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1682164

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2024
	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	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 UK's commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 1, what progress his Department has made on reducing the number of people living in poverty by more than half by 2030.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	9592
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>This Government has overseen significant falls in absolute poverty since 2009/10. There were 1.7 million fewer people in absolute low income after housing costs in 2021/22 compared to 2009/10, a decrease of 4 percentage points. This decrease includes 400,000 fewer children (a decrease of 5 percentage points), 1 million fewer working age individuals (a decrease of 5 percentage points) and 200,000 fewer pensioners (a decrease of 2 percentage points).</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families. This is reflected in the £276bn we will spend through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24, including around £124bn on people of working age and children, and reflecting an increase in benefit rates and State Pensions of 10.1% last April. From this April, and subject to Parliamentary approval, working age benefits will rise by a further 6.7%, in line with inflation. The increase in the Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30<sup>th</sup> percentile of local market rates will give further help to 1.6 million low-income households.</p><p>With over 900,000 job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting individuals to move into and progress in work. This approach is based on clear evidence about the important role that work - particularly where it is full-time – can play in reducing the risks of poverty. The latest statistics show that, in 2021/22, working age adults living in workless families were 7 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than working age adults in families where all adults work.</p><p> </p><p>To help people into work, our core Jobcentre offer provides a range of options, including face-to-face time with work coaches and interview assistance. In addition, there is specific support targeted towards young people, people aged 50 plus and job seekers with disabilities or health issues.</p><p> </p><p>To support those who are in work, the voluntary in-work progression offer is now available in all Jobcentres across Great Britain, providing an estimated 1.2 million low paid workers on UC access to personalised work coach support to help them increase their earnings. In addition, on 1 April 2024, the Government will increase the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 years and over by 9.8% to £11.44 representing an increase of over £1,800 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 23/01/2024 14:47:13 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1601425

	registered interest
	date	06/03/2023
	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: Widowed People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of financial support for widows and widowers who do not receive their late spouse's state pension following the introduction of the bereavement support payment.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	159046
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made, however, the Department has a wide range of financial support available to those affected by bereavement.</p><p> </p><p>Funeral Expense Payments contribute to the cost of a funeral arranged by someone in receipt of income-related benefits, and Budgeting Loans and Budgeting Advances are interest-free loans available to claimants of income-related benefits. Bereavement Support Payment helps working age people through the difficult period following bereavement when their spouse, civil partner (or cohabiting partner if there are children) dies. Further support for day to day living expenses is available via Universal Credit.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 14/03/2023 17:59:44 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1599359

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2023
	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: Carers
	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 make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a benefit for people over the age of retirement who are caring for relatives and do not qualify for carer's allowance.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	153921
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2023 answer text <p>Carer’s Allowance aims to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment, in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person.</p><p> </p><p>For those over the age of retirement, the State Pension is intended to replace income when work ceases. It has been a long-held feature of the UK’s benefit system under successive governments that, where someone is entitled to two benefits for the same contingency, then whilst there may be entitlement to both benefits, only one will be paid to prevent duplicate financial provision for the same need.</p><p> </p><p>Where underlying entitlement of Carer’s Allowance occurs (all entitlement conditions are met, but the overlapping benefit rule prevents payment), additional support may be available through Pension Credit, notably including the additional amount payable to carers in Pension Credit. This additional amount is currently £38.85 a week, but will increase to £42.75 a week from April. It is paid to recognise the additional contribution and responsibilities associated with caring and means that lower income pensioners with caring responsibilities can receive more than other lower income recipients of Pension Credit. If a pensioner’s income is above the limit for Pension Credit, he or she may still be able to receive Housing Benefit.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 06/03/2023 15:36:40 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1564829

	registered interest
	date	09/01/2023
	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	Sick Leave: Mental Health
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require companies to provide information on levels of sickness due to (a) stress and (b) other mental health issues.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	119116
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2023 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has no current plans for legislation regarding sickness reporting, but will keep this under review. DWP already provides a voluntary reporting framework for employers (voluntary reporting on disability mental health and wellbeing, (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/voluntary-reporting-on-disability-mental-health-and-wellbeing" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/voluntary-reporting-on-disability-mental-health-and-wellbeing</a>)) and we encourage transparency in this space.</p><p> </p><p>DWP works closely with Mind, the Health and Safety Executive and the business-led Mental Health at Work Leadership Council to review guidance and practice for employers on mental health in the workplace.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 12/01/2023 15:09:17 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1538662

	registered interest
	date	02/11/2022
	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: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much in total his Department has spent on the Enhanced Checking Service since April 2020; and how much in total his Department has recovered in fraudulently claimed welfare benefits as a result of the Enhanced Checking Service.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	77540
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/11/2022 answer text <p>The Enhanced Checking Service (ECS) was introduced in April 2020 to support Universal Credit colleagues who were observing potentially fraudulent claims from people looking to exploit the easements implemented to support customers during the Covid pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>ECS now operates as part of DWP’s Counter Fraud, Compliance &amp; Debt (CFCD) ‘Disrupt’ function, whose workload is primarily driven by potential threats identified by DWP’s Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service.</p><p> </p><p>ECS costs cannot be separated from the costs of the wider Disrupt teams, which in 2021/22 (the last full year for which data is available) were £19.7 million. This figure includes staffing, management, and training costs.</p><p> </p><p>No cost information is available in relation to the ECS team for the 2020/21 financial year. This is because ECS funding was part of the wider CFCD budget during this period and cannot be meaningfully separated out.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst recovery of benefit overpayments resulting from fraud cannot be attributed to the work of individual teams, I can confirm that in 2021/22, our Disrupt teams actioned 485,000 cases, with an estimated saving of £671 million in potential losses through fraud.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 07/11/2022 15:32:14 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1465873

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2022
	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: Death
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants have died after their claims have been denied for (a) Employment Support Allowance and (b) Universal Credit in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	9098
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2022 answer text <p>This information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>Eligibility criteria for Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/eligibility" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/eligibility</a> and <a href="http://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/eligibility" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/eligibility</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 06/06/2022 15:10:28 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1464900

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2022
	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	Unemployed People: Long Covid
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support her Department is providing to people diagnosed with long covid who are out of work.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	6878
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>The DWP offers financial support through Universal Credit and New Style Employment and Support Allowance for people who are sick and unable to work due to long-Covid, subject to them satisfying the eligibility criteria and contribution conditions. In addition, people with long-COVID may be eligible to Personal Independence Payment.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), who advise the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB), are investigating whether long-COVID can be prescribed as an occupational disease for the purposes of IIDB.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 26/05/2022 10:38:10 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1456595

	registered interest
	date	31/03/2022
	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	Pesticides: Safety
	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 review whether Brodifacoum is safe and appropriate to be using in the open countryside.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	151226
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2022 answer text <p>Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs), including brodifacoum, were developed to address public health and other concerns arising from increasing resistance among rats and mice to the longstanding use of existing rodenticides.</p><p> </p><p>During the authorisation process, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducts rigorous evaluation for safety and efficacy using scientific data, with restrictions placed on authorisations as appropriate. In order to avoid secondary poisoning risks to non-target species, current product authorisations restrict the use of SGARs in open areas to farmers, gamekeepers and other trained professionals where other integrated pest management approaches fail to control rodent populations. Some SGARs, including brodifacoum, can only be used in sewers and in and around buildings. There has been no change in the authorised areas of use of brodifacoum products since the renewals of their authorisations from 2017.</p><p> </p><p>A stewardship regime is in place in the UK for professional use of SGARs, including brodifacoum. A cornerstone of the stewardship scheme is the <a href="https://www.thinkwildlife.org/code-of-best-practice/crru-code/" target="_blank">Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) Code of Best Practice</a>, which sets out guidance on the safe use of rodenticides. It is a legal requirement to comply with this code.</p><p> </p><p>The stewardship scheme is overseen by a Government Oversight Group (GOG) led by HSE with representatives of other government stakeholders, who meet annually to assess its impact. This year the GOG is conducting a review of the stewardship scheme after five years of operation and will publish its findings in due course. The review will look at the performance of the scheme in three key areas: the governance of the supply chain, improving workforce competence and the monitoring of compliance. The latter includes considering the monitoring of exposure arrangements and looking in more detail at monitoring data.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 21/04/2022 10:30:28 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith previous answer version 63999 answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1339470

	registered interest
	date	23/06/2021
	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: Appeals
	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 Answer of 16 June 2021 to Question 16930, Social Security Benefits: Appeals, if her Department will publish the conclusions of their research and analysis to understand the consequences of newly introduced benefit assessment channels.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	21320
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2021 answer text <p>Findings from the Department’s programme of research and analysis to understand the consequences of the newly introduced assessment channels will be made available via outputs published on gov.uk. We expect to publish findings from a 2020 telephone survey of PIP and UC/ESA claimants who received a telephone assessment shortly.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 28/06/2021 16:35:04 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1337429

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2021
	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: Appeals
	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 has taken to monitor and compare the outcomes of assessments and appeals for disability benefits conducted by paper review, telephone and virtual means during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	16930
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2021 answer text <p>The Department is undertaking an ongoing programme of in-house and externally commissioned research and analysis to understand the consequences of the newly introduced assessment channels.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 21/06/2021 12:59:49 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield