Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1283982

registered interest
date	04/02/2021
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	Disability: 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 the government is taking to support disabled people affected by the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	149237
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting disabled people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on disabled people using existing and new data sources.</p><p> </p><p>We are ensuring that disabled people continue to have access to employment support, disability benefits, financial support; food, medicines, as well as accessible communications and updated guidance.</p><p> </p><p>We are clear that consideration of equality impacts must be integral in all key policy decisions. All equality and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The Cabinet Office Disability Unit works with disability stakeholders and across Government Departments to ensure that the needs of disabled people are considered in the Government’s response to COVID-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will publish the National Strategy for Disabled People this year taking into account the impacts of the pandemic on disabled people. The strategy will focus on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects of life.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 149238 149299 question first answered 09/02/2021 13:44:10 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1283983

registered interest
date	04/02/2021
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	Disability: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on disabled people.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	149238
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting disabled people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on disabled people using existing and new data sources.</p><p> </p><p>We are ensuring that disabled people continue to have access to employment support, disability benefits, financial support; food, medicines, as well as accessible communications and updated guidance.</p><p> </p><p>We are clear that consideration of equality impacts must be integral in all key policy decisions. All equality and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The Cabinet Office Disability Unit works with disability stakeholders and across Government Departments to ensure that the needs of disabled people are considered in the Government’s response to COVID-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will publish the National Strategy for Disabled People this year taking into account the impacts of the pandemic on disabled people. The strategy will focus on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects of life.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 149237 149299 question first answered 09/02/2021 13:44:10 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1284045

registered interest
date	04/02/2021
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: 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 the Disability Unit has made of the potential merits of extending the £20 uplift to legacy benefit claimants.
tabling member constituency	Na h-Eileanan an Iar
tabling member printed	Angus Brendan MacNeil
uin	149186
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting disabled people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The temporary Universal Credit Standard Allowance uplift was introduced to support those facing the most financial disruption due to the pandemic. There are no plans to extend this temporary uplift to legacy benefits. Claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for Universal Credit if they believe that they will be better off.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants should check their eligibility before applying to Universal Credit as legacy benefits will end when they submit their claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future. For this reason, prospective claimants are signposted to independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK. There are special arrangements for those in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium, who are now able to make a new claim to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will publish the National Strategy for Disabled People this year taking into account the impacts of the pandemic on disabled people. The strategy will focus on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects of life.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 09/02/2021 13:40:27 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	1546 label Biography information for Angus Brendan MacNeil

1284063

registered interest
date	04/02/2021
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	Disability: Coronavirus
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 recent ONS finding that almost three in five people who have died from covid-19 were disabled, what assessment the Disability Unit has made of the potential merits of a package of emergency support for disabled people.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	149299
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting disabled people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on disabled people using existing and new data sources.</p><p> </p><p>We are ensuring that disabled people continue to have access to employment support, disability benefits, financial support; food, medicines, as well as accessible communications and updated guidance.</p><p> </p><p>We are clear that consideration of equality impacts must be integral in all key policy decisions. All equality and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The Cabinet Office Disability Unit works with disability stakeholders and across Government Departments to ensure that the needs of disabled people are considered in the Government’s response to COVID-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will publish the National Strategy for Disabled People this year taking into account the impacts of the pandemic on disabled people. The strategy will focus on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects of life.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 149237 149238 question first answered 09/02/2021 13:44:10 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1284064

registered interest
date	04/02/2021
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	Disability: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Disability Unit has made of the potential merits of prioritising disabled people who are shielding for covid-19 vaccinations.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	149300
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>The Cabinet Office Disability Unit works with disability stakeholders and across Government Departments to ensure that the needs of disabled people are considered in the Government’s response to COVID-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is clear that consideration of equality impacts must be integral in all key policy decisions, and that all equality and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation’s (JCVI) advice of 30 December placed “the clinically extremely vulnerable” (which includes those on the Shielded Patient List) and “all individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality” at number 4 and 6 respectively on the priority list for phase 1 of the vaccination roll out.</p><p> </p><p>Those definitions will apply to many people who are disabled, which has given many welcome assurance that they are being given priority status befitting the higher risks they face.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 09/02/2021 15:52:53 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1284065

registered interest
date	04/02/2021
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 Services: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Disability Unit has made of the potential merits of introducing emergency funding for disabled children’s social care.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	149301
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting disabled people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak including disabled children.</p><p> </p><p>The Cabinet Office Disability Unit works with disability stakeholders and across Government Departments to ensure that the needs of disabled people are considered in the Government’s response to COVID-19.</p><p> </p><p>On 19 May 2020 the Government announced £37.3 million for the Family Fund to help over 75,000 low-income families raising children who are disabled or seriously ill, including £10 million specifically in response to the pandemic. Details of the announcement have been published here:<br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/37-million-to-support-children-with-complex-needs" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/37-million-to-support-children-with-complex-needs</a></p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, the Government has provided £3.2 billion of additional to support local authorities to address any pressures they are facing in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including in children’s social care and for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services.</p><p> </p><p>We will publish the National Strategy for Disabled People this year taking into account the impacts of the pandemic on disabled people. The strategy will focus on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects of life.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 09/02/2021 15:56:53 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1284185

registered interest
date	04/02/2021
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, how many people have had their payment of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) limited capability for work-related activity component of universal credit delayed since March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	149168
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants do not have to wait for a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) before they can be paid Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit (UC). They receive an assessment rate of ESA or a Standard Allowance of UC while their claim is being assessed.</p><p> </p><p>For both ESA and UC, claimants will remain on the assessment rate or Standard Allowance award until the evidence needed to make a recommendation has been gathered (or until their benefit is due to end in contributory ESA). Any additional amounts the claimant may qualify for after their assessment will be backdated to ensure no long-term loss.</p><p> </p><p>Statistics on WCAs for ESA by month of claim start to March 2020 for initial assessment outcomes, including those still in progress, assessment outcome by month of decision to June 2020, and clearance times for initial claims by month of clearance to June 2020, are published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-january-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-january-2021</a></p><p> </p><p>Statistics on WCAs for UC are currently under development for future publication and have not previously been published as official statistics. We will issue them in due course as an official statistics release in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. Whilst the initial statistics will not have median clearance times, these will be developed for publication in due course.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 149169 question first answered 09/02/2021 13:37:39 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1284187

registered interest
date	04/02/2021
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: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of a delay for payment of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) limited capability for work-related activity component of universal credit has been since March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	149169
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants do not have to wait for a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) before they can be paid Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit (UC). They receive an assessment rate of ESA or a Standard Allowance of UC while their claim is being assessed.</p><p> </p><p>For both ESA and UC, claimants will remain on the assessment rate or Standard Allowance award until the evidence needed to make a recommendation has been gathered (or until their benefit is due to end in contributory ESA). Any additional amounts the claimant may qualify for after their assessment will be backdated to ensure no long-term loss.</p><p> </p><p>Statistics on WCAs for ESA by month of claim start to March 2020 for initial assessment outcomes, including those still in progress, assessment outcome by month of decision to June 2020, and clearance times for initial claims by month of clearance to June 2020, are published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-january-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-january-2021</a></p><p> </p><p>Statistics on WCAs for UC are currently under development for future publication and have not previously been published as official statistics. We will issue them in due course as an official statistics release in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. Whilst the initial statistics will not have median clearance times, these will be developed for publication in due course.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 149168 question first answered 09/02/2021 13:37:39 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1283421

registered interest
date	03/02/2021
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: Terminal Illnesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she will allocate funding to implement the Department for Work and Pensions’ proposals on access to benefits for people with a terminal illness.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	148922
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to delivering improvements to the benefit system for claimants that are nearing the end of their lives and is working across Government to bring forward proposals following the evaluation.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 09/02/2021 13:48:38 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1283489

registered interest
date	03/02/2021
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: 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 the Disability Unit has made of the potential merits of extending the £20 uplift to universal credit to legacy benefit claimants.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	148832
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting disabled people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The temporary Universal Credit Standard Allowance uplift was introduced to support those facing the most financial disruption due to the pandemic. There are no plans to extend this temporary uplift to legacy benefits. Claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for Universal Credit if they believe that they will be better off.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants should check their eligibility before applying to Universal Credit as legacy benefits will end when they submit their claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future. For this reason, prospective claimants are signposted to independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK. There are special arrangements for those in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium, who are now able to make a new claim to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will publish the National Strategy for Disabled People this year taking into account the impacts of the pandemic on disabled people. The strategy will focus on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects of life.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 08/02/2021 15:46:09 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows