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1168436

registered interest
date	19/12/2019
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	Child Tax Credit and 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 recent assessment she has made of the effect of the two child limit for (a) child tax credits and (b) universal credit on low income families.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow Central
tabling member printed	Alison Thewliss
uin	151
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2020 answer text <p>DWP and HMRC produce a joint report with statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children, the latest of which was published in July 2019 and can be found online at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2019</a></p><p> </p><p>Providing support for a maximum of two children, or qualifying young persons in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit, ensures fairness between claimants and those taxpayers who support themselves solely through work.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some claimants are not able to make the same choices about the number of children in their family, which is why exceptions have been put in place to protect certain groups. On migration to Universal Credit, families’ existing entitlement will be protected.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/01/2020 12:55:27 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4430 label Biography information for Alison Thewliss

1168463

registered interest
date	19/12/2019
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: Glasgow
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have been signposted to a food bank by staff at Shettleston Jobcentre in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	183
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2020 answer text <p>Under long-standing national guidance issued to all Jobcentres, staff can signpost benefit claimants to a local food back provided all sources of formal support have been considered. Although staff are not required to keep records of the number of signposting slips issued, they may set up a process for recording the issue of signposting slips for authentication purposes only, if the local food banks asks them to do so. Staff can make local arrangements to reflect any specific restrictions set by their food bank around the use of their services; however, any decision to award a food parcel is a matter for the food bank alone.</p><p> </p><p>The staff in Shettleston Jobcentre continue to work closely with local food bank managers to ensure vulnerable people get the support they need.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/01/2020 14:50:56 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1168464

registered interest
date	19/12/2019
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, whether she has visited a food bank since her appointment.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	184
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2020 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has visited a food bank since her appointment.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/01/2020 15:08:08 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1168780

registered interest
date	20/12/2019
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	Poverty: Children
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 reduce child poverty.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	317
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2020 answer text <p>This Government is committed to delivering a sustainable, long-term solution to poverty in all its forms. Tackling child poverty requires an approach that goes beyond one that focuses on income alone to one that addresses the root causes of poverty and disadvantage and improves long-term outcomes for families and children.</p><p>Through Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, published in 2017, we set out detailed evidence on the root causes of poverty and disadvantage and their impact on the outcomes of children in families where none of the parents is working. We also set out nine indicators to track progress in the areas that matter, including two statutory measures of parental worklessness and educational attainment – the two areas that we know can make the biggest difference to children’s outcomes.</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/621364/improving-lives-helping-workless-families-web-version.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/621364/improving-lives-helping-workless-families-web-version.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>There is clear evidence that children in working households are not only less likely to grow up in poverty – their life chances are also significantly better. We will therefore continue to reform the welfare system so that it works with the tax system and the labour market to support employment and higher pay. Promoting full-time work through work incentives is a key feature of this approach, reinforced by the National Living Wage and the rising Personal Tax Allowance, which work together to promote independence from benefits.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 13/01/2020 15:14:52 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1168781

registered interest
date	20/12/2019
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	Employment: Poverty
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 tackle in-work poverty.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2020 answer text <p>Delivering a sustainable, long-term solution to all forms of poverty is a priority for this Government. There is clear evidence that full-time work substantially reduces the risk of in-work poverty; for example, there is only a 7% chance of a child being in poverty if both parents</p><p>work full-time compared with 66% for two-parent families with only part-time work.</p><p>The number of people in employment is at a near-record high of 3.8 million. Around three-quarters of the growth in employment has been in full-time work, substantially reducing the risk of poverty.</p><p>Universal Credit promotes full-time work through smooth incentives to increase hours, a general expectation that lone parents and partners should work (unless caring for young children or a disabled person); and generous childcare subsidies. We will therefore continue with our reforms to the welfare system so that it works with the tax system and the labour market to support employment and higher pay.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/01/2020 14:50:26 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1168782

registered interest
date	20/12/2019
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	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, for what reasons her Department is increasing working-age benefits in line with the rate of inflation from April 2020 rather than an earlier date.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	319
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2020 answer text <p>The Secretary of State is bound by law to complete an annual review of benefit and pension rates to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or – for pensions - earnings. This statute requires benefit and pension rates to be reviewed and set in each tax year. April 2020 is the new financial year.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State has completed her review and a Written Statement was tabled on 4 November:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-11-04/HCWS74/" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-11-04/HCWS74/</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 13/01/2020 17:29:26 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1168987

registered interest
date	06/01/2020
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, if she will make the assessment period for universal credit coterminous with HMRC deadlines.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
tabling member printed	Louise Haigh
uin	493
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2020 answer text <p>Entitlement to Universal Credit is calculated and paid monthly in arrears, in a single payment.</p><p> </p><p>Assessment periods allow Universal Credit awards to be adjusted on a monthly basis, to reflect as closely as possible the actual circumstances of a household during that period. This helps to ensure that if a claimant’s income changes, they do not have to wait several months for a corresponding change in their Universal Credit award.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 13/01/2020 15:10:53 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4473 label Biography information for Louise Haigh

1169091

registered interest
date	07/01/2020
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, how many universal credit claimants have signed a waiver outlining any previous communication with a political representative regarding benefits before accessing appeals information since that policy was introduced.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	1039
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2020 answer text <p>At no point during a Universal Credit claim does the Department ask a person to sign a waiver. To safeguard the sensitive and personal data we hold about people’s Universal Credit claims, we ask representatives making enquiries on behalf of others to demonstrate that they have claimant consent. This is a simple process, which can be completed online or by telephone by the claimant, and has been in place since 2017.</p><p> </p><p>The Universal Credit system is structured around an online personal account which contains all the information relevant to the claim. This can include details about: bank accounts, savings, capital, medical history and family relationships, in addition to third parties including landlords and employers. Therefore, we need to ensure a high level of security and protection exists to combat unscrupulous individuals and organisations who try to access the information and seek to impersonate genuine representatives.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is continuing to work with Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) and third party organisations to understand how Universal Credit can support organisations who help our claimants. We are committed to having processes in place which effectively supports claimants to access our services, but which also protects information.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/01/2020 17:12:46 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1169183

registered interest
date	07/01/2020
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: Uprating
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has plans to (a) end the benefits freeze and (b) uprate the value of (i) universal credit and (ii) other social security payments in the next twelve months.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	942
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2020 answer text <p>The freeze on working age benefits will end in April 2020.</p><p> </p><p>A table of benefit and pensions rates pending Parliamentary approval were deposited in the House Library on 29 November 2019 -</p><p><a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 13/01/2020 14:44:58 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1169198

registered interest
date	07/01/2020
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) people and (b) women in work are claiming (i) universal credit and (ii) legacy benefits.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	1078
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2020 answer text <p>The information requested for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit is published and available at:</p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for users is available at:</p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html</a></p><p> </p><p>The numbers of in work families receiving tax credits is published by HMRC at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-and-working-tax-credits-statistics-finalised-annual-awards-2017-to-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-and-working-tax-credits-statistics-finalised-annual-awards-2017-to-2018</a></p><p> </p><p>The information requested on Jobseeker’s Allowance is not readily available and to provide it would incur a disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>The information available for the number of employed individuals that are in receipt of Income Support and Employment and Support Allowance in Great Britain can be found in the following table:</p><p> </p><p><strong>Number of working people that are in receipt of Income Support and Employment and Support Allowance as of May 2019 in Great Britain</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Income Support</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Employment and Support Allowance</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total number of people</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>9,100</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>102,029</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Women only</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>7,800</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>58,318</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Source:</strong> DWP 5% Sample data and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Set (WPLS)</p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><ol><li>Figures for Income Support are rounded to the nearest 100. Figures for Employment and Support Allowance have had disclosure control applied to them. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to the Employment and Support Allowance figures to avoid the release of confidential data. Totals may not sum due to the disclosure control applied.</li></ol><ol><li>For the Income Support we have used the 5% WPLS data. The best statistics on benefits are derived from 100% data sources. However, the 5% sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100% data sources. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5% sample data, the proportions derived should be applied to the overall 100% total for the benefit. This is the methodology used to derive the Income Support figures provided here.</li></ol><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 14/01/2020 14:03:54 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell