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1680410

registered interest
date	08/01/2024
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Veterans' Strategy Action Plan 2022 to 2024, if he will list the 50 Jobcentre Plus offices where Armed Forces Champions have been appointed.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	8294
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2024 answer text <p>Champions are allocated to Jobcentre Plus Districts, rather than individual Jobcentres.</p><p> </p><p>Our model for Armed Forces Champions comprises 50 Armed Forces Champions working alongside 11 Group Leads at managerial level in 37 Districts. This ensures that there is at least one Armed Forces Champion role allocated to each Jobcentre Plus District supported by a Group network, with resources in the network targeted where there is geographically particularly high levels of demand.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to the Armed Forces Champions roles, all Work Coaches are trained to provide veterans and others with the help and support they need to access both benefits and employment support.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 15/01/2024 11:42:16 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1680413

registered interest
date	08/01/2024
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: Veterans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pension, how many veterans have been identified as Universal Credit claimants since the introduction of the new DWP marker.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	8295
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2024 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started collecting data on the Armed Forces status of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Great Britain (GB) in April 2021. At first only new claimants were asked about their Armed Forces status. From June 2021 onwards, other UC claimants reporting changes in their work and earnings have also been able to report their status. From July 2021 onwards, UC agents have also been able to record claimants’ Armed Forces status if they are told about this via other means such as journal messages, face-to-face meetings or by telephone.</p><p> </p><p>It should be noted that Armed forces status is self-reported by claimants and is not verified by the Ministry of Defence or Office for Veterans’ Affairs. A claimant’s status can be recorded as “currently serving”, “served in the past”, “not served” or “prefer not to say”. Data is not collected on the specific branch of the Armed Forces that claimants are serving in or have served in in the past.</p><p> </p><p>Data is not held on the total number of UC claimants who have served in the Armed Forces in the past, but data is held on those who have identified themselves so far.</p><p> </p><p>By 12th December 2023, approximately 92,000 UC claimants had been identified as having “served in the past”. This figure includes current UC claimants and people who have claimed in the past.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p>1. Data is not collected on the Armed Forces status of UC claimants in Northern Ireland. The figures provided only relate to Great Britain.</p><p>2. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.</p><p>3. Figures may be subject to retrospective changes as more up-to-date data becomes available or if methodological improvements are made.</p><p>4. The figure provided only includes claimants who have been associated with a UC contract for which a statement was generated. It is not consistent with the Official Statistics UC caseload definition.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 15/01/2024 11:45:46 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1644153

registered interest
date	13/06/2023
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: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if it is his Department's policy for Job Centre Work Coaches to not supply personal references for their customers.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	189147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2023 answer text <p>The department does not have any policy that would prevent a Work Coach providing a personal reference for a customer.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 19/06/2023 15:08:00 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1609355

registered interest
date	30/03/2023
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: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Universal Credit assessments for people with (a) autism and (b) other non-visible disabilities.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	177695
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2023 answer text <p>The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) determines entitlement to the additional health-related amount of Universal Credit (UC), as well as Employment and Support Allowance. It assesses the impact of an individual’s health condition or disability, not the condition itself. The assessment criteria cover the full range of conditions: physical, mental, cognitive and/or behavioural.</p><p>We are committed to supporting people, including those who have autism and other non-visible disabilities, through the assessment process. Healthcare professionals conducting the WCA receive training on autism, as well as other non-visible disabilities.</p><p>In <em>Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White </em>Paper, published on 15 March 2023, we announced that we will legislate to remove the WCA and introduce a new UC health element linked to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), so that in future there is only one health and disability assessment – the PIP assessment. This will mean that there will be no need to be found to have limited capability for work and limited capability for work-related activity to get additional income-related support for a disability or health condition. Removing the WCA will reduce the number of assessments people need to take to access their benefits and enable us to provide more personalised levels of support in a new system.</p><p> </p><p>The degree of change in our proposals will require primary legislation which we will aim to take early in a new parliament, when parliamentary time allows. These reforms will then be rolled out to new claims only on a staged, geographical basis, from 2026/27. We expect the new claims roll out to be completed by 2029, when we will then move the existing caseload onto the new system.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 19/04/2023 11:04:45 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1586208

registered interest
date	17/02/2023
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	Carers: Cost of Living
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 plans to take to support carers, in the context of the rising cost of living.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	146773
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2023 answer text <p>The Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by carers every day in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends, including pensioners and those with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>Depending on personal circumstances, carers may be eligible for means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit and Pension Credit. Means-tested benefits can be paid to carers at a higher rate than those without caring responsibilities through the Carer Element and the additional amount for carers respectively.</p><p> </p><p>Nearly 60% of carers on low incomes who are of working age and on Carer’s Allowance, also claim a means-tested benefit through which they may be entitled to receive a Cost of Living Payment. We would encourage anyone who is providing unpaid care, and who is not already in receipt of a means-tested benefit, to check on GOV.UK to confirm whether there are other benefits they may be entitled to. Advice can also be sought from organisations such as Carers UK and Citizen’s Advice. Means tested benefits can provide extra weekly income and trigger extra support with the cost of living.</p><p> </p><p>The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living this winter and is taking action to help. The Government's Energy Price Guarantee will save a typical British household around £900 this winter, based on what energy prices would have been under the current price cap - reducing bills by roughly a third. This is in addition to the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme, paid over six months starting in October 2022.</p><p /><p>For those who require additional support, the current Household Support Fund, running in England from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, is providing £421 million of funding. The devolved administrations have been allocated £79 million through the Barnett formula.  The Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows Local authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living. The devolved administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion.</p><p /><p>In 2023/24, subject to parliamentary approval, we are uprating all benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels are also increasing by the same amount.</p><p /><p>In addition, for 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. A separate £300 payment will be made to pensioner households on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Further to this, the Energy Price Guarantee will be extended from April 2023 until the end of March 2024. Over this period the Energy Price Guarantee will bring a typical household bill to around £3,000 per year in Great Britain.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 22/02/2023 12:37:44 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1580856

registered interest
date	25/01/2023
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	Women against State Pension Inequality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he or a Minister in his Department next plans to meet with a representative from the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	132288
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2023 answer text <p>We have no current plans to meet with WASPI representatives whilst the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s investigation is ongoing. Section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is cooperating with the Ombudsman in their investigation.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Laura Trott question first answered 30/01/2023 16:51:29 answering member 4780 label Biography information for Laura Trott
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1580862

registered interest
date	25/01/2023
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	Females: Poverty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of potential trends in levels of poverty among women born in the 1950s in the context of the increases in the cost of living.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	132289
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2023 answer text <p>Changes to State Pension age were made over a series of Acts by successive governments from 1995 onwards, following public consultations and extensive debates in both Houses of Parliament. The current state pension age is 66 for men and women. Since 1994/95, rates of female pensioners in poverty have fallen by a larger amount than for male pensioners over the same period. Reforms to the State Pension have put measures in place to improve State Pension outcomes for most women. Over three million women stand to receive an average of £550 more per year by 2030 because of the recent reforms. Pension Credit provides a safety net for those pensioners who have been unable, for whatever reason, to make provision for their retirement.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>All benefit rates and State Pensions will increase in line with the Consumer Prices Index for the year to September 2022. This will mean that, subject to parliamentary approval, they will increase by 10.1% in April. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions the benefit cap will also be increased by 10.1% subject to parliamentary approval.</p><p /><p>In addition, for 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. A separate £300 payment will be made to over eight million pensioner households on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Further to this, the amended Energy Price Guarantee will save the average UK household £500 in 2023/24.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 30/01/2023 16:11:15 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1565055

registered interest
date	09/01/2023
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, whether he has made a recent estimate of the potential impact of increasing public sector pay on the cost to the public purse of Universal Credit payments.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	118810
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2023 answer text <p>No such estimate has been produced.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 18/01/2023 12:57:07 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1565056

registered interest
date	09/01/2023
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 proportion of public sector employees are in receipt of Universal Credit.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	118811
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2023 answer text <p>We do not hold this information. UC customers are not obliged to inform the Department what sector they are employed in. In addition DWP employees claiming Universal Credit have no obligation to inform DWP they are receiving benefits.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 18/01/2023 11:21:53 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1538695

registered interest
date	02/11/2022
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: Uprating
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of uprating benefits in line with inflation.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	77281
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2022 answer text <p>The Secretary of State is conducting his statutory annual review of State Pension and benefit rates. The outcome of the review will be announced shortly.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p /> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 09/11/2022 11:46:55 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe