Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1131476

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	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	Arcadia Group: Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Pensions Regulator (1) regarded an additional payment into the Arcadia Pension Fund to be an adequate contribution to the deficit, and (2) supported the Company Voluntary Arrangements proposed by Sir Philip and Lady Green; and if so, why.
	tabling member printed	Lord Myners
	uin	HL16270
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>The best support for a defined benefit pension scheme is an ongoing trading employer. Working with the shareholders, pension trustees and Pension Protection Fund, The Pensions Regulator were pleased to be able to agree a £310m package of support last week that would provide greater certainty for the Arcadia pension schemes. This comprises security to the value of £210m, together with the £100m in cash from Lady Green. The Pensions Regulator remain satisfied that the arrangement is the right one for members and the Pension Protection Fund in challenging circumstances and is equitable in the context of the wider Company Voluntary Arrangements process.</p><p> </p><p>The Pension Regulator’s goal is to protect the interests of members of the Arcadia schemes as far as possible in these difficult circumstances. A successful outcome will mean ongoing Deficit repair contributions payments from the company, enabling the schemes to become fully funded in due course. Had the Company Voluntary Arrangement votes failed, or if the Company Voluntary Arrangements are successfully challenged, the position of the pension schemes would be/will be much less certain. Deficit repair contributions from Arcadia Group Limited, initially £25m per annum (paid in equal monthly instalments) and escalating in subsequent years, would cease. The amount recovered by the pension schemes would be significantly less in an uncontrolled insolvency than under the terms of the Company Voluntary Arrangement. On this basis The Pensions Regulator supported the Company Voluntary Arrangement.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 24/06/2019 14:30:41 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	3869 label Biography information for Lord Myners

1131256

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	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	Pension Credit: Inverclyde
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) individuals and (b) couples receive pension credits in Inverclyde.
	tabling member constituency	Inverclyde
	tabling member printed	Ronnie Cowan
	uin	263184
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>Information on the number of individuals and couples receiving Pension Credit in Inverclyde from most recent data (as of November 2018) is set out below:</p><p> </p><p><strong>Pension Credit recipients in Inverclyde</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>November ‘18</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Individual</p></td><td><p>2,742</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Couple</p></td><td><p>438</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source: DWP Stat-Xplore</p><p> </p><p>This information is published and available at Stat-Xplore:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for users is available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html" target="_blank">https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html</a></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 17/06/2019 14:42:26 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4465 label Biography information for Ronnie Cowan

1131258

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	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	Pension Credit: Inverclyde
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Inverclyde are eligible for pension credits but do not claim.
	tabling member constituency	Inverclyde
	tabling member printed	Ronnie Cowan
	uin	263185
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>The information requested on the number of households in Inverclyde are eligible for pension credits but do not claim is not available at constituency level.</p><p> </p><p>Official statistics on the take-up of income related benefits at Great Britain level, including Pension Credit, can be found in the ‘Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up in 2016 to 2017’ publication.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2016-to-2017</a></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 17/06/2019 14:10:00 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4465 label Biography information for Ronnie Cowan

1131206

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	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, how many people have participated in pension auto-enrolment; and what proportion of those people have made additional contributions to their scheme.
	tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
	tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
	uin	263082
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>8,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 1,760 employers have met their AE duties, from 2012 to 2019, in the East Londonderry constituency.</p><p> </p><p>The success of Automatic Enrolment has transformed workplace pension saving. More than 10 million workers have now been automatically enrolled by over 1.5 million employers. Since the introduction of Automatic Enrolment, overall workplace pension participation has increased amongst eligible employees from 10.7 million in 2012 to 18.7 million in 2018.</p><p> </p><p>In April 2017, approximately half of eligible private sector employees making a contribution were contributing at levels of 2% and over (above the minimum requirements at the time). Total minimum contribution rates have since increased in April 2018 and April 2019 to 8%. We are continuing to monitor the impact of those increases closely, including how this impacts on overall contribution rates and the savings behaviour of employees. The available data can be accessed in the Automatic Enrolment Evaluation report 2018 and can be found at the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/764964/Automatic_Enrolment_Evaluation_Report_2018.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/764964/Automatic_Enrolment_Evaluation_Report_2018.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 17/06/2019 14:57:48 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1131270

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	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: Disqualification
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many sanctions have been applied to claimants who (a) are pregnant and (b) have young dependent children in each of the last five years for which data are available.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	263061
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not available.</p><p> </p><p>Sanctions are only used in a minority of cases, and that is when people fail to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason. A Decision Maker will take into account all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or caring responsibilities and any evidence of good reason they have provided, before deciding whether a sanction is warranted.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 17/06/2019 15:07:08 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1131364

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	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: Overpayments
	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 overpayments her Department has made in the Vale of Clwyd in each of the last five years, and what the cause for overpayment was in each such case.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	263066
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The specific breakdown requested is not available. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has no business need for a breakdown of this type and therefore our systems do not have this functionality.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is committed to preventing overpayments from occurring.</p><p> </p><p>The Department ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect claimants who have deductions from their benefit to repay overpayments. There are maximum rates of deduction that are set out in legislation, and if a claimant is struggling they can contact the Department’s Debt Management Team to discuss lowering their repayment rate.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is constantly improving its data and analytical tools to detect and prevent issues as early as possible. DWP works to ensure claimants are aware of their obligation to report any changes in their circumstances. We are constantly reviewing our approach to make sure it is as effective as possible.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 18/06/2019 15:42:47 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 123348 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1131288

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	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	Department for Work and Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on advertising in the last 12 months; and what proportion of that spend was on advertising for universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Stalybridge and Hyde
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Reynolds
	uin	263149
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>We are the biggest Government Department providing support on a daily basis to around 22 million citizens. We have a responsibility to raise awareness of the benefits people may be entitled to and ensure they have the information they need when it comes to making a claim.</p><p> </p><p>The Department also has a responsibility to ensure claimants do not miss out on their full entitlements and to encourage people to make their claim as quickly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>We use advertising to communicate to our claimants. Total advertising spend across the Department in the 12 months from April 2018 to March 2019 was £17,351,663 of which the Universal Credit Opening Up Work campaign accounted for £4,600,209. We can commit to publishing an update 2019/20 advertising spend at the end of July.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 19/06/2019 16:52:56 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4119 label Biography information for Jonathan Reynolds

1131366

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	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: Terminal Illnesses
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she publish a list of each consultation event or meeting her Department held during the process to develop the revised guidance notes for the DS1500 with the (a) dates on which those events or meetings took place and (b) names of the organisations or professional bodies represented at those events or meetings.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	263067
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department held two events, in December 2018 and January 2019. As well as a number of clinicians who attended in an individual capacity, organisations present were Marie Curie, the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Macmillan Cancer Support, and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 17/06/2019 15:14:42 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1131346

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	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, if she will make it her policy to no longer deduct student maintenance loans from universal credit payments to ensure claimants are not pushed into financial hardship while undertaking study.
	tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
	tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
	uin	263142
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>Most full time students in education do not qualify for benefits or tax credits. Universal Credit is no different, as students can access fees and living costs to support their education courses through various loans and grants funded by the Department for Education. It is important that Universal Credit does not duplicate this support, which is designed for their needs unlike the social security system.</p><p> </p><p>Treatment of student income under Universal Credit broadly mirrors that in Legacy Benefits which safeguards fairness whilst also ensuring simplification of the benefit system. An award of Universal Credit takes into account the elements of student loans or grants which provide for basic maintenance and disregards elements paid for specific additional costs, such as tuition or books. A flat rate monthly disregard of £110 is applied against the amount taken into account as student income</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 17/06/2019 15:25:07 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1131388

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Empty Property
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by her Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	263036
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>In 2017 the Office of Government Property published the Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land, providing detailed guidance on how to plan for and execute land disposals.</p><p> </p><p>This guide mandates that departmental land holdings must be registered on the e-PIMs central record system. Land holdings deemed surplus are recorded on the Register of Surplus Land for at least 40 days for other government departments to express an interest.</p><p> </p><p>Homes England and Department for Education/LocatEd are given a higher allowance of 50 days to express an interest if the site could be developed for housing or a free school.</p><p> </p><p>After the 50-day period surplus land holdings are recorded <a href="https://www.gov.uk/find-government-property" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 19/06/2019 16:45:15 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas