Show Search Form

Search Results

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

Search

1023913

registered interest
date	12/12/2018
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	Carer's Allowance: Young People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has plans exempt young adult carers from the 21-hour study in relation to the carer’s allowance.
tabling member constituency	Bradford South
tabling member printed	Judith Cummins
uin	201692
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by all carers, young or old in supporting some of the most vulnerable in society including pensioners and those with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>The Government thinks it is important that carers can maintain links with the education system and so carers are able to undertake part-time education and still receive Carer’s Allowance. However, there are no plans to change the current 21 hour study rule as we think it is right that people in full-time education should be supported by the educational maintenance system, via its range of loans and grants, rather than the social security benefit system. That is why, as a general principle, full-time students are usually precluded from entitlement to income-related and income-maintenance benefits. Many college courses are provided on the basis of 16 hours a week supervised study so we have been working with the Learning and Work Institute and colleges to increase awareness of the Carer’s Allowance study rules.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 17/12/2018 13:57:53 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4391 label Biography information for Judith Cummins

1023921

registered interest
date	12/12/2018
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	State Retirement Pensions: Females
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints of maladministration from women born in the 1950s relating to the change in their state pension age have been submitted to her Department’s Independent Case Examiner in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	201694
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>Individual government departments have long established complaints procedures. That approach has not changed under Labour governments 1997-2010 or successive governments. The DWP has a two tier complaints process which considers formal complaints about our service<strong>. </strong>Once a complainant has exhausted the DWP complaint process they are signposted to the Independent Case Examiner’s Office if they are dissatisfied with the final response to their complaint. The Independent Case Examiner is independent.</p><p>The table below provides information on the method by which complaints submitted to the Independent Case Examiner’s (ICE) Office, concerning changes to women’s State Pension age, were closed.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 201695 question first answered 17/12/2018 15:27:52 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake

1023922

registered interest
date	12/12/2018
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	State Retirement Pensions: Females
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints of maladministration from women born in the 1950s relating to the change in their state pension age submitted to her Department’s Independent Case Examiner have been (a) resolved, (b) rejected, (c) closed for other reasons.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	201695
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>Individual government departments have long established complaints procedures. That approach has not changed under Labour governments 1997-2010 or successive governments. The DWP has a two tier complaints process which considers formal complaints about our service<strong>. </strong>Once a complainant has exhausted the DWP complaint process they are signposted to the Independent Case Examiner’s Office if they are dissatisfied with the final response to their complaint. The Independent Case Examiner is independent.</p><p>The table below provides information on the method by which complaints submitted to the Independent Case Examiner’s (ICE) Office, concerning changes to women’s State Pension age, were closed.</p><p><ins class="ministerial"></ins></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Reason for complaint closure</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Number</ins> <ins class="ministerial"> </ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">(a) Resolved (we have interpreted this as meaning closed following issue of an ICE investigation report)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">192</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">(b) Rejected (the complaint failed to meet the ICE acceptance criteria)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">1,598</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">(c) Paused for other reasons (includes withdrawn complaints and those closed following a High Court decision to grant permission for a Judicial Review of the Departments handling of the change to women’s State Pension age – it is not within the ICE remit to consider issues which are, or have been, subject to legal proceedings.)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">2,506</ins></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><ins class="ministerial"><strong> </strong></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Independent Case Examiner’s Office received the first complaints from women relating to changes in their state pension age in October 2016. The table below provides details of the numbers received in each of the past three reporting years.</ins></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Year (April to March)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Number received</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">2016/2017</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">243</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">2017/2018</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">2981</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">2018/2019 (to 13 December 2018)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">1072</ins></p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 17/12/2018 15:27:52 question first ministerially corrected 18/12/2018 17:16:19 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman previous answer version 92203 answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake

1024002

registered interest
date	12/12/2018
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) universal credit claimants, (b) new universal credit claimants and (c) benefit suspensions in (i) Merthy Tydfil, (ii) South Wales and (iii) the UK in each month since 1 April 2018.
tabling member constituency	Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
tabling member printed	Gerald Jones
uin	201718
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>Monthly official experimental statistics on the number of people on Universal Credit, starts and claims, are published at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics</a></p><p> </p><p>Further breakdowns of claims by country, parliamentary constituency and local authority and also a breakdown of starts by postcode, since April 2018 are available on Stat Xplore at:</p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/</a>.</p><p>Quarterly official statistics Universal Credit decisions are published at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/jobseekers-allowance-sanctions" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/jobseekers-allowance-sanctions</a></p><p> </p><p>Further breakdowns of sanction decisions by country, parliamentary constituency and local authority since April 2018 are available on Stat-Xplore at:</p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/</a>.</p><p>Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html" target="_blank">https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 17/12/2018 17:40:52 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4501 label Biography information for Gerald Jones

1024003

registered interest
date	12/12/2018
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 assessment her Department has made of the number of payments of universal credit paid to claimants on time and correct at (a) first assessment and (b) second assessment; what the average amount of time taken has been to resolve such payments; and what the longest outstanding claim has been by number of weeks before it was resolved in (i) Merthyr Tydfil, (ii) South Wales and (iii) the UK.
tabling member constituency	Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
tabling member printed	Gerald Jones
uin	201719
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2018 answer text <p>Universal Credit Full Service rolled out in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney on 27 June 2018. For new claims to Universal Credit Full Service in ‘Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency’, that were due a first payment in August 2018, our internal data shows that 85% were paid in full on time and 92% were paid in part on time. The information requested for data on payment timeliness for second assessment period payments is not held as the sample size is not sufficient to provide a robust measure of payment timeliness for these claims.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested for data on payment timeliness details for South Wales is not held.</p><p> </p><p>Our most recent payment timeliness statistics for claims in Great Britain have been published on gov.uk and can be accessed at:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/755723/universal-credit-statistics-to-11-october-2018.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/755723/universal-credit-statistics-to-11-october-2018.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>This shows that for Great Britain, for first Assessment Periods where the payment was due in August 18: 84% were paid in full on time, and 89% paid in part on time. Our internal data shows for second Assessment Periods where the payment was due in August 18: 92% were paid in full on time and 96% paid in part on time.</p><p> </p><p>Social Security is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and the delivery of Universal Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities, part of the Northern Ireland Executive.</p><p> </p><p>To provide analysis of the longest wait for payment would incur disproportionate cost as the information is not readily available.</p><p> </p><p>In many cases where full payment is not made on time, it is due to unresolved issues such as: claimants not accepting their Claimant Commitment or passing identity checks, or having outstanding verification issues, such as housing costs and self-employed earnings. In order to support claimants to claim, we have taken steps to improve verification processes. For example, we have listened to feedback and built processes into the system to make it easier and quicker for people to verify their housing costs, for example through the landlord portal.</p><p>For anyone waiting for their first Universal Credit payment, advances are available, so no one should be left without means of support.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 20/12/2018 09:47:50 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 92378 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4501 label Biography information for Gerald Jones

1024023

registered interest
date	12/12/2018
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: Self-employed
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 make an assessment of the effect of the minimum income floor on self-employed people.
tabling member constituency	Blackburn
tabling member printed	Kate Hollern
uin	201726
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>The aim of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) is to encourage gainfully self-employed claimants to grow their business. It addresses flaws in Working Tax Credits and Housing Benefit that provided full support to claimants reporting persistently low (or zero) earnings from self-employment. Only Universal Credit claimants with a work expectation will have a MIF applied to their Universal Credit. A claimant’s expected hours of work depends on their circumstances. Where a claimant has limitations on the hours they can reasonably be expected to work, their MIF level is reduced. This ensures the level of the MIF matches the work expectations of other claimants in similar circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>One of the announcements in Autumn Budget 2018 was that the 12-month start-up period, where claimants are exempt from the MIF, will be extended to all gainfully self-employed claimants, new to Universal Credit, or new to self-employment. We plan to introduce this from July 2019 with full implementation from September 2020. This will provide time for self-employed claimants to establish and grow their business, and strikes a balance between support for new business, not trapping claimants in poverty, and protecting public funds.</p><p> </p><p>Plans are in place for an evaluation of the MIF and a large-scale tracking survey of self-employed Universal Credit claimants with a MIF applied to their claim</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit encourages all claimants with a work expectation to find and progress in work. To support those already in, or considering self-employment, we are also extending the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme from April 2019 onwards. The NEA provides support and mentoring for claimants who are looking to start or develop their business.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 17/12/2018 18:29:33 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4363 label Biography information for Kate Hollern

1024025

registered interest
date	12/12/2018
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	Employment: Poverty
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 trends in the level of in-work poverty; and if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the December 2018 Joseph Rowntree Foundation report conclusion that in-work poverty is rising faster than employment.
tabling member constituency	Blackburn
tabling member printed	Kate Hollern
uin	201727
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>The figures quoted by the Joseph Rowntree Trust in this report are taken from official national statistics on the number and proportion of people in relative low income published by the Department for Work in March 2018. These statistics show that the risk of being in relative poverty (before housing costs) has remained broadly stable over time; there is a 10% chance of working adults being in relative poverty (before housing costs), which has not varied by more than 1 percentage point since 2005. The data also shows that the majority of those in relative in-work poverty are those with part-time work only, single earner couples, or those in full-time self-employment. Universal Credit is designed to help by offering smooth incentives to increase hours, setting a general expectation that lone parents and partners should work (if not caring for young children or a disabled person) and by offering generous childcare subsidies.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 17/12/2018 15:01:29 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4363 label Biography information for Kate Hollern

1024039

registered interest
date	12/12/2018
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	Interserve: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions her Department has had with representatives of (a) The Pensions Regulator and (b) the Pension Protection Fund on Interserve plc.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	201588
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>The independent Pensions Regulator has a range of powers to regulate and protect pension schemes and it works closely with all those involved.</p><p> </p><p>The Pension Protection Fund is also independent of Government and protects members of defined benefit occupational pension schemes, if their employer becomes insolvent.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions is in regular contact with both the Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund. The Government does not comment on individual cases.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 17/12/2018 15:12:48 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1024070

registered interest
date	12/12/2018
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, how many and what proportion of universal credit advance payments have been paid on the day on which they have been applied for.
tabling member constituency	High Peak
tabling member printed	Ruth George
uin	201746
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>The data requested is not held. We aim to pay advances on Universal Credit within 72 hours. However, an advance can be paid on the same day the claimant applies if they or their household would suffer genuine hardship if they had to wait 72 hours for the payment.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 17/12/2018 17:45:38 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1024071

registered interest
date	12/12/2018
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, how many people who have applied for a universal credit advance payment have been unsuccessful in that application.
tabling member constituency	High Peak
tabling member printed	Ruth George
uin	201747
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2018 answer text <p>The data requested is not held for unsuccessful applications for Universal Credit advances made in person or by telephone. For applications made online, to provide the data would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/12/2018 11:29:52 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 92377 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George