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1082571

	registered interest
	date	06/03/2019
	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	Pension Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has written to people who will be affected by the changes to pension credit entitlement which come into force on 15 May 2019 to inform them that they will no longer be entitled to claim pension credit if their partner is not of state pension age.
	tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
	uin	229220
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2019 answer text <p>The mixed age couple policy was legislated for in the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and then the commencement order was that the mixed age couple policy change will come into force on 15 May 2019, which was announced on 14 January 2019. Following the announcement we are implementing comprehensive plans to raise awareness of the change among people who may be affected.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has written directly to mixed-age couples who are already in receipt of Pension Credit or Housing Benefit for pensioners to inform them of the changes and encourage them to find out what it could mean for them. Importantly the letters explain that mixed age couples already claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners immediately before 15 May will not be affected for as long as they remain in receipt of either benefit after that date, and that their State Pension will not be affected.</p><p> </p><p>This is in addition to providing information on gov.uk and through existing departmental channels. The Department’s staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres are able to provide help and advice about the change, as will staff in local authorities who administer Housing Benefit.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has also worked with relevant organisations, including providing them with a fact sheet to ensure that accurate information is available in the places where people are most likely to seek information.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 229221 question first answered 11/03/2019 17:13:26 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

1082572

	registered interest
	date	06/03/2019
	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	Pension 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 she has taken to publicise the changes to pension credit entitlement which come into force on 15 May 2019 to (a) couples who will no longer receive that entitlement because one partner is not of state pension age and (b) other people.
	tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
	uin	229221
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2019 answer text <p>The mixed age couple policy was legislated for in the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and then the commencement order was that the mixed age couple policy change will come into force on 15 May 2019, which was announced on 14 January 2019. Following the announcement we are implementing comprehensive plans to raise awareness of the change among people who may be affected.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has written directly to mixed-age couples who are already in receipt of Pension Credit or Housing Benefit for pensioners to inform them of the changes and encourage them to find out what it could mean for them. Importantly the letters explain that mixed age couples already claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners immediately before 15 May will not be affected for as long as they remain in receipt of either benefit after that date, and that their State Pension will not be affected.</p><p> </p><p>This is in addition to providing information on gov.uk and through existing departmental channels. The Department’s staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres are able to provide help and advice about the change, as will staff in local authorities who administer Housing Benefit.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has also worked with relevant organisations, including providing them with a fact sheet to ensure that accurate information is available in the places where people are most likely to seek information.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 229220 question first answered 11/03/2019 17:13:26 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

1045545

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2019
	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: EU Nationals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-UK EU citizens have been refused universal credit on the basis that they do not have a right to reside in each month since January 2017.
	tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
	uin	210587
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p>Comprehensive guidance outlining eligibility for Universal Credit for EEA Nationals and the habitual residency test is available to all staff across the Jobcentre network. Universal Credit guidance is published in the House of Commons Library and the Department is committed to refreshing this at regular intervals.</p><p>Eligibility for income-related (means-tested) social security benefits depends on a person’s immigration status in the UK. Claimants must be exercising a legal right to reside and be habitually resident before they are eligible to claim income related benefit. This is assessed through the Habitual Residence Test (HRT). DWP does not automatically provide other Government departments with information regarding an individual’s benefit claim. The Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 and immigration decisions are the responsibility of the Home Office.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 24/01/2019 14:00:51 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

1002585

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2018
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Energy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the quantity was of (a) electricity and (b) natural gas used by (i) her Department, (ii) the Health and Safety Executive, (iii) the Pensions Advisory Service and (iv) the Pensions Regulator in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
	uin	188861
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2018 answer text <p>Please see below electricity &amp; gas usage for 2015/16, 2016/17 &amp; 2017/18.</p><p> </p><p>(i) DWP</p><p> </p><p>Please note that 6 day opening began in 2017/18 in some areas, but has not yet been fully rolled out. To date, 6 day opening does not seem to have had a major impact on consumption or cost of energy per FTE.</p><p> </p><p>DWP energy figures are based on total consumption taken from the invoices that DWP is responsible for paying. Consumption and cost figures have then been divided by total FTE figures for the estate in each year. Please note that no adjustment has been made for recharging where there are sub-tenants within buildings DWP occupies, or for buildings at which DWP is recharged, and we do not have the facility to make that adjustment at present.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity kWh / FTE</p></td><td><p>Gas kWh / FTE</p></td><td><p>FTE Total</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>1867</p></td><td><p>2308</p></td><td><p>75742</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>1832</p></td><td><p>2452</p></td><td><p>75590</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>1806</p></td><td><p>2459</p></td><td><p>75065</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>(i) Health and Safety Executive</p><p> </p><p>Data based on HSE’s 28 offices, including HSE’s laboratory in Buxton. Where HSE does not know specific consumption from some of its Landlords /Holding Departments, and where HSE has government tenants whose consumption is not separately sub-metered, figures are estimated.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity kWh</p></td><td><p>Gas kWh</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>12,051,317</p></td><td><p>13,138,923</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>12,337,288</p></td><td><p>13,896,081</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>11,763,810</p></td><td><p>13,849,043</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>(ii) The Pensions Advisory Service</p><p> </p><p>In a shared building, where they share the service charge &amp; payments are made centrally.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity kWh</p></td><td><p>Gas kWh</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>No information held</p></td><td><p>No information held.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>No information held.</p></td><td><p>No information held.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>No information held.</p></td><td><p>No information held.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(iii) The Pensions Regulator</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity £</p></td><td><p>Gas £</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>Not available at this time</p></td><td><p>Not available at this time</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>Not available at this time</p></td><td><p>Not available at this time</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>Not available at this time</p></td><td><p>Not available at this time</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 16/11/2018 14:44:45 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

