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454067

registered interest
date	23/02/2016
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	National Insurance Contributions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of businesses which are planning to pass on the increase in their National Insurance contributions from April 2016 to their employees.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	27981
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2016 answer text <p>The Department does not currently collect this information.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 28010 question first answered 02/03/2016 16:37:29 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands

454332

registered interest
date	23/02/2016
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	Workplace Pensions: National Insurance Contributions
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 Schedule 14 and Section 24 of the Pension Act 2014, how many employees have been affected by the introduction of the statutory over-ride which provides for employers who sponsor contracted-out occupational pensions schemes to pass on increases in national insurance contributions to employees.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	28010
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2016 answer text <p>The Department does not currently collect this information.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 27981 question first answered 02/03/2016 16:37:29 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands

450820

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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: Debt Collection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on using debt collection agencies in each of the last seven years.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	25955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2016 answer text <p>The Department’s policy is to recover outstanding debt whenever possible. Where a person is not in receipt of benefit and all the Department’s attempts at recovery have been unsuccessful, the overpayment will be referred to a debt collection agency. The debtor is always given an opportunity to make an agreement to pay the Department before the debt is sent to a debt collection agency to recover.</p><p> </p><p>With the exception of one service provider currently being used by the Child Maintenance Group, the Department does not hold extant, direct contracts with any debt collection agencies although the nature of some of the expired contracts means that a number of collections are still being made. DWP now makes use of one main contract with Indesser. The Framework Contract is managed by Cabinet Office. Indesser manage relationships with a number of Debt Collection Agencies on behalf of all Government Customers.</p><p> </p><p>Under the terms of the Framework Agreement, Indesser and its sub-contractors must comply with relevant industry and public sector standards for service delivery including those of the Credit Services Association, the Code of Practice and the Financial Conduct Authority guidelines. The standards are listed in the DMI Framework Agreement. Indesser reviews subcontractor compliance with these standards through audit and assurance activity, including responsibility for ensuring that they comply with relevant industry standards, managing their performance, and monitoring any complaints. Customer departments (i.e. DWP) in turn receive Letters of Assurance which they review to ensure standards are being achieved and the audits are effective.</p><p> </p><p>The breakdown of figures you have requested is derived from operational processes and systems designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As it was not originally intended for publication, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.</p><p> </p><p>The debt collection agency costs of the Child Maintenance Group and DWP are given separately. Please note that the figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000.</p><p> </p><p>The cost to the DWP of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Spend</p></td><td><p>Recoveries</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>£1.59m</p></td><td><p>£8.50m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>£1.33m</p></td><td><p>£9.77m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>£2.11m</p></td><td><p>£13.94m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>£1.95m</p></td><td><p>£14.15m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>£2.12m</p></td><td><p>£15.00m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/2015</p></td><td><p>£2.52m</p></td><td><p>£17.30m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/2016*</p></td><td><p>£1.64m</p></td><td><p>£11.05m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>*to date</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The cost to Child Maintenance Group of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Spend</p></td><td><p>Recoveries</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>£1.25m</p></td><td><p>£10.20m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>£0.56m</p></td><td><p>£4.68m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>£0.35m</p></td><td><p>£1.35m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>£0.21m</p></td><td><p>£1.71m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>£0.05m</p></td><td><p>£1.21m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/2015</p></td><td><p>£0.10m</p></td><td><p>£0.86m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/2016 to date</p></td><td><p>£0.07m</p></td><td><p>£0.53m</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 25949 25951 25952 25953 question first answered 12/02/2016 14:15:16 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands

450821

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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: Debt Collection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with how many debt collection agencies his Department has a contract.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	25949
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2016 answer text <p>The Department’s policy is to recover outstanding debt whenever possible. Where a person is not in receipt of benefit and all the Department’s attempts at recovery have been unsuccessful, the overpayment will be referred to a debt collection agency. The debtor is always given an opportunity to make an agreement to pay the Department before the debt is sent to a debt collection agency to recover.</p><p> </p><p>With the exception of one service provider currently being used by the Child Maintenance Group, the Department does not hold extant, direct contracts with any debt collection agencies although the nature of some of the expired contracts means that a number of collections are still being made. DWP now makes use of one main contract with Indesser. The Framework Contract is managed by Cabinet Office. Indesser manage relationships with a number of Debt Collection Agencies on behalf of all Government Customers.</p><p> </p><p>Under the terms of the Framework Agreement, Indesser and its sub-contractors must comply with relevant industry and public sector standards for service delivery including those of the Credit Services Association, the Code of Practice and the Financial Conduct Authority guidelines. The standards are listed in the DMI Framework Agreement. Indesser reviews subcontractor compliance with these standards through audit and assurance activity, including responsibility for ensuring that they comply with relevant industry standards, managing their performance, and monitoring any complaints. Customer departments (i.e. DWP) in turn receive Letters of Assurance which they review to ensure standards are being achieved and the audits are effective.</p><p> </p><p>The breakdown of figures you have requested is derived from operational processes and systems designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As it was not originally intended for publication, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.</p><p> </p><p>The debt collection agency costs of the Child Maintenance Group and DWP are given separately. Please note that the figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000.</p><p> </p><p>The cost to the DWP of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Spend</p></td><td><p>Recoveries</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>£1.59m</p></td><td><p>£8.50m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>£1.33m</p></td><td><p>£9.77m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>£2.11m</p></td><td><p>£13.94m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>£1.95m</p></td><td><p>£14.15m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>£2.12m</p></td><td><p>£15.00m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/2015</p></td><td><p>£2.52m</p></td><td><p>£17.30m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/2016*</p></td><td><p>£1.64m</p></td><td><p>£11.05m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>*to date</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The cost to Child Maintenance Group of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Spend</p></td><td><p>Recoveries</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>£1.25m</p></td><td><p>£10.20m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>£0.56m</p></td><td><p>£4.68m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>£0.35m</p></td><td><p>£1.35m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>£0.21m</p></td><td><p>£1.71m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>£0.05m</p></td><td><p>£1.21m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/2015</p></td><td><p>£0.10m</p></td><td><p>£0.86m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/2016 to date</p></td><td><p>£0.07m</p></td><td><p>£0.53m</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 25951 25952 25953 25955 question first answered 12/02/2016 14:15:15 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands

450822

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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: Debt Collection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department regulates the activities of debt collection agencies during the period that they are under contract with his Department.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	25951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2016 answer text <p>The Department’s policy is to recover outstanding debt whenever possible. Where a person is not in receipt of benefit and all the Department’s attempts at recovery have been unsuccessful, the overpayment will be referred to a debt collection agency. The debtor is always given an opportunity to make an agreement to pay the Department before the debt is sent to a debt collection agency to recover.</p><p> </p><p>With the exception of one service provider currently being used by the Child Maintenance Group, the Department does not hold extant, direct contracts with any debt collection agencies although the nature of some of the expired contracts means that a number of collections are still being made. DWP now makes use of one main contract with Indesser. The Framework Contract is managed by Cabinet Office. Indesser manage relationships with a number of Debt Collection Agencies on behalf of all Government Customers.</p><p> </p><p>Under the terms of the Framework Agreement, Indesser and its sub-contractors must comply with relevant industry and public sector standards for service delivery including those of the Credit Services Association, the Code of Practice and the Financial Conduct Authority guidelines. The standards are listed in the DMI Framework Agreement. Indesser reviews subcontractor compliance with these standards through audit and assurance activity, including responsibility for ensuring that they comply with relevant industry standards, managing their performance, and monitoring any complaints. Customer departments (i.e. DWP) in turn receive Letters of Assurance which they review to ensure standards are being achieved and the audits are effective.</p><p> </p><p>The breakdown of figures you have requested is derived from operational processes and systems designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As it was not originally intended for publication, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.</p><p> </p><p>The debt collection agency costs of the Child Maintenance Group and DWP are given separately. Please note that the figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000.</p><p> </p><p>The cost to the DWP of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Spend</p></td><td><p>Recoveries</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>£1.59m</p></td><td><p>£8.50m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>£1.33m</p></td><td><p>£9.77m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>£2.11m</p></td><td><p>£13.94m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>£1.95m</p></td><td><p>£14.15m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>£2.12m</p></td><td><p>£15.00m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/2015</p></td><td><p>£2.52m</p></td><td><p>£17.30m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/2016*</p></td><td><p>£1.64m</p></td><td><p>£11.05m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>*to date</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The cost to Child Maintenance Group of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Spend</p></td><td><p>Recoveries</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>£1.25m</p></td><td><p>£10.20m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>£0.56m</p></td><td><p>£4.68m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>£0.35m</p></td><td><p>£1.35m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>£0.21m</p></td><td><p>£1.71m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>£0.05m</p></td><td><p>£1.21m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/2015</p></td><td><p>£0.10m</p></td><td><p>£0.86m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/2016 to date</p></td><td><p>£0.07m</p></td><td><p>£0.53m</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 25949 25952 25953 25955 question first answered 12/02/2016 14:15:15 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands

450823

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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: Debt Collection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on using debt collection agencies for collection of outstanding payments.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	25952
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2016 answer text <p>The Department’s policy is to recover outstanding debt whenever possible. Where a person is not in receipt of benefit and all the Department’s attempts at recovery have been unsuccessful, the overpayment will be referred to a debt collection agency. The debtor is always given an opportunity to make an agreement to pay the Department before the debt is sent to a debt collection agency to recover.</p><p> </p><p>With the exception of one service provider currently being used by the Child Maintenance Group, the Department does not hold extant, direct contracts with any debt collection agencies although the nature of some of the expired contracts means that a number of collections are still being made. DWP now makes use of one main contract with Indesser. The Framework Contract is managed by Cabinet Office. Indesser manage relationships with a number of Debt Collection Agencies on behalf of all Government Customers.</p><p> </p><p>Under the terms of the Framework Agreement, Indesser and its sub-contractors must comply with relevant industry and public sector standards for service delivery including those of the Credit Services Association, the Code of Practice and the Financial Conduct Authority guidelines. The standards are listed in the DMI Framework Agreement. Indesser reviews subcontractor compliance with these standards through audit and assurance activity, including responsibility for ensuring that they comply with relevant industry standards, managing their performance, and monitoring any complaints. Customer departments (i.e. DWP) in turn receive Letters of Assurance which they review to ensure standards are being achieved and the audits are effective.</p><p> </p><p>The breakdown of figures you have requested is derived from operational processes and systems designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As it was not originally intended for publication, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.</p><p> </p><p>The debt collection agency costs of the Child Maintenance Group and DWP are given separately. Please note that the figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000.</p><p> </p><p>The cost to the DWP of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Spend</p></td><td><p>Recoveries</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>£1.59m</p></td><td><p>£8.50m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>£1.33m</p></td><td><p>£9.77m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>£2.11m</p></td><td><p>£13.94m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>£1.95m</p></td><td><p>£14.15m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>£2.12m</p></td><td><p>£15.00m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/2015</p></td><td><p>£2.52m</p></td><td><p>£17.30m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/2016*</p></td><td><p>£1.64m</p></td><td><p>£11.05m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>*to date</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The cost to Child Maintenance Group of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Spend</p></td><td><p>Recoveries</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>£1.25m</p></td><td><p>£10.20m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>£0.56m</p></td><td><p>£4.68m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>£0.35m</p></td><td><p>£1.35m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>£0.21m</p></td><td><p>£1.71m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>£0.05m</p></td><td><p>£1.21m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/2015</p></td><td><p>£0.10m</p></td><td><p>£0.86m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/2016 to date</p></td><td><p>£0.07m</p></td><td><p>£0.53m</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 25949 25951 25953 25955 question first answered 12/02/2016 14:15:16 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands

450824

registered interest
date	04/02/2016
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: Debt Collection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment of the ethical standards of debt collection agencies his Department undertakes before entering into a contract with such agencies.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	25953
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2016 answer text <p>The Department’s policy is to recover outstanding debt whenever possible. Where a person is not in receipt of benefit and all the Department’s attempts at recovery have been unsuccessful, the overpayment will be referred to a debt collection agency. The debtor is always given an opportunity to make an agreement to pay the Department before the debt is sent to a debt collection agency to recover.</p><p> </p><p>With the exception of one service provider currently being used by the Child Maintenance Group, the Department does not hold extant, direct contracts with any debt collection agencies although the nature of some of the expired contracts means that a number of collections are still being made. DWP now makes use of one main contract with Indesser. The Framework Contract is managed by Cabinet Office. Indesser manage relationships with a number of Debt Collection Agencies on behalf of all Government Customers.</p><p> </p><p>Under the terms of the Framework Agreement, Indesser and its sub-contractors must comply with relevant industry and public sector standards for service delivery including those of the Credit Services Association, the Code of Practice and the Financial Conduct Authority guidelines. The standards are listed in the DMI Framework Agreement. Indesser reviews subcontractor compliance with these standards through audit and assurance activity, including responsibility for ensuring that they comply with relevant industry standards, managing their performance, and monitoring any complaints. Customer departments (i.e. DWP) in turn receive Letters of Assurance which they review to ensure standards are being achieved and the audits are effective.</p><p> </p><p>The breakdown of figures you have requested is derived from operational processes and systems designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As it was not originally intended for publication, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.</p><p> </p><p>The debt collection agency costs of the Child Maintenance Group and DWP are given separately. Please note that the figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000.</p><p> </p><p>The cost to the DWP of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Spend</p></td><td><p>Recoveries</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>£1.59m</p></td><td><p>£8.50m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>£1.33m</p></td><td><p>£9.77m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>£2.11m</p></td><td><p>£13.94m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>£1.95m</p></td><td><p>£14.15m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>£2.12m</p></td><td><p>£15.00m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/2015</p></td><td><p>£2.52m</p></td><td><p>£17.30m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/2016*</p></td><td><p>£1.64m</p></td><td><p>£11.05m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>*to date</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The cost to Child Maintenance Group of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Spend</p></td><td><p>Recoveries</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>£1.25m</p></td><td><p>£10.20m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>£0.56m</p></td><td><p>£4.68m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>£0.35m</p></td><td><p>£1.35m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>£0.21m</p></td><td><p>£1.71m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>£0.05m</p></td><td><p>£1.21m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/2015</p></td><td><p>£0.10m</p></td><td><p>£0.86m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/2016 to date</p></td><td><p>£0.07m</p></td><td><p>£0.53m</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 25949 25951 25952 25955 question first answered 12/02/2016 14:15:16 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands

431804

registered interest
date	23/11/2015
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	Personal Independence Payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on the maximum travelling time for applicants to personal independence payment assessments; and what proportion of such assessments have complied with that maximum time in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	17197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2015 answer text <p><strong></strong></p><p>The requirement placed on the providers delivering Personal Independence Payment assessments is that claimants are not expected to travel more than 90 minutes by public transport to attend assessments. We expect them to minimise travel times wherever possible but, in scheduling appointments, they need to balance both keeping journey times down and ensuring claimants are assessed in a reasonable time period. To increase capacity and reduce journey times the providers have been opening new assessment centres across the country.</p><br /><p>The information requested about the proportion of such assessments having complied with the maximum time in the last 12 months is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 30/11/2015 13:07:54 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands

431415

registered interest
date	20/11/2015
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	Personal Independence Payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what alternative options his Department offers to personal independence payment (PIP) applicants unable to travel to PIP assessment centres.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	17141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2015 answer text <p>Claimants attending an assessment by public or personal transport can claim back their travel costs. Where public transport is unavailable or the claimant is unable to use it, the claimant can contact their assessment provider to ask if taxi-fares would be payable for their journey.</p><br /><p>Alternatively, the option of a face-to-face consultation in the claimant’s home is available if the claimant indicates that they are unfit to travel to a consultation or where travel would require high levels of support.</p><br /> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 17132 question first answered 26/11/2015 17:35:23 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands

431416

registered interest
date	20/11/2015
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	Personal Independence Payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department offers to enable personal independence payment (PIP) applicants to attend PIP assessment centres.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	17132
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2015 answer text <p>Claimants attending an assessment by public or personal transport can claim back their travel costs. Where public transport is unavailable or the claimant is unable to use it, the claimant can contact their assessment provider to ask if taxi-fares would be payable for their journey.</p><br /><p>Alternatively, the option of a face-to-face consultation in the claimant’s home is available if the claimant indicates that they are unfit to travel to a consultation or where travel would require high levels of support.</p><br /> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 17141 question first answered 26/11/2015 17:35:23 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands