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1288774

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
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	Pension Credit: Publicity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Government has spent on promoting the uptake of pension credit in each year of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
uin	157304
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>DWP continues to use available channels to promote Pension Credit and reach potential recipients, and their family and friends. This includes using proactive press activity and planned social media posts to encourage older people to check if they are eligible by visiting the <a href="http://gov.uk/" target="_blank">gov.uk</a> website or calling the Freephone claim line 0800 99 1234.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is currently sending letters to over 11 million pensioners in Great Britain informing them about the increase in their State Pension from April. In order to better promote Pension Credit and encourage eligible pensioners to make a claim, the accompanying leaflet includes specific information about Pension Credit, highlighting that an award of Pension Credit can mean being eligible for other benefits such as Housing Benefit or a free over-75 TV licence.</p><p>As part of an internal review of communication products, we have also identified improvements in our Pension Credit messaging at other key customer “touchpoints” and are updating the products used to claim Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance accordingly.</p><p>We also continue to liaise regularly with stakeholders about ways to encourage take-up of Pension Credit, and working with the BBC on their messaging around free TV licences and Pension Credit through their licensing letters and other channels.</p><p> </p><p>A targeted, pilot campaign in early 2020 was developed to explore the role for advertising beyond that broader promotion. This time limited pilot used advertising in GP surgeries, Post Offices and social media. Activity was curtailed by the early impact of the pandemic. We are continually reviewing the role for paid advertising.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 157305 question first answered 03/03/2021 17:10:45 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper

1288775

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
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	Pension Credit
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 publish an action plan to increase the number of eligible people applying for pension credit.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
uin	157305
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>DWP continues to use available channels to promote Pension Credit and reach potential recipients, and their family and friends. This includes using proactive press activity and planned social media posts to encourage older people to check if they are eligible by visiting the <a href="http://gov.uk/" target="_blank">gov.uk</a> website or calling the Freephone claim line 0800 99 1234.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is currently sending letters to over 11 million pensioners in Great Britain informing them about the increase in their State Pension from April. In order to better promote Pension Credit and encourage eligible pensioners to make a claim, the accompanying leaflet includes specific information about Pension Credit, highlighting that an award of Pension Credit can mean being eligible for other benefits such as Housing Benefit or a free over-75 TV licence.</p><p>As part of an internal review of communication products, we have also identified improvements in our Pension Credit messaging at other key customer “touchpoints” and are updating the products used to claim Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance accordingly.</p><p>We also continue to liaise regularly with stakeholders about ways to encourage take-up of Pension Credit, and working with the BBC on their messaging around free TV licences and Pension Credit through their licensing letters and other channels.</p><p> </p><p>A targeted, pilot campaign in early 2020 was developed to explore the role for advertising beyond that broader promotion. This time limited pilot used advertising in GP surgeries, Post Offices and social media. Activity was curtailed by the early impact of the pandemic. We are continually reviewing the role for paid advertising.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 157304 question first answered 03/03/2021 17:10:45 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper

1288839

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
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	Access to Work Programme: Coronavirus
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 Access to Work fast track assessment process is available to all disabled workers to enable them to work during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	157280
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>Access to Work continues to provide support for disabled people to move into and retain employment. To enable support to be put in place at the earliest opportunity, Access to Work has adapted the way holistic assessments are undertaken and enabled disabled people to choose how their assessments are carried out, including virtually or face-to-face. This has very often enabled a quicker service to be provided.</p><p> </p><p>The assessment providers have reported that the virtual assessments can be arranged and delivered more rapidly than the face to face assessments and that the freed up time enables them to spend more time in consultation with the customer.</p><p> </p><p>Access to Work prioritises applications from disabled people who have a job to start within 4 weeks of their application. Recognising the impact Covid has had on disabled people, Access to Work has expanded the prioritisation to include those in the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable group and keyworkers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 01/03/2021 13:55:15 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1288841

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
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	Access to Work Programme: Kickstart Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to integrate the Access to Work fast track scheme into the Kickstart scheme.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	157281
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>I refer my Honourable friend to the answer given for PQ <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-11-25/120974" target="_blank">120974</a>.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 03/03/2021 14:18:31 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1288843

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
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	Access to Work Programme: Job Entry Targeted Support
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to integrate the Access to Work fast track assessment process into the Job Entry Targeted Support scheme.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	157282
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>I refer the honourable lady to the answer I gave to the Member for Ceredigion on 30<sup>th</sup> November 2020 to question <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-11-25/120975" target="_blank">120975</a>.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 03/03/2021 14:22:33 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1288854

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
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	Access to Work Programme: Coronavirus
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 Access to Work fast track assessment process is available to all disabled workers to enable them to work during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	157286
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>I refer the honourable lady to the answer I gave to her to <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-01-06/134140" target="_blank">UIN 134140</a> on 13<sup>th</sup> January 2021.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 03/03/2021 14:15:45 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1288860

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
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: Coronavirus
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 financial effect of the covid-19 outbreak on people on legacy benefits; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
uin	157168
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>Legacy benefits were increased by 1.7% in April 2020 following the Government’s announcement to end the benefit freeze and 0.5% this coming year.</p><p> </p><p>We increased the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants, so they now cover the lowest 30% of local rents. This increase, costing almost £1 billion, will mean that 1.5 million households see an increase, on average, of £600 this year. We also increased the additional earnings disregard in Housing Benefit to ensure increases in the maximum rate of the basic element of Working Tax Credit did not impact on a claimant’s Housing Benefit award.</p><p> </p><p>We legislated to allow access to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) from day one of a claim for Covid-19 related cases and we have made it easier to access ESA by launching a portal for new style ESA online claims.</p><p> </p><p>It has always been the case that claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for UC if they believe that they will be better off. There are special arrangements for those in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium, who are now able to make a new claim to UC. Claimants should check their eligibility before applying to UC as legacy benefits will end when they submit their claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future.</p><p>From 22nd July 2020, a two-week run on of Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance (IR) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (IB) is available for all claimants whose claim to UC ends entitlement to these benefits to provide additional support for claimants moving to UC.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 03/03/2021 17:57:47 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1288866

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
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	Pension 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 her Department is taking to ensure that older people are aware of the passported benefits Pension Credit claimants are entitled to.
tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
uin	157169
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>The Department looks to promote at every opportunity the message that even a small amount of Pension Credit can act as a passport to a wide range of other benefits and services, as we did in the February 2020 nationwide raising awareness campaign. We are currently sending letters to over 11 million pensioners in Great Britain informing them about the increase in their State Pension from April. In order to better promote Pension Credit and encourage eligible pensioners to make a claim, an accompanying leaflet includes specific information about Pension Credit, highlighting that an award of Pension Credit can mean being eligible for other benefits such as Housing Benefit or a free over-75 TV licence.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 03/03/2021 17:05:04 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1288870

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
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	Funeral Payments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Government will increase the capped portion of the social fund funeral expenses payment.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	157318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2021 answer text <p>On the 8 April 2020, the value of the capped portion of the Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment rose by 43 per cent, from £700 to £1000. There are no current plans to increase this.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 26/02/2021 14:50:30 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1288922

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
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: Lost Working Days
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the Average Working Days Lost was for civil servants in her Department (a) from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and (b) recording themselves as White in the calendar year (a) 2019 and (b) 2020.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	157207
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>The Department only holds information relating to its own staff. Average working days lost figures are calculated on rolling year to date basis, therefore the following data relate to the year to 31 December. Due to the way that data is structured in our systems we do not hold this data in the format requested and it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>Declaration of ethnicity is not mandatory, however as at December 2020, 87.8 per cent of staff have declared their ethnicity.</p><p /><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Dec-20</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Ethnic Minority</strong></p></td><td><p>5.35</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>White</strong></p></td><td><p>5.57</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Unknown</strong></p></td><td><p>6.13</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 01/03/2021 17:47:17 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens