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1669830

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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	Access to Work Programme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what was the average time taken to make a decision on an Access to Work assessment from (a) October 2022 to March 2023 and (b) April 2023 to November 2023.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	1821
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2023 answer text <p>The average time taken to make a decision on an Access to Work assessment from</p><p>(a) October 2022 to March 2023 was 60.5 days</p><p>(b) April 2023 to (end of) October 2023 was 47.0 days</p><p> </p><p><em>Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution. </em></p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 20/11/2023 16:47:04 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1669836

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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	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 plans he has for monitoring the effectiveness of Trailblazer employment support programmes.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	1869
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>The Trailblazer deals present a genuinely new and different way of approaching employment support. Therefore, we have agreed the impacts and outcomes of the trailblazer approach will be evaluated.</p><p> </p><p>Full details of the WMCA deal can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/west-midlands-combined-authority-trailblazer-deeper-devolution-deal" target="_blank"><em>West Midlands Combined Authority: “Trailblazer” deeper devolution deal - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</em></a></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 22/11/2023 16:28:03 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1669837

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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	Employment Schemes: West Midlands
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to develop employment support pilot programmes in the West Midlands Combined Authority.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	1870
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>The Trailblazer deals were developed alongside the combined authorities to help address local priorities.</p><p> </p><p>Full details of the WMCA deal can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/west-midlands-combined-authority-trailblazer-deeper-devolution-deal" target="_blank"><em>West Midlands Combined Authority: “Trailblazer” deeper devolution deal - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</em></a></p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 22/11/2023 16:33:21 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1670001

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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	Poverty: North Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) adults and (b) children living in destitution in each constituency in North Wales.
tabling member constituency	Alyn and Deeside
tabling member printed	Mark Tami
uin	1820
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made of the number of adults and children living in destitution in North Wales.</p><p> </p><p>This government is committed to reducing poverty, including child poverty, and supporting low-income families and has overseen significant falls in absolute poverty since 2009/10.</p><p> </p><p>In 2021/22 there were 1.7 million fewer people in absolute poverty after housing costs than in 2009/10, including 400,000 fewer children, 1 million fewer working age adults and 200,000 fewer pensioners. Rates of absolute poverty after housing costs for individuals in families in receipt of Universal Credit have also fallen by 12ppt since 2019/20.</p><p> </p><p>In Wales, in the three years to 2021/22 there were an average of 500,000 individuals (or 16%) in absolute poverty after housing costs, including 100,000 children. This is 200,000 fewer than in 2009/10, or a 6 percentage point decrease.</p><p> </p><p>Poverty statistics for all individuals are not available at the constituency level. The numbers of children living in low income families before housing costs by constituency are published in the Children in Low Income Families Publication, available <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics" target="_blank">here.</a></p><p> </p><p>The UK Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living. We are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising bills.</p><p> </p><p>We are providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact for the devolved administrations, to enable a further extension to the Household Support Fund (HSF) in England over the 2023/24 financial year. As with all government spending in England, the HSF has led to consequential increases in Barnett funding, which the DAs spend at their discretion. As a result of the Household Support Fund extension, Wales has been allocated £50m.</p><p> </p><p>With almost one million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting people, including parents, to move into and progress in work. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. The latest statistics show that in 2021/22 children living in workless households were 5 times more likely to be in absolute poverty, after housing costs, than those where all adults work.</p><p>To help people into work, our core Jobcentre offer provides a range of options, including face-to-face time with work coaches and interview assistance. In addition, there is specific support targeted towards young people, people aged 50 plus and job seekers with disabilities or health issues.</p><p> </p><p>To support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW. In addition, the voluntary in-work progression offer started to roll-out in April 2022. It is now available in all Jobcentres across Great Britain. We estimate that around 1.4m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for support to progress into higher-paid work.</p><p> </p><p>To further support parents into work, on 28th June 2023, the maximum monthly amounts that a parent can be reimbursed for their childcare increased by 47%, from £646.35 for one child and £1,108.04 for two or more children to £950.92 and £1,630.15 respectively. Importantly, we can now also provide even more help with upfront childcare costs when parents move into work or increase their hours. This means that a parent who needs this additional financial help can now be provided with funding towards both their first and second set of costs (or increased costs), upfront, thereby easing them into the UC childcare costs cycle.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 21/11/2023 17:02:12 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1383 label Biography information for Mark Tami

1670014

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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: Foster Care
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 his Department's press release entitled, Employment boost for thousands of parents on Universal Credit, published on 25 October 2023, if he will consider the potential merits of applying similar conditionality requirements for family and friend carers as foster carers.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	1844
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>Friends and family carers, also known as kinship carers, provide incredible care to children who cannot remain with their parents. The government recognises the difficult circumstances in which many kinship carers find themselves when they first take a child into their care. As such, for the first year they are only required to attend jobcentre appointments and are not required to search or prepare for work. This allows time for adjustments to the family’s life and for the children to settle in.</p><p> </p><p>The policy for foster carers reflects their particular circumstances. Universal Credit does not provide claimants with financial support for any foster children in their care and only requires foster carers to attend regular appointments rather than look for work.</p><p>We have recently made changes to lead carer (including kinship carer) conditionality – an increased frequency of jobcentre appointments for lead carers of 1 and 2 year olds, and an increase to the maximum hours of work-related activity for lead carers of 3-12s. Alongside this, we have increased support with childcare. These changes in conditionality and childcare availability are designed to provide support to lead carers of children, including kinship carers, to help them move into work or grow their earnings and provide the children in their care with the best possible start in life. We believe that this strikes the right balance.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 22/11/2023 16:35:57 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

1670015

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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: Carers
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 his Department's press release entitled, Employment boost for thousands of parents on Universal Credit, published on 25 October 2023, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of new Universal Credit work conditionality requirements on family and friend carers.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	1845
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>On 25 October 2023, we increased the maximum hours of work-related activity that lead carers of children aged 3-12 on Universal Credit can commit to with their job centre work coach to 30 hours per week. This change applies to lead carers including family and friend carers, also known as kinship carers, although it is important to note that kinship carers who are within 12 months of having a child coming to live with them are not required to search for or be available for work. This is to allow a period of settling in to a new family arrangement.</p><p> </p><p>Kinship carers play a critical role in the lives of children, often in very difficult circumstances. The increase to 30 hours of work-related activity for lead carers is a maximum and we expect hours to continue to be set at a level that is achievable for the individual claimant according to their circumstances, and in discussion with their work coach.</p><p> </p><p>These changes are designed to support parents and carers to help them move into work or grow their earnings and provide the children in their care with the best possible start in life.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 22/11/2023 16:39:46 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

1670031

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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	Cost of Living Payments: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Disability Cost of Living Payment.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	2002
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2023 answer text <p>We continually monitor Cost of Living Payments and have already published Management Information on the number of payments and the amount spent for each type of payment.</p><p> </p><p>An evaluation of the Cost of Living Payments is underway. This will seek to understand their effectiveness as a means of support for low-income and vulnerable households.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 20/11/2023 16:45:30 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1670061

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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	Suicide: Police
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to recognise police officer (a) suicides and (b) attempted suicides as work-related accidents under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
tabling member constituency	Mansfield
tabling member printed	Ben Bradley
uin	1978
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2023 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-11-08/819" target="_blank">PQ819</a>.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 16/11/2023 13:46:29 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4663 label Biography information for Ben Bradley

1670077

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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 steps his Department plans to take to support Universal Credit claimants who are in work with varying paydays each month affecting the benefit assessment period.
tabling member constituency	Guildford
tabling member printed	Angela Richardson
uin	2032
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>There are no plans to change the way universal credit treats earnings received in a claimant’s assessment period.</p><p> </p><p>As Universal Credit is paid monthly, those who are also paid their earnings monthly will normally get one payment in each assessment period. For those who are paid differently such as weekly, fortnightly, or four-weekly, the frequency of their pay will have an effect on how much Universal Credit they will receive in some assessment periods and means that for some months these claimants will receive two or more sets of earnings during one Universal Credit assessment period. This may reduce, or in some cases, end the Universal Credit award the claimant receives that month.</p><p> </p><p>The issue of receiving two sets of monthly earnings affects a small minority of claimants in very specific circumstances, we know that this can occur when a claimant’s monthly pay date and the last day of their assessment period are close together.</p><p> </p><p>In recognition of the impact that having double calendar monthly earnings in an assessment period can have on this small number of individual households, we have introduced legislation to address the issue. This legislation came into force on the 16th November 2020 and means that for cases affected by this issue monthly earnings can be reallocated to another assessment period, which means that only one set of earnings should be taken into account rather than two.</p><p> </p><p>I hope you find this answer helpful.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 22/11/2023 17:47:36 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4840 label Biography information for Angela Richardson

1670113

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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	Social Security Benefits: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government why, from the next release of the benefit cap statistics, information on the youngest child in capped households will be suspended; and whether they propose to resume publication of those data in later releases.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2023 answer text <p>The Department advised users on GOV.UK on 7 November 2023, that information on the age of youngest child for capped Housing Benefit households will be suspended from the next release of Benefit Cap statistics (due to be published on 12 December 2023). This is due to an issue with the quality of the HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) statistical Child Benefit data, which is currently being investigated. We will reinstate the breakdown in the statistical series as soon as possible, in line with the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) Code of Practice for Statistics.</p><p> </p><p>In May 2023, 91% of capped households were on Universal Credit (UC) and are not affected by this issue. The statistics for the age of youngest child in UC capped households will be published as normal on 12 December 2023.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 21/11/2023 17:21:51 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett