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1465278

registered interest
date	24/05/2022
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Training
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 19 May 2022 to Question 2599 on Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Training, what her timescale is for making a decision on whether to extend to 16 weeks the length of time people on legacy benefits can participate in full-time employment-focussed skills training; and if she will make a statement after she has made a decision.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	8095
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2022 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>Through DWP Train and Progress, we have already extended to 16 weeks the full-time training flexibility within Universal Credit. It was agreed, across Government, that this extension applied to the period April 2022 – March 2023.</p><p> </p><p>We plan to review the impact of the 16-week extension on labour market outcomes later this year and will take a view as to whether we expand this flexibility to legacy benefit claimants.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 06/06/2022 14:37:12 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1465279

registered interest
date	24/05/2022
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Skills Bootcamps
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 she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential merits of extending the length of time those claiming legacy benefits can participate in a Skills Bootcamp in HGV driving to 16 weeks.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	8096
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2022 answer text <p>Through DWP Train and Progress Universal Credit claimants can access all full-time work-related training for up to 16 weeks. This includes Skills Bootcamps in the logistics sector and allows claimants to benefit from gaining key vocational skills, in all sectors where there is labour market demand.</p><p>We plan to review the impact of the 16-week extension on outcomes and will take a view as to whether we expand this flexibility to legacy benefit claimants.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 06/06/2022 14:44:05 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1463214

registered interest
date	16/05/2022
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing people claiming legacy benefits to complete a Skills Bootcamp in HGV driving that lasts longer than eight weeks.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	2599
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2022 answer text <p>Through Train and Progress, DWP seeks to assess the merits of extending the time Universal Credit (UC) claimants can participate in full-time employment-focussed skills training, and programmes such as skills bootcamps, up to 16 weeks and will be monitoring the impact of extending the time before considering whether to broaden to include those on legacy benefits.</p><p> </p><p>By targeting this temporary expansion to our labour market offer at those eligible for UC, we can deliver a significant impact due to the higher ratio of UC claimants compared to those in receipt of legacy benefits. At present all other benefit claimants, can access longer periods of part-time skills training to improve their prospects of work, including Skills Bootcamps when delivery content is more flexible.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 19/05/2022 13:33:36 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1463215

registered interest
date	16/05/2022
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Household Support Fund
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to prevent councils running out of funding for the Household Support Fund before the end of September 2022.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	2600
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2022 answer text <p>In England, £421 million is being provided to extend the Household Support Fund from 1 April to 30 September inclusive which will continue to help people who are struggling to afford energy and water bills, food, and other essentials.</p><p> </p><p>Local Authorities have been issued with the fund guidance and the accompanying grant determination for the extended funding. Local Authorities have discretion on exactly how this funding is used within the scope set out. It is for Local Authorities, using their local ties and knowledge, to design local schemes that best meet the needs of local people.</p><p> </p><p>The Household Support Fund extension is just one part of a wider package. We recognise the pressures on the costs of living and we are doing what we can to help, including spending £22 billion across the next financial year to support people.</p><p> </p><p>The government is continuing to monitor developments and the consequences for the cost of living and will be ready to take further steps if needed to support households.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 19/05/2022 15:43:32 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1417760

registered interest
date	28/01/2022
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in the last 12 months how many employers who have autoenrolment pension responsibilities have failed to enrol all eligible employees.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	113796
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>Automatic Enrolment has transformed workplace pension saving, with over 10 million employees enrolled and over 1.9 million employers meeting their duties. The Pensions Regulator is responsible for maximising employer compliance with the automatic enrolment duties, using a risk-based approach to deter, prevent, or address non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p>Employers must provide information to The Regulator to show they are meeting their automatic enrolment duties, which involves completing a declaration of compliance. The Regulator publishes regular information about employers who have complied with their duties, here <a href="https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/automatic-enrolment-declaration-of-compliance-report" target="_blank">Automatic enrolment declaration of compliance report | The Pensions Regulator</a>. The Regulator also publishes data on how often they have used their regulatory powers, here <a href="https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/enforcement-activity/enforcement-bulletins" target="_blank">Enforcement bulletins | The Pensions Regulator</a> which shows that in the 12 months to the end of June 2021 The Regulator issued 60,870 Compliance Notices.</p><p> </p><p>Pension scheme trustees and managers have the responsibility for monitoring, collecting and recovering contributions to their schemes in accordance with <a href="https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/trustees/managing-dc-benefits/administration-guide-for-dc-pension-schemes/maintaining-contributions" target="_blank">The Pensions Regulator’s code of practice.</a> Pension schemes are required to report to The Pensions Regulator where there has been a material failure in the payment of contributions by employers.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 113797 question first answered 07/02/2022 15:05:31 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1417761

registered interest
date	28/01/2022
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	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 the estimated value is of currently outstanding employer contributions to workplace pension schemes.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	113797
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2022 answer text <p>Automatic Enrolment has transformed workplace pension saving, with over 10 million employees enrolled and over 1.9 million employers meeting their duties. The Pensions Regulator is responsible for maximising employer compliance with the automatic enrolment duties, using a risk-based approach to deter, prevent, or address non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p>Employers must provide information to The Regulator to show they are meeting their automatic enrolment duties, which involves completing a declaration of compliance. The Regulator publishes regular information about employers who have complied with their duties, here <a href="https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/automatic-enrolment-declaration-of-compliance-report" target="_blank">Automatic enrolment declaration of compliance report | The Pensions Regulator</a>. The Regulator also publishes data on how often they have used their regulatory powers, here <a href="https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/enforcement-activity/enforcement-bulletins" target="_blank">Enforcement bulletins | The Pensions Regulator</a> which shows that in the 12 months to the end of June 2021 The Regulator issued 60,870 Compliance Notices.</p><p> </p><p>Pension scheme trustees and managers have the responsibility for monitoring, collecting and recovering contributions to their schemes in accordance with <a href="https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/trustees/managing-dc-benefits/administration-guide-for-dc-pension-schemes/maintaining-contributions" target="_blank">The Pensions Regulator’s code of practice.</a> Pension schemes are required to report to The Pensions Regulator where there has been a material failure in the payment of contributions by employers.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 113796 question first answered 07/02/2022 15:05:31 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1417310

registered interest
date	27/01/2022
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Poverty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to prevent households on lower incomes falling into food poverty as a result of recent rises in the price of basic foodstuff.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	113221
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2022 answer text <p>This Government is wholly committed to supporting low-income families, including through spending over £110 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22 and by increasing the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 from April 2022. We take the issue of food security seriously, which is why we added internationally used food security questions to the Family Resources Survey in 2019/20 and published the data in March last year.</p><p> </p><p>With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, our focus now is on continuing to support people into and to progress in work. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has recently been expanded by £500 million, will help people across the UK to find work and to boost their wages and prospects. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Universal Credit recipients in work are now benefitting from a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%, while eligible in-work claimants can also benefit from changes to the Work Allowance. These measures represent, for the lowest paid in society, an effective tax cut of around £2.2 Billion in 2022-23, and are now benefitting almost two million of the lowest paid workers by £1000 a year on average.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter, which is why vulnerable households across the country are now able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund provides £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula applies in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million.</p><p> </p><p>To support low income families further we have increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25, helping eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins, and we are also investing over £200m a year from 2022 to continue our Holiday Activities and Food programme which is already providing enriching activities and healthy meals to children in all English Local Authorities.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 01/02/2022 11:08:26 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1385759

registered interest
date	07/12/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Poverty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to prevent families falling into poverty as a result of rising inflation above wage growth.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	88815
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2021 answer text <p>This Government is wholly committed to supporting people on low incomes and we continue to do so through many measures, including through spending over £110 billion in 2021/22 on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22 who meet the relevant eligibility conditions.</p><p> </p><p>With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, our long-term focus remains on continuing to support people into work and to help those in work to progress out of low pay. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has recently been expanded by £500 million, will help people across the UK to find work and to boost their wages and prospects. We have doubled the number of work coaches to 27,000 to provide people with the tailored support they need to move into work.</p><p> </p><p>Through the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the National Living Wage (NLW) the Government protects the lowest paid within our society. The National Living Wage increased by 2.2% to £8.91 from April 2021 - the equivalent of more than £345 extra per year for someone working full-time. At Autumn Budget 2021, we announced a further increase of 6.6% to £9.50 for over 23s from April 2022, as well as reinforcing our commitment for the National Living Wage to reach two-thirds of median earnings by 2024, provided economic conditions allow.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit supports people in and out of work and working claimants will now benefit from a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%; and the increase in the work allowance by £500 per year means that 1.9m working households will be able to keep substantially more of what they earn. These measures effectively represent a tax cut worth around £2.2bn a year in 2022-23 for the lowest paid in society and will benefit almost two million of the lowest paid workers by £1000 a year on average.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country are able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund provides £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula applies in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.</p><p> </p><p>To support low income families further we have increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25, helping eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins, and we are also investing over £200m a year from 2022 to continue our Holiday Activities and Food programme which is already providing enriching activities and healthy meals to children in all English LAs.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p /> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley grouped question UIN 88816 question first answered 10/12/2021 11:47:20 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1385760

registered interest
date	07/12/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Poverty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help prevent people in insecure work experiencing poverty during winter 2021-22.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	88816
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2021 answer text <p>This Government is wholly committed to supporting people on low incomes and we continue to do so through many measures, including through spending over £110 billion in 2021/22 on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22 who meet the relevant eligibility conditions.</p><p> </p><p>With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, our long-term focus remains on continuing to support people into work and to help those in work to progress out of low pay. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has recently been expanded by £500 million, will help people across the UK to find work and to boost their wages and prospects. We have doubled the number of work coaches to 27,000 to provide people with the tailored support they need to move into work.</p><p> </p><p>Through the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the National Living Wage (NLW) the Government protects the lowest paid within our society. The National Living Wage increased by 2.2% to £8.91 from April 2021 - the equivalent of more than £345 extra per year for someone working full-time. At Autumn Budget 2021, we announced a further increase of 6.6% to £9.50 for over 23s from April 2022, as well as reinforcing our commitment for the National Living Wage to reach two-thirds of median earnings by 2024, provided economic conditions allow.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit supports people in and out of work and working claimants will now benefit from a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%; and the increase in the work allowance by £500 per year means that 1.9m working households will be able to keep substantially more of what they earn. These measures effectively represent a tax cut worth around £2.2bn a year in 2022-23 for the lowest paid in society and will benefit almost two million of the lowest paid workers by £1000 a year on average.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country are able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund provides £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula applies in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.</p><p> </p><p>To support low income families further we have increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25, helping eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins, and we are also investing over £200m a year from 2022 to continue our Holiday Activities and Food programme which is already providing enriching activities and healthy meals to children in all English LAs.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p /> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley grouped question UIN 88815 question first answered 10/12/2021 11:47:20 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss

1361302

registered interest
date	19/10/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made on the impact of the removal of the £20 uplift to the standard allowance of universal credit on regional inequalities.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough
tabling member printed	Gill Furniss
uin	58981
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2021 answer text <p>No such assessment has been made of the impact on regional inequalities.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.</p><p>There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.</p><p>Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; we have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job; and introduced Restart which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year. Our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people</p><p>We recognise that some people continue to require extra support, which is why we have introduced a £421 million Household Support Fund to help vulnerable people in England with essential household costs over the winter as the economy recovers. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 22/10/2021 12:31:56 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4571 label Biography information for Gill Furniss