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1314940

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps she is taking to ensure that assessments for health and disability benefits are conducted safely during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Sittingbourne and Sheppey
tabling member printed	Gordon Henderson
uin	900037
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>In March 2020, to ensure safety, we paused face-to-face assessments and assessed through paper-based review, telephone and video assessments. Working with providers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, we developed guidance to ensure the re-opening of assessment centres and resumption of face-to-face assessments can be conducted safely. Face-to-face will initially be for claimants unable to be assessed through other means.</p><p /> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 17/05/2021 15:16:03 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4050 label Biography information for Gordon Henderson

1314941

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Employment: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps she is taking to ensure equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
tabling member constituency	Redcar
tabling member printed	Jacob Young
uin	900038
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>This Government is committed to seeing 1 million more disabled people in work by 2027. The department delivers a range of initiatives which includes specialised employment support like the Work and Health Programme, local trials in partnership with health, Access to Work and Disability Confident.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 17/05/2021 15:19:35 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4825 label Biography information for Jacob Young

1314942

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Pensions: Personal Savings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What assessment she has made of the effect of pension auto-enrolment on levels of retirement savings among people in Bury South constituency.
tabling member constituency	Bury South
tabling member printed	Christian Wakeford
uin	900040
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>In Bury South, 10,000 employees now have an automatically enrolled workplace pension, saving 8% per annum and I would encourage more to do the same.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 17/05/2021 15:21:30 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4871 label Biography information for Christian Wakeford

1314973

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Social Security Benefits: EEA Nationals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether EEA nationals over state pension age who have not applied to the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June will continue to be eligible to receive (1) Pension Credit, (2) Housing Benefit, and (3) other benefits.
tabling member printed	Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
uin	HL271
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2021 answer text <p>From 1 July 2021, EEA and Swiss citizens will be required to have immigration status to carry on living and working in the UK and to access non-contributory benefits in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>EEA and Swiss citizens who were living in the UK by 31 December 2020, and their family members, need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021.</p><p> </p><p>DWP are working closely with the Home Office and other government departments to ensure we are using all available resources to engage with groups who need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).</p><p> </p><p>Support for applicants who need it remains available, including from the network of 72 organisations across the UK grant-funded by the Home Office to help vulnerable people apply to the EUSS.</p><p> </p><p>Those who have made an application to the EU Settlement Scheme, but have yet to receive an immigration status before the deadline, will continue to receive benefits as long as they satisfy the entitlement conditions for that benefit.</p><p> </p><p>Where an EEA or Swiss citizen, who was resident here before the end of the transition period, has reasonable grounds for missing the EU Settlement Scheme application deadline, they will be given a further opportunity to apply.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 24/05/2021 13:47:56 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

1314998

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Jobcentre Plus: Staff
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the 13,500 recruited work coaches since March 2020 have started work in Jobcentres.
tabling member printed	Baroness Sherlock
uin	HL313
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2021 answer text <p>Over 13.5k new Work Coaches have completed their initial learning and are now delivering Jobcentre services.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 01/06/2021 13:13:56 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock

1314999

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Jobcentre Plus: Staff
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Jobcentre work coaches are employed (1) in total, and (2) as full-time equivalents.
tabling member printed	Baroness Sherlock
uin	HL314
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2021 answer text <p>The latest confirmed figure for Work Coaches, was taken on 31<sup>st</sup> March 2021 and is a headcount of 27,286, this is 24,956 full-time equivalents (based on contractual hours).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 01/06/2021 13:13:21 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock

1315000

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Jobcentres: Armed Forces
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Department for Work and Pensions Armed Forces Champions there are (1) in total, (2) on Jobcentre sites, and (3) in Jobcentre plus districts.
tabling member printed	Baroness Sherlock
uin	HL315
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2021 answer text <p>The Department remains committed to the Armed Forces Covenant and will do what is necessary to provide members of the Armed Forces Community with the help and support they need and deserve.</p><p> </p><p>It wants to move towards a situation where it helps serving veterans and others in a more intelligent and effective way and better matches available resources with demand.</p><p> </p><p>The Department started to put in place new arrangements in April to transform the way it supports members of the Armed Forces Community, building on the successful network of Armed Forces Champions.</p><p> </p><p>For the first time there will be a dedicated armed forces role at middle management level in each of the 11 Jobcentre Plus Groups. The 11 group Leads will form a virtual network and will be responsible for building capability and sharing best practice across the network. They will also be expected to be pro-active in liaising with the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force on both recruitment and resettlement.</p><p> </p><p>These Armed Forces Champions Leads will oversee 50 Armed Forces Champions across the Jobcentre Plus network (including at least one in each of the 37 Jobcentre Plus Districts) who will have specific responsibilities for supporting members of the Armed Forces Community as part of their job – and again for the first time this will involve a front line role personally handling some claims, supporting veterans into work and helping resolve complex cases where necessary.</p><p> </p><p>Recruitment to these roles is largely complete and the Department expects all of the roles to be filled within the next few weeks. All of the Leads have been appointed, with most in post already. Armed Forces Champions have been appointed in 34 Districts so far.</p><p> </p><p>Officials in the Department have discussed the new model with a number of Armed Forces stakeholders, and so far it has been very well received.</p><p>There are also many staff across the DWP network based in individual Jobcentre offices who will be the local “expert” on Armed Forces issues and the Department is continually working to build capability across the Jobcentre Plus network. It has also recently introduced an Armed Forces “identifier” on to the Universal Credit system which will help ensure that veterans and serving personnel making new claims to Universal Credit are given the help and support they need.</p><p> </p><p>These dedicated Armed Forces roles will complement the investment in recruiting an additional 13,500 Work Coaches overall (and every Work Coach receives appropriate training to support members of the Armed Forces Community), as well as investing billions of pounds in employment support schemes (such as Kickstart and JETS). And this will come on top of the other support already in place. For example, veterans are given early voluntary entry to the Work and Health Programme. And using Service Medical Board evidence where possible, a severely disabled person does not have to undergo additional examinations for Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit purposes.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 02/06/2021 13:11:30 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock

1315016

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that compensation payments to survivors of historical institutional abuse living in Great Britain do not affect means-tested welfare payments.
tabling member printed	Lord Hay of Ballyore
uin	HL273
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/05/2021 answer text <p>Existing powers to disregard redress payments for the purposes of means-tested benefits, which are provided for by the Historical Institutional Abuse Act (Northern Ireland) 2019, only cover claimants living within Northern Ireland.</p><p>The Government is currently considering how best to address this issue for those who happen to live elsewhere in the UK.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 27/05/2021 15:25:53 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4352 label Biography information for Lord Hay of Ballyore

1315050

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Social Security Benefits: 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 assessment she has made of the potential merits of making it a purpose of the benefit system to (a) protect and (b) support women and children who need to leave their homes to stay safe.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	2399
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/05/2021 answer text <p>The benefit system acts as a safety net for people who find themselves in need of financial support with living and housing costs for a variety of reasons.</p><p> </p><p>A range of Universal Credit measures are designed to support victims of domestic abuse, including special provisions for temporary accommodation, easements from work-related requirements and signposting to expert third-party services.</p><p> </p><p>DWP also has a number of employment schemes that claimants, including victims of abuse, can access. The Work and Health Programme gives voluntary priority early access to victims of abuse. This programme supports people to enter and stay in work, and involves referrals to public, private and voluntary providers.</p><p> </p><p>Government departments are working together to look at the overall support we provide for victims and to ensure that it effectively fulfils their needs, so that victims can rebuild their lives.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside the landmark Domestic Abuse Act, the Government is providing £35 million to combat domestic abuse. This is on top of the £2 million we have already made available since the Covid-19 crisis, to support domestic abuse charities and raise awareness of the support available. We are also providing £3 million that will go to specialist services for children who have both been directly and indirectly affected by domestic abuse.</p><p><em> </em></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/05/2021 16:52:07 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1315057

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Social Security Benefits: Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect of the benefit cap on a domestic abuse survivor’s decision to leave their abuser.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	2406
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2021 answer text <p>DWP is committed to supporting all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. This includes those who are, or have been, victims of domestic abuse.</p><p> </p><p>The benefit cap and the two-child limit policies help to restore fairness between those receiving working age benefits and taxpayers in employment. However, important mitigations are in place to support the most vulnerable.</p><p> </p><p>We provide a tailored service that recognises those with complex needs and ensures provision of appropriate support. This might include pausing job search requirements, initiating alternative payment arrangements or deferring repayments. In addition, claimants that are temporarily absent from home due to fear of violence can receive the housing element of Universal Credit, and/or Housing Benefit, for both the home that has been left and any new home for up to a year. Housing support for specified accommodation, including refuges, is excluded from the benefit cap calculation as is any Housing Benefit paid to a Universal Credit claimant.</p><p> </p><p>Departmental training and awareness is now better than it ever has been, allowing Jobcentre staff to proactively identify, support and signpost victims of abuse.</p><p> </p><p>Discretionary Housing Payments are available for households that need additional financial support to meet housing costs. While the allocation of this funding is at Local Authority discretion, we have strengthened the associated Guidance Manual to ensure that individuals or families fleeing domestic abuse are considered a priority group for DHP support.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 24/05/2021 16:15:15 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi