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1716118

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
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: Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of unpaid carers receiving Carer’s Allowance are caring for someone who receives Personal Independence Payment.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	24888
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The latest readily available statistics from November 2023 show 145,156 unpaid carers were claiming Carer’s Allowance in England and Wales were also receiving Personal Independence Payment. This data is available on Stat X-plore <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/dataCatalogueExplorer.xhtml" target="_blank">here.</a></p><p> </p><p>These statistics show 486,123 people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance in England and Wales were caring for someone in receipt of a Personal Independence Payment, which was 54% of the Carer’s Allowance in receipt caseload.</p><p> </p><p><em>Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.  </em></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 24889 question first answered 15/05/2024 16:02:42 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1716119

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
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: Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unpaid carers receiving Carer’s Allowance are in receipt of Personal Independence Payment.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	24889
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>The latest readily available statistics from November 2023 show 145,156 unpaid carers were claiming Carer’s Allowance in England and Wales were also receiving Personal Independence Payment. This data is available on Stat X-plore <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/dataCatalogueExplorer.xhtml" target="_blank">here.</a></p><p> </p><p>These statistics show 486,123 people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance in England and Wales were caring for someone in receipt of a Personal Independence Payment, which was 54% of the Carer’s Allowance in receipt caseload.</p><p> </p><p><em>Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.  </em></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 24888 question first answered 15/05/2024 16:02:42 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1716120

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
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: Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of his proposed changes to the Personal Independence Payment on unpaid carers and their eligibility to receive Carer’s Allowance.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	24890
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p><em>Modernising Support for Independent Living: The Health and Disability Green Paper</em> looks at different options to reshape the current welfare system so that we can provide better targeted support to those who need it most. We are considering these options through our 12-week consultation which was published on Monday 29 April and will close on Monday 22 July at 11:59pm. Any possible impacts on unpaid carers and their eligibility to receive Carer’s Allowance will be considered as necessary.</p><p> </p><p>There will be no immediate changes to PIP, or to health assessments. All scheduled PIP assessments and payments will proceed as normal, and claimants should continue to engage as usual and provide any necessary information or updates regarding their circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>We encourage everyone to respond to the consultation which can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/modernising-support-for-independent-living-the-health-and-disability-green-paper" target="_blank">here,</a> so that we are able to hear from as many disabled people, people with health conditions, their representatives, and local stakeholders as possible on these important issues.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 15/05/2024 15:37:50 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1713528

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
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	Carer's Allowance: Overpayments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many overpayments his Department is seeking to recover for Carer’s Allowance due to (a) breaches to the earnings limit, (b) exceeding the limit for breaks from caring role in a given period, (c) not caring for 35 hours per week ,(d) other, (e) a combination of reasons and (f) overall.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	23453
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>We recognise the significant contribution of carers to supporting those most in need, which is why we have increased Carer's Allowance by almost £1,500 since 2010.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants have a responsibility to ensure they are entitled to benefits they claim and to inform the DWP of any changes in their circumstances that could impact their award.</p><p> </p><p>Where overpayments do occur, the Department has a duty to the taxpayer to protect public funds and to ask for money to be paid back. We remain committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their repayment terms and will always look to negotiate sustainable and affordable repayment plans.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested has been provided in the table below.</p><p /><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Carer’s Allowance overpayment reason</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Volume of overpayments as at 25 April 2024</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Earnings over CA Limit</p></td><td><p>107.6k</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Break in care</p></td><td><p>3.6k</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Ceased to care/ Not Caring from Outset</p></td><td><p>23.2k</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other</p></td><td><p>18.9k</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>153.3k</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Note that the overpayment reasons for which you have requested breakdowns do not directly align with our Debt Manager system’s overpayment categories. We have provided the reasons which most closely reflect those requested. We are unable to provide data for overpayments caused by “a combination of reasons”, as this is not a category available/ recorded by DWP. Overpayments with values of £0.00 have been excluded. Data is taken as a snapshot as at 25 April 2024 and the figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The data has been sourced from internal DWP management information, which is intended only to help the Department to manage its business. It is not intended for publication and has not been subject to the same quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 02/05/2024 16:07:00 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1713529

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
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	Carer's Allowance: Overpayments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, at what financial threshold his Department (a) starts an investigation and (b) seeks overpayment recovery for Carer’s Allowance.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	23454
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has an obligation to protect public funds by tackling fraud and error and, where legislated, recover overpayments.</p><p /><p>Specialist trained counter fraud investigators will consider a range of factors, including if a claimant is vulnerable, before starting an investigation. This includes if an overpayment is potentially above £3,000 or the person involved occupies a position of trust or has used false or forged documentation during their claim. DWP keeps these criteria under review.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Any overpayment of Carer’s Allowance that arose as a result of a failure to disclose or misrepresentation is recoverable under s.71 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. DWP does not recover new overpayments below £65 unless they have arisen due to fraud.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is committed to negotiating affordable and sustainable repayment plans that do not cause undue financial hardship. We will work with anyone who is struggling with their repayment terms and encourage customers to contact DWP Debt Management. Debt Management will work with individuals to review their financial circumstances and, in most instances, a temporary reduction in their rate of repayment can be agreed.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 02/05/2024 15:51:13 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1713530

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
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	Carer's Allowance: Overpayments
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 has taken to prevent large value overpayments from accruing for Carer’s Allowance since 2019.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	23455
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>Overpayments are recoverable from the Carer where there is evidence that the Carer failed to timeously inform the Department of changes in circumstances. The annual benefit uprating letter issued highlights the need to report changes such and changes in earnings. The Department also uses data from HMRC to indicate where the customer may have had a change in income and failed to inform us.</p><p> </p><p>The Department also takes steps to avoid large scale overpayments that are not recoverable. This includes managing workloads at appropriate levels so changes in circumstance are processed timeously.</p><p /> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 02/05/2024 16:02:48 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1713531

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
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	Carer's Allowance: Overpayments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many alerts from the Verified Earnings and Pensions service informing his Department of carers’ earnings information were (a) passed and (b) not passed on to carers in each of the last five years; and whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of VEPs in preventing large value overpayments for Carer's Allowance.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	23456
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong> Rounded</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019/20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2020/21</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2021/22</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2022/23</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2023/24</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>The number of CA cases identified through the VEP system</p></td><td><p>91,000</p></td><td><p>73,000</p></td><td><p>96,000</p></td><td><p>107,000</p></td><td><p>67,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>The number of cases reviewed by CA</p></td><td><p>35,000</p></td><td><p>38,000</p></td><td><p>46,000</p></td><td><p>50,000</p></td><td><p>35,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Overpayments are recoverable from the Carer where there is evidence that the Carer failed to timeously inform the Department of changes in circumstances. The annual benefit uprating letter issued highlights the need to report changes such and changes in earnings. The Department also uses data from HMRC to indicate where the customer may have had a change in income and failed to inform us.</p><p> </p><p>The Department also takes steps to avoid large scale overpayments that are not recoverable. This includes managing workloads at appropriate levels so changes in circumstance are processed timeously.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Caveats</strong></p><ul><li>Numbers are rounded to the nearest 1,000.</li><li>The above data has been sourced from internal DWP management information, which is intended only to help the Department to manage its business. It is not intended for publication and has not been subject to the same quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.</li><li>Data for October, November, and December 2023 is not held.</li></ul> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 02/05/2024 16:25:10 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1713170

registered interest
date	23/04/2024
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	Jobcentres: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hours of (a) initial and (b) continuing professional development training on domestic abuse do work coaches at DWP Jobcentre Plus centres receive.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	23176
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2024 answer text <p>All DWP new entrant Work Coaches undergo a minimum mandatory learning journey comprising of a combination of induction, onboarding, and operational fundamental learning covering vulnerable customers and complex needs. This includes a 30-minute product on domestic violence and abuse.</p><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p><p>The Work Coach specific learning journey includes a further 90-minute facilitated product on domestic abuse. This builds on the initial introduction to this topic and is available for Work Coaches to refresh their understanding and approach as they continue in their day-to-day role.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 01/05/2024 16:45:39 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1698395

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2024 to Question 19031 on Universal Credit: Housing, for what reason there are different qualifying criteria for (a) Support for Mortgage Interest and (b) support that homeowners receive in respect of service charges.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	20257
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) and help with service charges cover different costs and different eligibility criteria apply.</p><p> </p><p>SMI is paid at a rate that the lending industry generally accept as sufficient to avert the threat of repossession. This help is often significantly less than the homeowner’s contractual liability, although eligibility was recently extended to assist homeowners with rising interest rates. While SMI provides support at the point of need, this help is in the form of an interest-bearing loan that is recoverable from equity when the property is sold.</p><p> </p><p>Eligible service charges are met in full and this help is in the form of a non-recoverable benefit.</p><p> </p><p>Given these differences the Department see no compelling argument for aligning entitlement rules.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 16/04/2024 15:43:39 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1696657

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
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 he will make it his policy to bring homeowner service charge support in Universal Credit in line with Support for Mortgage Interest by (a) removing the zero earnings rule and (b) reducing the nine month qualifying period.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	19031
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>The Department has no plans to amend the support that homeowners receive in respect of service charges.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/03/2024 12:07:59 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas