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994508

registered interest
date	25/10/2018
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	Department for Work and Pensions: Migrant Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	183817
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2018 answer text <p>a) Documentary evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Department as part of our wider pre-employment checks to ensure that individuals meet Civil Service Nationality Rules. This information is not retained beyond the point at which it has served its purpose. The Department’s staff are not required to record whether they are citizens of non-UK EU countries.</p><p> </p><p>(b) The Department does not have any agencies on which to report.</p><p> </p><p>(c) DWP has four non departmental public bodies. Documentary evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment and this information is not retained beyond the point at which it has served its purpose. Individuals are not required to record whether they are citizens of non-UK EU countries.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 02/11/2018 12:43:10 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

994547

registered interest
date	25/10/2018
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 estimate she has made of the number of claimants of employment support allowance that will be classified as vulnerable as a result of the managed migration to universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Enfield, Southgate
tabling member printed	Bambos Charalambous
uin	183954
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2018 answer text <p>There are many reasons why someone could be vulnerable or in need of additional support, and we work hard to ensure that the support we provide for each claimant is tailored specifically to their circumstances, making individual assessments of the help that each claimant needs.</p><p> </p><p>This will also be true of the migration process which will begin in 2019, with small-scale testing of up to 10,000 claimants to ensure our process works well before the volume of migration increases. We are committed to ensuring that all claimants and particularly the most vulnerable are fully supported through the migration process.</p><p> </p><p>Many claimants will be better off on Universal Credit, as currently over £2.4bn of legacy benefits remains unclaimed. Universal Credit will ensure (through the managed migration regulations which will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny later this autumn) that 700,000 more households, including those who are vulnerable, will receive the money they are entitled to.</p><p> </p><p>More severely disabled people will also receive higher payments under Universal Credit, with around 1 million disabled households gaining on average about £110 more per month. Transitional protection payments will also ensure that no-one loses out at the point of transition to Universal Credit under the managed migration process.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 02/11/2018 14:41:50 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4610 label Biography information for Bambos Charalambous

994548

registered interest
date	25/10/2018
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 hours of training are planned to be undertaken by her Department's work coaches to identify people that (a) are vulnerable and (b) have complex needs in relation to the managed migration of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Enfield, Southgate
tabling member printed	Bambos Charalambous
uin	183955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2018 answer text <p>Work coaches delivering Universal Credit undergo comprehensive training designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service to all claimants. Specific training and guidance is provided for working with different vulnerable groups and those with complex needs.</p><p>We are providing all work coaches with an additional two day workshop, designed by experts in mental health and psychologists, and delivered where possible alongside external mental health partners. The training began in November 2017 and will be completed by end of March 2019. Some further examples of other learning currently undertaken by work coaches include:</p><ul><li>Introduction to Working with Customers with a Mental Health Condition – 6 hours</li><li>Drugs and Alcohol Awareness – 3 hours</li><li>Complex Needs – 4 ½ hours</li></ul><p>The draft regulations provide the flexibility and fail-safes to protect vulnerable claimants and those with complex needs. Earlier this month we held a large scale stakeholder event, engaging with over 70 organisations, including those representing vulnerable claimant groups, seeking their detailed input on the managed migration process. We are designing a process that works well for everyone and ensures a smooth transition with continuous support.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 02/11/2018 14:43:39 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4610 label Biography information for Bambos Charalambous

994549

registered interest
date	25/10/2018
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, whether her Department has allocated additional funding for the home visiting service in advance of managed migration to universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Enfield, Southgate
tabling member printed	Bambos Charalambous
uin	183956
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2018 answer text <p>This year we have allocated £1 million of funding for the home visiting service. For 2019/20 the total fund allocated will rise to just under £2 million, and will continue to increase to over £5.5 million per year by 2023/24, as the number of claimants moving to Universal Credit under the managed migration process increases.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 02/11/2018 14:55:18 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4610 label Biography information for Bambos Charalambous

994561

registered interest
date	25/10/2018
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: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason universal credit excludes a housing (a) benefit and (b) costs element for people living in temporary or hostel accommodation; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that policy on the standard of living of people in that accommodation.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
uin	183855
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2018 answer text <p>Since April 2018, people who are living in temporary accommodation but claiming Universal Credit, have their housing costs met through Housing Benefit. It is a statutory duty for local authorities to provide temporary accommodation to certain groups of vulnerable people and this change ensures local authority funding for vital emergency housing services continues.</p><p> </p><p>For people living in hostels and other types of supported accommodation, following the consultations held on achieving a sustainable funding provision for this sector, we announced in August that we will maintain Housing Benefit for all supported housing groups including hostels. This decision reflects the needs of those vulnerable groups of people and the Government’s commitment to protect them.</p><p> </p><p>In terms of the effect of the above policies on the standard of living of people in that accommodation, no such assessment has been made.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 01/11/2018 13:00:40 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

994592

registered interest
date	25/10/2018
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
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 merits of increasing the carer's allowance.
tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
uin	183965
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2018 answer text <p>The Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by informal carers who provide invaluable support for relatives, partners, friends and neighbours who may be ill, frail or disabled.</p><p>The Government is already supporting carers in a number of ways, including through the benefit system. Since 2010 the rate of Carer’s Allowance (CA) has increased from £53.90 to £64.60 a week, meaning an additional £550 a year for carers. By 2022/23 we are forecast to spend £3.7bn a year on CA, a real terms increase of more than a third since 2016/17. The new rate of CA for 2019/20 will be announced in due course as part of our annual uprating statement.</p><p>And there is additional help for those carers on the lowest incomes who need help the most. For example, in 2017, six out of ten households on Universal Credit (UC) with a carer entitlement received a monthly award amount of over £400: this is on top of any CA they may receive. Many carers receiving UC will receive more money than others who receive these benefits, including some jobseekers for example.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 30/10/2018 16:48:16 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

994614

registered interest
date	25/10/2018
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	Africa: Conditions of Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with her African counterparts on support for the International Labour Organisation convention to end violence and harassment in the world of work.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	183969
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2018 answer text <p>The Government supports the adoption of an ILO Convention on ending violence and harassment in the world of work. The Government is fully engaged in discussions in the ILO on the scope and content of the proposed Convention and as part of that is in regular contact with other states on this issue. The text of the Convention under negotiation includes informal workers and, if universally ratified, would apply to the world’s poorest workers. The Government’s position on the definitions and scope of the Convention is that it should provide broad coverage, whilst being ratifiable by as large a number of the ILO’s membership as possible.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 183319 183320 183322 question first answered 01/11/2018 16:04:03 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 81929 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

994659

registered interest
date	25/10/2018
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: British Nationals Abroad
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the state pensions of UK pensioners living in the EEA will continue to be up-rated annually after the UK leaves the EU; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Bridgend
tabling member printed	Mrs Madeleine Moon
uin	183890
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2018 answer text <p>The UK State Pension will remain payable worldwide following our departure from the EU. We have now reached agreement with the EU to maintain State Pension up-rating for those covered by the Withdrawal Agreement, subject to reciprocity. This information can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-the-position-of-eu-citizens-in-the-uk-and-uk-nationals-in-the-eu" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-the-position-of-eu-citizens-in-the-uk-and-uk-nationals-in-the-eu</a></p><p> </p><p>For UK State Pension recipients living in the EU on the specified date, this includes those who are already receiving their UK State Pension as well as future UK State Pension recipients. We will wish to discuss State Pension up-rating for individuals not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement in future talks. We are currently in discussion with the EEA-EFTA states (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland on agreements to protect the rights of UK nationals living in those countries and their nationals living in the UK.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 02/11/2018 14:55:58 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	1490 label Biography information for Mrs Madeleine Moon

994667

registered interest
date	25/10/2018
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 criteria her Department uses to determine the repayment rates for Advance Payments awarded to people struggling financially who are in receipt of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	183941
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2018 answer text <p>Universal Credit advances must be repaid in either a maximum of 12 months (for new claim, benefit transfer and budgeting advances) or 6 months (for a change of circumstances advances). The amount of the advance awarded is divided by either up to 6 or 12 to get the appropriate monthly repayment rate.</p><p> </p><p>This is explained in the advance award discussion with the claimant to make sure they can afford to repay the advance. However, if a claimant wishes, they can pay it back in less than the maximum number of months available, as long as the monthly repayment does not exceed the maximum repayment rate of a claimant’s standard allowance, which as a result of the 2018 Autumn Budget will be reduced from 40% to 30%.</p><p> </p><p>If during the recovery of an advance the claimant experiences an unforeseen expense that would cause them or their family genuine hardship if they were required to continue to repay the advance, then they can be offered a deferral period of the repayment of the advance of up to 3 months for a new claim, benefit transfer or change of circumstance advance and up to 6 months for a budgeting advance.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 30/10/2018 18:07:05 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

994668

registered interest
date	25/10/2018
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	Work Capability Assessment: Mental Illness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department have any plans to amend the qualifying criteria for the home work capability assessment for people suffering from mental health concerns.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	183993
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2018 answer text <p>Work is ongoing with the Work Capability Assessment provider to fully review their process for dealing with requests for a home visit. This review will consider all aspects of the process, including how claimants requiring a home visit can be identified more effectively at the beginning of the process, the ease with which a claimant can request a visit, and how we can make more efficient use of existing evidence to support the decision on whether a home visit is required.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 30/10/2018 10:50:07 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis