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1086678

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	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 steps his Department is taking to help support (a) older people and (b) people with (i) mental and (ii) physical health conditions to transition to universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	230646
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>The Department is committed to ensuring that all claimants, especially the most vulnerable, are supported as they move onto Universal Credit.</p><p>Claimants, including vulnerable claimants and those with mental and physical health conditions, can receive continuous tailored support managed through work coaches. DWP staff working with claimants complete extensive training that prepares them for their role. Specific training is provided for working with different vulnerable groups, with guidance to signpost claimants to relevant support, and these circumstances will be recorded on a claimant’s online account. We have started to deliver additional training in mental health that will help work coaches to build their expertise and provide the most effective support.</p><p>We take a number of steps to identify individuals who will need support in making a claim to Universal Credit. For example, we identify claimants either prior to or at the initial claim stage, to discuss what support mechanisms need to be in place to make a claim. This can be through discussions with their Work Coach, the Universal Credit helpline and/or through home visits.</p><p>From April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland will deliver a new ‘Help to Claim’ service to claimants, including the most vulnerable, who are making a new Universal Credit claim or moving from a legacy benefit to Universal Credit because of a change of circumstances. The Help to Claim service offers tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. This service will be available online, over the phone and face to face through local Citizens Advice services.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 14/03/2019 17:03:18 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1086692

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	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	Disability: Cost of Living
	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 report entitled, The Disability Price Tag 2019, published by Scope in February 2019, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all families with disabled children receive adequate support under universal credit to help meet additional costs.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	230652
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2019 answer text <p><strong></strong><strong></strong>The disabled child addition (DCA) is intended to provide extra support as caring responsibilities can mean parents of disabled children are less able to take up work and may need extra support for longer periods than others.</p><p> </p><p>In order to provide families with disabled children an adequate amount of support to meet additional costs, payment have been aligned through two different rates which are dependent on the rate of DLA/PIP the child is in receipt of.</p><p> </p><p>A disabled child that is entitled to the lower rate will receive £126.11 a month and a disabled that is entitled to the higher rate will receive £383.86 per month. These rates are both payable on top of the Child Element in Universal Credit. <strong>     </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The total amount of tax free, state support available to a higher rate DLA care and mobility child, together with child benefit and Universal Credit can be worth over £16,000.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 15/03/2019 14:51:22 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1087149

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve information for (a) job seekers and (b) employees on the support available through Access to Work.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	231374
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2019 answer text <p>Access to Work continues to undertake targeted marketing and awareness raising activities. For example, the scheme is promoted to benefit claimants through Jobcentre Plus and to a range of business leaders through the Disability Confident scheme. We have also worked with a variety of stakeholder organisations to market Access to Work to their clients, including sharing information about how individuals can apply for support.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently testing a number of communication activities to raise awareness of Access to Work among Jobcentre Plus staff in Greater Manchester, in order to equip work coaches with the knowledge to have conversations with customers who may require in work support. We will evaluate the most successful methods before a national roll-out.</p><p> </p><p>Access to Work is also reviewing the content and formats of its existing information channels, including considering how to achieve more effective use of alternative formats such as British Sign Language videos.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 15/03/2019 14:38:03 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1088388

	registered interest
	date	13/03/2019
	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	Food Poverty
	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 report entitled Families and Food in Hard Times: rising food poverty and the importance of children's experience, published by SPERI in 2018, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that wages and social benefits are in combination adequate to provide socially acceptable levels of eating and living.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	231930
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>Every Government needs to balance the generosity of benefit levels with affordability to the taxpayer and making sure that work pays. This Government continues to spend over £95bn a year on welfare. Since 2016, we have invested an additional £1.7bn a year in Universal Credit, through a reduction in the taper rate, increasing the work allowances for households with children and disabled people and providing additional support for people moving onto UC from existing benefits.</p><p> </p><p>This Government has also made sure that work pays. The National Living Wage, rising to £8.21 an hour from April 2019, has given the UK’s lowest earners their fastest pay rise in 20 years. We have cut income tax for over 31 million people and taken four million low earners out of income tax altogether. A typical basic-rate taxpayer now has over £1,000 less in income tax than in 2010. Compared with 2010, there are now over 3.5 million more people in work, 1,024,000 fewer workless households, and, at a near record low, 665,000 fewer children living in workless households This means more families are getting more of their income through earnings. Working Age households and households with children in the bottom 20% of the income distribution now get just over half of their income from employment, up from just over 40% in 2010.</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="9"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Sources of household income by income quintile (Before Housing Costs) for households not containing pensioners, plus households containing both pensioners and children, United Kingdom </strong></p></td><td colspan="4"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>Quintile</strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p><strong> </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p><strong>Source of income</strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Bottom quintile</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>2<sup>nd</sup> quintile</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>3rd quintile</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>4th quintile</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>Top quintile</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Earnings</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>43</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>64</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>81</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>90</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>92</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Investments</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>2</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>1</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>1</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>1</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong>2009/10</strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Occupational pensions</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>2</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>1</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>2</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>2</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>2</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Miscellaneous</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>5</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>4</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>3</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>3</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p>State support</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>48</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>30</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>13</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>5</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Earnings</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>51</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>67</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>81</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>89</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>92</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Investments</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>3</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>1</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>1</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>1</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>4</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Occupational pensions</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>2</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>2</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>2</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>2</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>2</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Miscellaneous</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>4</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>3</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>4</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>4</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>2</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p>State support</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>40</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>26</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>12</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>3</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="4"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table></p></td><td colspan="4"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Percentage of household income</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Source, Households Below Average Income, DWP</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 18/03/2019 18:01:19 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1105963

	registered interest
	date	28/03/2019
	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	Food Banks
	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 merits of providing state-funded food banks.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	238286
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/04/2019 answer text <p>My Department has not made such an assessment.</p><p> </p><p>This Government continues to spend over £95 billion a year on benefits for people of working age, providing a strong safety net for those who need it including a well-established system of hardship payments and benefit advances as an additional safeguard for those who need them.</p><p> </p><p>Jobcentre mangers have discretion to work with food banks in their local area; and we are exploring how to build on current good practice to make it as easy as possible for food banks to identify and refer back to the local Jobcentre any customers who may not be receiving the full formal support to which they are entitled.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 02/04/2019 12:15:34 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1109767

	registered interest
	date	04/04/2019
	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	Pensions: Consumer Information
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of delivering the online pensions dashboard; and what the timescale is for that delivery.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	240970
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2019 answer text <p>Pensions dashboards are a digital democratiser – they will open up pensions to millions - providing an easy-to-access online view of a saver's pensions.</p><p> </p><p>Government’s work on dashboards builds upon the Pensions Dashboard Prototype Project, managed by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) with the involvement of 17 pensions firms. We believe that, in the long term, as they develop to become more sophisticated, pensions dashboards could, as a minimum and as set out in our consultation response, help to achieve the following objectives:</p><p> </p><p>- increase individual awareness,</p><p>- build individual control,</p><p>- increase engagement,</p><p>- support the guidance process,</p><p>- reconnect individuals with lost pension pots</p><p>- and enable more informed user choices.</p><p> </p><p>A key priority for 2019 is for the Money and Pensions Service to establish the industry delivery group, and we also expect to see industry creating and testing dashboards this year. Government is committed to compelling pension schemes to make consumers’ data available to them through their chosen dashboard. Schemes need to start getting ready now, particularly in terms of preparing data. Pension schemes should be ready to provide consumer’s information to them via dashboards within a three to four years window.</p><p> </p><p>A copy of the consultation with details on next steps, legislation and timelines can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pensions-dashboards-feasibility-report-and-consultation" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pensions-dashboards-feasibility-report-and-consultation</a></p><p> </p><p>There is a role for government in facilitating industry's delivery of dashboards which work for consumers and put people in control of their data. That’s why, at the Autumn Budget 2018, the Chancellor allocated £3.35 million worth of funding for 2019/20 to support this endeavour.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the government’s response to the consultation on pensions dashboards stated that the Money and Pensions Service will draw on the Financial Services Levy and the General Levy on pension schemes to fund the non-commercial dashboard and the dashboard architecture. This levy is paid for by pension schemes. Additionally, there have been associated usual staff running costs for the department relating to the development of the policy.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 09/04/2019 16:09:53 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1110304

	registered interest
	date	08/04/2019
	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	Universal Credit: Children
	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 Child Poverty Action Group's recent report on universal credit, published on 6 April 2019, what assessment she has made of the two-child limit policy on compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	242040
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government has assessed the impact of the two-child policy from an equality and human rights perspective throughout its development and in preparation for its implementation. Therefore, we consider that we have met our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty and ensured compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010 and the UN convention on the Rights of the Child.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s view is that providing support for a maximum of two children in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit, ensures fairness between claimants, and to those taxpayers who support themselves solely through work. Families on benefits should face the same financial choices when deciding to grow their family as those supporting themselves solely through work. A benefits structure adjusting automatically to family size is unsustainable.</p><p> </p><p>The Government continues to take action to help families with the cost of living, including raising the national living wage, reducing the UC earnings taper, raising the income tax personal allowance, introducing tax-free childcare and 30 hours a week of free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 11/04/2019 13:29:04 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1122166

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2019
	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	Age: Discrimination
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce ageism in the workplace.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	245681
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>The Equality Act 2010, provides strong protection against direct and indirect age discrimination in employment and makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee or a job applicant because of their age, unless the employer can justify it as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.</p><p> </p><p>Government has put in place a number of measures to support people of all ages to enter and remain in a workplace.</p><p> </p><p>We have taken steps to support younger workers by introducing the Youth Obligation Support Programme, an intensive package of labour market support for 18-21 year-olds looking to get (back) into work. We are committed to providing targeted support for young people, so that everyone, no matter what their start in life, is given the very best chance of getting into work. In April 2019, Mentoring circles were rolled out nationally, which involve national employers offering specialised support to unemployed, young jobseekers to help build their confidence and raise their aspirations.</p><p>To support older workers to remain in or return to the labour market, the Government has removed the Default Retirement Age meaning most people can choose when to retire, and extended the right to request flexible working to all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer.</p><p>In February 2017, the UK Government published “Fuller Working Lives: a partnership approach” to set out the role employers, individuals and Government can play in supporting fuller working lives. <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/587654/fuller-working-lives-a-partnership-approach.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/587654/fuller-working-lives-a-partnership-approach.pdf</a></p><p>The Government has also appointed the Business In The Community (BITC) Age at Work leadership team as Business Champion for Older Workers. The BITC team of employers spearhead the Government’s work to support employers to retain, retrain and recruit older workers. They actively promote the benefits of older workers to employers across England.</p><p>The number of older workers in employment is at a record high. There are now 10.4 million people aged 50 and over in the workforce.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 30/04/2019 11:19:34 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1122395

	registered interest
	date	23/04/2019
	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	Pensioners: 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 steps her Department is taking to ensure that older people on low incomes are able access benefits they are entitled to.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	246475
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ensuring that older people receive the support they are entitled to and the DWP targets activity on engaging with people who may be eligible to benefits at pivotal stages, such as when they claim State Pension or report a change in their circumstances. The DWP uses a wide range of channels to communicate information about benefits to potential customers; including information on <a href="https://gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://gov.uk/</a>, in leaflets and by telephone. People wishing to claim Pension Credit can do so by calling 0800 99 1234. DWP staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres including visiting officers are able to provide help and advice about entitlement to benefits, as are staff in Local Authorities who administer Housing Benefit.</p><p> </p><p>One of the best ways to reach eligible customers is through trusted stakeholder working in the community and we have developed the Pension Credit toolkit, as an on-line tool for agencies and welfare rights organisations to use in order to encourage Pension Credit take-up. It can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit</a></p><p> </p><p>The toolkit contains resources for anyone working with pensioners and includes guides to Pension Credit. It also contains publicity material and guidance designed to help older people understand how they could get Pension Credit and help organisations support someone applying for Pension Credit as well as ideas for encouraging take-up. The toolkit also provides links to information about disability and carers benefits.</p><p> </p><p>Most recently we have provided to relevant organisations a fact sheet about Pension Credit and forthcoming changes for couples to ensure that accurate information is available in the places where people are most likely to seek information.</p><p> </p><p>The majority of people of pension age in receipt of a State Pension or another social security benefit receive their annual winter fuel payment automatically without the need to make a claim</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 01/05/2019 09:17:31 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1122634

	registered interest
	date	24/04/2019
	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	Ceramics: Staffordshire
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to support potters in North Staffordshire facing redundancy.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	246952
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2019 answer text <p>DWP organised and facilitated a support event on 16<sup>th</sup> April 2019 for those people affected by the redundancies at Dudson. We have built excellent links with the ceramic confederation, local authorities, Citizens Advice, ACAS, local providers and employers. As a result, the Department is in a position to provide tailored support to those who need it. This ensures they have the correct financial, pension, employment and up to date benefit advice as well as direct contact with employers who have expressed a keen interest in recruiting Dudson ex-employees. Following the event, all stakeholders are working together collectively to help the community in Stoke-on-Trent. People were assured that all the stakeholders in attendance were there to support them.</p><p> </p><p>All Dudson ex-employees were invited through DWP and the administrator to the City Wide Jobs fair held at Stoke-on-Trent college on the 18<sup>th</sup> April 2019. Around 54 employers and partners were in attendance with an estimated 1,800 jobs available. 20 Job interviews were conducted on the day, with 15 job contracts being offered the following day.</p><p> </p><p>BBC Radio Stoke reported live from the event encouraging people to come and be part of the day. They also interviewed a few ex-employees of Dudson who reported that it was a great opportunity to talk to employers in sectors they had not previously considered.</p><p> </p><p>We have explained that help to claim support is available through Citizens Advice to ensure customers are making the appropriate claim.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, we organised daily group sessions for the 3 days immediately following the announcement of redundancies from Dudson to manage the increased footfall and queries. 50 people attended these sessions where they were given advice regarding benefits, budgeting and CV’s.</p><p> </p><p>There are 54 people still employed by Dudson so over the next few weeks and months as other parts of the business close we may see additional claims within North Staffs. These people will also be offered the same support.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 29/04/2019 17:10:43 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly