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1198770

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2020
	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	Local Housing 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, with reference to Centrepoint's Chance to Move On campaign, what plans her Department has to bring forward legislative proposals to include homeless people aged under 25 in (a) Coventry South constituency and (b) the UK in the Shared Accommodation Rate exemption for homeless people.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	52553
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2020 answer text <p>Currently those aged 25-34 who have spent 3 months in a homeless hostel for the purposes of rehabilitation/re-settlement are exempt from the shared accommodation rate throughout the UK. As announced in the Spring Budget earlier this year, the Government will amend legislation to extend this exemption to those under 25.</p><p> </p><p>As well as legislation, the change to the shared accommodation rate exemption will require amendments to local authority and universal credit IT systems therefore it will take time to implement.</p><p> </p><p>In the meantime, for individuals who may require more support and whose circumstances may make it difficult for them to share accommodation, Discretionary Housing Payments are available.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2011 the Government has provided over £1bn to local authorities to help support vulnerable claimants with housing costs. In addition, at the spending round last year, we announced an extra £40 million for DHPs in 2020/21 in England and Wales, helping to tackle affordability pressures in the private rented sector.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/06/2020 16:07:14 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1203305

	registered interest
	date	12/06/2020
	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	Local Housing Allowance: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has for Local Housing Allowance (LHA) in the next Spending Review; whether she has plans to allocate additional funding to (a) mitigate the effect of the four-year freeze to LHA and (b) support renters facing financial difficulties as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	59257
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>In response to Covid-19 we increased Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates to the 30<sup>th</sup> percentile of local rents, providing additional financial support for private renters. This significant investment of almost £1 billion, ensures over 1 million households will see an increase, on average, of £600 per year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For renters whose circumstances mean they may require more support, Discretionary Housing Payments are also available. We have already provided £180m in Discretionary Housing Payment funding to local authorities to support vulnerable claimants with housing costs in the private and social rented sector in England and Wales for 2020/21. This includes an extra £40m announced at the spending round.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 17/06/2020 17:10:10 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1203816

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2020
	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 plans her Department has to align the universal credit standard allowance for claimants under the age of 25 living independently with the standard allowance for those over the age of twenty five.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	59623
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>We have increased the Universal Credit standard allowance for all claimants (including those Under 25) by £20 per week for the next 12 months – equivalent to up to £1,040 a year.</p><p> </p><p>This is in addition to the 1.7% inflation increase (announced Nov 2019) as part of the Government’s decision to end the benefits freeze and means more financial support for millions of people across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to further increase the Universal Credit standard allowance for Under 25s.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 18/06/2020 16:41:11 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1146693

	registered interest
	date	26/09/2019
	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	Food Banks
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Government plans to publish its report into the factors driving the use of food banks.
	tabling member constituency	Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford
	tabling member printed	Yvette Cooper
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	291234
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department is currently working on the literature review and a release date is yet to be determined.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p /> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 01/10/2019 13:47:23 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	420 label Biography information for Yvette Cooper

1182614

	registered interest
	date	04/03/2020
	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	Local Housing Allowance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of local housing allowance rates in (a) the London Borough of Lewisham, (b) London and (c) England.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	25160
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2020 answer text <p>Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters in the private rented sector. In response to COVID-19, this Department has increased LHA rates to the 30<sup>th</sup> percentile of local market rents from April for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants, giving additional financial support for private renters.</p><p> </p><p>All LHA rates are now at the 30<sup>th</sup> percentile including those in the London Borough of Lewisham, with the exception of 15 LHA rates in Central and Inner London where the national maximum caps continue to apply. The national caps have also been increased and are now based on the Outer London LHA rate plus 20%.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 01/05/2020 13:42:10 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1188304

	registered interest
	date	20/04/2020
	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: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional resources her Department is allocating to ensure the timely processing of new claims for universal credit during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	37774
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2020 answer text <p>The Department is doing all we can to deal with exceptional levels of demand. Our priority is ensuring people get their benefit payments and that we can continue to support those who need them most. The Department has mobilised robust business continuity plans to ensure we can do just that. We are already redeploying 10,000 staff from other parts of DWP and are also recruiting additional staff to assist with the processing of claims, including support from other government departments and the private sector.</p><p> </p><p>We have also introduced new processes to ease pressure on waiting times for identity verification over the phone and other processes. People making new claims for Universal Credit no longer need to call the Department as part of the process. Once they have completed their online application we will call them if we need to check any of the information they have given us</p><p> </p><p>The Universal Credit system is facing extraordinary pressures exerted by the unprecedented volume of new claims, but it is standing up to this challenge. The agility of the system means that capacity can be built rapidly and this has enabled it to cope in the face of demand which would have overwhelmed the complex legacy benefit regime.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 28/04/2020 16:40:28 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1188389

	registered interest
	date	20/04/2020
	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: Students
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to extend eligibility for universal credit to full-time students in higher education during the covid-19 pandemic.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	37828
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2020 answer text <p>Students who do not ordinarily have entitlement to Universal Credit (UC) and who receive a maintenance loan or grant through the student finance system, will continue to be able to draw upon this financial support until the end of this academic year.</p><p>Those who do not receive student finance and who would ordinarily not have entitlement to UC, such as those undertaking a part-time course which would otherwise not be considered as compatible with the requirements for them to look for and be available for work, will have entitlement to UC. We have disapplied UC and both legacy and new style JSA work preparation, work search and availability requirements and related sanctions. This will initially be for a three-month period. After three months, consideration will be given as to whether a further extension is required.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 30815 34925 question first answered 23/04/2020 15:37:16 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1196329

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2020
	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: Underpayments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the under-payment errors in benefits.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	47373
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 answer text <p>The Department understands the importance of paying the right money to each of its customers and will continue to tackle the causes of underpayments, as part of the wider approach to ensure claimants are paid the amount that they are entitled to.</p><p> </p><p>The majority of underpayments arise through claimants failing to correctly report their circumstances to the Department. We work hard to make it as easy as possible for claimants to understand their obligations.</p><p> </p><p>We also make use of data matching which allows us to identify potential discrepancies in claims. This allows us to ensure these claims are updated, and that claimants receive their correct entitlement.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Department is focused on reducing Departmental error. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Department’s Quality Assurance Team reviewed a sample of all cases to help better understand the cause of Departmental error and identify the highest risk errors so action could be taken. However, in order to deal with the significant increase in the number of claims being made for Universal Credit and other benefits, many of these staff were redeployed to support benefit paying operations. This work will recommence as soon as resources allow.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 20/05/2020 17:05:36 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1197518

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2020
	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: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what mitigation her Department has put in place to ensure that hospital stays during the covid-19 outbreak period do not affect a person's benefits.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	49768
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>When a person aged 18 or over is admitted to hospital, any benefits and allowances they are receiving continue to be paid for 28 days.</p><p> </p><p>At that stage, payment of certain benefits and additions may be suspended on the basis that the NHS is responsible for the person’s disability-related extra costs and to pay certain benefits in addition would be a duplication of public funds intended for the same purpose. Provided the person’s circumstances are unchanged, payment of the benefits and additions in question are reinstated as soon as the person is discharged. There is no need for the person to re-apply for the benefits.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 09/06/2020 12:31:35 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1203818

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2020
	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, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2020 to Question 43084, how many requests for mandatory reconsideration of universal credit were completed by her Department in May 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	59518
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>In 2019 there were 144,790 completed Universal Credit (UC) Mandatory Reconsiderations (MR). The information requested on the issue the UC MRs relate to, is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>In May 2020 there were 12,740 completed UC MRs.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>This information is for Great Britain and is rounded to the nearest 10.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 59522 question first answered 23/06/2020 16:57:52 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft