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1656575

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
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: Neurodiversity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to provide additional support to people in the workplace with clinical neurodiversity conditions.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	197077
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2023 answer text <p>We continue to strive towards providing more support for people in the workplace with clinical neurodiversity conditions. On 2 April 2023, World Autism Acceptance Day, we announced the launch of a new review into autism and employment. The Buckland Review, which is being led by the Rt Hon Member for South Swindon, is focused on supporting employers to recruit and retain autistic people, identifying barriers to this, and developing ways to overcome those barriers. Whilst the Review's primary focus is autism, many of the adjustments and initiatives that would benefit autistic people could also benefit a wider group of people who think differently, including those with other neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. The review will present recommendations to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions later this year.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 197095 question first answered 07/09/2023 14:09:08 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1656593

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
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: Neurodiversity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support people in the workplace with clinical neurodiversity conditions.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	197095
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2023 answer text <p>We continue to strive towards providing more support for people in the workplace with clinical neurodiversity conditions. On 2 April 2023, World Autism Acceptance Day, we announced the launch of a new review into autism and employment. The Buckland Review, which is being led by the Rt Hon Member for South Swindon, is focused on supporting employers to recruit and retain autistic people, identifying barriers to this, and developing ways to overcome those barriers. Whilst the Review's primary focus is autism, many of the adjustments and initiatives that would benefit autistic people could also benefit a wider group of people who think differently, including those with other neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. The review will present recommendations to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions later this year.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove grouped question UIN 197077 question first answered 07/09/2023 14:09:08 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1656803

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
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	Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to support the Royal British Legion Credit their Service campaign.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	197182
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2023 answer text <p>The department has had a number of discussions with stakeholders about the treatment of armed forces compensation payments in the benefit system and has further such discussions planned. There are already special rules in place for the treatment of these payments.</p><p>Those receiving War Disablement Pensions and guaranteed income payments made under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme do not have their Universal Credit reduced to take account of this income. Pension Credit includes a weekly £10 disregard for War Pension payments. There are no plans to change these arrangements.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 196580 question first answered 11/09/2023 14:41:58 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1641256

registered interest
date	02/06/2023
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 Maintenance Service
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve the service being offered by the Child Maintenance Service.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	187290
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2023 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) can play an effective role in helping lift children out of poverty. Through both family-based arrangements (FBAs) and CMS arrangements, we estimate receiving parents in separated families received £2.6 billion annually in child maintenance payments in the three financial years ending 2020 to 2022. Overall, we estimate that on average these payments kept 160,000 children out of absolute low income on an after-housing costs basis each year.</p><p> </p><p>The CMS is focussed on taking pro-active steps to improve the service being offered to both potential customers and those already in the service.</p><p> </p><p>In 2022 the CMS introduced a new digital service ‘Get Help arranging Child Maintenance’ (GHACHM). GHACM is a digital service, available 24/7, making it more accessible for customers.</p><p> </p><p>The majority of applications are now made online. Expanded payment functions via telephony and online services have also helped to provide more options to parents.</p><p> </p><p>CMS has made significant improvements in their telephony service and internal management information suggests the average time to answer calls has reduced by a third since 2021/22.</p><p> </p><p>The CMS recently piloted ‘Real Time Customer Feedback’ on behalf of the department to better understand customer experience.</p><p>A Private Members’ Bill (PMB) to streamline CMS enforcement, being taken forward by Siobhan Baillie, is currently ongoing working towards a third reading in the House of Lords. The PMB removes the requirement to make court applications for liability orders which enable the CMS to progress with enforcement action, thus improving the efficiency of the enforcement process.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 12/06/2023 15:42:41 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1612515

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
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: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to tackle benefit fraud.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	181805
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2023 answer text <p>Our Fraud Plan, Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System, published on 19 May 2022, sets out our approach and explains how additional investment is allowing us to recruit 1,400 more staff into our counter-fraud teams and develop enhanced data analytics as a means of preventing and detecting fraud and error.</p><p>Additionally, we are creating a dedicated team to deliver Targeted Case Reviews of existing Universal Credit claims. This supports wider Government aims of strong oversight and control and efficiently managing the public purse. Over the next five years we expect to review over 2 million potentially high-risk claims, including suspicious cases which entered our system at the height of the pandemic.</p><p>More information on our Fraud Plan, which also explains our ambition to modernise and strengthen our legislative framework, can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fighting-fraud-in-the-welfare-system/fighting-fraud-in-the-welfare-system--2" target="_blank">Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 26/04/2023 11:24:43 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1586403

registered interest
date	17/02/2023
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	Pensioners: Christmas Bonus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ending the annual £10 Christmas bonus to pensioners and allocating the money saved elsewhere in order to alleviate current budgetary pressures.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	147218
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2023 answer text <p>The Christmas Bonus is an annual, tax-free lump sum payment to pensioners and to working age people who are in receipt of certain qualifying benefits during the relevant week which is usually the first full week in December. The Government remains committed to providing support to pensioners and others who receive the payments and has no current plans to revise the arrangements.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Laura Trott question first answered 22/02/2023 12:42:00 answering member 4780 label Biography information for Laura Trott
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1524721

registered interest
date	20/10/2022
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	Carers: Unpaid Work
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 her Department has made of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for Carers Allowance to a larger number of unpaid carers; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of unpaid care work on the (a) physical and (b) mental health of women.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	68028
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2022 answer text <p>The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person.</p><p> </p><p>Entitlement to Carer's Allowance depends on certain conditions relating to the circumstances of both the disabled person and the carer being satisfied. The carer must provide a minimum of 35 hours care a week for the disabled person who must be receiving a qualifying disability benefit. The carer must be aged 16 or over; should not be in full-time education; or receiving earnings above £132 a week, net after the deduction of certain allowances. In 2020/21, 850,000 people were in receipt of the Allowance, an increase of nearly 300,000 since 2010/11.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to Carer’s Allowance, carers on low incomes can claim income-related benefits, such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit. These benefits can be paid to carers at a higher rate than those without caring responsibilities through the carer element and the additional amount for carers respectively. Currently, the Universal Credit carer element is £168.81 per monthly assessment period, and the additional amount for carers in Pension Credit is £38.85 per week.</p><p> </p><p>Since April 2010, carers who do not get Carer's Allowance have been able to apply for National Insurance carer's credits if they are caring for one or more disabled people for at least 20 hours a week. These are Class 3 credits which can help towards the conditions of entitlement to the new State Pension and Widowed Parent’s Allowance.</p><p> </p><p>Carer’s Allowance is devolved to the Scottish Parliament and will, in due course be replaced by Scottish Government provision. Carer’s Allowance is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises that caring is not always easy or straightforward. There is a wide variety in caring circumstances, experiences and needs among unpaid carers. In England, the Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable high-quality care and support services, including support for unpaid carers and local authorities are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer. There is similar provision in Scotland and in Wales.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 27/10/2022 13:58:02 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1464908

registered interest
date	23/05/2022
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: Way to Work Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people who have moved off Universal Credit and into work as a result of the Way to Work campaign.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	6950
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>As of 22 May, we estimate that at least 347,300 unemployed Universal Credit claimants have moved into work during the Way to Work Campaign between 31 January and the end of 22 May 2022.</p><p> </p><p>This total figure is composed of our into work measure to the end of April (over 297,500) and our internal management information for up to 22 May (49,800). Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. These numbers will be higher than previously reported as it can take a number of weeks before all movements into work show in the data.</p><p> </p><p>The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency and timeliness.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 26/05/2022 11:00:19 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1464909

registered interest
date	23/05/2022
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 Pensions
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 help people understand their personal pensions.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	6951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/05/2022 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is currently introducing several initiatives to assist people in understanding their pensions.</p><p> </p><p>The Stronger Nudge to pensions guidance regulations, coming into force on 01 June 2022, ensure no-one will be able to access their savings through pension freedoms without having received Pension Wise guidance or opted out. As part of this, schemes will offer to book of a Pension Wise appointment for the member as part of the application process, removing the inertia introduced by members having to book their own appointment.</p><p> </p><p>From October this year, new regulations come into force that require defined contribution schemes used for automatic enrolment to send simpler, 2-page maximum, statements to members. These short, simpler statements will give savers the key information they need to be able to better engage with and understand their pensions. They will help people plan for the retirement they want.</p><p> </p><p>DWP published a consultation on the draft regulations for Pensions Dashboards, which closed on 13 March 2022. Following publication of its response, expected this summer, the department will lay regulations for dashboards when parliamentary time allows. Pensions dashboards can help make accessing pensions information easier by empowering people to see what they have in their various pensions, including their State Pension, at the touch of a button on their smartphone, laptop or computer at home. This will put the saver in control and help reconnect people with their lost pension pots, transforming how people think and plan for their retirement.</p><p> </p><p>DWP regulates for trust-based workplace pensions. Individual and other personal pensions within the contract-based market are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 27/05/2022 11:48:26 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1464910

registered interest
date	23/05/2022
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: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made on increasing the number of disabled people in work by one million between 2017 and 2027.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	6952
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>In 2017 the Government set a goal to see a million more disabled people in employment between 2017 and 2027. The latest figures released for Q1 (January to March) 2022 show that between Q1 2017 and Q1 2022 the number of disabled people in employment increased by 1.3m – meaning the goal has been met after five years.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 26/05/2022 15:58:18 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers