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1346254

registered interest
date	13/07/2021
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: Medical Examinations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what specific training is given to disability assessors used by her Department for (a) personal independence payment and (b) work capability assessments on mental health to ensure that they are able to (i) accurately assess a mental health disability and (ii) make necessary adjustments during the assessment process.
tabling member constituency	Stalybridge and Hyde
tabling member printed	Jonathan Reynolds
uin	32566
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>DWP require all Health Professionals (HPs) conducting assessments on behalf of the department to have appropriate skills in assessing people with conditions affecting mental health, including history taking and ability to perform a relevant examination. They are fully qualified in their health discipline, receive training in disability assessment and specific training in mental health conditions and how to identify the impact of these.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants are given the opportunity to alert their assessment provider of any additional requirements they may have and the providers will meet any reasonable requests. Furthermore, companions or advocates are encouraged to attend and can play an active role in assessments. This can be particularly helpful for claimants with mental, cognitive or intellectual impairments who may not be able to provide an accurate account of their condition due to a lack of understanding or unrealistic expectations of their ability. Claimants with severe mental health conditions, who may have no support network in place, can also be provided with additional support during the claims process if they need it.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 19/07/2021 13:22:41 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4119 label Biography information for Jonathan Reynolds

1346297

registered interest
date	13/07/2021
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	Carer's Allowance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who would be eligible to claim carers allowance if the hours of care requirement are reduced from 35 hours to (a) 30 hours, (b) 25 hours and (c) 20 hours.
tabling member constituency	Kingston and Surbiton
tabling member printed	Ed Davey
uin	32281
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>The threshold of providing at least 35 hours care a week has been in place since Carer’s Allowance (CA) was first introduced in 1976, and has been maintained by successive Governments as a reasonable point at which many carers would find it difficult to combine their caring responsibilities with a full-time job.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has not made any estimates of how many additional people would become entitled to CA if the number of hours of care required to be provided were reduced.</p><p> </p><p>There is support for those caring for less than 35 hours a week in the benefit system - including Carer’s Credits and changes to jobsearch requirements in Universal Credit which can be tailored to reflect caring responsibilities. (Carer’s Credits can be awarded to those providing care for over 20 hours a week, helping carers maintain their National Insurance records, thereby protecting their State Pensions, regardless of whether or not they are also working.)</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 19/07/2021 12:56:44 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	188 label Biography information for Ed Davey

1346314

registered interest
date	13/07/2021
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: Visual Impairment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps will her Department take to improve the accessibility of the Access to Work Scheme for visually impaired people.
tabling member constituency	Southport
tabling member printed	Damien Moore
uin	32504
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2021 answer text <p>DWP is committed to ensuring that the Access to Work (AtW) scheme is accessible to visually impaired people. We work closely with stakeholders (including organisations who support blind and visually impaired people) to identify and deliver improvements to the scheme to broaden its accessibility and reach.</p><p> </p><p>Recent accessibility improvements include:</p><ul><li>completing work to ensure our online application journey is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidance (v 2.1); ensuring the service works with all major screen readers, screen magnifiers and other assistive software</li><li>creating accessible versions of four Access to Work claim forms. These products are compatible with popular assistive software such as JAWS, Windows NVDA and Zoomtext. Customers can also request versions in a format of their choice if these do not meet their needs.</li></ul><p> </p><p>In addition, we are currently developing an online journey to enable citizens to claim the grant; this will be fully accessible and allow users to submit claims, check the status of claims and view their remaining grant. We have done extensive user research and prototype testing with users who have visual impairments to ensure the future service meets their needs. We are also discussing ways of reducing the amount of invoices and other evidence users might need to upload or supply; ensuring a more inclusive service across all channels.</p><p> </p><p>To raise awareness of the scheme, Access to Work was supported with paid campaign activity that ran between 24 February and 31 March, and the Department continues to assess how the scheme can be promoted to support both those with visual impairment and people with other disabilities and health conditions. The campaign ran across a broad channel mix to reach a wide but targeted audience. To coincide with the Access to Work campaign launch, we also produced a new Access to Work toolkit. This was shared with a wide range of stakeholders, including Business Disability Forum, Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC), Disability Rights UK and the RNIB.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 16/07/2021 12:30:59 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4669 label Biography information for Damien Moore

1346315

registered interest
date	13/07/2021
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	State Retirement 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 her Department will take to implement its commitments on the triple lock for state pensions.
tabling member constituency	Southport
tabling member printed	Damien Moore
uin	32505
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2021 answer text <p>As a result of the Triple Lock, the full yearly basic State Pension is now over £2,050 higher than in 2010 in cash terms.</p><p>Decisions on the rates for State Pensions are made each Autumn as part of the Up-rating review by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.</p><p>We are committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with the dignity and respect they deserve; the State Pension is the foundation of support for older people</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 21/07/2021 16:27:47 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4669 label Biography information for Damien Moore

1346331

registered interest
date	13/07/2021
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	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 regional economic impact assessment her Department has made of removing the £20 uplift to the universal credit standard allowance.
tabling member constituency	Stalybridge and Hyde
tabling member printed	Jonathan Reynolds
uin	32382
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and we announced the temporary uplift as part of a £400 billion package of measures put in place that will last well beyond the end of the roadmap. Our focus now is on our multi-billion Plan for Jobs, which will support people in the long-term by helping them learn new skills and increase their hours or find new work.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 32332 32383 32384 33220 33222 33223 question first answered 19/07/2021 16:53:47 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4119 label Biography information for Jonathan Reynolds

1346332

registered interest
date	13/07/2021
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	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 gender impact assessment her Department has made of removing the £20 uplift to the universal credit standard allowance.
tabling member constituency	Stalybridge and Hyde
tabling member printed	Jonathan Reynolds
uin	32383
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and we announced the temporary uplift as part of a £400 billion package of measures put in place that will last well beyond the end of the roadmap. Our focus now is on our multi-billion Plan for Jobs, which will support people in the long-term by helping them learn new skills and increase their hours or find new work.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 32332 32382 32384 33220 33222 33223 question first answered 19/07/2021 16:53:47 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4119 label Biography information for Jonathan Reynolds

1346333

registered interest
date	13/07/2021
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	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 ethnicity impact assessment her Department has made of removing the £20 uplift to the universal credit standard allowance.
tabling member constituency	Stalybridge and Hyde
tabling member printed	Jonathan Reynolds
uin	32384
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and we announced the temporary uplift as part of a £400 billion package of measures put in place that will last well beyond the end of the roadmap. Our focus now is on our multi-billion Plan for Jobs, which will support people in the long-term by helping them learn new skills and increase their hours or find new work.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 32332 32382 32383 33220 33222 33223 question first answered 19/07/2021 16:53:47 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4119 label Biography information for Jonathan Reynolds

1346334

registered interest
date	13/07/2021
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	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 potential effect of removing the £20 uplift to the universal credit standard allowance on the in-work progression of universal credit claimants.
tabling member constituency	Stalybridge and Hyde
tabling member printed	Jonathan Reynolds
uin	32385
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>No such assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and we announced the temporary uplift as part of a £400 billion package of measures put in place that will last well beyond the end of the roadmap. Our focus now is on our multi-billion Plan for Jobs, which will support people in the long-term by helping them learn new skills and increase their hours or find new work.</p><p> </p><p>To note further, we will consider the recommendations of the In-Work Progression Commission’s report and respond later in the year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 19/07/2021 17:27:48 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince previous answer version 15291 answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4119 label Biography information for Jonathan Reynolds

1346335

registered interest
date	13/07/2021
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	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 potential effect of removing the £20 uplift to the universal credit standard allowance on levels of parental employment.
tabling member constituency	Stalybridge and Hyde
tabling member printed	Jonathan Reynolds
uin	32386
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and we announced the temporary uplift as part of a £400 billion package of measures put in place that will last well beyond the end of the roadmap. Our focus now is on our multi-billion Plan for Jobs, which will support people in the long-term by helping them learn new skills and increase their hours or find new work.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is fully committed to supporting parents with moving into work and improving their earnings once employed. Universal Credit childcare costs provides more generous childcare support than was available under Tax Credits, reimbursing up to 85% of eligible childcare costs up to a monthly cap as opposed to 70% under tax credits</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 19/07/2021 17:06:28 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4119 label Biography information for Jonathan Reynolds

1346356

registered interest
date	13/07/2021
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	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, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2021 to Question 25157, for what reason a change in earnings for a period of two months is deemed a permanent change and a change in contact arrangements for 14 months is deemed a temporary change by the Child Maintenance Service; and what her Department’s policy is on the length of time that constitutes a (a) temporary and (b) permanent change for the purposes of the Child Maintenance Service.
tabling member constituency	Stirling
tabling member printed	Alyn Smith
uin	32514
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>There are multiple factors considered when taking into account a Paying Parent’s income for a Child Maintenance assessment. The scheme is designed so that liabilities remain consistent over the year, with limited changes to the assessment allowing both parents to budget. Time frames will vary depending on what is being assessed and legislation requires that factors which affect income should be expected to last for the “foreseeable future”.</p><p>The Child Maintenance Service follows guidance on when changes should be considered temporary or permanent. These decisions are discretionary and considered on a case by case basis. If a customer is unhappy with the outcome of the decision, they may appeal through a mandatory reconsideration.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 19/07/2021 13:59:55 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4738 label Biography information for Alyn Smith