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1005853

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	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	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's policy is on supporting benefit claimants who must pay for the funeral of a family member; and if her Department will introduce an allowance for benefit claimants who must pay for the funeral of a family member to ensure that their benefit claims are not adversely affected.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	190493
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2018 answer text <p>The Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment scheme makes a contribution towards the cost of a funeral for people in receipt of certain income related benefits and tax credits. To qualify, the applicant must be accepted as responsible for arranging the funeral, they (or their partner) must receive one of the qualifying benefits and they must be the partner or a close relative or close friend of the deceased.</p><p> </p><p>The amount payable depends on whether there is any other money available, for example from the deceased’s estate. As the Payment is linked to the deceased’s assets, it does not adversely affect the applicant’s savings.</p><p> </p><p>The scheme offers support by meeting the ‘necessary costs’ of a cremation or burial, including acquiring a burial plot. An allowance of up to £700 is also available to meet other funeral costs such as a coffin, religious venue and funeral director fees.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 15/11/2018 09:55:33 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1005887

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	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 on (a) the Post Office and (b) Postmaster pay of encouraging universal credit claimants to use a bank account to receive payments.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	190494
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2018 answer text <p>The majority of claimants have their benefits paid into a bank account. As most bank accounts can be accessed at the Post Office, most claimants are able to withdraw cash, deposit cash and cheques, and make balance enquiries at a Post Office counter via its network of 11,600 branches. Sub-postmasters will continue to receive revenue from those transactions while maintaining footfall.</p><p> </p><p>In line with our wider policy on financial inclusion, we have always made it clear that payment into a bank, building society or credit union is the preferred way for Universal Credit to be paid. This reflects the vision for Universal Credit mirroring the world of work, where, for example, an employer requires a bank account for a salary to be paid into.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 15/11/2018 16:16:25 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1006040

	registered interest
	date	13/11/2018
	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	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, how many health assessments were carried out on claimants of (a) personal independence payments and (b) employment support allowance in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	190915
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>The number of health assessments that were carried out for Personal Independence Payments claimants in each of the last five years are shown in the table below. The increase in PIP assessments reflects the growth in new claims following the introduction of PIP in 2013 and the of reassessment of DLA to more areas.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>-</p></td><td><p>Jun 2013 - March 2014</p></td><td><p>April 2014 - March 2015</p></td><td><p>April 2015 - March 2016</p></td><td><p>April 2016 - March 2017</p></td><td><p>April 2017 - March 2018</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PIP Health assessment reports received</p></td><td><p>81,000</p></td><td><p>555,000</p></td><td><p>708,000</p></td><td><p>1,003,000</p></td><td><p>1,021,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: chargeable outputs trend summary report</p><p>(Figures rounded to nearest 1k)</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The number of health assessments that were carried out for Employment Support Allowance claimants in each of the last five years are shown in the table below.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>-</p></td><td><p>April 2013 - March 2014</p></td><td><p>April 2014 - March 2015</p></td><td><p>April 2015 - March 2016</p></td><td><p>April 2016 - March 2017</p></td><td><p>April 2017 - March 2018</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>ESA Health assessment reports received</p></td><td><p>638,000</p></td><td><p>685,000</p></td><td><p>742,000</p></td><td><p>913,000</p></td><td><p>913,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: Monthly Work Capability Summary MI report</p><p>(Figures rounded to nearest 1k)</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 19/11/2018 17:08:06 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1019329

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2018
	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: Maintenance
	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 potential merits of enabling parents to pursue (a) child maintenance arrears and (b) arrears transferred from the Child Support Agency under through the legal system.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	198381
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2018 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service has a wide range of strong enforcement powers, including applying to the court to remove a non-paying parent’s driving licence, order the sale of property, commit them to prison, or disqualify them from holding or obtaining a passport.</p><p> </p><p>There is a longstanding legal position that a permanent arrangement cannot be ordered by a court as part of any settlement action in respect of child maintenance payments. The statutory child maintenance system was established because court outcomes for families were frequently inconsistent. There is little merit in enabling parents to pursue arrears through the court system which is inevitably adversarial, costly and often a slow process which many clients may be unable to afford.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 06/12/2018 10:11:31 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1019902

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2018
	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	Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals
	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 potential merits of widening the entitlement to UK welfare payments for EU citizens fleeing domestic violence in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	198882
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2018 answer text <p>This Government is committed to tackling violence against all people, including domestic abuse which shatters the lives of victims and families.</p><p> </p><p>EU citizens are permitted to claim income-related benefits if they are legally and habitually resident in the UK and satisfy the eligibility conditions.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s consultation, ‘Transforming the Response to Domestic Abuse’, which ended in May 2018, sought views on protection and support for victims of domestic abuse, including those with no recourse to public funds. The Home Office is currently analysing the consultation responses and will publish the Government’s response in due course.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 10/12/2018 13:47:41 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1020006

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2018
	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: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much child support arrears are concerned in (a) Motherwell and Wishaw, (b) North Lanarkshire Westminster Parliamentary constituencies, and (c) Scotland, under the Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	198884
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2018 answer text <p>As of June 2018 (most recent published regional data, rounded to nearest thousand), there were the following amounts of unpaid maintenance from Child Support Agency cases:</p><p> </p><p>(a) Motherwell and Wishaw parliamentary constituency - £4,034,000 of child support arrears</p><p> </p><p>(b) North Lanarkshire Local Authority - £17,366,000 of child support arrears</p><p> </p><p>(c) Scotland - £ 225,269,000 of child support arrears</p><p> </p><p>Figures for b and c are published in the regional tables of the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-of-statistics-june-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-of-statistics-june-2018</a></p><p> </p><p>These amounts include all Child Support Agency cases with arrears. This includes cases where recent payments have been made and those where there has been no payment made within the last 3 months. The vast majority of these cases have received no recent payment, and it is only these cases that will be addressed under the Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 10/12/2018 10:21:05 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1023269

	registered interest
	date	11/12/2018
	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: Maintenance
	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 potential merits of enabling parents to pursue Child Support Agency arrears written off under the Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018 through the legal system.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	201254
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 06 December 2018 to Question 198381.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-12-03/198381/" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-12-03/198381/</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 17/12/2018 15:28:33 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1039616

	registered interest
	date	11/01/2019
	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	Child Tax Credit: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families (a) will and (b) will not be exempt from the two-child tax credit cap in (i) Motherwell and Wishaw, (ii) North Lanarkshire and (iii) Scotland.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	207596
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>Providing support for a maximum of two children in tax credits and Universal Credit encourages families who receive benefits to make the same financial choices as those supporting themselves solely through work. We recognise that some claimants are not able to make the same choices about the number of children in their family and have put exceptions in place in these circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>In the year from 6 April 2017 to 2 April 2018, there were 200 exceptions granted across Scotland in Universal Credit (10 households) and Child Tax Credit (190 households). Further breakdowns by geographic area are not available.</p><p> </p><p>This information can be found in the statistical release ‘Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children, April 2018’ at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2018</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested about the number of families who will not be exempt is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 16/01/2019 17:02:29 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1041702

	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	Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether auditors from her Department have the authority to instruct health professionals to make mandatory (a) specific and (b) general amendments to Independent Assessment Service reports.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	208914
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2019 answer text <p>The quality assurance audit process following consultation is in place to ensure that the report the Health Professional provides to the Department is of a high standard. This is a very important part of the process to check the information provided is fully explained and justified.</p><p>Where assessments have been graded as either ‘acceptable - report amendment required’ or ‘unacceptable’ the reports are returned to the Assessment Provider for remedial activity. Where possible, this activity should be taken by the Health Professional who carried out the original assessment. DWP is not prescriptive on how changes should be made. The Assessment Provider is responsible for ensuring the returned report is then fit for purpose prior to resubmitting it to DWP.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 21/01/2019 13:27:16 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1041705

	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	Independent Assessment Services: Audit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many health professionals from Independent Assessment Services have been (a) dismissed and (b) referred for further training as a result of her Department's audits of health professionals' reports.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
	uin	208915
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2019 answer text <p>Independent Assessment Service are committed to providing the highest quality of service to all claimants when conducting a functional PIP assessment and in the preparation of claimant reports for consideration by the DWP.</p><p> </p><p>The figures requested is not available as Health Professionals are not dismissed based on the audit of a single assessment report. Audit is one of a number of tools used to monitor the quality of Health Professionals work and to inform ongoing support and performance management. All Health Professionals who have quality issues identified by audit will receive feedback and additional training as a result. Health Professionals who require full retraining to ensure they meet the required quality standards will receive this. Where Health Professionals do not meet the quality requirements on a regular basis, performance management will be taken, which can lead to dismissal.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 21/01/2019 13:39:42 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
	tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows