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945558

registered interest
date	20/07/2018
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	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made in supporting people with disabilities into work since May 2015.
tabling member constituency	Gloucester
tabling member printed	Richard Graham
uin	166484
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2018 answer text <p>This Government is committed to supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to reach their potential. Since 2015 there has been a steady increase in the number of disabled people in work. From April-June 2015 to April-June 2017 (the latest period for which the Office for National Statistics has published estimates without ‘health warnings’), the number of disabled people in work increased by 235,000 from 3.3 million to 3.5 million. The disability employment rate in this period increased by 3.3 percentage points, from 45.9% to 49.2%.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit helps people with a disability or health condition who are already in work, to remain and progress in work. It is specifically designed so that we can engage with and support people early in and throughout their claim, to give them advice and support – and not to lose contact with them. All work coaches delivering Universal Credit will receive training on supporting claimants with health conditions.</p><p> </p><p>On 30 November 2017, we published ‘Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability’, which sets out actions we’re taking in the welfare system, in the workplace and in health services to realise our commitment to see one million more disabled people in work by 2027.</p><p> </p><p>Our programme is supported by a wide range of ‘test and learn’ activity designed to build the evidence about what works to support disabled people and those with health conditions to get into and stay in work. Projects worth up to around £1 billion have been launched, including:</p><ul><li>up to £500m of investment in the new Work and Health Programme, which we expect to help around 275,000 people over five years, with the majority (around 220,000) being disabled people;</li><li>our Personal Support Package, including the investment of £330m for those on the UC/ESA health journey, delivering a range of new interventions and initiatives designed to provide support tailored to the individual needs of claimants;</li><li>health-led trials in Sheffield City Region and the West Midlands Combined Authority, which build on the internationally-recognised Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach to provide employment support in a health setting for people with mild-to-moderate mental and physical health conditions;</li><li>more than doubling the number of Employment Advisers in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services, providing support to adults with depression and a range of anxiety disorders through integrated employment advice and psychological treatment;</li><li>recruiting 300 additional Disability Employment Advisers, and introducing 200 new Community Partners to bring more specialist advice and support into the Jobcentre; and</li><li>supporting Greater Manchester and the Scottish Government with early intervention initiatives that make it easier and quicker for people to access the right support through a needs assessment, and rapid access to interventions such as occupational health support, mental health and musculoskeletal treatment, and job brokerage.</li></ul><p> </p><p>We have also recently introduced the new Tech Fund in Access to Work, offering employers significant support with the cost of assistive technology; and we’re continuing to build our engagement with employers through Disability Confident, which is growing strongly and now has over 6,800 employers signed up.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 30/07/2018 09:39:14 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	3990 label Biography information for Richard Graham

945577

registered interest
date	20/07/2018
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 number and proportion of universal credit claims started but not completed.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	166515
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2018 answer text <p>Our latest analysis, from management information for Universal Credit Full Service claims made (declared) in November 2017, shows that 29% were closed and not paid, of which the majority were accounted for under the following categories:</p><p> </p><ul><li>failure to attend an initial interview (10%)</li><li>Claimant Commitment not accepted (6%)</li><li>the claim was withdrawn (4%)</li><li>failure to attend a subsequent interview (4%)</li></ul> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 30/07/2018 15:25:07 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

945622

registered interest
date	20/07/2018
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: Care Leavers
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to collect information on self-identified care leavers in the Universal Credit system in a way that would allow aggregate statistics to be compiled, as is the case for those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL9751
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2018 answer text <p>Collection of data to monitor support for care leavers and other disadvantaged groups is a priority for the Department. Our system already enables staff to record relevant details about an individual’s needs, and we are beginning work to explore ways in which we collect and use this data to help us to monitor support for care leavers and other disadvantaged groups.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 25/07/2018 11:55:20 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

944642

registered interest
date	19/07/2018
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: Children in Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether universal credit payments will be made for a looked after child for periods that the child has returned home temporarily.
tabling member constituency	High Peak
tabling member printed	Ruth George
uin	166270
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2018 answer text <p>Where entitlement has been established, Universal Credit would be payable for a looked after child or qualifying young person if the child has been placed with, or continues to live with, their parent or a person who has parental responsibility for them. A child can be looked after and placed with their parents under the supervision of social services.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 30/07/2018 15:25:08 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

944643

registered interest
date	19/07/2018
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: Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides on deciding whether a full-time carer should be expected to look for work despite their caring responsibilities or be placed in the no-conditionality group under regulation 89 (b) of the universal credit regulations.
tabling member constituency	High Peak
tabling member printed	Ruth George
uin	166271
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2018 answer text <p>Operational guidance is supplied to MPs and deposited in the House of Commons Library. It outlines that claimants who provide regular and substantial care for at least 35 hours per week for a severely disabled person will be placed in the no work-related requirements regime. They will not be expected to look for or be available for work.</p><p> </p><p>Further guidance can be found in the Advice for Decision Making staff guide which is available online at</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-for-decision-making-staff-guide" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-for-decision-making-staff-guide</a></p><p> </p><p>Chapter F6 deals with the Carer element and Chapter J3 relates to the work-related requirements.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 27/07/2018 09:11:54 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

944657

registered interest
date	19/07/2018
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, whether her Department has commissioned research on the causes of work poverty in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Danielle Rowley
uin	166246
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions has not commissioned any such research. The Department’s published Household Below Average Income National Statistics shows that work continues to offer people the best opportunity to get out of poverty and become self-reliant; adults of working age living in working families are 4 times less likely to be in relative poverty than those living in workless households.</p><p>The National Statistics also provide a good understanding of those in in-work poverty and show that the majority (around three-quarters) are those with part-time work only, single earner couples, or those in full-time self-employment. Universal Credit is designed to help by promoting full-time work, employment for partners where possible, and smoother incentives to increase hours. Claimants who are self-employed will have access to mentors to improve their businesses so that they can increase their earnings.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/07/2018 13:39:50 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4628 label Biography information for Danielle Rowley

944661

registered interest
date	19/07/2018
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: Asperger's Syndrome
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 effect of the replacement of Aspergers with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in the fifth edition of the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders on the ability of people with Aspergers to claim personal independence payment and employment support allowance as a result of being required to secure a new diagnosis when proving that their condition affects their daily living.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	166213
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>The publication of the fifth edition of the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has had no impact on the eligibility criteria for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or for Personal Independence Payment (PIP).</p><p> </p><p>The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is designed to determine an individual’s eligibility for ESA. It assesses individuals against a set of functional physical and mental health descriptors to assess how their health condition or disability affects their ability to work.</p><p> </p><p>Entitlement for PIP is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, not the health condition or the disability itself.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 24/07/2018 16:12:51 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

944669

registered interest
date	19/07/2018
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, how many universal credit claimants have made contact with her Department to request a reduction in the amount deducted from their standard allowance; and how many of those requests were accepted.
tabling member constituency	High Peak
tabling member printed	Ruth George
uin	166272
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>The information requested does not exist in a format that allows it to be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Department recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt, and Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place protect claimants from excessive deductions.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 24/07/2018 14:32:19 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

944685

registered interest
date	19/07/2018
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 her Department has made an assessment of the effect of benefit sanctions on the mental health of claimants.
tabling member constituency	Central Ayrshire
tabling member printed	Dr Philippa Whitford
uin	166197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>No assessment has been made on the impact of benefit sanctions on the mental health of claimants.</p><p> </p><p>We engage at a personal and individual level with all of our claimants and are committed to tailoring support for specific individual needs, including agreeing realistic and structured steps to encourage claimants into the labour market. These conditionality requirements are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain appropriate for the claimant.</p><p> </p><p>When considering whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities and any evidence of good reason, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 166198 question first answered 24/07/2018 14:25:13 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4385 label Biography information for Dr Philippa Whitford

944687

registered interest
date	19/07/2018
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 he Department has made an assessment of the effect of the imposition on benefits sanctions on the mental health of claimants with an existing mental health condition.
tabling member constituency	Central Ayrshire
tabling member printed	Dr Philippa Whitford
uin	166198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>No assessment has been made on the impact of benefit sanctions on the mental health of claimants.</p><p> </p><p>We engage at a personal and individual level with all of our claimants and are committed to tailoring support for specific individual needs, including agreeing realistic and structured steps to encourage claimants into the labour market. These conditionality requirements are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain appropriate for the claimant.</p><p> </p><p>When considering whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities and any evidence of good reason, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 166197 question first answered 24/07/2018 14:25:13 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4385 label Biography information for Dr Philippa Whitford