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165886

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
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	Post Office Card Account: Scotland
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 in each Scottish parliamentary constituency use Post Office card accounts.
tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
tabling member printed	Cathy Jamieson
uin	215846
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 16 October 2014 to 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=2014-10-16&amp;answered-to=2014-10-16&amp;dept=29&amp;uin=210281" target="_blank">210281</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The information is not available.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 01/12/2014 12:32:03 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	4011 label Biography information for Cathy Jamieson

165960

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
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	Marriage Guidance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to support husbands and wives with relationship problems to enable families to stay together.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	215885
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>This Government attaches a high priority to supporting couple relationships and committed a dedicated fund of £30 million for relationship support over the Spending Review period (2011-2015).</p><p> </p><p>We are funding a range of services through a number of expert providers to deliver relationship support provision, including preventative support targeted at couples at risk of family breakdown; activities to encourage the take-up of relationship support; and counselling for couples who may be experiencing difficulties.</p><p> </p><p>We have also introduced a Family Test which will mean that all new relevant domestic policies will need to be assessed for their impact on the family.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 02/12/2014 11:49:44 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

164438

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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	Electronic Government
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 is taking to ensure its services are available online; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	215673
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions currently provides digital options for a number of services. For example, it has been possible to claim Jobseekers Allowance online since 2009 and as of Oct 2014 87.1% of all new claims are now made through that channel[1] and over 90% of Universal Credit claimants are making their claim online[2].</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions’ Digital Strategy committed to redesigning all services that handle over 100,000 transactions a year which will enable the provision of high quality digital services to claimants and the public.</p><p> </p><p>Carer’s Allowance digital service which has been in public beta since October 2013 and has recently successfully completed its go live assessment.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently building an in-depth understanding of Personal Independence Payment service to see which parts of the process might best be delivered through digital channels.</p><p> </p><p>In addition we are developing a digital service for New State Pension and are looking more broadly at further transformation to improve efficiency and good customer service, which will involve exploring further opportunities to put services online.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] DWP Business Plan transparency measure: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-business-plan-transparency-measures/dwp-business-plan-transparency-measures#proportion-of-new-claims-to-jsa-submitted-online" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-business-plan-transparency-measures/dwp-business-plan-transparency-measures#proportion-of-new-claims-to-jsa-submitted-online</a></p><p> </p><p>[2] UC at Work October 2014, page 42: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/368805/uc-at-work.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/368805/uc-at-work.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 01/12/2014 14:27:46 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

164439

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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	Employment Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what evaluation his Department has made of the Job Services Australia model for classifying jobseekers; and what consideration he has given to the introduction of that model in the UK.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	215635
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p>The Department has undertaken one study adapting the claimant profiling approach currently used in Australia and is documented in the published report DWP Working Paper 116 (2013).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are exploring segmentation as a way to modernise service delivery and ensure we have the most effective support for all groups.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Reference:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Predicting likelihood of long-term unemployment: the development of a UK jobseekers’ classification instrument (2013) <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210303/WP116.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210303/WP116.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 27/11/2014 15:17:31 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

164440

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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	Employment Schemes: 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 responded to the observation of the former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion in a lecture at Greenwich University on 28 November 2013 that there is room for more ambition on youth employment policies in the UK.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	215707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>This Government is committed to supporting young people and doing everything it can to help them into work. We’ve seen youth unemployment fall for the past 13 months - it’s now 25% lower than a year ago - and this year we’ve seen the largest annual fall of youth unemployment on record. We have a range of support to help young people find employment, recognising the importance of a tailored approach dependent on needs.</p><p> </p><p>The success of the Government’s approach to tackling youth unemployment was clearly recognised in the Country Specific Recommendations, proposed by the Commission and adopted by the Council in summer 2014, which set out that the UK should maintain a commitment to the Youth Contract. The Youth Contract is a package of additional support worth nearly £1billion to help young unemployed people prepare for work and find a long term sustainable employment, building on the support already available through Jobcentre Plus and the Work Programme. We are on target to deliver an extra 250,000 work experience or sector-based work academy places by March 2015. Apprenticeships play a vital role for many young people, helping them at the outset of their working lives. There were 95,200 apprenticeship starts between Feb 2012 and July 2014 supported by the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers scheme with 8000 more in the pipeline.</p><p> </p><p>In addition we have launched a number of pilots to support young people in gaining employment. These pilots include support for 16 and 17 year olds who are NEET and not in receipt of an out of work benefit and basic skills training for young people without a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths from day one of their claim.</p><p> </p><p>As part of our work in the G20 this year, we committed to provide young people with access to quality education and skills development, a smooth transition into the labour market and safe employment. As part of the G20 process we produced a Country Employment Plan, which underlines the wide range of policies carried out by Government to assist young people, ranging from support for unemployed young people under the Youth Contract, to provision for Apprenticeships and training opportunities.</p><p> </p><p>Given this wide range of support available, and the successes that young people are experiencing in the UK labour market, the Government is clear that it disagrees with the comments made by the former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 27/11/2014 17:05:26 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

164441

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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: Disqualification
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is Department's policy that Jobcentre Plus officials should liaise with Health and Social Service agencies when benefit sanctions are applied to vulnerable individuals.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	215708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>There is no formal policy to liaise with Health and Social Service agencies when a sanction is applied. However, the department recognises the importance of ensuring claimants understand the requirements they must fulfil to get benefit, the consequences of not complying and support available when sanctioned, including reconsideration, appeal and hardship payments. As part of this, work coaches also encourage claimants to engage third party support where this is available.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 27/11/2014 16:00:09 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

164442

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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	Poverty: Hackney
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 is taking to reduce poverty among (a) adults and (b) children in Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency.
tabling member constituency	Hackney North and Stoke Newington
tabling member printed	Ms Diane Abbott
uin	215727
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government is committed to our goal of ending child poverty in the UK by 2020.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The 2014-17 Child Poverty Strategy outlines our plans to tackle the root causes of poverty, including worklessness, low earnings and educational failure. This approach reflects the reality of child poverty in the UK today and is the only way to achieve lasting change to protect the poorest in society.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Under this Government, 300,000 fewer children are in relative income poverty, around 390,000 fewer children are growing up in workless families, the attainment gap for deprived pupils has narrowed, and we have recently seen the largest annual fall in unemployment on record.<sup>[1]</sup></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>But central Government cannot, by itself, end child poverty. Where people live matters. This Government has taken action to give local areas more freedom to do what people want and need locally including by providing local data that helps users identify specific local challenges. Local Authorities are required to have their own local child poverty strategies.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Further information is outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy. Local data is also published in the child poverty basket of indicators.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Child Poverty Strategy: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-2014-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-2014-to-2017</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Child Poverty basket of indicators: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-basket-of-local-indicators" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-basket-of-local-indicators</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Our strategy is not just focussed on children; Universal Credit will reduce poverty by making work pay and providing an effective route out of poverty.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This Government’s welfare reforms will improve the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities by promoting work and helping people to lift themselves out of poverty.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Up to 300,000 more people are likely to be in work as a result of Universal Credit, through improved financial incentives, increased simplicity of the system and increased conditionality.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Universal Credit aims to ensure that work – even small amounts – will pay. This removes long-standing barriers that deter people on benefit from working.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the immediate pressure on households and has responded with a range of policy interventions including:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>· Providing funding for successive Council Tax freezes, saving the average household £1,100 during this Parliament.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>· Increasing the National Minimum Wage rate to £6.50 from October 2014, the first real terms increase since 2007.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>· The largest ever increases in the income tax personal allowance, to £10,500 by April 2015, will save a typical taxpayer £805 per year compared to 2010, and will lift 3.2 million individuals out of income tax altogether by 2015/16.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] Based on Labour Market Statistics published in October 2014. In June-August 2014, there were 538,000 fewer unemployed people compared to a year earlier.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey grouped question UIN 215587 question first answered 28/11/2014 13:02:02 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
tabling member	172 label Biography information for Ms Diane Abbott

164443

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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	Universal Credit
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 6 November 2014 to Question 212396, what the mean number is of front line work coaches involved in testing in each stage of user acceptance testing.
tabling member constituency	Leeds West
tabling member printed	Rachel Reeves
uin	215648
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>We plan the testing of each new release of Universal Credit carefully and arrange for specific expert users to test the changes. This means that staff who have particular expertise in parts of Universal Credit are asked to specifically test that part of the system – such as Work Coaches or Service Centre agents. We do not have an average numbers of testers who are required to participate in testing – each test phase varies the numbers and length of testing completed, depending on the size and complexity of the elements of the release.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 27/11/2014 17:49:07 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	4031 label Biography information for Rachel Reeves

164444

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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	Remploy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many former workers of the Remploy factory in Aberdare are (a) looking for work, (b) currently in work, (c) retired, (d) in receipt of employment and support allowance and (e) in receipt of jobseeker's allowance.
tabling member constituency	Cynon Valley
tabling member printed	Ann Clwyd
uin	215748
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>For all disabled former Remploy workers made redundant as a result of factory closures, the Government put in place the £8 million guaranteed People Help and Support Package (PHSP). The support package provides help to each affected disabled former employee for up to 18 months from the date they left Remploy.</p><p> </p><p>As part of this support package the Department also asked all disabled former employees made redundant from Remploy to give permission to be tracked, and can only monitor the progress and outcomes of those individuals that have given permission.</p><p> </p><p>Latest figures show that (a) 17 disabled former Remploy Aberdare workers are choosing to work with our Personal Case Workers to find another job and (b) 13 are currently in work, (c) 8 confirmed their intention to retire at the time they left Remploy, (d) 1 is in receipt of Employment Support Allowance, (e) and 3 are in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 01/12/2014 11:51:27 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	553 label Biography information for Ann Clwyd

164526

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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	Immigration: Poland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 20 November (HL2693), whether the Department for Work and Pensions has made an assessment of the contribution of Polish immigrants to the United Kingdom.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3119
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>DWP has made no such assessment, nor would it be within the remit of the Department to do so.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 02/12/2014 12:26:32 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten