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1684447

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2024
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Carbon Emissions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what targets his Department has set to help achieve the Government's commitments on net zero.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	11071
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2024 answer text <ul><li>The Government set out how we would meet our commitments in the Net Zero Strategy in 2021 which included a detailed breakdown of actions required across all sectors in the economy. This was updated in 2023 through the publication of 'Powering Up Britain'.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>The UK has halved its emissions, ahead of every other major economy, and we have grown our economy by over 70% since 1990. The UK over-achieved against the first and second carbon budgets, and the latest projections show that we are on track to meet the third.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>We have one of the most ambitious decarbonisation targets in the world, and we have set more stretching targets for 2030 than most countries. We plan to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, which is more than the EU, Japan or the United States.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>DWP supports Defra’s Greening Government Commitments. These targets are set every five years and support the UK Carbon Budgets. The current agreed targets are a 45% reduction in DWP’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and a 17% reduction in direct emissions by 2024/25, which the Department is on track to deliver.</li></ul><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 31/01/2024 14:36:08 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1041740

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2019
	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, how much the increase in the work allowance of universal credit is worth per household.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	208848
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2019 answer text <p>Work allowance rates will be increased by £1000 from April 2019 and uprated in line with inflation thereafter. This measure provides additional support in a package worth £1.7 billion in 2023/24 to some of the most vulnerable low paid working households.</p><p> </p><p>It will increase the amount that these households can earn before the Universal Credit taper rate is applied, providing 2.4 million working households with around an extra £630 a year.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 23/01/2019 17:07:37 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1455062

	registered interest
	date	28/03/2022
	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	Poverty: Children
	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 publish a strategy to tackle child poverty in Hendon constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	148151
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2022 answer text <p>With almost 1.32 million vacancies across the UK, our plan for tackling poverty is firmly focussed on supporting people to move into and progress in work. Our approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment – particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children.</p><p> </p><p>This plan includes our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has been expanded by £500 million, and Way to Work, which is a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million currently out of work people into jobs by the end of June 2022. We have recruited around 13,500 additional work coaches who are all trained to develop a detailed knowledge of their local labour market and to offer claimants the tailored support they need to take advantage of new opportunities wherever they live in the UK.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some people require additional support and from April, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion. Under the first round of funding, the London Borough of Barnet Council was allocated £2,455,182.90 of funding, and they are provisionally allocated the same amount again for the extension of the fund.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 05/04/2022 16:08:10 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

909333

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2018
	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 her Department has made of the effect of the introduction of universal credit on the number of benefits claims.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	146821
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2018 answer text <p>We have not made an assessment.</p><p> </p><p>Currently there are 870,000 claimants on Universal Credit, which is around 12% of the final figure which will be on Universal Credit after rollout is complete and existing benefit and tax credit caseloads have migrated across over the next few years.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 31/05/2018 14:23:24 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1491061

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2022
	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: Care Leavers
	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 make an assessment of the potential merits of alternatives to automatic benefit sanctions for care leavers.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	40770
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>We have no plans to assess the potential merits of alternatives to automatic benefit sanctions for care leavers.</p><p>Conditionality and sanctions apply to care leavers in the same way as other claimants who are also expected to move towards and enter employment. There are additional checks in place for care leavers to determine if a referral for a sanction decision is appropriate. Work Coaches can also contact the care leaver single point of contact (SPOC) for any additional information when considering a sanction referral for a care leaver.</p><p>It is only when a care leaver has been found not to have met an agreed and reasonable requirement, without good reason, that we would consider applying a sanction. A decision maker will fully take into account the claimants’ circumstances, when determining if a sanction is warranted.</p><p>If a care leaver disagrees with a decision, they can ask for the decision to be reconsidered and subsequently can appeal against the decision to an independent tribunal.</p> answering member constituency Hertford and Stortford answering member printed Julie Marson question first answered 05/09/2022 14:27:30 answering member 4768 label Biography information for Julie Marson
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1384345

	registered interest
	date	02/12/2021
	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	Employment Schemes: Young People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what initiatives her Department has undertaken to assist jobseekers under the age of 25 to find employment.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	86079
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2021 answer text <p>We have announced our Plan for Jobs expansion which will see another £500 million invested in supporting people into jobs, with young people at the heart of this through Kickstart and our DWP Youth Offer.</p><p> </p><p>The Kickstart scheme is dedicated to helping 16-24-year olds at risk of long-term unemployment develop their skills and experience through 6-month jobs. Around 112,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people and the scheme will continue until March 2022, offering jobs and experience to many thousands more young people.</p><p> </p><p>We are extending the DWP Youth Offer to 2025 and have expanded eligibility to include 16 and 17-year olds, in addition to 18 to 24-year olds, who are claiming Universal Credit and searching for work. The Youth Offer currently provides intensive work search support through the Youth Employment Programme, specialised Youth Employment Coaches for young people with additional barriers to work, and over 150 Youth Hubs across England, Scotland and Wales.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is working in collaboration with the Department for Education, National Careers Service, devolved administrations, and other partners to deliver a comprehensive package of support for young people.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 08/12/2021 17:54:45 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1483458

	registered interest
	date	27/06/2022
	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	Way to Work Scheme: Hendon
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have moved off Universal Credit and into work as a result of the Way to Work campaign in Hendon constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	25821
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2022 answer text <p>We are unable to provide the number of movements into work in the Hendon parliamentary constituency as to produce this would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst we cannot provide data at a constituency level, we can provide this data at a Jobcentre Plus (JCP) district geographical area. Hendon constituency falls within North London JCP district, we have therefore provided the movements into work for that took place within that area during the campaign. These will include movements that took place in other constituencies that fall within the same JCP district.</p><p> </p><p>We estimate that so far 17,100 unemployed Universal Credit claimants in the North London Jobcentre Plus District have moved into work during the Way to Work Campaign between 31 January and 26 June 2022.</p><p> </p><p>This cumulative figure is composed of our into work measure to the end of May (14,770) and our internal management information up to 26 June (2,340). This figure includes claimants with a sanction in place that moved into work during the period of the campaign (760). This does not include movements into work from JSA claimants as they cannot be broken down to Jobcentre Plus District level. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Due to rounding, sum of figures may not match declared total.</p><p> </p><p>The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency and timeliness.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 05/07/2022 16:31:40 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1364342

	registered interest
	date	28/10/2021
	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	Personal Pensions
	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 planning to take to help people understand their personal pensions in (a) Hendon constituency and (b) the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	65422
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2021 answer text <p>We are actively working on supporting people to understand and prepare for retirement, with pension guidance provided by the Money and Pension Service available in all parts of the UK.</p><p>Alongside the introduction of the Pension Freedoms in 2015, we introduced Pension Wise guidance, now delivered through the Money and Pensions Service MoneyHelper <a href="https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/pensions-and-retirement/pension-wise" target="_blank">Pension Wise (moneyhelper.org.uk)</a>. Pension Wise provides free, impartial guidance to savers aged 50 or above as they approach retirement and who are considering accessing their pension savings through pensions freedoms. In addition to Pension Wise, MoneyHelper Pensions (formerly known as The Pensions Advisory Service) provides guidance to individuals of all ages, across a wide range of issues.</p><p>To ensure pension savers consider receiving Pension Wise guidance before accessing their savings, we recently consulted on introducing a Stronger Nudge to Pensions’ Guidance. The Government’s response will be published in due course.</p><p>Simple annual benefit statements have also been introduced to help members better understand the information they receive from their pension scheme, including how much they have saved. Empowering consumers to see all of their pensions savings in one place for the first time and also what level of income they might provide in retirement, is a key part of our strategy to improve consumers’ engagement with pensions. Pensions dashboards will put the individual saver in control, reconnect people with their lost pension pots, and transform how people think and plan for their retirement.</p><p>The Pensions Dashboards Programme’s latest progress report was published in October 2021, and highlighted that dashboards remain on track for delivery in phase 4 of their delivery programme.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 05/11/2021 14:34:30 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1491060

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2022
	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	Jobseeker's Allowance and Universal Credit: Care Leavers
	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 make it her policy to pay care leavers the higher rate of (a) Jobseekers Allowance and (b) Universal Credit from their 18th birthday.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	40769
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>Universal Credit provides those who are under 25 with lower rates than those age 25 and over. This reflects the fact that these claimants are more likely to live in someone else’s household and have lower living costs.</p><p> </p><p>However, it is acknowledged that some claimants under 25 do live independently, which is why Universal Credit includes separate elements to provide support to claimants for these additional costs. These additional amounts are provided in a similar way to all claimants.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>There are no plans to change this policy.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 05/09/2022 16:04:50 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

909338

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2018
	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	Children: Day Care
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment of the effectiveness of support provided to parents for the cost of childcare under universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	146826
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2018 answer text <p>Universal Credit is designed to strengthen incentives for all of our claimants, including parents, to move into and progress in work, and it is working. There are now 11.5 million parents in work (a rate of 82.4%), while 67.4% of lone parents are now in employment.</p><p> </p><p>The Government now provides more support than ever before to help parents with the costs of childcare, including providing 15 hours a week of free childcare in England for all 3 and 4 year olds and disadvantaged 2 year olds, and doubling free childcare available for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours a week. We have also increased the level of support for childcare costs within Universal Credit from 70% to 85%, its highest ever level. This gives parents up to £646.35 per month for one child and £1108.04 per month for two or more children.</p><p> </p><p>We know that the longer someone is out of the jobs market, the harder it can be to return when they are ready. That is why, unlike legacy means-tested benefits, Universal Credit does not have a minimum of 16 hours per week to be entitled to the Universal Credit childcare offer. Instead, it supports the Universal Credit principle that work pays, regardless of the number of hours worked. Parents will also be helped to prepare for work when their youngest child is two, and look for work when they are three. This will give them the best chance of finding a job which fits in with their caring responsibilities. Work-related requirements are tailored to individual circumstances and compatible with child care responsibilities. Work coaches can consider caring responsibilities when setting availability and work search hours. This will also include work preparation activities.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 31/05/2018 13:21:37 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord