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1148811

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Children: Maintenance
	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 change the hierarchy of the distributions for payments made through the Child Maintenance Service so that unpaid child maintenance is better favoured for repayment; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	uin	188
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2019 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) aims to ensure liabilities are paid in full and on time. Where this does not happen the Service prioritises the collection of on-going maintenance before any arrears to avoid the build-up of maintenance arrears and ensure that today’s children will benefit. The CMS will pursue arrears alongside the collection of on-going liabilities wherever possible and will continue to pursue until all the debt has been paid. There are no plans to change the hierarchy of the distribution of the maintenance payments.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 18/10/2019 11:41:58 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1148867

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Employment and Support Allowance: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time has been for calls to the Employment Support Allowance helpline in each month since October 2018.
	tabling member constituency	East Hampshire
	tabling member printed	Mr Damian Hinds
	uin	198
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2019 answer text <p>The average wait time for calls to the Employment Support Allowance helpline in each month from October 2018 to September 2019 is shown in the table below in the format of hours:minutes:seconds.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Average Wait Time</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>October 2018</p></td><td><p>00:11:30</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>November 2018</p></td><td><p>00:12:44</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>December 2018</p></td><td><p>00:21:36</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January 2019</p></td><td><p>00:20:06</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>February 2019</p></td><td><p>00:20:47</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>March 2019</p></td><td><p>00:18:31</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>April 2019</p></td><td><p>00:29:56</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May 2019</p></td><td><p>00:23:15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June 2019</p></td><td><p>00:17:29</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>July 2019</p></td><td><p>00:26:51</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>August 2019</p></td><td><p>00:26:17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>September 2019</p></td><td><p>00:24:42</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 21/10/2019 15:49:30 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds

1148982

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Maternity Allowance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent (a) assessment her Department has made of the trends in and (b) estimate her Department has made of the average processing times for applications made for maternity allowance.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	58
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department continues to closely monitor the volume of MA applications. We are aware of the current increase in outstanding MA applications, due to recent staff changes and we are working to resolve this.</p><p> </p><p>We are urgently training new colleagues on this area of work and we expect work volumes to decline from mid-November onwards. We would advise people to apply as soon as they are eligible, 14 weeks before the week when their baby is due. We are fast tracking any emergency cases.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 17/10/2019 17:00:34 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1149081

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Thomas Cook: Insolvency
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employees of Thomas Cook have received assistance from JobCentre Plus in Peterborough following the collapse of that company; and what support her Department is providing for that JobCentre to deal with additional workload following the collapse of that company.
	tabling member constituency	Peterborough
	tabling member printed	Ms Lisa Forbes
	uin	375
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2019 answer text <p>Our local team in Peterborough are monitoring all new claims to benefits to identify where the claimant is a former employee of Thomas Cook so that they quickly receive the right level of support. We estimate that as of 15<sup>th</sup> October, 159 former Thomas Cook employees have visited Peterborough Jobcentre, of which 120 have made a claim to benefits and 39 have made a general enquiry about the support available. Additional staff from neighbouring offices are working from Peterborough Jobcentre on a temporary basis to meet any increased demand on our services.</p><p> </p><p>We are working with a wide range of employers to provide support to former employees of Thomas Cook. As they are part of our national portfolio we do not readily hold details on those that are operating in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost. The Department is offering a range of support to anyone affected by the closure of Thomas Cook, through our Rapid Response Service and wider DWP services. For example, a local provider is offering a series of workshops for former Thomas Cook employees to explain the range of support available to help them find a job.</p><p> </p><p>Rather than providing direct financial support, our team in Peterborough have provided staff to support with the organisation and delivery of two local jobs fairs, arranged by Thomas Cook and Opportunity Peterborough. The Thomas Cook event was attended by around 850 former employees and over 100 former employees visited the DWP stand at the Opportunity Peterborough event.</p><p> </p><p>Please note that the data supplied are derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 376 question first answered 17/10/2019 15:05:58 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4717 label Biography information for Ms Lisa Forbes

1149082

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Thomas Cook: Insolvency
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 1 October to Question 290912, which of the 100 employers her Department is working with to find jobs for former Thomas Cook employees are operating in (a) Peterborough and (b) Cambridgeshire; what specific support the rapid response service is providing in Peterborough following the collapse of Thomas Cook; and what financial support her Department has provided for jobs fairs in Peterborough.
	tabling member constituency	Peterborough
	tabling member printed	Ms Lisa Forbes
	uin	376
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2019 answer text <p>Our local team in Peterborough are monitoring all new claims to benefits to identify where the claimant is a former employee of Thomas Cook so that they quickly receive the right level of support. We estimate that as of 15<sup>th</sup> October, 159 former Thomas Cook employees have visited Peterborough Jobcentre, of which 120 have made a claim to benefits and 39 have made a general enquiry about the support available. Additional staff from neighbouring offices are working from Peterborough Jobcentre on a temporary basis to meet any increased demand on our services.</p><p> </p><p>We are working with a wide range of employers to provide support to former employees of Thomas Cook. As they are part of our national portfolio we do not readily hold details on those that are operating in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost. The Department is offering a range of support to anyone affected by the closure of Thomas Cook, through our Rapid Response Service and wider DWP services. For example, a local provider is offering a series of workshops for former Thomas Cook employees to explain the range of support available to help them find a job.</p><p> </p><p>Rather than providing direct financial support, our team in Peterborough have provided staff to support with the organisation and delivery of two local jobs fairs, arranged by Thomas Cook and Opportunity Peterborough. The Thomas Cook event was attended by around 850 former employees and over 100 former employees visited the DWP stand at the Opportunity Peterborough event.</p><p> </p><p>Please note that the data supplied are derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 375 question first answered 17/10/2019 15:05:58 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4717 label Biography information for Ms Lisa Forbes

1149288

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	UK Shared Prosperity Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions officials in her Department have had with their counterparts in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential role of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to (a) reduce and (b) alleviate child poverty.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne North
	tabling member printed	Catherine McKinnell
	uin	563
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2019 answer text <p>The manifesto committed to replace European structural funds with a UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will reduce inequalities between communities and deliver sustainable, inclusive growth. We continue to work together on the design and priorities of the new fund.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 21/10/2019 15:13:37 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell

1149480

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Thomas Cook: Insolvency
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations she has received from Peterborough City Council for financial support for local welfare services following the collapse of Thomas Cook.
	tabling member constituency	Peterborough
	tabling member printed	Ms Lisa Forbes
	uin	732
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>We are working closely with Peterborough City Council through Opportunity Peterborough to deliver the support required. Our local team in Peterborough are monitoring all new claims to benefits to identify where the claimant is a former employee of Thomas Cook so that they quickly receive the right level of support.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is offering a range of support to anyone affected by the closure of Thomas Cook, through our Rapid Response Service and wider DWP services. For example, a local provider is offering a series of workshops for former Thomas Cook employees to explain the support available to help them find a job. We are working with a wide range of employers to provide support to former employees of Thomas Cook.</p><p> </p><p>Our team in Peterborough have provided staff to support with the organisation and delivery of two local jobs fairs, arranged by Thomas Cook and Opportunity Peterborough (part of Peterborough City Council). The Thomas Cook event was attended by around 850 former employees and over 100 former employees visited the DWP stand at the Opportunity Peterborough event.</p><p> </p><p>As current resources are adequate for the need to be met there has been no request made by Peterborough City Council or by the Department for additional financial support.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to work with Peterborough City Council to monitor the situation and consider further support as required.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 22/10/2019 16:07:03 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4717 label Biography information for Ms Lisa Forbes

1149483

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Age: Discrimination
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to tackle ageism in the workplace.
	tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
	tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
	uin	735
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>The Equality Act 2010, provides strong protection against direct and indirect age discrimination in employment and makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee or a job applicant because of their age, unless the employer can justify it as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.</p><p> </p><p>To tackle ageism in the workplace, Business in the Community have produced a toolkit which provides guidance and support to employers in getting started with age inclusion in the workplace and includes a three-step process based on Look, Listen, Act. <a href="https://age.bitc.org.uk/all-resources/toolkits/getting-started-age-look-listen-act-toolkit-will-guide-and-support-getting" target="_blank">https://age.bitc.org.uk/all-resources/toolkits/getting-started-age-look-listen-act-toolkit-will-guide-and-support-getting</a></p><p> </p><p>More widely, Government is taking steps to ensure that older workers are supported to remain in or return to the labour market, the Government has removed the Default Retirement Age meaning most people can choose when to retire, and extended the right to request flexible working to all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer.</p><p> </p><p>In February 2017, the UK Government published “Fuller Working Lives: a partnership approach” to set out the role employers, individuals and Government can play in supporting fuller working lives.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/587654/fuller-working-lives-a-partnership-approach.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/587654/fuller-working-lives-a-partnership-approach.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also appointed Andy Briggs as Business Champion for Older Workers to spearhead the Government’s work to support employers to retain, retrain and recruit older workers. Andy Briggs and the Business In The Community Age at Work leadership team actively promote the benefits of older workers to employers across England.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 22/10/2019 09:10:22 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

1149526

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding her Department allocated to the Work Programme in the latest year for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Wirral West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Greenwood
	uin	632
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions spent £62.6m on the Work Programme in the financial year 2018/19, which is the latest full year for which spend is available.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 21/10/2019 12:00:14 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4400 label Biography information for Margaret Greenwood

1149527

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Employment Schemes: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding her Department allocated to Work Choices in the latest year for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Wirral West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Greenwood
	uin	633
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions spent £22.4m on Work Choices, including Remploy, in the financial year 2018/19, which is the latest full year spend is available.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 21/10/2019 12:13:21 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4400 label Biography information for Margaret Greenwood