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1020873

registered interest
date	07/12/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	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 steps she is taking to ensure that direct payments from universal credit to landlords of rent and arrears continue (a) when a claimant moves from live to full universal credit service and (b) during the managed migration process.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	200161
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2018 answer text <p>When moving from a live service claim to a full service claim on Universal Credit, claimants must re-declare their housing costs and for claimants in Social Rented Sector properties their landlord will need to re-verify their housing costs. The Alternate Payment Arrangements (APAs) that they had on the live service, including a Managed Payment to Landlords (MTPL), will be visible to their Case Manager who will be able to transfer these across once their housing costs have been verified. The claimants next APA review date is also transferred to the Full Service.</p><p> </p><p>Our Trusted Partner scheme allows social landlords to play a key role in engaging with their tenants who are on Universal Credit, helping those who can’t manage their housing payments to access the support available and to help put managed payments in place where appropriate. We are rolling out the scheme alongside the Landlord Portal, which provides social landlords with the ability to submit information directly to the Universal Credit online system, supporting the timely and accurate payment of housing costs to Universal Credit claimants.</p><p> </p><p>Last year we made changes to the guidance to ensure that when Private Sector Housing Benefit claimants move onto Universal Credit, we know whether they had their rent paid directly to their landlord and why. This allows DWP staff to determine whether a managed payment to the landlord for the Universal Credit claim may need to be applied and will prompt a conversation with the claimant. This will be the case for claimants who move over as part of the managed migration process.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants in Scotland may choose to have the relevant housing costs in their award paid directly to their landlord as part of the Universal Credit Scottish Flexibilities. The Universal Credit Scottish Flexibilities are a matter for the Scottish Government as part of the Scotland Act 2016 and is their policy.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 12/12/2018 10:48:50 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1020727

registered interest
date	06/12/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services
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 (a) efficiency and (b) effectiveness of her Department’s call centres.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	199909
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>The Department continuously monitors the efficiency and effectiveness of our telephony centres. We monitor a range of performance areas on a weekly, daily and real-time basis, as well as seeking customers’ feedback of the service and use this for continuous improvement. We also conduct trials and tests to ensure we understand the most optimal model of service delivery, learning iteratively and applying that learning to all parts of our service, including Pensions, Child Maintenance, Disability Services and Universal Credit.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 11/12/2018 13:21:36 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1020729

registered interest
date	06/12/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services
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 improve the performance of customer-facing services provided by her Department in terms of (a) time taken to answer a telephone call and (b) assistance provided.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	199910
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2018 answer text <p>The Department regularly reviews the numbers of people working at key points during our operating hours to ensure we have the right number of people available to answer customer calls. Services and staff training are continually monitored and assessed, both in real time to meet any short term peaks in demand and also reviewed for longer term improvements to ensure the service continues to meet customer service expectation. For example, a recent improvement is the new routed telephony service for Universal Credit Full Service claims, introduced this summer, in which claimants with an existing claim are connected directly to the person or team who are dealing with their case.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is taking a range of steps to improve assistance and accessibility of our services.</p><p> </p><p>- On telephony, the Department is currently reviewing all call scripts and instructions for DWP telephony agents to identify necessary improvements in the assistance given to claimants requesting communications in alternative formats, such as large print, braille and audio. We have also, over the past year, extended the provision of British Sign Language to deaf claimants calling the Department through the Video Relay Service, which connects them to telephony agents via a third party translator.</p><p>- On digital, for example with Universal Credit, in addition to being a 24 hour, seven day a week, digital service, claimants are able to check their Universal Credit benefit payments, notify us of changes and record notes via an online journal facility at a time that suits them. For those requiring help, assistance to access digital service help is available through Universal Support. Assisted Digital Support, which is a component of Universal Support, provides help, support and skills claimants need to make and maintain their digital account online. Further support is offered via training courses which claimants are referred to by their work coaches. Additionally, all Jobcentres across the country have Wi-Fi and computers available for claimants to access the internet and in exceptional circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim.</p><p> </p><p>- The Department has an ongoing programme of improvement in place to ensure that written communications to our customers are as clear and accessible as possible. Additional information and resources are available on all DWP services via the Gov.uk website.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 12/12/2018 15:43:44 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1020730

registered interest
date	06/12/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Appeals
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 ensure that the appeal process works effectively across the full-service universal credit process.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	199911
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2018 answer text <p>While DWP does not administer appeals, this is the responsibility of HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), DWP is initially responsible for ensuring all requests for an appeal are considered. For example, having the original decision reconsidered by a different Decision Maker (a Mandatory Reconsideration). Should the claimant subsequently appeal, on receipt of that appeal from HMCTS, DWP are responsible for checking the decision is correct in law, and considering any further information and evidence provided with the appeal. If the decision remains correct, and cannot be revised after considering any further information provided, DWP prepare an appeal response for HMCTS.</p><p> </p><p>DWP works closely with HMCTS to review the outcome of appeal hearings and whether any internal improvements are necessary. Combined with Universal Credit Full Service internal assurance activities, this supports ongoing improvements with feedback provided to colleagues responsible for the end-to-end customer journey.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 13/12/2018 16:53:10 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1020731

registered interest
date	06/12/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	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 steps she is taking to ensure that people who (a) cannot access the internet and (b) are not allowed to access the internet can claim universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	199912
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>Most people claiming Universal Credit will be able to access and navigate the internet, to make and maintain their Universal Credit account. Our published Universal Credit Claimant Survey found that 98 per cent of claimants did claim online, and the majority of those said they found the claim process overall to be straightforward. However, we recognise that some people will need help.</p><p> </p><p>For those requiring help, assistance is available through Universal Support. On 1 October 2018 we announced the Department’s new partnership with Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, who will fully deliver Universal Support from April 2019. This partnership will ensure we are offering a consistent approach nationally for our most vulnerable customers.</p><p> </p><p>Assisted Digital Support, which is a component of Universal Support, provides help, support and skills claimants need to make and maintain their digital account online. Further support is offered via training courses which claimants are referred to by their work coaches.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, all jobcentres across the country have Wi-Fi and computers available for claimants to access the internet. For those few that are still unable to access or use digital services, or are not able to travel, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available via the Freephone Universal Credit helpline. The Universal Credit Service Centre will establish the best means of support available, and in exceptional circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 199801 question first answered 11/12/2018 18:06:43 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1020732

registered interest
date	06/12/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Housing
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 remove the non-dependent deduction from universal credit housing costs for people aged over 21 who are students.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	199913
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>A student aged 21, whose circumstances require that a housing costs contribution is applied and is not in an exemption category, will likely be receiving a student loan or grant for daily maintenance and so has funds to make a contribution toward their accommodation costs. It is right that the student, aged 21 or over makes a contribution toward these costs.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 11/12/2018 12:30:47 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1020733

registered interest
date	06/12/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Mental Illness
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 ensure universal credit claimants who suffer from mental health issues are adequately supported during the managed migration process.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	199914
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>The Department is committed to delivering managed migration in a way that supports all claimants, including those with mental health issues, as they transition onto Universal Credit. Managed migration will begin in 2019 with a lengthy and robust period of at least a year to learn and adapt and ensure our processes are working well before we begin to migrate at scale. We are working closely with a large and diverse number of stakeholders, including those who focus on mental health issues and are seeking their input on the design of the managed migration process to ensure that vulnerable claimants are fully supported.</p><p> </p><p>The draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration) Regulations 2018, which were laid before Parliament on 5 November 2018, provide the flexibility necessary to support this collaborative design process. These regulations are essential to ensuring that all claimants, including those with mental health issues, migrate onto Universal Credit smoothly.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 11/12/2018 13:30:31 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1019506

registered interest
date	03/12/2018
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	European Development Fund
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress she has made on her Department's plans for the future financial relationship with the European Development Fund (a) beyond the current funding cycle and (b) after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	198355
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2018 answer text <p>The EU is currently considering merging the EDF into a broader instrument for the period of the next EU budget cycle and the UK is party to those discussions. In the future, the UK is open to contributing to the EU’s development programmes where it is in the UK and EU’s mutual interest and meets joint objectives. A condition of any future UK contribution would be that UK organisations must be eligible to implement programmes we choose to fund.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 10/12/2018 17:25:08 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1019508

registered interest
date	03/12/2018
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	European Development Fund
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK-based organisations that access funds from the European Development Fund will have access to alternative funding after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	198356
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2018 answer text <p>Under a future partnership, any UK financial contribution to EU programmes would require eligibility for UK entities to bid for and implement relevant programmes. DFID continues to regularly consult stakeholders regarding any issues they faced with regards to access to EU funding.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 06/12/2018 17:48:40 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1019509

registered interest
date	03/12/2018
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	EU Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with representatives of UK-based organisations on access to funding from the EU Development Cooperation Instrument after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	198357
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2018 answer text <p>DFID continues to regularly consult stakeholders regarding any issues they faced with regards to access to EU funding. Under a future partnership, any UK financial contribution to EU programmes would require eligibility for UK entities to bid for and implement relevant programmes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 06/12/2018 17:50:24 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden