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1122051

registered interest
date	18/04/2019
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, for what reason universal credit classifies maternity allowance as income and statutory maternity allowance as earnings.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	245596
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit is a means tested system of support. Where claimants have income available to meet their everyday living costs, such as maternity allowance, it is right that their entitlement to UC is adjusted accordingly (as currently is the case with other DWP legacy means tested working age benefits).</p><p>Statutory maternity pay is paid by an employer and is therefore a form of earnings subject to the work allowance and tapering within Universal Credit, as are other earnings.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 30/04/2019 12:54:48 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1122052

registered interest
date	18/04/2019
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	Maternity Allowance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason women receiving maternity allowance do not qualify for the Sure Start maternity grant.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	245597
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>The Sure Start Maternity Grant is a payment of £500 to provide important help for families with the costs of a new baby.</p><p> </p><p>The grant is available to recipients, and partners of recipients, of a qualifying benefit or tax credit i.e Income Support, Pension Credit, JSA (income-based), Universal Credit, Support for Mortgage Interest, Child Tax Credit, or Working Tax Credit with a disability or severe disability element. A customer may also be eligible for a Sure Start Maternity Grant where one of the above benefits is being paid in addition to their Maternity Allowance.</p><p> </p><p>By restricting the availability to those in receipt if income related benefits the Government is focussing the available resource where it is needed most.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 30/04/2019 14:31:38 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1122053

registered interest
date	18/04/2019
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, for what reason her Department does not inform automatically Healthy Start on the eligibility of claimants of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	245598
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>Responsibility for the Healthy Start scheme, including eligibility for it, lies with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). In support of that, upon request, DWP provides DHSC with confirmation of whether people applying for Healthy Start are getting Universal Credit and if so, whether their earnings are below the threshold set by DHSC.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 30/04/2019 14:46:01 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1122054

registered interest
date	18/04/2019
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	Maternity Payments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women have received the Sure Start maternity grant in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	245599
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>The number of Sure Start Maternity Grant awards in Great Britain is reported annually in Appendix 1 of the Social Fund Annual Report:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-fund-annual-report-2017-to-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-fund-annual-report-2017-to-2018</a></p><p /><p>The number of Sure Start Maternity Grant awards are provided in the table below.</p><p /><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p><strong>Number of Sure Start Maternity Grant awards, 2010/11 to 2017/18</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of awards</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>257,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>89,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>77,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>73,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>66,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>59,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>55,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>50,500</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>As of 24 January 2011, Sure Start Maternity Grants are provided for the birth of the recipient’s first child only. Previously it was payable for the birth of each child.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 30/04/2019 14:58:42 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1121525

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	101 Calls: Fees and Charges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of removing the 15 pence service charge on 101 calls so that non-emergency phone calls to the police are free of charge.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	244012
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>Calls to 101 cost 15p from a mobile device or landline phones, from anywhere in the country and regardless of duration. Calls are free from payphones.</p><p>The public have always paid to contact the police by telephone for non-emergencies and the 15p charge per call is a transparent rate that fully funds the 101 non-emergency service. Police non-emergency numbers (such as 0845 numbers) which were used before 2011 could cost members of the public up to 40p per minute. While it may not be an option for everyone, the public can also report non-emergency crimes online via forces’ websites, free of charge.</p><p>The Home Office is supporting the digital transformation of policing through programmes such as the Digital Policing Portfolio (DPP), led by the NPCC. Within the DPP, the Digital Public Contact programme aims to provide appropriate digital channels for the public to report and track crime online, facilitating greater public-police interaction in real time.</p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 24/04/2019 14:24:21 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1121526

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	101 Calls: Fees and Charges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether there is a requirement for telephone providers to have a 15 pence service charge for calls made to the police on the non-emergency 101 number.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	244013
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2019 answer text <p>There is no obligation on telecom service providers to supply the 101 service free of charge as is the case with 999/112 under the 2003 Communications Act. Calls to 101 cost 15p from a mobile device or landline phones, from anywhere in the country and regardless of duration. Calls are free from payphones. The public have always paid to contact the police by telephone for non-emergencies and the 15p cost of the call goes to the telephony providers to cover the cost of carrying the calls. The police and government receive no money from calls to 101.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 29/04/2019 15:04:14 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1111224

registered interest
date	10/04/2019
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, pursuant to answer of 8 April to Question 240478 on Universal Credit, in relation to benefit advances taken by universal credit recipients (a) what proportion of claimants have taken an advance, (b) what the average amount of money is that claimants are advanced, (c) what proportion of claimants have taken the maximum advance and (d) what proportion of claimants have been granted 12 months to repay an advance in each year for which information is available.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	243330
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2019 answer text <p>a) Around 60% of new claims take up an advance. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take-up has been broadly consistent over the last 12 months. This shows that claimants are being made aware of advances and are using it where they need this help.</p><p>b) The average advance amount for new claims is around £400.</p><p>c) Around 70% of advances are taken at the maximum entitlement.</p><p>d) Around 85% of advances are chosen to be repaid over 12 months</p><p> </p><p>Notes</p><p>1. Figures relate to Universal Credit full service only</p><p>2. Figures cover the latest 12 months of data from March 2018 to February 2019.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 15/04/2019 16:07:16 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1111225

registered interest
date	10/04/2019
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, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April to Question 240478 on Universal Credit, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the (a) levels of debt and b) finances of claimants of universal credit that have received an advance payment.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	243331
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>We continue to evaluate Universal Credit as it is delivered. Research and analysis is conducted to assist and inform the evaluation and expansion of Universal Credit, focusing specifically on the effects of Universal Credit on claimants’ behaviours and outcomes. The Universal Credit Full Service Omnibus Survey was published in February 2019, which can be accessed here <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-full-service-omnibus-survey" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-full-service-omnibus-survey</a></p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions. The maximum rate of deductions cannot normally exceed 40% of the Universal Credit standard allowance. If a claimant is in financial difficulty as a result of the level of deductions being made they can contact the Department to request that a reduction in deductions be considered.</p><p> </p><p>At Autumn Budget 2018 we announced we will reduce the maximum rate at which deductions can be made from a Universal Credit award from 40% to 30% of the standard allowance, from October 2019. Additionally, from October 2021, the recovery period for advances will increase from 12 to 16 months. This will help over 600,000 families to manage their debts at any one point when roll-out is complete, providing them with, on average, £295 extra a year as their debts are repaid over a longer period.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 23/04/2019 15:15:16 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1111226

registered interest
date	10/04/2019
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 recent estimate she has made of the number of people claiming universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	243332
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>Our current statistics show that around 1.8 million people are claiming Universal credit.</p><p> </p><p>Statistics on Universal Credit claims can be found under the ‘Claims made to Universal Credit’ dataset available at: <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/</a>.</p><p>Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:</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 Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 23/04/2019 15:39:01 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1111229

registered interest
date	10/04/2019
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: Private Rented Housing
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 9 April 2019 to Question 240482, whether there are plans to increase the number of universal credit claimants accessing the Money and Pension service.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	243333
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>For Universal Credit (UC) claimants, the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), will continue to deliver the support previously provided by the Money Advice Service. MaPS will help UC claimants with personal budgeting and money management through its free helpline, printed guides and digital guidance. Since February 2017, work coaches in job centres have signposted thousands of UC claimants to Money Manager, an online budgeting tool to help people as they move onto UC, unless a referral to local, face-to-face support is more appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>For those UC claimants who are in most need of debt advice, MaPS will continue to work with the DWP and other agencies to ensure that they are signposted and referred quickly to local provision – MaPS funds free-to-consumer debt advice in England through a network of providers including StepChange, the Money Advice Trust and Citizens Advice.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 23/04/2019 15:53:58 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe