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1002036

registered interest
date	05/11/2018
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	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hours of training is planned to be given to her Department's decision-makers to identify people who may be vulnerable or have complex needs for the purposes of the universal credit managed migration.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	188159
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2019 answer text <p>All DWP staff working with customers complete training that prepares them for their role. This includes developing the skills they need to support and communicate with a diverse range of customers, and specific training is provided for working with different vulnerable groups.</p><p> </p><p>We are taking a slow, measured approach to managed migration and this will allow for on-going evaluation of the process to ensure that it is working successfully, which will enable us to refine our methods to support claimants.</p><p> </p><p>The revised draft regulations now before Parliament provide that we must give claimants a minimum of three months in which to make a claim for Universal Credit and sets no maximum period in which a claim must be made. With unlimited flexibility to extend claim periods we will work with representative groups to produce guidance that will ensure adequate support for each individual claimant’s needs.</p><p> </p><p>Decision makers and all our customer facing staff undertake learning related to supporting vulnerable claimants. Decision Makers receive 19.5 hours of training on dealing with vulnerable groups and line managers review whether there is a need to refresh the knowledge / learning with individuals where appropriate.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 07/01/2019 16:15:59 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1010208

registered interest
date	19/11/2018
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people applied (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully for short term benefit advance or advance payments in the most recent 12 months for which data are available.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	192730
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>Around 60% of eligible new claims to Universal Credit received an advance in October 2018. Subject to some fluctuation, this has been broadly consistent for every month for which the data has been requested.</p><p> </p><p>There were 98,250 Short Term Benefit Advances for Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support awarded to individual national insurance numbers in Great Britain between January and December 2017. On the number of applications, this information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 18/12/2018 17:31:51 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1015131

registered interest
date	26/11/2018
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	Universal Credit: Payment Methods
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 the Answer of 23 November to Question 191872, how many people receiving universal credit who do not have a bank account are paid through (a) a Post Office Card account, (b) someone else's bank account, (c) the Government's payment exception service and (d) other means; and what those other means are.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	195497
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2018 answer text <p>Payment into a bank, building society or credit union is the preferred way for Universal Credit to be paid. This reflects the notion of Universal Credit mirroring the world of work. For example, an employer would usually require a bank account for a salary to be paid into. The Post Office card account and the Government Payment Exception Service cannot be used for the receipt of wages and have no direct debit facility to support payment of housing costs and other bills.</p><p> </p><p>In April 2018 3,211 claims were receiving payments in to a Post Office Card Account and 15 claims were receiving payments via the Government Payment Exception Service method.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, there are a number of claimants receiving payments into another individual’s bank account but it is not possible to disaggregate this information from a wider dataset which includes, for example, accounts held in a person’s maiden name.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 20/12/2018 11:05:49 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1022833

registered interest
date	10/12/2018
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	Carer's Allowance: Overpayments
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 plans to conduct a review of eligibility criteria for carer’s allowance as a result of the number of carers that have been overpaid.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	200669
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance (CA) is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. Around 850,000 carers are being supported through CA at a cost of over £2.8 billion a year (2018/19 forecast expenditure). The rate of CA has increased from £53.90 to £64.60 a week, with a further increase to £66.15 proposed for April 2019 subject to Parliamentary approval, meaning an additional £635 a year for carers since 2010. We continue to keep the key elements of CA under review to ensure it is meeting the needs of carers.</p><p> </p><p>As with all benefits we also continually review detailed operations. This includes reminding carers of the importance of reporting changes of circumstances (including to their earnings) and introducing new technology to help identify and prevent overpayments in the first place.</p><p> </p><p>Carers will also be a fundamental part of the Government’s upcoming Social Care Green Paper. A sustainable settlement for social care will not be possible without focussing on how our society supports carers.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 18/12/2018 14:39:47 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1022835

registered interest
date	10/12/2018
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	Carer's Allowance
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 the merits of introducing a taper for claimants of carers allowance once the claimant has reached the earnings threshold.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	200670
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>This is an issue that we have looked at closely, particularly in the light of recommendations from the Work and Pensions Select Committee in their report on employment support for carers and support for a taper from other stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>Carer’s Allowance (CA) is not a means-tested benefit and its primary purpose is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person.</p><p> </p><p>The purpose that the weekly earnings limit serves in CA is very different to that of a taper – it is essentially there to provide a test of whether the carer is in “gainful employment” and, therefore, eligible for CA. Tapers are designed to make sure that work pays in means tested benefits, and already work well for those carers also claiming Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>A cost neutral taper would need to begin at a level lower than the current earnings limit. We are concerned that introducing a cost neutral taper, effectively reducing the amount of CA for some, would introduce a disincentive to work for some of those carers with the lowest incomes, as well as significantly complicating the current CA scheme (for example, we would need to put arrangements in place to manually collect details of weekly earnings and adjust CA awards accordingly).</p><p> </p><p>In view of the recent focus on overpayments of CA, it is worth noting that a cost neutral taper would mean more carers would have to report changes of earnings more frequently, thus presenting fresh challenges in terms of making correct payments. For these reasons, we are not in favour of introducing a taper in CA. We will, of course, continue to keep the earnings rules in CA under review to ensure they are meeting their objectives.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 18/12/2018 14:49:11 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1022838

registered interest
date	10/12/2018
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	Christmas Bonus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total annual cost to taxpayers of paying the annual £10 Christmas bonus to pensioners.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL12118
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2018 answer text <p>In 2017/18 a total of £126 million was paid to pensioners by the government and taxpayers for the pensioners Christmas bonus.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 20/12/2018 12:25:37 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

1022840

registered interest
date	10/12/2018
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	Christmas Bonus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the total cost of paying the Christmas bonus to all pensioners is spent on administration.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL12119
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>Both Pensioners and working age people in receipt of certain benefits receive the Christmas Bonus. Christmas Bonus payments are usually automatically generated based on receipt of a qualifying benefit. The cost of doing this is not separately identifiable from the administrative costs of the qualifying benefits.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 18/12/2018 15:22:35 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

1022841

registered interest
date	10/12/2018
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	Age Addition
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total annual cost to taxpayers of paying the Age Addition to state pensions for pensioners over age 80.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL12120
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>The estimated cost to the tax payer of government paying the age addition to the State Pension for people over 80 for the tax year 17/18 was £44.8 million.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 18/12/2018 16:48:06 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

1022843

registered interest
date	10/12/2018
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	Age Addition
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the total cost of paying the Age Addition to pensioners is spent on administration.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL12121
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>Pensioners receive an additional 25p per week following their 80<sup>th</sup> birthday, this is known as Age Addition, and is payable with State Pension. The cost of doing this is not separately identifiable from the administration costs of State Pension</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 18/12/2018 16:47:40 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

1022844

registered interest
date	10/12/2018
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	Pensions: Consumer Information
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that pension data is accurate and reliable before it is loaded onto a Pensions Dashboard.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL12122
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>The Pensions Dashboard feasibility study was published on the 3 of December and can be found attached. The consultation runs to January 2019 and all interested parties are invited to respond.</p><p> </p><p>All pension providers have a responsibility to maintain high quality member data. Any activity to maintain or improve data quality will need to be progressed by providers before their data can be used on dashboards. There is already a significant amount of on-going work among providers of different types of schemes, in many cases working with The Pensions Regulator, to improve data quality.</p><p> </p><p>The proposed industry delivery group will work with providers and schemes, including with the regulators where necessary, to set data standards and ensure that work takes place to meet these.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 18/12/2018 16:45:57 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe attachment 1 file name Pensions Dashboards_web_Accessible.pdf title Pensions Dashboard Feasibility study
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann