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1148856

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2019
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Daily Mail and Metro Newspaper
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government Legal Service approved the Universal Credit Uncovered advertising campaign in the Metro and the Mail Online in May and June 2019.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	322
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2019 answer text <p>We are the biggest Government Department with a day to day operation on which around 22 million citizens depend. The Department has a responsibility to communicate policy and essential information to claimants and other key audiences.</p><p> </p><p>The Metro partnership was designed to increase understanding of Universal Credit and ensure people have the right factual information they need to make a claim and understand their potential entitlement.</p><p> </p><p>We went to great lengths to ensure the factual accuracy of the campaign through extensive consultation within the Department, including the Government Legal Department. We also consulted with the Advertising Standards Authority Copy Advice Team prior to the launch and continued to do so throughout the campaign lifetime.</p><p> </p><p>The letter of 31 July 2019 placed in the House of Commons Library disclosed the full cost of the Department’s partnership with Associated Newspapers. There were no advertising agencies, consultancy or additional costs associated with the campaign and detailed planning was taken forward by Departmental officials.</p><p> </p><p>We have already shared a copy of the memo of 2 May 2019 from the Director General of Universal Credit and Director of Communications to DWP staff with the Work and Pensions Select Committee but can also commit to placing a copy in the House of Commons Library.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 316 323 question first answered 17/10/2019 13:34:22 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1148850

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2019
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Metro Newspaper
	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 the letter of 31 July 2019 from the Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance placed in the Library disclosing the cost of the Department’s partnership with Associated Newspapers, if she will provide (a) costs of the advertising consultancy and (b) all other costs incurred in the Universal Credit Uncovered advertising campaign which ran in May and June 2019 in The Metro and online.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	316
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2019 answer text <p>We are the biggest Government Department with a day to day operation on which around 22 million citizens depend. The Department has a responsibility to communicate policy and essential information to claimants and other key audiences.</p><p> </p><p>The Metro partnership was designed to increase understanding of Universal Credit and ensure people have the right factual information they need to make a claim and understand their potential entitlement.</p><p> </p><p>We went to great lengths to ensure the factual accuracy of the campaign through extensive consultation within the Department, including the Government Legal Department. We also consulted with the Advertising Standards Authority Copy Advice Team prior to the launch and continued to do so throughout the campaign lifetime.</p><p> </p><p>The letter of 31 July 2019 placed in the House of Commons Library disclosed the full cost of the Department’s partnership with Associated Newspapers. There were no advertising agencies, consultancy or additional costs associated with the campaign and detailed planning was taken forward by Departmental officials.</p><p> </p><p>We have already shared a copy of the memo of 2 May 2019 from the Director General of Universal Credit and Director of Communications to DWP staff with the Work and Pensions Select Committee but can also commit to placing a copy in the House of Commons Library.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 322 323 question first answered 17/10/2019 13:34:22 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1148857

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2019
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Daily Mail and Metro Newspaper
	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 place in the Library a copy of the memo of 2 May 2019 sent by her Department’s Director General of Universal Credit and Director of Communications to DWP staff setting out the purpose of the Universal Credit Uncovered advertising campaign in the Metro and Mail Online.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	323
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2019 answer text <p>We are the biggest Government Department with a day to day operation on which around 22 million citizens depend. The Department has a responsibility to communicate policy and essential information to claimants and other key audiences.</p><p> </p><p>The Metro partnership was designed to increase understanding of Universal Credit and ensure people have the right factual information they need to make a claim and understand their potential entitlement.</p><p> </p><p>We went to great lengths to ensure the factual accuracy of the campaign through extensive consultation within the Department, including the Government Legal Department. We also consulted with the Advertising Standards Authority Copy Advice Team prior to the launch and continued to do so throughout the campaign lifetime.</p><p> </p><p>The letter of 31 July 2019 placed in the House of Commons Library disclosed the full cost of the Department’s partnership with Associated Newspapers. There were no advertising agencies, consultancy or additional costs associated with the campaign and detailed planning was taken forward by Departmental officials.</p><p> </p><p>We have already shared a copy of the memo of 2 May 2019 from the Director General of Universal Credit and Director of Communications to DWP staff with the Work and Pensions Select Committee but can also commit to placing a copy in the House of Commons Library.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 316 322 question first answered 17/10/2019 13:34:22 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1146576

	registered interest
	date	26/09/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Carbon Emissions: British Overseas Territories
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether her Department plans to include carbon emissions from UK Overseas Territories in its carbon accounting processes for the Paris Agreement.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	291441
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department is consulting with UK Overseas Territories as to whether they would like to have the UK’s ratification of the Paris Agreement extended to them. For those UK Overseas Territories that so choose, the Department will work with them to ensure they are ready to implement the Paris Agreement and to regularly report to the Department on that implementation.</p><p> </p><p>Under the accounting and transparency rules for the Paris Agreement agreed at COP24 in December 2018, any UK Overseas Territories included in the geographic scope of UK’s ratification of the Paris Agreement in future will also need to be included in the UK’s accounting for and regular reporting on emissions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.</p><p> </p><p>The UK was the first major economy in the world to legislate for a net zero target. The target is enshrined under the Climate Change Act 2008 which does not apply to UK Overseas Territories.</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng grouped question UIN 291443 question first answered 01/10/2019 15:12:15 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1146578

	registered interest
	date	26/09/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Carbon Emissions: British Overseas Territories
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if her Department will work with the UK Overseas Territories to reduce their carbon emissions as part of the UK’s (a) contribution towards the Paris Agreement and (b) Net Zero commitment.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	291443
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department is consulting with UK Overseas Territories as to whether they would like to have the UK’s ratification of the Paris Agreement extended to them. For those UK Overseas Territories that so choose, the Department will work with them to ensure they are ready to implement the Paris Agreement and to regularly report to the Department on that implementation.</p><p> </p><p>Under the accounting and transparency rules for the Paris Agreement agreed at COP24 in December 2018, any UK Overseas Territories included in the geographic scope of UK’s ratification of the Paris Agreement in future will also need to be included in the UK’s accounting for and regular reporting on emissions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.</p><p> </p><p>The UK was the first major economy in the world to legislate for a net zero target. The target is enshrined under the Climate Change Act 2008 which does not apply to UK Overseas Territories.</p> answering member constituency Spelthorne answering member printed Kwasi Kwarteng grouped question UIN 291441 question first answered 01/10/2019 15:12:15 answering member 4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1145575

	registered interest
	date	24/09/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Capital Investment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many bids for capital spending (a) his Department, (b) NHS England and (c) NHS Improvement has (i) rejected and (ii) not responded to in each of the last five years; and what the total value was of the bids (A) rejected and (B) not responded to in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	290466
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/10/2019 answer text <p>The information requested on capital bids received by the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement for capital spending are not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p><p>There have been a multitude of capital funds in the last five years varying in value, complexity and outcome objective and NHS England and NHS Improvement are in on-going discussions with trusts about their capital needs and plans.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 290467 question first answered 02/10/2019 12:17:49 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1145576

	registered interest
	date	24/09/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Capital Investment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average length of time was for (a) his Department, (b) NHS England and (c) NHS Improvement to respond to bids for capital spending in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	290467
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/10/2019 answer text <p>The information requested on capital bids received by the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement for capital spending are not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p><p>There have been a multitude of capital funds in the last five years varying in value, complexity and outcome objective and NHS England and NHS Improvement are in on-going discussions with trusts about their capital needs and plans.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 290466 question first answered 02/10/2019 12:17:49 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1142307

	registered interest
	date	25/07/2019
	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, with reference to her evidence of 24 July 2019 to the Work and Pensions Committee on increased support with upfront childcare costs, whether work coaches use the Flexible Support Fund to provide that additional support after the first month.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	282561
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2019 answer text <p>Work Coaches can use the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) to pay 100% of the upfront childcare costs up to the payment limits set that the claimant incurs between starting work and receiving their first wage. This is paid directly to the childcare providers and is not repayable. Examples of what it can be used to cover include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Deposit – To pay a provider a one off advance payment of childcare costs.</li><li>Retainer – To pay a provider a one off advance payment to secure the nursery provision prior to the parent starting work or training.</li><li>Fees – To pay a provider upfront childcare fees in advance of the service being delivered; and</li><li>Taster/Settling in periods – To pay a provider a one off advance payment to enable the parent to prepare their child before taking up the full childcare offer.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Once a claimant has received their first wage, we have given Work Coaches the flexibility to use Budgeting Advances to help pay for further upfront childcare costs where required and where a claimant is eligible. This includes - during school holidays, change of childcare provider, or additional childcare in order to increase work hours. Budgeting Advances do have to be repaid, however, up to 85% of these childcare costs can be reimbursed through the UC childcare offer (up to caps) once a paid receipt is submitted.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 282562 question first answered 05/09/2019 11:53:46 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1142308

	registered interest
	date	25/07/2019
	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, with reference to her oral evidence of 24 July 2019 to the Work and Pensions Committee on increased support with upfront childcare costs on Wednesday 24 July, whether work coaches will be given greater flexibility to use the Flexible Support Fund.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	282562
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2019 answer text <p>Work Coaches can use the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) to pay 100% of the upfront childcare costs up to the payment limits set that the claimant incurs between starting work and receiving their first wage. This is paid directly to the childcare providers and is not repayable. Examples of what it can be used to cover include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Deposit – To pay a provider a one off advance payment of childcare costs.</li><li>Retainer – To pay a provider a one off advance payment to secure the nursery provision prior to the parent starting work or training.</li><li>Fees – To pay a provider upfront childcare fees in advance of the service being delivered; and</li><li>Taster/Settling in periods – To pay a provider a one off advance payment to enable the parent to prepare their child before taking up the full childcare offer.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Once a claimant has received their first wage, we have given Work Coaches the flexibility to use Budgeting Advances to help pay for further upfront childcare costs where required and where a claimant is eligible. This includes - during school holidays, change of childcare provider, or additional childcare in order to increase work hours. Budgeting Advances do have to be repaid, however, up to 85% of these childcare costs can be reimbursed through the UC childcare offer (up to caps) once a paid receipt is submitted.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 282561 question first answered 05/09/2019 11:53:46 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1142288

	registered interest
	date	25/07/2019
	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, with reference to her oral contribution to the Work and Pensions Committee, of 24 July 2019, what criteria will be used for claimants to receive upfront childcare costs.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	282549
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting parents with moving into work and, as part of this, we have increased the level of ongoing financial support for childcare costs from 70 per cent in legacy benefits to up to 85 per cent in Universal Credit, which is called the ‘childcare element’. The Universal Credit childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.</p><p> </p><p>Beyond the Universal Credit childcare element, there is other financial support to help with childcare costs: the Flexible Support Fund and Budgeting Advances. Claimants are able to discuss eligibility for these with their jobcentre work coach.</p><p> </p><p>Where initial upfront childcare costs or deposits may prevent a claimant from starting work, work coaches have the discretion to use the Flexible Support Fund to support the transition into work until a claimant receives their first wage. Individual claimant circumstances are considered each time assistance may be appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>A budgeting advance can help with one-off urgent financial events for Universal Credit claimants, such as upfront childcare, and is repayable over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments. Only one Budgeting Advance will be paid at a time and further advances will be unavailable until the balance of the previous Budgeting Advance is cleared.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is working hard to ensure that the Universal Credit childcare offer continues to operate effectively for claimants. Since February 2018, Universal Credit claimants have been able to upload digital copies of their childcare cost receipts or invoices through their online Universal Credit account. When parents have good reason for late reporting of their childcare costs, the Department is piloting a more flexible approach to enable parents to be reimbursed at a later point.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 282553 282555 282559 282560 question first answered 03/09/2019 12:46:50 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George