Local Authorities have a statutory duty to assess and fund the eligible care needs of all disabled people.<\/p>
<\/strong><\/p> The funding that would have been allocated to the ILF in 2015/16 to support its users from July 2015 onwards will all be transferred to local authorities in England and to the devolved administrations in other parts of the UK.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3893", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Freud"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Freud"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-07-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-07-01T13:10:26.0751757Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Independent Living Fund"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what local authority support will be available to current Independent Living Fund users in 2015\u201316.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3785", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Thomas of Winchester"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Thomas of Winchester"}
], "uin" : "HL533"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63125", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63125/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " In line with all other DWP-administered benefits Employment and Support Allowance is not payable whilst the mandatory reconsideration process is undertaken.<\/p> <\/p> During the mandatory reconsideration period other benefits may be payable, provided the claimant meets the conditions of entitlement.<\/p> <\/p> Our reforms to the appeals process mean that more claimants are now being contacted before decisions are made, giving them the opportunity to discuss their circumstances with the decision maker; and subsequently \u2013 through Mandatory Reconsideration \u2013 they are given another opportunity to provide additional evidence. This is helping to either prevent disputes arising or resolving them as early as possible, thereby mitigating gaps in benefit payments and avoiding the need for costly appeals.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3893", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Freud"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Freud"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-07-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-07-02T15:08:16.0215299Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the policy of withdrawing Employment and Support Allowance payments during mandatory reconsideration of decisions being appealed from the Work Capability Assessment will be reviewed in the light of the delays in reconsideration; and what assessment they have made of whether the policy is causing claimants hardship.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3785", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Thomas of Winchester"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Thomas of Winchester"}
], "uin" : "HL534"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63126", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63126/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The future contract for provision of Work Capability Assessments to the DWP will detail requirements in relation to recruitment, training and monitoring of healthcare professionals designed to assure the quality of assessments.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3893", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Freud"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Freud"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-07-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-07-01T13:10:05.2950064Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Work Capability Assessment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the new Work Capability Assessment contract or contracts will (1) require customer-facing staff to be suitably qualified to take decisions, and (2) lead to an improvement in the quality of assessments.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3785", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Thomas of Winchester"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Thomas of Winchester"}
], "uin" : "HL535"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63135", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63135/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Council of Ministers meeting on 19 June on Employment and Social Policy covered ongoing discussions on a number of dossiers which may feed into wider Council negotiations.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3893", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Freud"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Freud"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-06-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-06-30T13:00:54.5506787Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "European Union"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Freud on 18 June (WS 91), whether the proposals made by the Council of Ministers on 19 June will result in steps towards ever-closer union.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/950", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Stoddart of Swindon"}
], "uin" : "HL544"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63137", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63137/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Department for Work and Pensions standard for correspondence to elderly members of the public includes a named person and contact details in the letter.<\/p> <\/p> The Department for Work and Pensions standard for IT system generated letters is for the name of the Pension Centre or Office Manager to be shown at the end of the letter with a reply/contact address and telephone number.<\/p> <\/p> The templates for clerical letters include a space for the senders name and job role to be entered at the end of the letter.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3893", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Freud"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Freud"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-07-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-07-01T14:49:59.4380706Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Government Departments: Correspondence"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for Work and Pensions has sent correspondence to elderly members of the public that does not contain in the letter a named person with their contact details; and if so, what is their justification for doing so.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3830", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Mawson"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Mawson"}
], "uin" : "HL546"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63338", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63338/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " <\/p> <\/p> The costs of the Sorting out Separation web app are £417,500 to date. This includes initial build, maintenance and development, hosting, videos and promotion.<\/p> Contracts and services for Sorting out Separation have been procured using the online \u2018Contracts Finder' and CloudStore (\u2018G Cloud' framework). Both of these are flexible, low-cost methods of commissioning, which has enabled the Department to maintain a strong focus on value for money from initial development to live running.<\/p> As of 31 May 2014 there were 180,000 visitors to Sorting out Separation, which equates to an approximate cost per user of £2.30. We have commissioned work on search engine optimisation to maximise awareness and usage and we anticipate that this will sharply reduce the cost per user in due course.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/220", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Webb"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thornbury and Yate"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Steve Webb"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-06-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-06-30T15:04:35.9944965Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Separated People: Advisory Services"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department has spent on developing the Sorting Out Separation web app; how many people are actively using that app; what the cost is per user of the app; what assessment he has made of the value for money of the app; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that future online development in this area represents good value for money.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/230", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Exeter"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Ben Bradshaw"}
], "uin" : "201856"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63428", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63428/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Most of the information requested is published and available for each month from November 2008 to February 2013 and can be found in Table 10 of the publication at:<\/p> https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housing-benefit-and-council-tax-benefit-caseload-statistics-published-from-november-2008-to-present<\/a><\/p> <\/p> Council Tax Benefit (CTB) was replaced in April 2013 by the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme and in England the Department for Communities and Local Government is now responsible for these statistics. The Scottish and Welsh Governments have similar responsibility.<\/p> <\/p> Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics and can be found at:<\/p> http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm<\/a><\/p> <\/p> The information requested for Ashfield Parliamentary Constituency is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.<\/p> <\/p> However a Parliamentary Constituency breakdown for CTB was produced as a one-off exercise for January 2011 and this is published at:<\/p>