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1132223

	registered interest
	date	14/06/2019
	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	Employment and Support Allowance
	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 Answers of 8 and 29 April 2019 to Questions 239928 and 245887, what progress she has made on revision of form ESA65B and whether that revision will make clear to doctors that they should continue to provide fit notes for claimants if they are appealing a decision or their condition worsens.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	264779
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>The revised version of the ESA65B letter went live from 3<sup>rd</sup> June 2019. The revised letter states clearly the circumstances in which fit notes are required including to support Employment and Support Allowance appeals, where a claimant’s condition has worsened or if the claimant has developed a new health condition or disability.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 19/06/2019 14:30:55 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1123144

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2019
	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	State Retirement Pensions: Females
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a response to EDM 2296 on providing financial restitution to born in the 1950s women.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	247728
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>The approach of Labour, Conservative and the Coalition governments for the last 24 years since the 1995 pensions Act is the same. This Government’s position on the changes to State Pension age (SPa) remains clear and consistent.</p><p> </p><p>The legislative changes to women’s SPa address the longstanding inequalities that had previously existed between men and women’s SPa. If State Pension age had not been equalised, women would be spending over 40 per cent of their adult life in retirement and this proportion would be continuing to increase. Even after equalising women's State Pension age with men's, women will spend on average around two years more in receipt of their State Pension because of their longer life expectancy.</p><p> </p><p>The overall trend in the percentage of pensioners living in poverty is a dramatic fall over several decades. We are forecast to spend over £120 billion on benefits for pensioners, including £99 billion on the State Pension (2019/2020). In 2019/20 we are spending £3.1 billion to increase benefit and pension rates for pensioners.</p><p> </p><p>The welfare system continues to provide a safety-net for those experiencing hardship, including that caused by unemployment, disability, and coping with caring responsibilities which affect those unable to work and therefore most in need in the run up to their State Pension age. Women who have had their State Pension age increased have the same eligibility to working age in-work, out-of-work and disability benefits as a man with the same date of birth.</p><p> </p><p>This matter has been comprehensively debated on many occasions in Parliament, and any amendment to the current legislation which creates a new inequality between men and women would be highly dubious as a matter of law. The Government does not respond to individual EDMs.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 30/04/2019 12:18:46 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1121343

	registered interest
	date	11/04/2019
	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	Employment and Support Allowance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of reducing the current £16,000 savings threshold for entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	244145
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>We have no plans to change the capital rule on income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).</p><p>Entitlement to contributory ESA is not affected by the amount of capital a person has.</p><p> </p><p>The current upper capital limit strikes a balance between protecting less well-off people and protecting the taxpayer, whilst at the same time recognising the conscientious efforts of people who have built up capital. This limit ensures that the help which comes from taxpayers, many of whom are themselves on low incomes and have limited capital, is directed to people who need it most.</p><p>The effect of reducing the savings threshold would be that fewer claimants would be entitled to ESA.</p><p /> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 24/04/2019 10:27:59 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1078473

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2019
	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 potential merits of bringing forward the increase of the maximum period for recovery of universal credit advance payments from 12 to 16 months, currently scheduled for October 2021.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	226694
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit new claim advances are made on account of a claimant’s expected future Universal Credit entitlement. They are available to those who cannot wait until their first Universal Credit payment is due, in order to provide extra financial support for those who need it most. Because this payment is an advance of entitlement, this is recovered over time.</p><p> </p><p>It was announced at Autumn Budget 2018 that there would be an increase to the maximum recovery period for Universal Credit advances from 12 to 16 months from October 2021.</p><p> </p><p>There is no minimum recovery rate for Universal Credit advances. The rate deducted from a claimant’s Universal Credit is generally determined by the amount of their entitlement advance divided by the number of monthly assessment periods which they choose at the outset for the advanced amount to be recovered from. This is subject to an overall maximum rate of 40 per cent of the claimant’s standard allowance. As a result of the change introduced in the 2018 Autumn Budget, from October 2019 this maximum will reduce to 30 per cent of the claimant’s standard allowance.</p><p>During the recovery of the advance, exceptional circumstances may occur that were not foreseen when the advance was taken out. For example, hospital visits resulting in unexpected and regular bus/taxi fares. If these circumstances push the claimant into genuine hardship resulting in difficulty repaying the advance over the agreed recovery time, a maximum 3-month deferral can be considered.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 226695 226696 226697 question first answered 04/03/2019 17:31:04 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1078474

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2019
	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 the new minimum rate of monthly deductions towards repayment of universal credit advance payments will be as a proportion of a claimant’s standard allowance once the maximum repayment period has been extended to 16 months, as scheduled for October 2021.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	226695
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit new claim advances are made on account of a claimant’s expected future Universal Credit entitlement. They are available to those who cannot wait until their first Universal Credit payment is due, in order to provide extra financial support for those who need it most. Because this payment is an advance of entitlement, this is recovered over time.</p><p> </p><p>It was announced at Autumn Budget 2018 that there would be an increase to the maximum recovery period for Universal Credit advances from 12 to 16 months from October 2021.</p><p> </p><p>There is no minimum recovery rate for Universal Credit advances. The rate deducted from a claimant’s Universal Credit is generally determined by the amount of their entitlement advance divided by the number of monthly assessment periods which they choose at the outset for the advanced amount to be recovered from. This is subject to an overall maximum rate of 40 per cent of the claimant’s standard allowance. As a result of the change introduced in the 2018 Autumn Budget, from October 2019 this maximum will reduce to 30 per cent of the claimant’s standard allowance.</p><p>During the recovery of the advance, exceptional circumstances may occur that were not foreseen when the advance was taken out. For example, hospital visits resulting in unexpected and regular bus/taxi fares. If these circumstances push the claimant into genuine hardship resulting in difficulty repaying the advance over the agreed recovery time, a maximum 3-month deferral can be considered.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 226694 226696 226697 question first answered 04/03/2019 17:31:04 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1078475

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2019
	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, whether her Department have carried out impact assessments on the requirement for universal credit advance payments to be repaid at a minimum rate of 10 per cent of the standard allowance.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	226696
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit new claim advances are made on account of a claimant’s expected future Universal Credit entitlement. They are available to those who cannot wait until their first Universal Credit payment is due, in order to provide extra financial support for those who need it most. Because this payment is an advance of entitlement, this is recovered over time.</p><p> </p><p>It was announced at Autumn Budget 2018 that there would be an increase to the maximum recovery period for Universal Credit advances from 12 to 16 months from October 2021.</p><p> </p><p>There is no minimum recovery rate for Universal Credit advances. The rate deducted from a claimant’s Universal Credit is generally determined by the amount of their entitlement advance divided by the number of monthly assessment periods which they choose at the outset for the advanced amount to be recovered from. This is subject to an overall maximum rate of 40 per cent of the claimant’s standard allowance. As a result of the change introduced in the 2018 Autumn Budget, from October 2019 this maximum will reduce to 30 per cent of the claimant’s standard allowance.</p><p>During the recovery of the advance, exceptional circumstances may occur that were not foreseen when the advance was taken out. For example, hospital visits resulting in unexpected and regular bus/taxi fares. If these circumstances push the claimant into genuine hardship resulting in difficulty repaying the advance over the agreed recovery time, a maximum 3-month deferral can be considered.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 226694 226695 226697 question first answered 04/03/2019 17:31:04 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1078476

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2019
	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 potential merits of introducing a means-tested income and expenditure assessment in respect of deductions from universal credit for the recovery of advance payments to ensure that repayment rates are based on a claimant's ability to pay.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	226697
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit new claim advances are made on account of a claimant’s expected future Universal Credit entitlement. They are available to those who cannot wait until their first Universal Credit payment is due, in order to provide extra financial support for those who need it most. Because this payment is an advance of entitlement, this is recovered over time.</p><p> </p><p>It was announced at Autumn Budget 2018 that there would be an increase to the maximum recovery period for Universal Credit advances from 12 to 16 months from October 2021.</p><p> </p><p>There is no minimum recovery rate for Universal Credit advances. The rate deducted from a claimant’s Universal Credit is generally determined by the amount of their entitlement advance divided by the number of monthly assessment periods which they choose at the outset for the advanced amount to be recovered from. This is subject to an overall maximum rate of 40 per cent of the claimant’s standard allowance. As a result of the change introduced in the 2018 Autumn Budget, from October 2019 this maximum will reduce to 30 per cent of the claimant’s standard allowance.</p><p>During the recovery of the advance, exceptional circumstances may occur that were not foreseen when the advance was taken out. For example, hospital visits resulting in unexpected and regular bus/taxi fares. If these circumstances push the claimant into genuine hardship resulting in difficulty repaying the advance over the agreed recovery time, a maximum 3-month deferral can be considered.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 226694 226695 226696 question first answered 04/03/2019 17:31:04 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1078477

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2019
	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: Vulnerable Adults
	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 need for reasonable adjustments for vulnerable universal credit claimants, who cannot read or write, to have access to alternative means of communication with their work coach other than through the online journal.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	226698
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2019 answer text <p>The Department is committed to providing personalised support for all claimants, including those who cannot read or write. Each individual’s circumstances are different and therefore the support that we provide must be tailored to these individual needs.</p><p>Claimants who cannot communicate through their online journal can access face-to-face assistance via their Jobcentre. Further support is also available via our free phone Universal Credit helpline to help them maintain their claim.</p><p>In certain circumstances, where a claimant is unable to manage their own affairs, an appointee can act on their behalf, taking responsibility for making and maintaining any benefit claim. An appointee can be an individual, e.g. a friend or relative, an organisation or representative of an organisation, e.g. a solicitor or local council. The process for enlisting a DWP appointee includes a visit to the claimant and an interview with the potential appointee.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 04/03/2019 16:50:06 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1058941

	registered interest
	date	11/02/2019
	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	Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
	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 potential merits of co-ordinating re-assessments for disabled claimants in receipt of employment support allowance and personal independence payments to avoid people having to undergoing multiple re-assessments.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	219485
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>We are committed to assessing people with health conditions and disabilities fairly and accurately, helping people to access the right support. We have already introduced the Severe Conditions Criteria for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)/Universal Credit (UC) claimants who have the most severe and lifelong health conditions. As well as providing ongoing awards with light touch review at ten years for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants with the highest needs, where those needs will not improve.</p><p> </p><p>I do consider there are potential merits, and the Department recently announced our intention to create an integrated service for PIP and Work Capability Assessments to join up processes around the assessments. This will streamline the customer journey, enabling more user-friendly and joined-up benefit systems. Going further we will also test the feasibility of using a single assessment to determine eligibility for PIP or capability for work within UC/ESA where claims are initially made for both benefits. This should inform our approach to reassessments.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 18/03/2019 16:58:45 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1058943

	registered interest
	date	11/02/2019
	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: Glasgow North
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when employment support allowance claimants in receipt of the severe disability premium residing in Glasgow North constituency will be migrated to universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	219486
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2019 answer text <p>Since 16 January 2019 claimants who are in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium or who have been entitled to an award of an existing benefit that included SDP in the previous month, and who have continued to meet the SDP eligibility conditions, have been prevented from moving onto Universal Credit if they experience a change in circumstances. Instead, these claimants will continue to claim legacy benefits until DWP move them onto UC where transitional protection will be available, thereby safeguarding their existing benefit entitlement.</p><p> </p><p>We will begin to pilot the processes for moving claimants on to Universal credit in July 2019 on a small scale. We will report on our findings from the pilot before bringing forward legislation to scale up the process from November 2020 and complete by the end of 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is currently working with key stakeholders to determine the approach to the pilot and subsequent expansion, including which areas are involved and at what stage.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 19/02/2019 13:19:51 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady