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168737

registered interest
date	08/12/2014
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
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 make it his policy for his Department to collect information on the length of time taken for benefit payments to be made; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	217673
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>The department uses a range of metrics to track and manage timeliness of payments within the benefits system. I refer the Rt.Hon. Member to the reply I gave to his previous Parliamentary Question UIN<a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&amp;max=20&amp;questiontype=AllQuestions&amp;house=commons,lords&amp;use-dates=True&amp;answered-from=2014-10-29&amp;answered-to=2014-10-29&amp;dept=29&amp;uin=211860" target="_blank">211860,</a>on the 29<sup>th</sup> October 2014.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 11/12/2014 15:36:58 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

168086

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many performance measurement review officers his Department has employed.
tabling member constituency	Dumfries and Galloway
tabling member printed	Mr Russell Brown
uin	217177
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Department’s Performance Measurement team totals 230 staff in post. There are 91 visiting staff in post undertaking face to face reviews.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 09/12/2014 16:51:43 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	588 label Biography information for Mr Russell Brown

168089

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
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
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 has taken to protect sensitive information from being shared by performance measurement review officers when visiting a claimant who lives in shared accommodation.
tabling member constituency	Dumfries and Galloway
tabling member printed	Mr Russell Brown
uin	217174
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p><strong> </strong>Performance Measurement staff, like all DWP staff, follow the processes and policies the Department has in place to safeguard claimant’s information. This includes undertaking the Responsible for Information Security learning. They understand the Handling Official Information and follow the guidance on this and Remote Working Securely. Their line managers also carry out validation checks to ensure that they are compliant with the necessary processes. In all cases when visiting a claimant to undertake a review they request evidence verification to ensure they are speaking to the right person before proceeding with the review interview.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 09/12/2014 16:59:21 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	588 label Biography information for Mr Russell Brown

168092

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the number of jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance claimants who have been subject to mandatory reconsideration.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	217258
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Department works to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.</p><p> </p><p>The Department will pre announce a publication date for mandatory reconsideration statistics once Departmental statisticians are content that the data meet the quality standards set out by the Statistics codes of practice.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 09/12/2014 15:54:36 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

167853

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	Social Security Benefits
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what circumstances benefit claimants are permitted to undertake paid work which is regarded as therapeutic.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	217129
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>A person who is entitled to Employment and Support Allowance and who does any work will normally be treated as not having limited capability for work and will lose their entitlement accordingly. However, under existing provisions, there are types of work that a claimant can do without losing their benefit entitlement.</p><p> </p><p>This is called ‘exempt work’ (more commonly referred to as ‘permitted work’). <br> The categories of exempt work are Permitted Work; Voluntary Work and work done in a Work Placement. There are four types of permitted work.</p><p> </p><p>· Permitted Work Lower Level: work for no more than £20 a week at any time for as long as the person is on benefit;<br> <br></p><p>· Permitted Work Higher Level: work for less than 16 hours a week with earnings of no more than £104.00 a week for a fixed period of 52 weeks with the aim of progressing to work of more than 16 hours per week; <br> <br></p><p>· Permitted Work Higher Level Subsequent: at the end of the 52 week period of PWHL, if they have not progressed to work of more than 16 hours, claimants can continue to work for no more than £20 per week. After a gap of 52 weeks customers can undertake a subsequent period of 52 weeks at the higher level;<br> <br></p><p>· Supported Permitted Work: claimants can work for no more than £104.00 a week for as long as they are on benefit if they have a disability which is unlikely to improve over time and they need regular and on going support or supervision in the work place in order to make as much progress as they can towards full-time work. A person is able to work and earn up to and including £104.00 a week indefinitely where their work is supervised by someone who is employed by a public or local authority, or a voluntary organisation whose job it is to arrange work for people with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>A person can only do one type of Permitted Work at any one time and there are rules which cover the length of time that claimants may undertake each category, and the amount they can earn.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 08/12/2014 12:24:20 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

166641

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	Social Security Benefits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what impact assessment they have made of further planned benefit freezes, including the impact on in-work poverty.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL3232
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p>This Government has no plans to further freeze benefits, so there are currently no plans to provide estimates of the potential effects or the impacts on in-work poverty.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 02/12/2014 15:06:23 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

156482

registered interest
date	18/11/2014
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the position of the government of the Republic of Ireland in respect of disregarding monies paid under its scheme to compensate sufferers of abuse in the Magdalene laundries and other institutions for the purposes of calculating benefits, why such payments are not disregarded, as a consequence of being made in response to a personal injury, in relation to benefits otherwise payable to such sufferers resident in the United Kingdom.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL2924
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Government has sympathy for the women who suffered by their admission to and work in the Magdalen institutions. However, payments made under the Republic of Ireland’s <em>ex gratia</em> scheme do not meet GB legal criteria to be treated as personal injury payments. The payments are not being made ‘in consequence of any personal injury’, but are made in consequence of being admitted to a laundry, regardless of the effects. The amount each woman will receive is dependent on the length of time spent in the laundries and not on the specific effect that it has had on their health. They are also being made as part of a broader process of restorative justice by the Republic of Ireland Government.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has no plans to amend GB income-related benefit legislation to include specific disregards along the lines of the schemes mentioned. There is already provision in the benefit system to disregard payments made in respect of personal injury to avoid the need to disregard specific payments on an <em>ad hoc</em> basis. To amend legislation as new compensation schemes are introduced would add complexity to the benefit system and its administration.</p><p> </p><p>There is already provision in legislation to disregard some elements of the <em>ex gratia </em>payments. For example, Pension Credit – the income-related benefit most likely to be claimed - has no capital cut off limit. Where compensation in excess of the €50,000 lump sum maximum <em>ex gratia</em> award is payable as weekly payments, these will be disregarded under current Pension Credit and pension age Housing Benefit legislation.</p><p> </p><p>We understand that as of 6 August 2014 there had been a total number of approximately 760 applications to the scheme, around 160 of which were from UK residents. However, neither information regarding the number of UK applicants who are also in receipt of Pension Credit or other benefits, nor the amount of any <em>ex gratia</em> payments made is available. We are therefore unable to estimate the potential cost of a disregard.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL2925 HL2926 question first answered 24/11/2014 14:37:32 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

156483

registered interest
date	18/11/2014
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of potential applicants for United Kingdom benefits who have received compensation for abuse in the Magdalene laundries and other institutions under the scheme established by the government of the Republic of Ireland; and what is their estimate of the cost which would arise from a disregard being applied to such applications.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL2925
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government has sympathy for the women who suffered by their admission to and work in the Magdalen institutions. However, payments made under the Republic of Ireland’s <em>ex gratia</em> scheme do not meet GB legal criteria to be treated as personal injury payments. The payments are not being made ‘in consequence of any personal injury’, but are made in consequence of being admitted to a laundry, regardless of the effects. The amount each woman will receive is dependent on the length of time spent in the laundries and not on the specific effect that it has had on their health. They are also being made as part of a broader process of restorative justice by the Republic of Ireland Government.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has no plans to amend GB income-related benefit legislation to include specific disregards along the lines of the schemes mentioned. There is already provision in the benefit system to disregard payments made in respect of personal injury to avoid the need to disregard specific payments on an <em>ad hoc</em> basis. To amend legislation as new compensation schemes are introduced would add complexity to the benefit system and its administration.</p><p> </p><p>There is already provision in legislation to disregard some elements of the <em>ex gratia </em>payments. For example, Pension Credit – the income-related benefit most likely to be claimed - has no capital cut off limit. Where compensation in excess of the €50,000 lump sum maximum <em>ex gratia</em> award is payable as weekly payments, these will be disregarded under current Pension Credit and pension age Housing Benefit legislation.</p><p> </p><p>We understand that as of 6 August 2014 there had been a total number of approximately 760 applications to the scheme, around 160 of which were from UK residents. However, neither information regarding the number of UK applicants who are also in receipt of Pension Credit or other benefits, nor the amount of any <em>ex gratia</em> payments made is available. We are therefore unable to estimate the potential cost of a disregard.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL2924 HL2926 question first answered 24/11/2014 14:37:33 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

156484

registered interest
date	18/11/2014
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to amend the relevant regulations to include specific disregards for payments to compensate sufferers of abuse in the Magdalene laundries and other institutions for the purposes of calculating benefits along the lines of those established for the McFarlane (Special Payments) Trusts, MFET Limited, the Skipton Fund and the Caxton Foundation; and if not, why not.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL2926
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government has sympathy for the women who suffered by their admission to and work in the Magdalen institutions. However, payments made under the Republic of Ireland’s <em>ex gratia</em> scheme do not meet GB legal criteria to be treated as personal injury payments. The payments are not being made ‘in consequence of any personal injury’, but are made in consequence of being admitted to a laundry, regardless of the effects. The amount each woman will receive is dependent on the length of time spent in the laundries and not on the specific effect that it has had on their health. They are also being made as part of a broader process of restorative justice by the Republic of Ireland Government.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has no plans to amend GB income-related benefit legislation to include specific disregards along the lines of the schemes mentioned. There is already provision in the benefit system to disregard payments made in respect of personal injury to avoid the need to disregard specific payments on an <em>ad hoc</em> basis. To amend legislation as new compensation schemes are introduced would add complexity to the benefit system and its administration.</p><p> </p><p>There is already provision in legislation to disregard some elements of the <em>ex gratia </em>payments. For example, Pension Credit – the income-related benefit most likely to be claimed - has no capital cut off limit. Where compensation in excess of the €50,000 lump sum maximum <em>ex gratia</em> award is payable as weekly payments, these will be disregarded under current Pension Credit and pension age Housing Benefit legislation.</p><p> </p><p>We understand that as of 6 August 2014 there had been a total number of approximately 760 applications to the scheme, around 160 of which were from UK residents. However, neither information regarding the number of UK applicants who are also in receipt of Pension Credit or other benefits, nor the amount of any <em>ex gratia</em> payments made is available. We are therefore unable to estimate the potential cost of a disregard.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL2924 HL2925 question first answered 24/11/2014 14:37:32 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

143435

registered interest
date	07/11/2014
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	Social Security Benefits
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 have been assessed under the minimum earnings threshold to date.
tabling member constituency	Leeds West
tabling member printed	Rachel Reeves
uin	213902
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>Since March 2014, the Minimum Earnings Threshold has helped Jobcentre Plus and HMRC determine whether an EEA national undertaking work activity can be treated as a ‘worker’ or ‘self-employed’ person for the purposes of certain means-tested benefits and tax credits (including Jobseekers Allowance, Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit). The Minimum Earnings Threshold helps determine whether an individual’s work is (or has been) ‘genuine and effective’. In general the claimant has to show that they have been earning £153 per week (point at which employed earners have to start paying National Insurance Contributions) for 3 consecutive months. Where this threshold has not been met then decision-makers will consider the specific details of the case.</p><p> </p><p>We do not collect specific information on the number of EEA national claimants who have been assessed against the Minimum Earnings Threshold, nor on the number of EEA nationals whose work has been found to not be ‘genuine and effective’ under that test.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey grouped question UIN 213901 question first answered 17/11/2014 12:30:00 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
tabling member	4031 label Biography information for Rachel Reeves