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1166642

registered interest
date	28/10/2019
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: Fraud
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 debt incurred by individuals as a result of being scammed into claiming an advance for universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	6511
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>On the 18<sup>th</sup> September 2019 we brought in changes to the application process for Universal Credit advances to protect innocent people from these scams.</p><p> </p><p>In order to determine whether an individual is liable to repay an advance, we look at the strength of evidence provided. Our investigations play an important part in establishing whether a claimant has had any involvement. In some cases, we will be able to establish that a claimant was entirely innocent and did not benefit from the payment, in which case we would not seek to recover the money from them.</p><p> </p><p>As each case is different and is judged solely on its merits, and as our investigations are still ongoing, it is not possible to accurately estimate the amount individuals could be asked to repay.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 30/10/2019 16:46:49 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1151364

registered interest
date	22/10/2019
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	Bereavement Support Payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to consult on increasing the eligibility for bereavement support payment to include cohabitees.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	3788
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department currently has no plans to consult on increasing the eligibility for bereavement support payment to include cohabitees.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 29/10/2019 14:24:12 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1151365

registered interest
date	22/10/2019
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	Bereavement Support Payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) 18-month limit for receiving bereavement support payment and (b) three-month limit for claiming bereavement support payment.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	3789
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>We intend to carry out an evaluation of Bereavement Support Payment once sufficient evidence is available for this comparatively new benefit, to enable us to evaluate the policy.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 29/10/2019 14:23:57 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1151368

registered interest
date	22/10/2019
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 assessment she has made of the adequacy of the six-month limit on the easement of work-related requirements for universal credit for bereavement of a partner or child.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	3790
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>When a Universal Credit (UC) claimant suffers a bereavement there are easements to work-related requirement which can be applied. These will be discussed and agreed, on an individual basis, with the claimant’s Work Coach or Case Manager. In some circumstances payment of UC, that would otherwise reduce or stop following a bereavement, can continue for a short time. This is called a ‘Bereavement run-on’, and may be applied when a partner or dependent child dies.</p><p> </p><p>The ‘Bereavement run-on’ results in UC continuing to be paid as if there had been no change of circumstances for the assessment period in which the death occurs and the following two assessment periods.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 30/10/2019 17:03:08 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1150531

registered interest
date	17/10/2019
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: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the total cost to her Department of universal credit scams to date.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	1784
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>If a claimant has been the victim of a scam, and has not benefited from an advance in any way, they will not be asked to repay it. The Department considers all cases on their own merits and decisions are made on the strength of the evidence provided.</p><p> </p><p>Completed investigations thus far, have shown that the total amount claimed in fraudulent Universal Credit (UC) advances as of 30<sup>th</sup> September 2019 was £1,868,000 (rounded to the nearest thousand).</p><p> </p><p>It is important to clarify that these are not losses. The Department will endeavour to recover this money and pursue fraudsters. Recovery has already started in some of these cases.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 14:40:46 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1150532

registered interest
date	17/10/2019
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: Fraud
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) third party individuals investigated for universal credit fraud have been (a) referred for prosecution and (b) successfully prosecuted.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	1785
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department takes this issue very seriously and we are committed to taking appropriate action to deter this fraud.</p><p> </p><p>There are 28 individual cases being prepared for prosecution and 1 successful individual prosecution.</p><p> </p><p>There has been 1 successful third party prosecution and a 2<sup>nd</sup> third party case is due in court next month.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 14:25:25 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1150533

registered interest
date	17/10/2019
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: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to increase public awareness of universal credit scams.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	1786
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>We have raised awareness of recent Universal Credit advance payment fraud via a dedicated social media campaign, which reminds people of the importance of safeguarding their identity.  Staff throughout the Department are actively encouraged to report any instances of potentially fraudulent activity for investigation.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is committed to the prevention, detection and investigation of all types of benefit fraud. We take the issue of misuse of the welfare system very seriously and will continue to use appropriate penalties to deter fraudulent behaviour which can be very distressing for innocent victims.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>If any claimant has concerns about the safety of their personal information, they should speak to a member of Departmental staff, or get help from the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, Action Fraud, online at <a href="http://www.actionfraud.police.uk" target="_blank">www.actionfraud.police.uk</a> or by telephone on 0300 123 2040, which is promoted through display materials in Jobcentres.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 14:57:57 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1150534

registered interest
date	17/10/2019
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: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department's policy to reinstate legacy benefits to people who have been migrated from those benefits to universal credit as a result of a fraud that was not their fault.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	1787
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department will review each case where a claim to Universal Credit was prompted by fraudulent activity, considering the extent to which the claimant was involved.</p><p> </p><p>If there is clear evidence that the claimant had no involvement in the fraud, and where the claimant wishes us to do so, we will consider re-instating DWP legacy benefits.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 15:05:29 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1150537

registered interest
date	17/10/2019
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: Fraud
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 claimants of universal credit that were referred for investigation into fraud were referred after her Department introduced a requirement for claimants to attend a Jobcentre before applying for an advance payment.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	1788
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>From 18<sup>th</sup> September 2019, claimants are required to attend an interview at a jobcentre to verify their identity before claiming a Universal Credit (UC) advance. This change is helping protect claimants from identity fraud and becoming victims of third party scams.</p><p> </p><p>The staff referrals we have received for UC advances fraud since 18<sup>th</sup> September 2019 equate to 6.3% of the total referrals received to date.</p><p> </p><p>It is important to clarify that the majority of these referrals will relate to advance claims made prior to 18<sup>th</sup> September 2019.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 15:13:40 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1147991

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
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	Thomas Cook: Insolvency
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what dedicated emergency support her Department has put in place to help and advise Thomas Cook members of staff who have lost their jobs.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	293716
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>DWP stands ready to support anyone affected by the closure of Thomas Cook, with our Rapid Response Service (RRS) offer. This is a redundancy service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. It is coordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus.</p><p> </p><p>The RRS has been mobilised to help people find a new job as soon as possible by offering tailored support. Each Jobcentre Plus district deploy resources according to the situation and the requirements of the workforce. The RRS is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers.</p><p> </p><p>NEPT have contacted several large employers and trade bodies to identify a range of opportunities for Thomas Cook members of staff who have lost their jobs and the Department is working closely with over 100 employers to offer support and opportunities. We are delivering over 65 Job Fairs nationally, where ex-employees can meet local employers with vacancies.</p><p> </p><p>The full range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners includes:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Information advice and guidance.</li><li>Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.</li><li>Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.</li><li>Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour<br> market).</li><li>Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised<br> certification that will improve employability.</li><li>Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or <br> self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel costs etc.</li><li>On-site presentations to those affected.</li><li>Job Fairs and Job Clubs where appropriate.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Our local teams are monitoring all new claims to benefits to identify where the claimant is an ex-employee of Thomas Cook so that they quickly receive the right level of support.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested on the number of ex-employees who have been offered alternative employment opportunities is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 293717 question first answered 07/10/2019 17:05:18 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury