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1188218

	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	Department for Work and Pensions: Remote Working
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff of her Department have formal arrangements to work from home during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	37720
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2020 answer text <p>Working from home data is not recorded on our HR systems. However, the number of staff logging into the Department’s computer system via a secure remote connection shows that approximately 20% of staff were working from home.</p><p> </p><p>We have now provided an additional 6656 computers to enable working from home; we will deploy a further 6,000 in the next fortnight.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 28/04/2020 17:54:58 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

1188219

	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	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 steps she is taking to re-deploy staff of her Department to assist with processing new applications for social security benefits during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	37721
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2020 answer text <p>Our priority as a Department is ensuring people get their benefit payments and that we can continue to support those who need us the most.</p><p> </p><p>We are re-deploying over 10,000 staff to critical frontline services as well as recruiting additional staff to support this priority.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 28/04/2020 13:41:35 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

1351215

	registered interest
	date	18/08/2021
	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	Post Office Card Account
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of security and fraud risks posed by Post Office Card Account (POca) voucher alternatives offered in £100 denominations.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	40937
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2021 answer text <p>The new Payment Exception Service has been designed as a simple service to ensure customers have access to cash. Vouchers will be uploaded to a card or sent electronically via SMS text or email. Customers will need to cash the full amount of the voucher (vouchers are maximum £100) but do not have to cash all of their vouchers at the same time. This is a similar process to when customers used to be issued with Order Books and Girocheques.</p><p> </p><p>PayPoint retailers and the Post Office will ask for customer ID when someone cashes a voucher. Customers are provided with the list of acceptable ID in their welcome letter from the new PES supplier.</p><p> </p><p>In designing the new service, the same levels of security have been applied as they were to HMG PES. Fraud will be treated as a business as usual process in line with existing DWP Policy.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 08/09/2021 13:05:17 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

1351216

	registered interest
	date	18/08/2021
	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	Post Office Card Account
	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 he has made of the potential merits of introducing a secure alternative to the Post Office Card Account (POca) card for those without a bank account, which offers face-to-face support for those requiring assistance.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	40938
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2021 answer text <p>We recognise that not all of our customers are able to open and operate standard accounts, which is why we offer an alternative for those customers.</p><p> </p><p>The Post Office card account (POca) contract is due to end and the Department plans to start moving customers to the replacement Payment Exception Service (PES) during the coming months.</p><p> </p><p>The new PES is similar to Her Majesty’s Government Payment Exception Service (HMG PES) which has been in place since 2018 and is due to end in September 2021. The HMG PES service has successfully served our most vulnerable customers by the issue of vouchers which are uploaded to a card or sent electronically via SMS or email.</p><p> </p><p>The replacement PES has also been designed for customers who cannot open or manage a basic bank or standard account. We have ensured that the new service enables users to continue to obtain cash payments in their local area (including suburban and rural locations) following the end of the Post Office card account contract.</p><p> </p><p>Customers identified as at risk of harm will receive additional support before being migrated to the new service. This includes outbound calls to make contact with the customer or their nominated representative and referral to the DWP visiting service to make face-to-face contact where a call is unsuccessful or identifies that a visit is required. Post migration we will track the encashment of vouchers by all customers to ensure that they are accessing the payments they receive at the level we would expect. This post migration support is significantly stronger than currently exists for POca.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 08/09/2021 13:08:04 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

1354057

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2021
	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 assessment she has been made of the impact of ending the £20 universal credit uplift on children living in households in receipt of that benefit.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	45145
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2021 answer text <p>No impact assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.</p><p> </p><p>The latest poverty figures (2019/20) demonstrate that absolute poverty rates (both before and after housing costs) for working-age adults in working families have fallen since 2009/10. In 2019/20, 8% of working age adults in working families were in absolute poverty (before housing costs), compared to 9% in 2009/10.</p><p> </p><p>There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.</p><p> </p><p>Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for UC claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to UC claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 16/09/2021 15:05:32 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

1354059

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2021
	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: Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect on the ending of the £20 weekly universal credit uplift on benefit recipients in Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	45146
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2021 answer text <p>No impact assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.</p><p> </p><p>There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.</p><p> </p><p>Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for UC claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to UC claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 16/09/2021 14:51:10 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

1354062

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2021
	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, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing an independent body to advise the Government on the adequacy of welfare support.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	45147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2021 answer text <p>The Government, as required by parliament already passes all relevant regulations pertaining to social security benefits to the Social Security Advisory Committee for independent scrutiny. The Committee also provides impartial and independent advice on a range of social security matters.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 16/09/2021 12:54:56 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

1378070

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2021
	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	State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the survey published by the End Frozen Pensions campaign on 2 November 2021 that 28 per cent of British pensioners with frozen overseas pensions are unable to access medication as a result of financial hardship.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	73875
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made. The decision to move abroad is voluntary and remains a personal choice dependent on the circumstances of the individual. This longstanding policy has been in place under successive governments for over 70 years.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 73876 question first answered 22/11/2021 16:09:55 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

1378071

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2021
	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	State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad
	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 monitor the impact of its policy on indexing state pensions overseas only for British pensioners in countries with reciprocal uprating agreements.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	73876
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made. The decision to move abroad is voluntary and remains a personal choice dependent on the circumstances of the individual. This longstanding policy has been in place under successive governments for over 70 years.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 73875 question first answered 22/11/2021 16:09:55 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

1387124

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2021
	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	Kickstart Scheme: Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What estimate she has made of the number of jobs created by the Kickstart scheme in Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	904721
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2021 answer text <p>I refer the honourable member to the answer given for PQ <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-10-19/58900" target="_blank">58900.</a></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 13/12/2021 16:03:16 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier