To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department
investigate benefit fraud; and what recent estimate he has made of the cost of fraud
to the public purse in the last 12 months.
<p>The latest information of the number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff who are
in paid employment and undertake investigations on benefit fraud is in the table below:</p><p>
</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Nov</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>DWP
Product</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2023</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>CFC
ESOC</strong></p></td><td><p>527.7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>CFC Fraud Investigations
(Including Surveillance)</strong></p></td><td><p>627.05</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Totals</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>1154.8</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p> </p><p>Please note the following caveats</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><ul><li>Data
is drawn at the end of each month. Data is correct as of end of November 2023.</li><li>Figures
were derived from the Department’s Activity Based Model (ABM), which provides Full
Time Equivalent (FTE) figures based on point in time estimate by Line Managers. They
cover only FTE of staff with paid employment. They have been rounded to one decimal
place.</li><li>Figures include all staff on CFC Economic Serious Organised Crime and
CFC Investigations including staff undertaking surveillance activities.</li><li>The
data is frequently revised and changes to definitions / benefits / DWP structure effect
comparisons over time. It should therefore be treated with caution and must be seen
as an indication of how staff have been deployed.</li><li>The number of staff is unpublished
management information, collected and intended for internal department use and has
not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard. As
the Department holds the information, we have released it.</li></ul></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>
</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Information on the cost of fraud to the public purse has
been set out in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023"
target="_blank">DWP annual report and accounts 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>
</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an estimate of the number
of people that are required to make payments under the Loan Charge as of 19 December
2023.
<p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates that there are around 40,000 individuals
and around 5,000 employers who have either failed to return the Loan Charge or have
returned a figure that is not correct.</p><p>HMRC continues to support taxpayers to
resolve their use of disguised remuneration schemes and get out of avoidance for good,
including helping those who need extra support and providing additional time to pay
where needed.</p>
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of appeals
to the Tribunals Service for (a) personal independence payment, (b) employment and
support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseekers allowance and (e) tax credits
were successful in (i) Glasgow South West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland
and (iv) Great Britain in (A) 2021-22 and (B) 2022-23.
<p>Information about appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child
Support) (SSCS) is published at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics"
target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics</a>.</p><p>SSCS
appeals are listed into the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address.
Glasgow Tribunal Centre is the only SSCS venue serving the Glasgow South West constituency.
The published data (which can be viewed at the link above) provide information about
the outcomes of (a) Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and (b) Employment Support
Allowance (ESA), for (i) Glasgow South West constituency (this is covered by the Glasgow
data), (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Great Britain in (A) 2021-22 and (B)
2022-23.</p><p>The tables below contain the requested information for Glasgow and
Scotland for (c) Income Support, (d) Job Seekers Allowance and (e) Tax Credits for 2021
– 22; and 2022-23:</p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="6"><p>INCOME
SUPPORT</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p>Glasgow Venue<sup>1</sup></p></td><td
colspan="3"><p>Scotland HMCTS Region<sup>1</sup></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>No. Cleared
at Hearing</p></td><td><p>No. Decision in Favour</p></td><td><p>% Decision in Favour<sup>2</sup></p></td><td><p>No.
Cleared at Hearing</p></td><td><p>No. Decision in Favour</p></td><td><p>% Decision
in Favour</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021_2022<sup>3</sup></p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>53%</p></td><td><p>30</p></td><td><p>14</p></td><td><p>47%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022_2023<sup>3</sup></p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>~</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="6"><p>JOB
SEEKER’S ALLOWANCE</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p>Glasgow Venue</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Scotland
HMCTS Region</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>No. Cleared at Hearing</p></td><td><p>No. Decision
in Favour</p></td><td><p>% Decision in Favour</p></td><td><p>No. Cleared at Hearing</p></td><td><p>No.
Decision in Favour</p></td><td><p>% Decision in Favour</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021_2022</p></td><td><p>9</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>26</p></td><td><p>9</p></td><td><p>35%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022_2023</p></td><td><p>9</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>25</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>20%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="6"><p>TAX
CREDITS</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p>Glasgow Venue</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Scotland
HMCTS Region</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>No. Cleared at Hearing</p></td><td><p>No. Decision
in Favour</p></td><td><p>% Decision in Favour</p></td><td><p>No. Cleared at Hearing</p></td><td><p>No.
Decision in Favour</p></td><td><p>% Decision in Favour</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021_2022</p></td><td><p>9</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>21</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>62%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022_2023</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>11</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>45%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Notes:</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td
colspan="2" rowspan="2"><p>1. SSCS data is normally registered to the venue nearest
to the appellant’s home address. We cannot retrieve data based on the appellant’s
actual address but can produce reports detailing the numbers of cases that were dealt
with at one of our Regional centres or heard at a specific venue. 2. Proportion based
on the number of cases found in favour of the appellant at a tribunal hearing as a
percentage of the cases heard at a tribunal hearing. 3. 1<sup>st</sup> April – 31<sup>st</sup>
March <table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="3"><p>~
Suppressed in line with official published stats. Although care is taken when processing
and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale
case management system and are the best data that are available. These data may differ
slightly to that of the published statistics as these data were run on a different
date.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobcentre clients have
been assisted by an Armed Forces Champion in Glasgow South West constituency in the
last 12 months.
<p>Since April 2023, 231 members of the local Armed Forces community have been supported
by an Armed Forces Champion in the Glasgow South West constituency.</p><p><strong>
</strong></p><p>Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management
information, which was collected for internal departmental use only, and has not been
quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.</p>
<p>The information is already available in the public domain:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-temporary-civil-servants-by-sex-age-band-and-department-2023"
target="_blank">Permanent and temporary civil servants by sex, age band and department:
2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p>
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential
implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan
Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for
staff in his Department.
<p>The Cabinet Office is working closely with our shared services provider (SSCL)
to implement a solution. Early indications are that this will take place in Spring
2024.</p><p>I have informed the Public and Commercial Services Union that a full response
to their letter of 22 August 2023 will be sent in due course.</p><p> </p>
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to reply to the letter of
22 August 2023 from the Public and Commercial Services Union on the ruling in Dudley
Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors.
<p>The Cabinet Office is working closely with our shared services provider (SSCL)
to implement a solution. Early indications are that this will take place in Spring
2024.</p><p>I have informed the Public and Commercial Services Union that a full response
to their letter of 22 August 2023 will be sent in due course.</p><p> </p>