1002586

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2018
	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Energy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost was of (a) electricity and (b) natural gas used by (i) her Department, (ii) the Health and Safety Executive, (iii) the Pensions Advisory Service and (iv) the Pensions Regulator in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
	uin	188862
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2018 answer text <p>Please see below electricity &amp; gas cost for 2015/16, 2016/17 &amp; 2017/18.</p><p> </p><p>(i) DWP</p><p> </p><p>Please note that 6 day opening began in 2017/18 in some areas, but has not yet been fully rolled out. To date, 6 day opening does not seem to have had a major impact on consumption or cost of energy per FTE.</p><p> </p><p>DWP energy figures are based on total consumption taken from the invoices that DWP is responsible for paying. Consumption and cost figures have then been divided by total FTE figures for the estate in each year. Please note that no adjustment has been made for recharging where there are sub-tenants within buildings DWP occupies, or for buildings at which DWP is recharged, and we do not have the facility to make that adjustment at present.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity £ / FTE</p></td><td><p>Gas £ / FTE</p></td><td><p>FTE Total</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>£ 256</p></td><td><p>£ 79</p></td><td><p>75742</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>£ 257</p></td><td><p>£ 78</p></td><td><p>75590</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>£ 256</p></td><td><p>£ 78</p></td><td><p>75065</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(ii) HSE</p><p> </p><p>Data based on HSE’s 28 offices, including HSE’s laboratory in Buxton. Where HSE does not know specific consumption from some of its Landlords /Holding Departments, and where HSE has government tenants whose consumption is not separately sub-metered, figures are estimated.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity £</p></td><td><p>Gas £</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>£1,381,532</p></td><td><p>£443,071</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>£1,373,438</p></td><td><p>£369,236</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>£1,339,724</p></td><td><p>£349,858</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><br></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>(iii) The Pensions Advisory Service</p><p> </p><p>In a shared building, where costs are estimated</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity £</p></td><td><p>Gas £</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>£21,000</p></td><td><p>£8,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>£17,000</p></td><td><p>£6,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>£16,000</p></td><td><p>£7,800</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>(iv) The Pensions Regulator</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity</p></td><td><p>Gas £</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>£125,318</p></td><td><p>£7,337</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>£133,383</p></td><td><p>£5,485</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>£133,961</p></td><td><p>£5,434</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 16/11/2018 14:51:35 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

989642

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2018
	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 her Department's target time is for processing applications for alternative payment arrangements under universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
	uin	180774
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2018 answer text <p>DWP have no targets for processing applications for Alternative Payment Arrangements (APA). All APA cases are dealt with urgently and are considered on a case by case basis by dedicated teams.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 22/10/2018 16:54:06 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

882283

	registered interest
	date	13/04/2018
	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 how annual bonuses affect the payments recipients of such bonuses are required to make through Child Maintenance Service arrangements.
	tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
	uin	135386
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2018 answer text <p>A central principle of the statutory child maintenance scheme is that parents should support children in line with the money they have earned. Bonus payments as well as any other earned income subject to tax are taken into account by the Child Maintenance Service to assess the amount of maintenance due. No estimate has been made on the difference such payments make to liabilities created.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 23/04/2018 14:44:36 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
	tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

882284

	registered interest
	date	13/04/2018
	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 many complaints her Department has received in relation to the effect on the calculation of child maintenance payments of annual bonus payments.
	tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
	uin	135424
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2018 answer text <p>The department does not collate information on complaints received specifically in relation to the effect on the calculations of child maintenance payments due to annual bonus payments. Obtaining such information to answer this question could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 23/04/2018 14:49:40 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
	tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

582612

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2016
	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	Refugees: Syria
	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 implications for his policies of the finding in the report by the National Audit Office, The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme, published in September 2016, that lack of access by resettled Syrians to personal independence payments and carer's allowance may cause difficulties to some refugees and have a negative impact on their experiences.
	tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
	uin	46164
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2016 answer text <p>The UK is a world leader in supporting vulnerable people fleeing conflicts around the world and, as such, we have established an effective system to accommodate and shelter resettled people.</p><p>Refugees and those who have humanitarian protection status, such as persons resettled under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme, are entitled to work and have access to some benefits upon arrival.</p><p>DWP has decided that the application of the Past Presence Test (PPT) should not apply to refugees for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and are currently considering how best to implement that change, including the impact to other benefits which use a similar PPT.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 21/09/2016 15:24:02 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

576942

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2016
	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: Refugees
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department plans to issue to its staff on the application of residency tests to refugees applying for disability living allowance.
	tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
	uin	45160
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>Refugees and people in Great Britain with humanitarian protection status who are disabled and in need of financial support are entitled to claim Disability Living Allowance, providing they meet all the necessary conditions of entitlement set out in regulations.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 12/09/2016 10:39:53 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald