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1136594

registered interest
date	03/07/2019
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: Females
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 her Department's policy that all female benefits claimants are asked whether they are or have been victims of domestic abuse.
tabling member constituency	Hove
tabling member printed	Peter Kyle
uin	272899
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2019 answer text <p>The Department is sensitive to the fact that it can be difficult for any victim of domestic abuse to come forward and disclose this. Universal Credit claimants are assigned to a single work coach, with whom they can build a trusting relationship. All of our work coaches have received mandatory training, developed with input from domestic abuse charities, to help them recognise the signs of abuse. If it becomes apparent that a claimant has been or is a victim of domestic abuse, as soon as they feel able to disclose this personal and sensitive information, a discussion should take place about their circumstances, to enable their work coach to tailor the support they provide to the claimant’s needs. This includes signposting the claimant to expert organisations. Almost all Jobcentres have private rooms available so that individuals can discuss these sensitive issues in private.</p><p> </p><p>By summer 2019, we will have implemented advocates for domestic abuse services in every Jobcentre to further raise awareness of domestic abuse, and to support our work coaches.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/07/2019 12:36:44 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4505 label Biography information for Peter Kyle

1136678

registered interest
date	03/07/2019
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	Domestic Abuse: Victim Support Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funding her Department has allocated to providers of local specialist domestic abuse services in anticipation of a potential increase in demand for such services as a result of her Department's policy to identify and refer survivors of domestic abuse to those services.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	272900
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2019 answer text <p>All our work coaches have received mandatory training, developed with input from domestic abuse charities, to help them to recognise the signs of domestic abuse. This means that our staff are able to proactively identify, support and signpost victims of abuse to expert organisations.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has committed £100 million between 2016 and 2022 to support the Cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (VAWG). This includes £20 million, announced in the 2017 Spring Budget, to support organisations tacking domestic abuse and to support victims; and a £17 million VAWG Service Transformation Fund to support the local provision of specialist VAWG services, encourage partnership working, new approaches and early intervention.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/07/2019 12:36:41 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1136303

registered interest
date	02/07/2019
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	Debt Collection
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 1 July 2019 to Question 269122, what sums her Department has spent on the use of enforcement agencies to collect (a) civil penalties and (b) benefit overpayments in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	High Peak
tabling member printed	Ruth George
uin	272258
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is commercially sensitive.</p><p> </p><p>Suppliers have to comply with the Credit Services Association code of practice, Office of Fair Trade guidance, Financial Conduct Authority principles around fair treatment of customers and are bound by the Data Protection Act 2018.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/07/2019 12:48:50 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1136406

registered interest
date	02/07/2019
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: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding the Government has allocated under section 22 of the Family Law Act 1996 to (a) the provision of marriage support services and (b) research into (i) the causes of and (ii) preventing marital breakdown in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	272228
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2019 answer text <p>Responsibility for delivering relationship support services moved to the Department for Work and Pensions in 2013. Although DWP does not make grants under s22 of the Family Law Act (1996), we have funded a range of services to support families to improve the quality of their relationships – including those who are married.</p><p>DWP is currently delivering the Reducing Parental Conflict programme, which is backed by up to £39m and aims to encourage local authorities and their partners across England to integrate services which address parental conflict into local provision for families. Around a third of this budget is being used to test eight face-to-face interventions, which evidence shows have the potential to be effective at reducing parental conflict.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/07/2019 12:47:27 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

1135807

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
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, with reference to the publication of the master trust and GPP defaults report by Corporate Adviser magazine, whether her Department plans to reduce the protection on charges for members of occupational pension schemes used for automatic enrolment.
tabling member constituency	Wallasey
tabling member printed	Ms Angela Eagle
uin	271354
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>The DWP have no such plans. The Corporate Adviser report (available on request from <a href="https://corporate-adviser.com/" target="_blank">https://corporate-adviser.com/</a>) showed that the vast majority of pension savers are in schemes are able to invest in a range of diversified assets at prices well below the automatic enrolment charge cap. Therefore I do not intend to reduce member protections.</p><p> </p><p>In my 2017 written statement HCWS249 (<a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-11-16/HCWS249/" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-11-16/HCWS249/</a>) I committed to reviewing the level and scope of the charge cap in 2020, alongside the suitability of ‘combination charges’ (where a percentage charge on funds is combined with a charge on contribution or a flat annual fee), to see whether a change is needed to protect members.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 04/07/2019 14:12:02 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	491 label Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle

1135825

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
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 estimate she has made of the proportion of people working in the gig economy that are in receipt of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	271364
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>The term “gig economy” covers a wide range of roles and working practices and the information requested is not held.</p><p> </p><p>The Department provides tailored support to our claimants who are in self-employment through our work coaches to help them to increase their productivity and earnings.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit encourages all claimants with a work expectation to find and progress in work. To support those already in, or considering self-employment, we have extended the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme from April 2019 onwards. The NEA provides support and mentoring for claimants who are looking to start or develop their business.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 04/07/2019 14:40:37 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1135888

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
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	Funeral Payments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long on average it takes to (a) agree and (b) allocate the Social Fund funerals expense payment.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	271339
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>On average, it takes The Department for Work &amp; Pensions 2-3 weeks to process a Social Fund Funeral Payment from the point of claim, to the decision maker determining whether entitlement exists. In the instances when entitlement exists, it then takes an additional 3-5 working days for the payment to credit to either the Funeral Director’s or claimant’s bank account.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 04/07/2019 14:46:16 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1135889

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
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	Funerals
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 plans to increase awareness among the relatives of deceased people of (a) direct funerals and (b) other funeral options; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	271340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>My officials regularly engage with funeral and bereavement stakeholders to help them build awareness of the support available</p><p> </p><p>In August 2018, the GOV.UK website was updated with a step-by-step guide about to do after someone has died, including arranging a funeral and applying for a Funeral Expenses Payments.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is currently updating the leaflet that registrars give to people registering deaths. The revised version will include details of Funeral Expense Payments, and direct people to the GOV.UK step-by-step guide. DWP staff can also provide this information over the phone or in Jobcentres.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 271352 question first answered 04/07/2019 13:27:45 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1135890

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
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 Health Funerals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pauper funerals were held in England in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and whether local authorities are in all cases able to claim back the costs of those funerals through the Social Fund funeral expenses fund.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	271341
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>The Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payments scheme is available to people on qualifying income based benefits. It does not provide funding for local authorities.</p><p> </p><p>My department does not collect data on the number of Local Authority funerals. MHCLG own the policy for Public Health (LA) funerals, but do not collect information on the number of public health funerals held.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 04/07/2019 13:17:47 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1135962

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
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: EU Nationals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether an EU national granted settled status in the UK is classified as having a right to be habitually resident for the purposes of applying for (a) universal credit and (b) other benefits.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	271381
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>Eligibility for income-related (means-tested) benefits, such as Universal Credit, depends on a person’s immigration status in the UK. Claimants must be exercising a legal right to reside and be habitually resident before they are eligible to claim. This is assessed through the Habitual Residence Test (HRT).</p><p> </p><p>EU nationals who have been granted settled status (indefinite leave to remain) by the Home Office will satisfy the legal right to reside element of the HRT. All claimants, regardless of nationality, must also demonstrate that they are factually habitually resident in the UK in order to be eligible to claim UC. In general, a period of 3 months residence is sufficient to meet this requirement.</p><p> </p><p>For certain non-contributory benefits, such as Personal Independence Payment, an individual must also satisfy the Past Presence Test (PPT), which requires them to have been present in Great Britain for 104 weeks out of the previous 156 weeks.</p><p> </p><p>Information on the nationality of those refused Universal Credit within the last 12 months is still being analysed, not readily available, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 271382 question first answered 04/07/2019 14:33:02 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn