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1697022

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
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	Access to 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 many people were waiting for a decision on their Access to Work application on 1 March 2024.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	19403
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>As of 1st March 2024, there were 29,871 applications awaiting a decision.</p><p> </p><p>Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics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 Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/03/2024 12:26:28 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1697023

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
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	Pensions: Young People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he is taking steps to encourage young people under the age of 18 to opt in to pensions.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	19353
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>The 2017 Review of Automatic Enrolment (AE) sets out our ambition to reduce the qualifying age for AE below 22, so that younger workers can begin to save as soon as they join the labour market.</p><p> </p><p>The government supported the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Act 2023 which gives us the legislative powers to implement this expansion of AE subject to consultation with employers and workers. Government is committed to make this change in the mid-2020s.</p><p> </p><p>In the meantime, the current AE framework allows workers who are not automatic enrolled to opt-in to a workplace pension, including those below age 22, and many employers already choose to enrol those workers.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 26/03/2024 11:34:10 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1697096

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Domestic Visits
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions Ministers from his Department have visited (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	19367
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2024 answer text <p>The information requested is not centrally collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Information on DWP ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-ministers-hospitality-and-gifts" target="_blank">DWP ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings -GOV.UK(www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 22/03/2024 09:58:34 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1697119

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
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: Fraud
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 has taken to ensure benefit fraud investigations do not result in discrimination.
tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
tabling member printed	Darren Jones
uin	19427
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>All fraud investigations are conducted in line with current legislation including Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984.</p><p> </p><p>All staff in the department undergo Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) training. The training is provided to ensure everyone has the right level of skill and understanding to ensure equality of treatment for all customers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 26/03/2024 11:47:14 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1697120

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
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 Pay: Small Businesses
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 encourage small businesses to provide statutory maternity pay to employees; and whether he has discussions with industry on this.
tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
tabling member printed	Darren Jones
uin	19428
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>All employers have a statutory obligation to pay Statutory Maternity Pay to eligible employees. Employers are reimbursed at least 92 percent of the Statutory Maternity Pay they pay. Small employers (those who pay £45,000 or less gross NICs in the previous tax year) receive 100 percent of the Statutory Maternity Pay paid plus an additional 3 percent, known as the Small Employers’ Compensation Rate. This is in recognition of the relatively greater impact maternity absence has on small businesses.</p><p> </p><p>Employers may apply for advance funding from HMRC if they are unable to meet their SMP liability at the required time.</p><p> </p><p>DWP officials regularly meet with industry representatives to discuss Statutory Maternity Pay.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 26/03/2024 11:28:58 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones

1697128

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
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	Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Services
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 of 15 March 2024 to Question 17902, how many individual Musculoskeletal Physical Activity Hubs will be created as a result of the £12 million a year allocated as part of the 2023 Spring Budget.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	19407
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>The DHSC/DWP Joint Work and Health Directorate is actively exploring opportunities to increase access to, and hence the number of, MSK Physical Activity Hubs in the Community, and enhancing the interventions on offer by embedding vocational support and rehabilitation services. This includes how to maximise access for people with greatest unmet MSK need and people with MSK conditions living in areas of deprivation. We are exploring how to improve referral pathways so where appropriate people with MSK conditions get easier access. This will help inform new models of delivery and our thinking on scale.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently undertaking extensive stakeholder engagement and anticipate publishing our approach over the next few months.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 26/03/2024 14:12:25 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1697233

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
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
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 his Department's publication entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 16 March 2023, what progress his Department has made on testing matching a Personal Independent Payment applicant’s primary health condition to a specialist assessor; and when he plans to publish the findings.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	19455
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>The Health and Disability White Paper, published in March 2023, set out ambitious and extensive reforms to further support disabled people including exploring the initiative referred to as “Specialist Assessors”.</p><p>As the term “specialist” has a very specific meaning in a medical context, the decision has been made to rename the initiative to “Condition Focused Assessors” to avoid misalignment with clinical definitions. The ambition and intent of the initiative remains the same.</p><p>In September 2023, we began a small-scale test matching certain PIP claimants’ primary health condition to an existing healthcare professional (HCP) with relevant clinical experience. This test ran until January 2024, at which point it was expanded to cover claimants with multiple conditions.</p><p>We continue to work closely with key stakeholders and support organisations as we progress our testing. Initial exploratory research will be published later this year. The Health Transformation Programme looks to publish evaluation when services are suitably developed, and when findings are robust and provide a representative picture of our progress.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 26/03/2024 14:16:41 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1697234

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
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
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 his Department's publication entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 16 March 2023, what progress his Department has made on the test of the feasibility of sharing assessment reports with Personal Independent Payment applicants before a decision is made; and when he plans to publish the findings.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	19456
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>We are currently conducting a test to understand the impact of sharing assessment reports with PIP claimants by default. As part of the evaluation, we will gather insight from claimants to understand whether sharing the assessment report provides them with the opportunity to clarify evidence so that we can make the right decision as early as possible and improve trust and transparency in the decision-making process. Once the analysis of that insight is complete, we will consider next steps.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/03/2024 12:59:55 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1697235

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
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
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 has taken to inform recipients of the (a) limited capability for work-related activity element of Universal Credit and (b) Employment and Support Allowance support group of their potential entitlement to Personal Independence Payment.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	19457
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>DWP Work Coaches and Disability Advisers can signpost and support claimants who may be eligible for other benefits. Signposting is also performed by Citizens Advice Bureau, Disability Groups, healthcare professionals and Welfare Rights organisations.</p><p> </p><p>Information for those who want to know more about DWP benefits is also available on GOV.UK and via social media.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 26/03/2024 14:19:44 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1696638

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
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 Footpaths: Accidents
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of members of the public who have been killed by cattle whilst walking on public rights of way or open access land in the last three years.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Sir Stephen Timms
uin	18952
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2024 answer text <p>Over the period 2020/21-2022/23, eight members of the public were killed in agriculture, forestry and fishing in work-related incidents involving cattle while walking on public rights of way or open access land. This information has been published on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/resources/fatal.htm" target="_blank">Fatal injuries in agriculture, forestry and fishing in Great Britain 2022/23 (hse.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) provide the national reporting framework for accident reporting and place a duty on responsible persons (usually employers, certain self-employed persons, and those in control of work premises) to report certain cases of injury, diseases and specified dangerous occurrences to the relevant Enforcing Authority.</p><p> </p><p>Incidents involving livestock and members of the public are reportable under RIDDOR where they result in either a fatality or a member of public attending hospital, directly from site, for treatment in respect of any injuries sustained. Many serious incidents are not reported so HSE does not have verified data on major injuries sustained by members of the public involving cattle. However, some analysis was done in 2020/21 for the Agriculture Industry Advisory Committee and this suggested that 26 members of the public sustained non-fatal injuries from cattle whilst walking on public rights of way or open access land.</p><p> </p><p>The safety and health of people at work in agriculture and members of the public who are affected by agricultural activities is a concern to HSE and the industry. HSE has a long-term strategy to drive up industry ownership of the challenge and influence farmer behaviour to comply with long standing legal requirements. Since 2018, HSE has delivered an annual programme of free training to farmers in advance of targeted proactive inspection. These targeted inspections specifically check if farmers are complying with the law in relation to management of risks from workplace vehicles, cattle (including the management of cattle in fields with public rights of ways) and falls.</p><p>Earlier this year HSE has launched its 2024 Agricultural Campaign <a href="https://workright.campaign.gov.uk/campaigns/agriculture/" target="_blank">Work Right Agriculture - Work Right to keep Britain safe</a> which includes a clear focus on management of livestock in a bid to improve safety on Britain’s farms. HSE is committed to supporting farmers to work safely with livestock.</p><p> </p><p>HSE also produces guidance to enable farmers and landowners to manage the risk from cattle put into fields which also have public access. Guidance is available free of charge on HSE’s website:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais17ew.pdf" target="_blank">Cattle and public access in England and Wales (hse.gov.uk)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais17s.pdf" target="_blank">Cattle and public access in Scotland: Advice for farmers, landowners and other livestock keepers AIS17 (hse.gov.uk)</a></li></ul> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard grouped question UIN 18953 18954 question first answered 21/03/2024 15:47:34 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms