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100930

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the steps they are taking to reduce the cost of benefit fraud, what they propose to do, and how much they plan to spend, to reduce underpayments to claimants due to mistakes by officials or claimants.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL2398
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Department takes both under and overpayments seriously and has in place a number of initiatives to address the errors that cause them. These activities address fraud as well as error, and both under and overpayments. It is therefore not possible to separate out the cost of activities focused exclusively on underpayments as a result of error.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit will make the welfare system simpler by replacing six benefits and credits with a single monthly payment. This simplification is expected to lead to a reduction in fraud and error due to the fact that information about claimants will be held in one place and updated more frequently and easily.</p><p> </p><p>For claimants that have income taxed under PAYE, Universal Credit will be linked to HMRC’s Real Time Information system, which will provide an automatic monthly update of their income thus reducing the potential for both error and fraud.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has invested in compliance activity, so that case correctness is maintained and fraud and error entering the system are detected and resolved quickly. Across all delivery arms there is a focus on accuracy and quality, including a continuous quality checking regime to review claims and check processing accuracy.</p><p> </p><p>We constantly review claims by checking them against data coming into our systems, in order to highlight potential anomalies. We do this by using business rules which focus on potential error to identify both under and overpayments.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is taking steps to encourage claimants to ensure that the information provided to us is accurate and up-to-date. This includes a fraud and error communications campaign about driving behaviour change and emphasising that claimants must report any change of circumstances.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 07/11/2014 13:39:35 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

100946

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
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	Industrial Health and Safety: Agriculture
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the latest figures they have of the number of fatal and serious accidents occurring in the farming industry.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL2414
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p>These figures are published on the Health and Safety Executive’s website: <a href="http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/industry/agriculture/index.htm" target="_blank">http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/industry/agriculture/index.htm</a>. They can also be found in the published report attached, “Health and safety in agriculture in Great Britain, 2014” on pages 6 and 7.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 04/11/2014 15:42:22 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud attachment 1 file name HSE Agri Stats.pdf title Health and Safety in agriculture in Great Britain
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

100645

registered interest
date	23/10/2014
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	Housing Benefit
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government why housing benefit overpayments increased to £1.4 billion in 2013–14 and how they are addressing the issue.
tabling member printed	Baroness Manzoor
uin	HL2376
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Housing Benefit is a complex benefit administered by 380 Local Authorities. It has a high proportion of in-work claimants and this caseload is more likely to undergo changes in circumstances than out-of-work claimants. If claimants fail to report changes in circumstances correctly and in a timely manner then overpayments will occur.</p><p>The rate of fraud in Housing Benefit has been stable for many years at 1.4% since 2008-09. Official error has also remained relatively stable over the last six years, currently standing at 0.6% which is the same level as in 2008-09. Claimant error has increased from 2.7% in 2008-09 to 3.8% in 2013-14.</p><p>The rise in HB claimant error is primarily earnings related and a consequence of failure to report these changes. DWP is taking action to deal with this issue through better data sharing with Local Authorities, such as the introduction of real time information (RTI) on earnings, so that local authorities are alerted to changes quickly and do not have to rely on the claimant informing them of changes.</p><p>Longer term, Housing Benefit for working age claimants will be replaced by the housing cost element of Universal Credit and will be paid as a single monthly payment with the other elements. This will reduce the opportunity for Fraud and Error and prevent overpayments from occurring.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 04/11/2014 15:11:36 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4289 label Biography information for Baroness Manzoor

100567

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their decision not to contest the judicial review of the decision to cease funding for Local Welfare Assistance, whether they will reinstate that funding for 2015–16.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL2304
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>From April 2015 it was intended funding for local welfare provision would be funded from the general grant to Local Government. The general grant took this into account.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has agreed to look again at how funding is provided for in 2015/16. Any decisions will be taken after we have reviewed how the current funds have been used and the on-going consultation and equality analysis on 2015/16 funding being co-ordinated by the Department for Communities and Local Government.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 29/10/2014 15:16:01 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow

100116

registered interest
date	21/10/2014
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, how many applications have been made to the Government Funeral Payment scheme since May 2010; and how many such applications have been rejected.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Steve Rotheram
uin	211293
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2014 answer text <p>From the latest data available, 280,780 applications have been made for Funeral Payments in Great Britain between May 2010 and September 2014. In the same period there have been 139,560 refusals.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes</strong></p><p> </p><p>1. These figures do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.</p><p> </p><p>2. The figures given are the number of applications and initial refusals in the given time period and not the number of people who made applications or received awards. An individual may make more than one application in a year. Information on the number of people who made applications and received awards is not available.</p><p> </p><p>3. The refusal figures given are based on the initial decisions made on each case and may include cases where an award was later made on review.</p><p> </p><p>4. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 24/10/2014 13:48:18 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	4035 label Biography information for Steve Rotheram

100263

registered interest
date	21/10/2014
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 and Support Allowance: Motherwell and Wishaw
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 in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency have been in receipt of employment and support allowance payments for more than one year.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Mr Frank Roy
uin	211267
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p>The information requested is shown in the table below.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants in the Motherwell and Wishaw parliamentary Constituency, with a duration of 1 year or more: As at February 2014:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Total</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Motherwell and Wishaw</p></td><td><p>3,030</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Source: DWP, 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p> </p><ol start="1" type="1"><li>Figures are rounded to the nearest ten;</li><li>Parliamentary Constituency of claimant (Westminster) These constituencies are used for the Westminster parliament.</li><li>This information is published at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool</a></li></ol><p> </p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 23/10/2014 16:25:28 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	626 label Biography information for Mr Frank Roy

100264

registered interest
date	21/10/2014
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	Disability Living Allowance: Motherwell and Wishaw
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 the working age population of Motherwell and Wishaw constituency are in receipt of disability living allowance.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Mr Frank Roy
uin	211266
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2014 answer text <p>The information requested is shown in the table below.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong>Number of working age Disability Living Allowance claimants in the Motherwell and Wishaw Parliamentary Constituency, as a proportion of the working age population: As at February 2014</strong></p><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Motherwell and Wishaw</p></td><td><p>4,270</p></td><td><p>8.8%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Source:</p><p> </p><p>DWP 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (Caseload)</p><p> </p><p>National Records of Scotland © Crown Copyright 2014 (Population Estimates Mid 2013)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p> </p><p>1. Caseload figure is rounded to the nearest 10; The proportion is rounded to one decimal place.</p><p> </p><p>2. Caseload information is published at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool</a></p><p> </p><p>3. Population information is published at: <a href="http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/mid-year-population-estimates" target="_blank">http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/mid-year-population-estimates</a></p><p> </p><p>4. Parliamentary Constituency of claimant (Westminster) These constituencies are used for the Westminster parliament.</p><p> </p><p>5. Caseload information shows the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.</p><p> </p><p>6. The population estimates are for the constituencies for the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections as at 30th June for each year from 2002 onwards.</p><p> </p><p>7. The population estimates areas are based on data zone population estimates.</p><p> </p><p>8. Data zones do not fit exactly into the 2011 Scottish Parliamentary Constituency boundaries, so they are allocated on a 'best fit' basis.</p><p>9. Where a data zone crosses the boundary of two or more constituencies it is allocated to the constituency that contains the population-weighted centroid of the data zone.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 28/10/2014 14:15:25 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	626 label Biography information for Mr Frank Roy

100266

registered interest
date	21/10/2014
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 Experience
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 15 October 2014 to Question 209803, how many of the people undertaking work experience have since entered paid employment.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	211299
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2014 answer text <p>Research with claimants published earlier this year shows that 36 per cent of work experience participants were in employment at the time of interview, and 42 per cent had at least been in employment at some point (even if they were not at the time of the interview).</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284017/rr865-youth-contract-customer-experiences.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284017/rr865-youth-contract-customer-experiences.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 24/10/2014 12:40:48 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

100009

registered interest
date	20/10/2014
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	Unemployed People: Travel
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial assistance is given to help young people on benefits with the travel costs associated with attending job interviews.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL2224
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>All Jobcentre Plus District Managers have access to the Flexible Support Fund, that they can use to supplement mainstream services and to tailor support to the needs of individuals and the local area. A proportion of this fund will be spent by their Work Services Teams on discretionary awards to individual claimants, which could include helping with travel costs to attend job interviews.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 23/10/2014 15:06:09 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

99947

registered interest
date	20/10/2014
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	Blood: Contamination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any savings an individual has accrued as a result of saving and investing lump-sum payments they have received from the Macfarlane and Eileen Trust, Macfarlane Trust, Eileen Trust or Skipton Fund are taken into account when deciding their eligibility for employment and support allowance and other welfare benefits; and whether the transfer of such savings to a dependant or partner, affects that dependant or partner's entitlement to benefits.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Diana Johnson
uin	211082
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Payments received from Government funded Trusts and Funds may be disregarded for benefit purposes. This includes payments from the following Trusts/Funds: Macfarlane, Eileen Trust and Skipton Fund.</p><p> </p><p>Any capital resource which derives from a payment from these Trusts/Funds, such as interest, is also disregarded indefinitely.</p><p> </p><p>Money which derives from the Trusts/Funds which is transferred to a partner is disregarded indefinitely in any benefit claim made by the couple. It is also disregarded indefinitely in any claim made by the partner after the sufferer’s death providing that the couple were not estranged or divorced at the time of the death. However, money derived from the Trusts/Funds which is transferred to a dependent child or young person is not disregarded in any subsequent claim made in later life by that person.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 27/10/2014 17:55:45 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson