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573920

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2016
	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	Work Capability Assessment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on claimants of no longer being eligible to receive employment and support allowance payments at the assessment rate when undergoing a mandatory reconsideration of a work capability assessment.
	tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
	tabling member printed	Dr Eilidh Whiteford
	uin	44461
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>ESA claimants who are found fit for work and are waiting for their mandatory reconsideration application to be decided, are eligible to claim JSA. This is the right benefit for those who are capable of work, with Jobcentre work coaches fully supporting these claimants during this period - and the statistics released on 8 September show that this period is now a relatively short one – the median average being around 9 days.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 12/09/2016 13:30:24 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	3911 label Biography information for Dr Eilidh Whiteford

573931

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2016
	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: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average and median waiting time is for users calling the universal credit helpline; and how many calls to that helpline were answered in (a) less than five, (b) between five and 10, (c) between 10 and 15, (d) between 15 and 20 and (e) more than thirty minutes between 1 January and 30 June 2016.
	tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
	tabling member printed	Dr Eilidh Whiteford
	uin	44470
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>The data below states the Average Speed of Answer for all UC calls for the period 1 January 2016 – 30 June 2016.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Universal Credit Average Speed of Answer</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Average Speed of Answer</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>January 2016</strong></p></td><td><p>00:02:09</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>February 2016</strong></p></td><td><p>00:02:03</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>March 2016</strong></p></td><td><p>00:02:01</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>April 2016</strong></p></td><td><p>00:02:44</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>May 2016</strong></p></td><td><p>00:02:24</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>June 2016</strong></p></td><td><p>00:02:41</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p>00:02:22</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Data source: Operational Management Information System (OPMIS)</p><p>It would be a disproportionate cost to compute the median in each month, and the breakdown by waiting time intervals.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 12/09/2016 12:06:10 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	3911 label Biography information for Dr Eilidh Whiteford

573932

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2016
	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: ICT
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value is of the contract between his Department and SCC for providing server support for the universal credit portal.
	tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
	tabling member printed	Dr Eilidh Whiteford
	uin	44471
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>This information can be found on the Contract Finder website - please see the below link.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder</a></p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 12/09/2016 12:55:58 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	3911 label Biography information for Dr Eilidh Whiteford

573935

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2016
	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: Disqualification
	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 recommendations made by the UK Statistics Agency in August 2015, what plans his Department has to extend the range of benefit sanction data available by addressing gaps in information on repeat sanctions and hardship payments alongside the development of sanction data from the universal credit system.
	tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
	tabling member printed	Dr Eilidh Whiteford
	uin	44474
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>The sanctions publication strategy which details the approach being taken by DWP statisticians to improve the sanctions statistics being developed, which include the addition of Universal Credit sanction statistics, can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-sanction-statistics-publication-strategy" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-sanction-statistics-publication-strategy</a></p><p> </p><p>The latest release of sanction statistics within the Quarterly Statistical Summary: August 2016 includes an experimental monthly rate of claimants sanctioned and can be found (on page12) at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-statistical-summaries-2016" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-statistical-summaries-2016</a></p><p> </p><p>The related background information to support this can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/monthly-rate-of-claimants-sanctioned-background-information-and-methodology" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/monthly-rate-of-claimants-sanctioned-background-information-and-methodology</a></p><p> </p><p>Management Information data on the number of applications and awards for hardship payments were published on 18th November 2015 and can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/jsa-and-esa-hardship-applications-and-awards-apr-2012-to-jun-2015" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/jsa-and-esa-hardship-applications-and-awards-apr-2012-to-jun-2015</a></p><p> </p><p>We will consider the regularity of future publications of hardship statistics alongside our routine prioritisation of our statistical work programme.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 12/09/2016 16:36:03 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	3911 label Biography information for Dr Eilidh Whiteford

573924

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2016
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the decline in Short Term Benefit Advance applications in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK between February 2015 and March 2016.
	tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
	tabling member printed	Dr Eilidh Whiteford
	uin	44467
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>Short Term Benefit Advances (STBAs) are payments on account of benefit. The majority of STBAs are awarded to people in the period before their benefit is first due to be paid, but STBAs can also be paid where a change of circumstances significantly increases the amount of benefit due. STBAs are predominately paid to people claiming Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance. They are not available to people claiming Universal Credit.</p><p>Between April 2015 and March 2016, there were 218,592 STBA applications in Great Britain as a whole, with monthly variations ranging from 17,188 in September 2015 to 21,529 in February 2016, but with no downward trend at the year end. In Scotland, there were 26,322 applications over the same period, with monthly variations ranging from 1,462 in November 2015 to 3,022 in April 2015, with a clear downward trend at the year end.</p><p>As the roll-out of Universal Credit to all new claimants progresses, we anticipate a corresponding decline in the number of STBA applications.</p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions continues to advertise the availability of STBAs through the gov.uk website, with information posters and leaflets in Jobcentres nationwide.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 12/09/2016 12:45:34 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	3911 label Biography information for Dr Eilidh Whiteford

573940

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2016
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance hardship payments were (a) made and (b) applied for and declined in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK, before review or appeal, between 1 July and 31 December 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
	tabling member printed	Dr Eilidh Whiteford
	uin	44556
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>Information on the applications and awards for hardship are provided below. The figures cover Great Britain; information regarding Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. It is not possible to provide figures for the number of applications declined before review or appeal.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="5"><p><strong>JSA and ESA hardship awards between 1 July and 31 December 2015</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Benefit</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Great Britain</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Scotland</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>JSA</p></td><td><p>60,100</p></td><td><p>5,900</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>ESA</p></td><td><p>1,500</p></td><td><p>200</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="5"><p><strong>JSA and ESA hardship applications between 1 July and 31 December 2015</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Benefit</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Great Britain</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Scotland</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>JSA</p></td><td><p>67,600</p></td><td><p>6,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>ESA</p></td><td><p>1,700</p></td><td><p>200</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(1) The tables show the total number of JSA and ESA hardship applications received and the number of awards made in the period from 1 July 2015 to 31 December 2015. These figures show applications and awards rather than the number of individuals; individuals may have made more than one application and received more than one award.</p><p> </p><p>(2) The numbers are collated from aggregate DWP MISP Management Information. This data is a combination of system and clerically sourced Management Information. As such it may contain duplicates and other inaccuracies. It does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice, and is subject to potential future revision.</p><p> </p><p>(3) The difference between applications and awards will include those not progressed for a number of reasons, for instance applications that are refused or withdrawn.</p><p> </p><p>(4) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 12/09/2016 12:50:40 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	3911 label Biography information for Dr Eilidh Whiteford

576535

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2016
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides on the minimum number of days between benefit payments for a person ending an employment and support allowance claim and beginning a jobseeker's allowance claim; and what the average time between such benefit payments was in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
	tabling member printed	Dr Eilidh Whiteford
	uin	44952
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>The department does not specifically hold data in relation to claimants who transition from ESA to JSA and the time taken to award JSA following the closure of an ESA claim. As a department we strive to process all new claims made to JSA as quickly and efficiently as possible with a minimum expected level of 90% processed within 10 days. We are currently achieving 90.7% as of July 2016.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 12/09/2016 16:04:55 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	3911 label Biography information for Dr Eilidh Whiteford

573944

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2016
	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	Personal Independence Payment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to include proposals relating to personal independence payments in his Department's Green Paper on the disability employment gap.
	tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
	tabling member printed	Dr Eilidh Whiteford
	uin	44570
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>Later this year, we will produce a Green Paper and conduct a consultation on a wide range of issues.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 12/09/2016 16:29:54 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	3911 label Biography information for Dr Eilidh Whiteford

573737

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2016
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Food Poverty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, entitled Voices of the hungry, published in April 2016, what steps his Department plans to take to (a) initiate regular annual monitoring of adult and child food insecurity in the UK and (b) determine a precise estimate on which to base action to reduce food poverty.
	tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
	tabling member printed	Dr Eilidh Whiteford
	uin	44475
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>Food insecurity is a global problem which the United Nations (UN) agreed to confront at the World Food Summit in 1996 and has framed subsequent sustainable development goals. Getting accurate and informative data was the motivation for the ‘Voices of the Hungry’ project. This project has established an annual universal metric to measure lack of access to food and the severity of this in over 150 countries, and help inform UN policy. The Department for International Development has provided financial support to enable the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to take this forward.</p><p>The United Kingdom is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and to the data the FAO commissions and manages. There are therefore no plans for the Department of Health to independently monitor food insecurity going forward, or determine a precise estimate on which to base action to reduce food poverty.</p><p>The Government is committed to tackling childhood obesity and launched Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action on 18 August. A copy of the plan is attached and is also available at:</p><p>www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546588/Childhood_obesity_2016__2__acc.pdf</p> answering member constituency Ludlow answering member printed Mr Philip Dunne grouped question UIN 44476 question first answered 12/09/2016 16:12:30 answering member 1542 label Biography information for Philip Dunne
	tabling member	3911 label Biography information for Dr Eilidh Whiteford

573738

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2016
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Children: Obesity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, entitled Voices of the hungry, published in April 2016, whether tackling dietary inequality will be a focus of the forthcoming childhood obesity strategy.
	tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
	tabling member printed	Dr Eilidh Whiteford
	uin	44476
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>Food insecurity is a global problem which the United Nations (UN) agreed to confront at the World Food Summit in 1996 and has framed subsequent sustainable development goals. Getting accurate and informative data was the motivation for the ‘Voices of the Hungry’ project. This project has established an annual universal metric to measure lack of access to food and the severity of this in over 150 countries, and help inform UN policy. The Department for International Development has provided financial support to enable the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to take this forward.</p><p>The United Kingdom is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and to the data the FAO commissions and manages. There are therefore no plans for the Department of Health to independently monitor food insecurity going forward, or determine a precise estimate on which to base action to reduce food poverty.</p><p>The Government is committed to tackling childhood obesity and launched Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action on 18 August. A copy of the plan is attached and is also available at:</p><p>www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546588/Childhood_obesity_2016__2__acc.pdf</p> answering member constituency Ludlow answering member printed Mr Philip Dunne grouped question UIN 44475 question first answered 12/09/2016 16:12:30 answering member 1542 label Biography information for Philip Dunne
	tabling member	3911 label Biography information for Dr Eilidh Whiteford