d-bereavement-support-payment.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311318/pensions-act-ia-annex-d-bereavement-support-payment.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 16/01/2015 14:01:49 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	1590 label Biography information for Baroness Clark of Kilwinning

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

169047

	registered interest
	date	09/12/2014
	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	Funeral Payments: Motherwell and Wishaw
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for funeral payments were awarded by his Department in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency in each of the last three years; and what the average such award was in each of those years.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Roy
	uin	217930
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>DWP does not hold data on Funeral Payments at constituency level.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 11/12/2014 12:20:38 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	626 label Biography information for Mr Frank Roy

381128

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments
	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 increase the discretionary housing payments fund when the benefit cap is reduced to £23,000 per year; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	2538
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Details of the policy will be announced in due course.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/06/2015 14:16:15 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

173571

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many recipients of the Winter Fuel Payment are higher rate taxpayers.
	tabling member printed	Lord Tyler
	uin	HL4131
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments is based on female State Pension age. The latest estimates we have show that there are currently around 600,000 higher and additional rate taxpayers in Great Britain in 2014/15 who are above the female State Pension age and therefore qualify for Winter Fuel Payments<sup>1</sup>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We ask people who want to return their payment to do so by post so that it can be dealt with securely under existing Departmental financial processes and recorded against their Winter Fuel Payment account. We also ask for a covering letter indicating whether or not they wish us to continue to issue payments in future years.</p><p> </p><p>Returned payments should be sent to the address on the issuing letter or to the office that pays the claimant’s benefit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The latest estimates we have show that treating Winter Fuel Payments as taxable income would bring in around £250 million a year of additional revenue<sup>2</sup>.</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p>1. This estimate is based on the 2011/12 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s November 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.</p><p>The estimate uses ONS population projections at mid year 2012 adjusted for financial years.</p><p>The estimate is rounded to the nearest 100,000.</p><p> </p><p>2. This estimate is based on DWP modelling using HMRC taxpayer data from November 2012 and Winter Fuel Payment caseload data from Winter 2013.</p><p>This takes into account revenue from Basic, Higher and Additional rate taxpayers.</p><p>Winter Fuel Payment rates are assumed to be £200 per year for recipients under 80 and £300 a year for recipients aged 80 and over.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL4132 HL4133 question first answered 26/01/2015 12:13:04 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	225 label Biography information for Lord Tyler

100913

	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	Discretionary Housing 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 each local authority in (a) Wales and (b) the UK returned to his Department in unused discretionary housing payment funding in 2013-14.
	tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
	tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
	uin	221891
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Five local authorities in Wales spent less than their 2013-14 Government contribution in Discretionary Housing Payments. These were:</p><p> </p><p><strong>Local Authority Government Contribution Amount Unspent</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Ceredigion</p></td><td><p>£324,933</p></td><td><p>£290</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Conwy</p></td><td><p>£267,700</p></td><td><p>£1,498</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Gwynedd</p></td><td><p>£605,141</p></td><td><p>£20,072</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Newport</p></td><td><p>£343,870</p></td><td><p>£1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Pembrokeshire</p></td><td><p>£193,940</p></td><td><p>£4,176</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Details for all 240 local authorities in Great Britain which spent less than their 2013-14 Government contribution in DHP are provided in the attached annex.</p><p /> <p /> <p>For the remaining 140 local authorities across Great Britain, of which 17 were in Wales, DHP expenditure in 2013-14 either matched or exceeded the Government contribution.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 29/10/2014 16:10:27 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb attachment 1 file name UnspentDHPGB.PDF title Unspent DHP GB
	tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

175901

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2015
	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	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to promote equal access to intern opportunities for all; and how many disabled people have received help from the Access to Work Fund in order to participate fully in internship programmes.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL4481
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Her Majesty’s Government promote equal access to intern opportunities through a series of communications strands such as:</p><p> </p><p>· The rising awareness of Disability Confident Britain and it’s media profile will help increase awareness of the Access to Work (AtW) support available;</p><p>· Continually improving and developing Advisory knowledge and skills in supporting Disabled People into work and remaining in work, and;</p><p>· Marketing the Jobcentre Plus offer directly to employers and other organisations and institutions.</p><p> </p><p>Moreover, Access to Work gives practical support and help to meet additional costs to overcome barriers. AtW can usually support people only in paid internships, however we have extended Access to Work to cover the Supported internships scheme for young people with special educational needs and for young people undertaking Traineeships. DWP does not have a robust means of reporting programme volumes for internships.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 10/02/2015 17:36:41 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

386350

	registered interest
	date	29/06/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments
	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 increase the amount of discretionary housing payment funding to local authorities after the reduction of the household benefit cap.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	4585
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2015 answer text <p /> <p>I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 June 2015 to Question <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-06-15/2538/" target="_blank">UIN2538</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 02/07/2015 14:47:17 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

177923

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2015
	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 proportion of his Department's advertising budget is allocated to the campaign to promote workplace pensions; and how much of that funding has been spent in the last 24 months on (a) television, (b) newspaper advertising, (c) online, (d) radio and (e) other forms of advertising using the slogan, workplace pensions, we're all in.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	uin	223468
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 January 2015 to Question UIN <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-01-28/222582/" target="_blank">222582</a>.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 10/02/2015 15:37:22 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey previous answer version 43742 answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

167612

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2014
	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	Poverty: Children
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the comments by Lord Freud in the Grand Committee debate on the Child Poverty Act 2010 (Persistent Poverty Targets) Regulations 2014, that the facts Lord McAvoy had quoted were "simply not true" (HL Deb, 25 November, col GC 263), how they were not true.
	tabling member printed	Lord McAvoy
	uin	HL3387
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>I wrote to the Noble Peer on this issue on 4<sup>th</sup> December 2014. I have placed a copy of this letter in the library of the House and have also attached it to this response.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 08/12/2014 15:43:27 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud attachment 1 file name Letter to Lord McAvoy 4.12.14.PDF title Letter to Lord McAvoy 4th Dec 2014
	tabling member	4158 label Biography information for Lord McAvoy

169963

	registered interest
	date	11/12/2014
	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	Winter Fuel Payment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps =he is taking to ensure that pensioners become better aware of their right to claim winter fuel allowance.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	uin	218426
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>In over 95 per cent of cases, people over women’s State Pension age receive a Winter Fuel Payment automatically, and do not need to make a claim since the Department already holds the information necessary to make the payment.</p><p> </p><p>However, details of eligibility and how to make a claim are available on <a href="http://www.GOV.uk" target="_blank">www.GOV.uk</a></p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 16/12/2014 11:58:02 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

93366

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2014
	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	Income Support: Telephones
	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 commission survey research to make an estimate of the proportion of income support claimants who are aware of social tariffs available to help them access landlines.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Field
	uin	210290
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Income Support provides extra money to help people on a low income. There are no plans to commission a survey to estimate the proportion of claimants who are aware of social tariffs available to help them access landlines.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 21/10/2014 14:29:17 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

100277

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2014
	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	Winter Fuel Payment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many in-work working-age households received winter fuel payments in 2013-14; what estimate he has made of how many such households will be claiming winter fuel payments in each of the next four financial years; and what assessment he has made of the effect of equalising the state pension age for men and women on the take-up of winter fuel payments.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Field
	uin	211255
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Information about how many in-work working-age households received Winter Fuel Payments in 2013-14 is not available.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the number of people aged under 65 receiving a Winter Fuel Payment and the associated expenditure in years 2009-10 to 2018-19 inclusive:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Expenditure (£m)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Caseload (000s)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>640.8</p></td><td><p>3,358</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>624.1</p></td><td><p>3,265</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>451.5</p></td><td><p>2,927</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>385.4</p></td><td><p>2,484</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>324.1</p></td><td><p>2,056</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>268.2</p></td><td><p>1,714</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>215.8</p></td><td><p>1,389</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>157.1</p></td><td><p>1,019</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>85.8</p></td><td><p>563</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>14.8</p></td><td><p>95</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p /> <p> </p><p><strong>Notes</strong></p><p>Numbers are for Winter Fuel Payments made to those eligible in Great Britain, European Economic Area and Switzerland aged 60-64: outturn to 2013-14; forecast 2014/15 onwards.</p><p>Winter Fuel Payments in 2009-10 and 2010-11 included one-off £50 payments for the under 80s.</p><p>One of the Winter Fuel Payment eligibility criteria is a person’s age in the qualifying week (the third full week in September). This age has been rising in line with the increase to the female State Pension age.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 24/10/2014 13:51:22 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

155583

	registered interest
	date	11/11/2014
	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	Personal Independence Payment: Motherwell and Wishaw
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency have been migrated from disability living allowance to personal independence payments to date.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Roy
	uin	214296
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Information on the number of existing disability living allowance claimants who have been reassessed for and awarded personal independence payment, at parliamentary constituency level, has been published and can be found at: <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk</a>. Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: <a href="https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm" target="_blank">https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm</a>.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 17/11/2014 13:54:14 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	626 label Biography information for Mr Frank Roy

93373

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2014
	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 and Support Allowance: 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, how many people stopped claiming employment and support allowance (ESA) in 2013 after gaining insufficient points in a Work Capability Assessment; and how many such people were claiming jobseeker's allowance within four weeks of their ESA claim ending.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	210472
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>It is possible to qualify for ESA through the application of Regulations 29(2)(b) and 35(2)(b) where insufficient points have been allocated in a Work Capability Assessment. It is thus not possible to answer the first part of this question.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested in the second part is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 17/10/2014 10:40:27 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

174820

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment: British Nationals Abroad
	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 to Question 220107, if he will make it his policy to exclude French Overseas Departments in the calculation of average temperature for France for the purposes of determining eligibility for winter fuel payments to UK citizens.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	221473
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>It is the French Government that defines itself as the mainland and its outermost regions, and as such are included in the EU social security co-ordination regulations, used and applied by all member states.</p><p> </p><p>It is because of this that the French Overseas Departments<em> (départments d’outre mer</em> or DOMs) are treated in the same way as mainland France with regard to Winter Fuel Payments, which are currently made to those entitled who live there. Therefore, the hotter French Overseas Departments have to be included in the calculation of the average temperature of France. We are being consistent with our policy approach.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 23/01/2015 11:29:58 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

349780

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of paying winter fuel allowance payments directly to energy providers; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne East
	tabling member printed	Mr Nicholas Brown
	uin	1798
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Last year the Department undertook an initial feasibility assessment of a voucher scheme to pay Winter Fuel Payments directly to energy providers. It showed that there would be significant additional administrative complexities and costs to the energy providers which were likely to directly increase the fuel bills for all customers and we expected that a significant number of the most vulnerable pensioners would lose out by not redeeming their voucher.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 15/06/2015 15:18:03 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	523 label Biography information for Mr Nicholas Brown

417035

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2015
	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	Jobcentre Plus: Training
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they issue to Jobcentre Plus branches about treating claimants as innocent and deserving unless clearly shown not to be so; and whether they have any plans to amend any such guidance.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
	uin	HL1955
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Legislation sets clear entitlement provisions which are used to ensure that benefit is paid correctly to those who claim it. We emphasise in our learning and development packages and the DWP customer charter, that all claimants are treated fairly and with respect. These standards are outlined and published in the DWP Customer Charter on GOV.UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 17/09/2015 11:21:34 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

171847

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2014
	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: Migrants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on amendments required to EU law to limit the access of migrants to national welfare systems.
	tabling member constituency	Thirsk and Malton
	tabling member printed	Miss Anne McIntosh
	uin	906838
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Ministers and officials are in regular dialogue with the European Commission and other Member States about the coordination of social security in the European Union. DWP Ministers and officials have met with a number of their European counterparts in recent months to discuss mutual matters of interest where reforms to the social security coordination system have been discussed.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 06/01/2015 13:15:31 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

416753

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2015
	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	Motability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with Motability on eligibility for the Specialised Vehicles Fund.
	tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
	tabling member printed	Kate Green
	uin	9022
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Motability administers the Specialised Vehicles Fund (SVF) on behalf of DWP. Motability provides periodic reports to DWP on their administration of the SVF, including on the issues it considers when prioritising applications for help from the SVF.</p><p> </p><p>All Departmental spending is being considered as part of the current Spending Review.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 9023 question first answered 10/09/2015 15:12:23 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

170553

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Public Health Funerals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of paupers' funerals in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) England and (e) Northern Ireland in each of the last four years for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Pamela Nash
	uin	218762
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>My department does not collect data on the number of Local Authority funerals.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 18/12/2014 11:57:14 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3909 label Biography information for Pamela Nash

166611

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2014
	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	Public Health Funerals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of pauper's funerals in each of the last three years; and what steps his Department is taking to support families on low incomes with the costs of funerals.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Field
	uin	216270
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>My department does not collect data on the number of Local Authority funerals.</p><p> </p><p>The Social Fund Funeral Payment scheme continues to provide help towards a simple, respectful, low-cost funeral and in 2013/14, over 33,000 awards were made worth £44.7 million, with an average award of £1,347.</p><p> </p><p>Social Fund Budgeting Loans are also available to those on income related benefits to cover costs relating to funeral expenses.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 02/12/2014 11:44:12 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

350020

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments: Islington
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new claims for discretionary housing payments were approved in (a) the London Borough of Islington and (b) Islington South and Finsbury constituency in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	2193
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>No information is held on how many new claims for Discretionary Housing Payment were approved in the London Borough of Islington or the Islington South and Finsbury constituency in each of the last five years. In financial year 2013/14, local authorities were asked to report on the total number of Discretionary Housing Payments awards made but it is unknown how many of these were new claims. The Government’s analysis of Discretionary Housing Payment returns for 2013/14 is available at –</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-2013-to-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-2013-to-2014</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 16/06/2015 13:30:34 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

350029

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments: Islington South and Finsbury
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were in receipt of a Discretionary Housing Payment in Islington South and Finsbury constituency in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	2189
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>No information is held on how many people in Islington South and Finsbury constituency were in receipt of a Discretionary Housing Payment in each of the last five years.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 16/06/2015 13:07:04 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

350021

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments: Islington
	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 discretionary housing payment claimants in (a) the London Borough of Islington and (b) Islington South and Finsbury constituency are in work.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	2194
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>No information is held on what proportion of Discretionary Housing Payment claimants in the London Borough of Islington or Islington and Finsbury South constituency are in work.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 16/06/2015 13:04:32 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

228236

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2015
	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	Diesel: Health Hazards
	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 help reduce the health problems caused by exposure to diesel fumes at work.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	228022
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Occupational exposure to Diesel Engine Exhaust Emissions (DEEEs) is subject to the provisions of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH).</p><p> </p><p>These provisions require employers to prevent exposure to hazardous substances or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately control it.</p><p> </p><p>The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance for both employers and employees, giving practical advice on how employers should control exposure to DEEEs in the workplace.</p><p> </p><p>HSE is also undertaking research to better understand the current exposure profile of workers in GB, including assessing the impact of changes in fuel and engine technology on occupational exposures to DEEEs.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 23/03/2015 17:00:45 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

416315

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2015
	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	Sector-based Work Academy Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants have found work through a placement with a sector-based work academy in each year since such schemes have been available.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	8751
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Official statistics record starts to sector-based work academy pre-employment training only. The Department does not collate information on outcomes, nor the number of benefit claimants finding work through a sector-based work academy placement.</p> answering member constituency Witham answering member printed Priti Patel question first answered 09/09/2015 14:34:15 answering member 4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

416364

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2015
	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: Private Sector
	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 effect of auto-enrolment on private sector pension saving.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	8900
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Over 5.43 million workers have now been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension by their employer, many for the first time. This has reversed the downwards trend seen in workplace pension participation rates since 2003.</p><p> </p><p>So far opt out has been around 10 per cent, which is significantly lower than the original DWP estimate of around 30 per cent. This has seen the programme opt out assumption being adjusted to 15 per cent overall for the lifetime of the programme.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Automatic Enrolment will give around 10 million people the opportunity to save into a workplace pension - we expect to see 8 to 9 million people newly saving or saving more, generating £11 billion a year more in workplace pension saving by 2020.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 14/09/2015 11:35:08 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

166089

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	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	Workplace Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the basis on which projections of potential returns are used by the investment management industry in communications with pension holders.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL3147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Since 6 April 2003, certain money purchase pension arrangements have been required to provide members with Statutory Money Purchase Illustrations (SMPIs). Legislation requires that statutory illustrations are produced in accordance with guidance prepared by a prescribed body approved by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and by the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland.</p><p>The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is the prescribed body and has been since 6 April 2007. The FRC fulfils its obligations through the publication of Actuarial Standard Technical Memorandum AS TM1: Statutory Money Purchase Illustrations (AS TM1). It reviews AS TM1 regularly and the last completed review was carried out in 2013 following the introduction of the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/2734) which came into force on 6 April 2014. The AS TM1 specifies that the investment return should take into account the current and anticipated future investment strategy of the member’s funds over the period to retirement and be consistent from year to year, with the rationale documented and made available to members on request.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require a projection at point of sale for contract based pensions. The investment return must reflect the investment potential of the (expected) underlying assets, subject to an overall cap of 5%pa. Flanking projections must be provided using returns which vary by +/- 3%. The FCA has a public commitment to review the basis every 4 years and the next review is due in 2015. The FCA do not require further projections during the lifetime of the contract as pension scheme members will receive statutory statements prepared under DWP legislation. However, where a provider chooses to provide additional projections, they must follow the same basis as point of sale projections.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 08/12/2014 12:26:30 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

178218

	registered interest
	date	05/02/2015
	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: Domestic Abuse
	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 publicise the jobseeker's allowance Domestic Violence Easement.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	223652
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Since the Domestic Violence easement was introduced we have worked with stakeholders and DWP staff to raise awareness of it. Information on the Domestic Violence easement is available on Gov.uk and we have worked with stakeholders to ensure that they are aware and understand how the easement works. We also issued a poster to stakeholders which explains the easement and can be printed and distributed to anyone who wishes to know more about it.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 10/02/2015 15:11:56 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

381624

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2015
	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: Migrants
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether Polish citizens of working age settled in the United Kingdom are more or less likely to claim benefits than the national average.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL540
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Specific assessments of the number of Polish benefit claimants as a proportion of the working age population are not available.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 24/06/2015 14:50:25 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

383962

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments: Greater London
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been awarded in discretionary housing payments by each local authority in London (a) in total, (b) to people affected by the household benefit cap, (c) to people affected by a reduction in local housing allowance rates and (d) to people affected by the under-occupancy penalty.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	3259
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department asks Local authorities to supply details of their use of Discretionary Housing Payments on a 6 monthly basis. Data for 2013/14 is provided at the link below.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments-statistics</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/06/2015 14:08:46 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

385418

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2015
	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, if his Department will develop a single and clear set of guidelines for micro-businesses who will be required to automatically enrol their employees with a pension scheme for the first time to ensure that they can access the information they require cost-effectively.
	tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
	tabling member printed	Toby Perkins
	uin	3931
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department continues to work with The Pensions Regulator to support micro employers in meeting their automatic enrolment duties as simply and cost effectively as possible. This includes working with accountants, bookkeepers, payroll bureaus and other intermediaries to ensure they are ready to support smaller employers effectively.</p><p> </p><p>The first cohort of the smallest employers began to comply with their automatic enrolment duties from 1 June this year. We continue to receive feedback about the experience of employers. We are learning all the time and have adapted and improved the process and the support available.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 3932 question first answered 02/07/2015 13:29:47 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

385420

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2015
	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 representations he has received on the potential risk of pensions auto-enrolment packages and products being mis-sold to micro-businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
	tabling member printed	Toby Perkins
	uin	3933
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department continues to work with The Pensions Regulator to support the smallest employers in meeting their automatic enrolment duties as simply and cost effectively as possible. The Regulator has provided guidance for employers on choosing a pension scheme and is continuing to consider how best to support employers in this important decision.</p><p> </p><p>The Government introduced a package of measures in April to strengthen governance in schemes used for automatic enrolment and protect members from high or inappropriate charges. This includes the introduction of a 0.75 per cent cap on charges in the default funds of schemes used for automatic enrolment.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 02/07/2015 13:41:09 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

348165

	registered interest
	date	02/06/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments: Southwark
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in the London Borough of Southwark are currently receiving discretionary housing payment.
	tabling member constituency	Camberwell and Peckham
	tabling member printed	Ms Harriet Harman
	uin	929
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department does not hold information regarding the number of households who currently claim Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in Local Authorities. In June last year the Department released a publication detailing Local Authorities use of DHP in 2013/14, which included the number of awards made.</p><p> </p><p>The information can be found here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments/statistics</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 08/06/2015 15:26:02 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	150 label Biography information for Ms Harriet Harman

226085

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments: Southwark
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in the London Borough of Southwark have claimed discretionary housing payments in relation to the under-occupancy penalty.
	tabling member constituency	Camberwell and Peckham
	tabling member printed	Ms Harriet Harman
	uin	226842
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department does not hold information regarding the number of households who have claimed Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) by each local authority. In June last year the Department released a publication detailing local authorities use of DHP in 2013/14, which included the number of awards made.</p><p> </p><p>The information can be found here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-2013-to-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-2013-to-2014</a></p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 12/03/2015 11:37:07 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	150 label Biography information for Ms Harriet Harman

348666

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments: Southwark
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in the London Borough of Southwark received Discretionary Housing Payment in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.
	tabling member constituency	Camberwell and Peckham
	tabling member printed	Ms Harriet Harman
	uin	1143
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department does not hold information regarding the number of households who have claimed Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in constituency areas. In June last year the Department released a publication detailing Local Authorities use of DHP in 2013/14, which included the number of awards made.</p><p> </p><p>The information can be found here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments/statistics</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 09/06/2015 10:53:37 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	150 label Biography information for Ms Harriet Harman

348667

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments: Camberwell and Peckham
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Camberwell and Peckham constituency received Discretionary Housing Payment in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.
	tabling member constituency	Camberwell and Peckham
	tabling member printed	Ms Harriet Harman
	uin	1144
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department does not hold information regarding the number of households who have claimed Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in constituency areas. In June last year the Department released a publication detailing Local Authorities use of DHP in 2013/14, which included the number of awards made.</p><p> </p><p>The information can be found here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments/statistics</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 09/06/2015 10:57:42 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	150 label Biography information for Ms Harriet Harman

92326

	registered interest
	date	26/09/2014
	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 and Support Allowance: 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 estimate he has made of the number of applicants for employment and support allowance who have had their benefit stopped for failing to attend a work capability assessment and who claim not to have received an appointment letter from Atos; and how many such cases have been submitted to a tribunal.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Helen Jones
	uin	209588
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Department does not hold the information described and therefore I cannot provide an estimate.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 15/10/2014 11:12:03 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	432 label Biography information for Helen Jones

226783

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments: Southwark
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claiming discretionary housing payments in the London Borough of Southwark have had their claim rejected because funding was unavailable in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Camberwell and Peckham
	tabling member printed	Ms Harriet Harman
	uin	227134
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department does not hold this information. Details of the number of awards made by Local Authorities can be found here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-2013-to-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-2013-to-2014</a></p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 16/03/2015 11:45:59 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	150 label Biography information for Ms Harriet Harman

389752

	registered interest
	date	14/07/2015
	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	Discretionary Housing Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications were made for discretionary housing payments in each local authority in each of the last four years; and what proportion of those applications was approved in each such authority.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	6955
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold information about the number of applications for discretionary housing payments received by each local authority. Details concerning local authorities use of Discretionary Housing Payments can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-financial-year-201415" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-financial-year-201415</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 20/07/2015 15:58:50 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

222678

	registered interest
	date	20/02/2015
	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	Local Housing Allowance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what arrangements his Department has put in place for situations where application forms requesting an increase in local housing allowance (LHA) to cover an increase in rent applied to an eligible LHA claimant are lost by his Department and the applicant consequently faces eviction.
	tabling member constituency	Newport West
	tabling member printed	Paul Flynn
	uin	224845
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department for Work and Pensions provides funding for Housing Benefit to Local Authorities in Great Britain. Responsibility for the day to day administration of Housing Benefit lies with Local Authorities.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 25/02/2015 10:59:53 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	545 label Biography information for Paul Flynn