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1672147

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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: Pensioners
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 support people who wish to continue working over state pension age.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3227
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2023 answer text <p>Since the abolishment of the Default Retirement Age, most people can work for as long as they want and are able to. We know that age diversity within a workforce is the right thing and can bring benefits to business. Therefore, we are working across government, with employers, and with the Business Champion for Older Workers, Andy Briggs, to advocate for more diverse, inclusive and multigenerational workforces.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the DWP has signed the Age-friendly Employer Pledge, a nationwide programme run by the Centre for Ageing Better to promote age inclusive working practices. The Help to Grow site on gov.uk also provides advice and guidance to businesses on employing older workers.</p><p> </p><p>The government wants to encourage people to plan more actively for later life and provide support to help them make important decisions about extending their working lives and reducing the risk of pensioner poverty. An enhanced digital Mid-life MOT offer went live on 5th July 2023 to ensure more people can access targeted online guidance regarding their finances, health and career.</p><p> </p><p>At Spring Budget 2023, the Government also announced that it would make changes to the limits on tax-relieved pension savings, abolishing the lifetime allowance and increasing the annual allowance from £40,000 to £60,000. These changes will help incentivise highly skilled and highly experienced individuals at the top of their professions to remain in the labour market which will help grow the economy while increasing the knowledge and experience of the UK’s labour force.</p><p> </p><p>The New State Pension was introduced in April 2016 with the aim of providing a clearer, sustainable foundation for private saving. The full rate of £203.85 per week (2023/24) was set above the Standard Minimum Guarantee level of Pension Credit, removing disincentives to working beyond State Pension Age. In addition, once over State Pension Age, people are exempt from paying National Insurance contributions if they carry on working as an employee.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 30/11/2023 12:26:30 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672148

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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: Parkinson's Disease
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 10 of Parkinson's UK's publication entitled Nowhere near enough, published in April 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the finding on the proportion of PIP claims made by people with Parkinson's that were initially assessed incorrectly compared with the general PIP claimant population.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3228
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2023 answer text <p>We are working hard to make the right decision, first time, every time. We continue to review our processes and decision-making and work closely with the assessment providers who carry out the assessments and provide feedback to ensure that they provide decision-makers with the highest quality reports.</p><p> </p><p>Condition Insight Reports are also available to PIP assessors to gain a better understanding of a condition and its impact, including Parkinson’s disease. This insight report highlights the importance of exploration of the fluctuation of the condition and was completed in collaboration with relevant charities.</p><p> </p><p>The Mandatory Reconsideration process is a key element of the department’s decision-making process for all benefits and offers claimants an early opportunity to challenge decisions and get them changed quickly. It offers the department an equally timely remedy for correcting decisions and means that fewer decisions progress to appeal, which is stressful and time consuming for claimants and costly for government. It is worth highlighting that in many cases, decisions can be changed as a result of new evidence or information being made available.</p><p> </p><p>We published <em>Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper</em> on 15 March 2023. Changes set out in the White Paper include those aiming to improve our assessment of fluctuating conditions, such as the way we use medical evidence, and developing the capability of our assessors. We will also explore options for introducing a new way of gathering evidence of fluctuation in a person’s condition before their assessment. The department continues to closely monitor all aspects of the assessment process, including how we assess fluctuating conditions.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 28/11/2023 16:51:38 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672149

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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, if he will take steps to ensure that PIP assessors receive adequate training relating to (a) Parkinson’s disease, (b) multiple sclerosis, (c) Crohn’s disease and (d) colitis.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3229
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>Personal Independence Payment assessments are carried out by qualified health professionals (HPs), who receive comprehensive training in assessing functional capability relating to both physical and mental health conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and Colitis.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>HPs have access to a range of resources and experienced clinicians to support them in assessing individuals with specific conditions. Assessment providers engage with medical experts, charities, and relevant stakeholders to strengthen their training programmes.</p><p> </p><p>This year’s Health &amp; Disability White Paper committed to developing the skills of HPs. As a result, the department began a proof of concept to match an individual’s primary health condition to a HP who has professional experience in their condition. In addition to their professional experience, HPs will also take part in training to specialise in the functional impacts of specific health conditions.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 27/11/2023 16:59:19 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672178

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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	Workplace Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring (a) pension companies to hold a consultation when considering closing a defined benefit pension scheme and (b) independent assessment of the potential closure of such a scheme.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	3263
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>The legal requirements for employers on certain changes to occupational pension schemes are detailed in The Pensions Act of 2004. This states that larger employers with 50 or more workers are required to consult with affected members or their representatives about proposed significant changes to their pension scheme, including closure, before implementing the change.</p><p> </p><p>These requirements ensure that scheme members are aware of the change and the impact on their future pension, and that they have an opportunity to comment. The Pensions Regulator provides information for employers on closing a pension scheme to new members or future accruals and winding up a scheme at their website including detailed regulatory guidance and can be found at <a href="https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/employers/managing-a-scheme/closing-your-scheme" target="_blank">https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/employers/managing-a-scheme/closing-your-scheme</a>.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 27/11/2023 16:44:21 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1672191

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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	Cost of Living Payments: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the disability cost of living payment on levels of poverty among disabled people.
tabling member constituency	East Antrim
tabling member printed	Sammy Wilson
uin	3173
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2023 answer text <p>To date, 6,400,000 Disability Cost of Living Payments have been processed by DWP.</p><p>As of 26 June 2023, over 99% of DWP claimants already eligible for the Disability Cost of Living Payment have had their payments processed.</p><p> </p><p>Management Information on the Cost of Living Payments is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-living-payment-2023-to-2024-management-information/cost-of-living-payment-2023-to-2024-management-information" target="_blank">Cost of Living Payment 2023 to 2024 management information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p> </p><p>An evaluation of the Cost of Living Payments is underway. This will seek to understand their effectiveness as a means of support for low-income and vulnerable households, including those with a disability.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is committed to reducing poverty, including poverty among disabled people, and supporting low-income families, and has overseen significant falls in absolute poverty since 2009/10.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The proportion of people in families where someone is disabled who are in absolute poverty after housing costs has decreased by 1 percentage point since 2019/20, and by 3 percentage points since 2009/10. The number of people in such families has increased slightly due to an increase in the number of people in families where someone is disabled.</p><p> </p><p>The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. The total support over 2022-2025 to help households with the high cost of living is £104 billion.</p><p> </p><p>This includes up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments for households on eligible means-tested benefits. The most recent payment of £300 was made between 31 October 2023 and 19 November 2023 for most people who are eligible, which follows on from the £301 payment issued in April 2023 to 8.3 million households. A further payment of £299 will be made by spring 2024 for those entitled. In addition, more than eight million pensioner households across the UK will receive an additional £300 Cost of Living Payment during winter 2023-24 paid as a top up to the Winter Fuel Payment and 6.4 million individuals on eligible ‘extra-costs’ disability benefits have also received a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment.</p><p> </p><p>Since October 2021, the Government have provided total funding of over £2 billion via the Household Support Fund to local authorities in England to enable them to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the cost of essentials. The current scheme worth £842m runs until March 2024 and the devolved administrations receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion. Local authorities are expected to support households in the most need, and in particular those who may not be eligible for the other support the Government recently made available, but are nevertheless in need of support. In the scheme guidance, local authorities have been strongly encouraged to explore ways in which they might use the funding to support disabled people in their area.</p><p /><p>On 1 April 2024, the Government will increase the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 years and over by 9.8% to £11.44, representing an increase of over £1,800 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW.</p><p> </p><p>Subject to parliamentary approval, working-age benefits will rise by 6.7% from April 2024, in line with inflation, including Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance. The Basic and New State Pensions will be uprated by 8.5% in line with earnings, as part of the ‘triple lock”.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 28/11/2023 17:51:32 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	1593 label Biography information for Sammy Wilson

1672196

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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: Offenders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will hold discussions with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) HM Prison and Probation Service on steps to help increase the number of ex offenders in employment.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	3088
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2023 answer text <p>The proportion of prison leavers in employment six months after their release has more than doubled in the two years to March 2023.</p><p> </p><p>Ministers and officials across government already work together on measures to support ex-offenders into work and reduce reoffending. A <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-partnership-agreement-for-employment-and-welfare-support-in-custody-and-the-community-2023-to-2026" target="_blank">National Partnership Agreement</a> between Ministry of Justice, HM Prison and Probation Service, and Department for Work and Pensions sets out how we jointly support prisoners in custody to prepare for employment on release and ensure prison leavers continue to access support in the community to obtain work.</p><p> </p><p>Prison Employment Hubs have increased in number providing a space where offenders can get much needed support into work. DWP provides around 200 Prison Work Coaches who work alongside Prison Employment Leads and other prison services to provide employment and training support before release. The New Futures Network and DWP’s National Employment and Partnership Team broker relationships with employers helping them understand the advantages to their business of employing ex-offenders. The Government has also recently changed rehabilitation periods to help reduce barriers to employment for ex-offenders.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 30/11/2023 17:07:30 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1671718

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
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: National Insurance Contributions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the migration of data from the national insurance system to the universal credit system has completed.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	2787
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) do not provide information to the Universal Credit system. The administration of National Insurance Credits is a HMRC function, but every tax year the Department for Work and Pensions sends data on Universal Credit claim dates to HMRC to enable them to apply credits to claimant records.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>DWP has corrected the Universal Credit data issues for all the cases impacted for the tax years 2017/18 and 2018/19. This data is now being shared with HMRC. Data has also been shared with HMRC for 2019/20, 20/21 and 21/22.</p><p> </p><p>DWP expect National Insurance records will be fully updated by HMRC, by April 2024.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 27/11/2023 17:03:07 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1671729

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
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	Jobcentres: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of work coach appointments took place in person in the latest period for which data is available.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	2863
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2023 answer text <p>The information provided in the table below shows the number and proportion of attended appointments between 14/10/2023 and 14/11/2023.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Appointment Channel</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Percent</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Phone</p></td><td><p>548,000</p></td><td><p>22.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Video</p></td><td><p>109,000</p></td><td><p>4.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>In person</p></td><td><p>1,736,000</p></td><td><p>72.5</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>These figures are derived from DWP’s administrative data and relate to in-person, telephone, and video appointments with Universal Credit claimants. All Universal Credit types are included. Non-Universal Credit appointments are not included. The numbers of appointments have been rounded to the nearest thousand, and the percentages to the nearest 0.1%.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 29/11/2023 12:50:23 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1671730

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
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	Jobcentres: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the minimum training required for new work coaches is.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	2864
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2023 answer text <p>All DWP new entrant work coaches undergo a minimum mandatory learning journey compromising of a combination of induction, onboarding, and operational fundamental learning prior to progressing into their work coach technical learning.</p><p>The work coach specific learning is a total of 30 days and is a combination of facilitated learning and consolidation, this is followed by a 2-day mental health learning event.</p><p>Additionally, all new work coaches undergo mandatory Keeping Safe learning which is for employees who have direct contact with members of the public.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 29/11/2023 12:52:13 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1671731

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
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	Jobcentres: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether incentives are included as part of work coach performance management.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	2865
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2023 answer text <p>Incentives for Work Coaches are not included as part of DWP’s performance management approach, but good performance and achievements are recognised.</p><p> </p><p>Within the Additional Jobcentre Support pilot we did include testing of incentives across 60 jobcentres. Phase 1 of this test concluded on 31 August 2023.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 29/11/2023 18:15:46 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern