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1696692

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2024
	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	Carer's Allowance: 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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of Carer's Allowance eligibility rules on young carers' ability to access (a) further and (b) higher education.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	19150
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2024 answer text <p>The department regularly meets with groups of carers and those representing them at both Ministerial and Official level to discuss a range of issues, including Carer’s Allowance. Officials met a delegation of young carers, supported by the Carers Trust and the Learning and Work Institute, on 13 March.</p><p> </p><p>Carer's Allowance was introduced principally to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who are not able to work full time due to their caring responsibilities.</p><p><br> The Government thinks it is right that people in full-time education should be supported by the educational maintenance system, via its range of loans and grants, and not the social security benefit system. That is why, as a general principle, full-time students are usually precluded from entitlement to income-related and income-maintenance benefits.</p><p>There are currently no plans to change the full-time education rules for Carer’s Allowance, but carers are able to undertake part-time education and still receive Carer’s Allowance.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 19151 question first answered 20/03/2024 12:50:20 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1696843

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2024
	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	Carer's Allowance: Young People
	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 had discussions with (a) young carers and (b) advocacy groups on amending Carer's Allowance eligibility rules for people wishing to study more than 21 hours per week.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	19151
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2024 answer text <p>The department regularly meets with groups of carers and those representing them at both Ministerial and Official level to discuss a range of issues, including Carer’s Allowance. Officials met a delegation of young carers, supported by the Carers Trust and the Learning and Work Institute, on 13 March.</p><p> </p><p>Carer's Allowance was introduced principally to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who are not able to work full time due to their caring responsibilities.</p><p><br> The Government thinks it is right that people in full-time education should be supported by the educational maintenance system, via its range of loans and grants, and not the social security benefit system. That is why, as a general principle, full-time students are usually precluded from entitlement to income-related and income-maintenance benefits.</p><p>There are currently no plans to change the full-time education rules for Carer’s Allowance, but carers are able to undertake part-time education and still receive Carer’s Allowance.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 19150 question first answered 20/03/2024 12:50:20 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1692141

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2024
	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: Government Assistance
	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 ensure support schemes keep pace with inflation.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	15986
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2024 answer text <p>The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required by law to undertake an annual review of State Pension and benefit rates. Most of these will increase by 6.7% from April 2024, in line with the increase in the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2023. The basic State Pension, full rate of the new State Pension and Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit will increase by 8.5%, in line with the growth in average weekly earning in the year to May-July 2023. The increase to all these State Pensions and benefits in April 2023 was 10.1%, in line with the increase in the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2022 and the Government’s manifesto commitment to the triple lock for the new and basic State Pensions.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will also be investing £1.2 billion restoring Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This significant investment will ensure 1.6 million low-income private renters will gain on average, nearly £800 per year in additional help towards their rental costs in 2024/25.</p><p> </p><p>From April 2024, the National Living Wage is set to increase by 9.8% to £11.44 an hour. This represents an increase of over £1,800 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage and is expected to benefit over 2.7 million low-paid workers. The equivalent increase in April 2023 was 9.7%.</p><p> </p><p>The Government understand the pressures people have been facing with the cost of living and is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families. This commitment is demonstrated by the package of additional support for the most vulnerable provided by one of the largest support packages in Europe. This includes the current Household Support Fund, which is worth £842 million and runs until 31 March 2024 in England. The Devolved Administrations receive Barnett Formula funding as a result of this, bringing the total investment to £1 billion.</p><p> </p><p>Taken together, including the measures outlined above, support to households to help with the high cost of living in total amounts to £104 billion over the period 2022/23 to 2024/25.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 01/03/2024 14:47:01 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1690910

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2024
	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: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to tackle child poverty in large towns and cities.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	15153
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government is committed to reducing poverty, including child poverty, and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and children.</p><p> </p><p>Working age benefits will increase by 6.7% from April 2024, subject to Parliamentary approval. To further support low-income households, we are also raising the Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents in April 2024, benefiting 1.6 million low-income households.</p><p> </p><p>With over 900,000 vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting parents to move into and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risk of child poverty. The latest statistics show that children living in workless households were around 5 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work.</p><p> </p><p>Our core Jobcentre offer provides a range of options to help people into work, including face-to-face time with Work Coaches and targeted employment support. We will also increase the National Living Wage by 9.8% to £11.44 for workers aged 21 years and over from this April - an annual increase in gross earnings of over £1800 for someone working full-time on the National Living Wage.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 28/02/2024 11:00:25 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1686744

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2024
	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	Disability Living Allowance: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will take steps to recruit staff to process claims for Disability Living Allowance for children.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	12659
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2024 answer text <p>There is planned recruitment into Disability Living Allowance for children in Quarter 4 of 2023/24. This recruitment activity is progressing for both AO Case Workers and EO Case Managers. There are also plans to supplement the external recruitment with resource from the Flexible Resource Team.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 08/02/2024 13:57:15 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1686746

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2024
	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	Disability Living Allowance: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the NHS on the impact of its timescales for providing medical evidence for child Disability Living Allowance claims on the time taken to process those claims.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	12661
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2024 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions regularly talk with external stakeholders, including the NHS on a wide range of topics.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>To ensure they have sufficient information to make accurate decisions on a child’s entitlement to Disability Living Allowance as quickly as possible, decision makers will request evidence from a number of sources. These include health and educational professionals involved in the care of the child. The Department of Work and Pensions also employ medical advisors who provide comprehensive guidance to decision makers.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 08/02/2024 14:00:34 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1686747

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2024
	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	Disability Living Allowance: Children
	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 reduce the time taken to process child Disability Living Allowance claims.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	12662
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2024 answer text <p>The Department has taken steps to recruit further resources and to also re-deploy from within the business to meet demand and reduce journey times. This began in October 2023 and continues throughout Quarter 4 2023/24. This is beginning to positively impact waiting and journey times.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 08/02/2024 14:03:02 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1684827

	registered interest
	date	24/01/2024
	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	Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations and Disqualification
	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 mental health impact of (a) disability tests and (b) sanctions.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	11411
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2024 answer text <p>No assessment has been made of the potential mental health impact of PIP or WCA, assessments or social security sanctions.</p><p> </p><p>a) Evaluations of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Work Capability Assessments (WCA) policy are routinely carried out, and often include engagement with external researchers. The methods used are designed to be appropriate to the specific type of intervention being evaluated. Customer experience of assessments is also continually monitored. However, it would be extremely difficult to objectively separate the specific impact of disability tests on mental health from other contributory factors.</p><p> </p><p>b) Under Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance, sanctions do not apply to all customers. Those with a health condition, illness or disability who are found to have ‘limited capability for work and work-related requirements’, are not subject to work-related conditions and will therefore not be sanctioned. Those found to have limited capability for work and claimants on work-related benefits are expected to take responsibility for meeting the conditionality requirements they have agreed with their work coach. Where a customer has a health condition, illness or disability, work coaches have the discretion to tailor these requirements to what is reasonable and achievable, taking into account the individual's condition. Additionally, in some circumstances a customer’s work-related requirements may be lifted for a period if their ability to carry them out is disrupted due to their personal circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>A sanction is only applied where an individual has failed to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without demonstrating good reason for doing so. In cases where vulnerabilities are known or suspected, a pre-referral quality check is undertaken prior to any sanction referral to ensure that it is appropriate in the circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 30/01/2024 17:48:37 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1684830

	registered interest
	date	24/01/2024
	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	Social Security Benefits: Self-harm and Suicide
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) support his Department provides to and (b) safeguarding measures are in place within the welfare system for people assessed to be at serious risk of suicide or self-harm; and whether he plans to take steps to strengthen that support.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	11412
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2024 answer text <p>The Department recognises the importance of supporting vulnerable customers. All staff working with customers undertake comprehensive training to equip them with the skills to be able to support those who express an intention of suicide or self-harm.</p><p>The Department has an established Six Point Plan for staff to follow when they identify a customer who may be at risk of harming themselves. This toolkit ensures that appropriate support is provided and this may involve notifying emergency services in the event where the customer is at immediate risk.</p><p>The Six Point Plan is under continuous review to ensure it aligns with current thinking on mental health. We also have Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders whose role is to reach across local communities to underpin our relationships with other organisations that provide support to our customers.</p><p>The Work and Pensions Select Committee announced an inquiry into ‘Safeguarding vulnerable claimants’ on 21 July 2023 and will examine this with emphasis on whether the Department’s approach to safeguarding needs to change.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 30/01/2024 17:49:34 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1684832

	registered interest
	date	24/01/2024
	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	Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure the mental well-being of people affected by welfare sanctions.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	11413
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2024 answer text <p>Under Universal Credit, sanctions do not apply to all customers. Those with a health condition, illness or disability who are found to have ‘limited capability for work and work-related requirements’, are not subject to work-related conditions and will therefore not be sanctioned.</p><p> </p><p>Those on work-related benefits are expected to take responsibility for meeting the conditionality requirements they have agreed with their work coach. Where a customer on a work-related benefit has a health condition, illness or a disability, work coaches have the discretion to tailor their requirements to what is reasonable and achievable taking into account the individual's condition. In some circumstances a customer’s work-related requirements maybe be lifted for a period if their ability to carry them out is disrupted due to their personal circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>A sanction is only applied where an individual has failed to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without demonstrating good reason for doing so and in cases where vulnerabilities are known or suspected, a pre-referral quality check is undertaken prior to any sanction referral to ensure that it is appropriate in the circumstances. For customers who demonstrate that they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs as a result of a sanction, we have a well-established system of hardship payments. These needs can include heating, food and hygiene.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 30/01/2024 10:57:33 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi