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1045531

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
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, how many claimants of universal credit are classified as gainfully self-employed.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	210462
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2019 answer text <p>We plan to publish statistics on Universal Credit and self-employment, including claimant numbers, in Spring 2019. The Government’s commitment remains to helping self-employed claimants with viable businesses to thrive, while protecting public funds.</p><p> </p><p>We provide tailored support to our claimants who are in self-employment through our work coaches to help them to increase their productivity and earnings. Work coaches can also sign-post claimants to the extensive business support which is already funded by the Government.</p><p> </p><p>As we announced in the Autumn Budget 2018, we will be extending the 12-month start-up period where claimants are exempt from the Minimum Income Floor to all gainfully self-employed claimants who are new to Universal Credit. This start-up period will provide time for self-employed claimants to establish and grow their business, or to adjust to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has also extended mentoring support from New Enterprise Allowance mentors to Universal Credit claimants with earnings below their Minimum Income Floor, to help them to develop a plan to grow their earnings.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 210463 question first answered 24/01/2019 13:43:47 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1045532

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
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, what progress her Department has made on ensuring that 50,000 claimants of universal credit are in gainful self-employment by Summer 2019.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	210463
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2019 answer text <p>We plan to publish statistics on Universal Credit and self-employment, including claimant numbers, in Spring 2019. The Government’s commitment remains to helping self-employed claimants with viable businesses to thrive, while protecting public funds.</p><p> </p><p>We provide tailored support to our claimants who are in self-employment through our work coaches to help them to increase their productivity and earnings. Work coaches can also sign-post claimants to the extensive business support which is already funded by the Government.</p><p> </p><p>As we announced in the Autumn Budget 2018, we will be extending the 12-month start-up period where claimants are exempt from the Minimum Income Floor to all gainfully self-employed claimants who are new to Universal Credit. This start-up period will provide time for self-employed claimants to establish and grow their business, or to adjust to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has also extended mentoring support from New Enterprise Allowance mentors to Universal Credit claimants with earnings below their Minimum Income Floor, to help them to develop a plan to grow their earnings.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 210462 question first answered 24/01/2019 13:43:47 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1045533

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
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, if she will increase the number recording devices available for benefits assessments in Wirral.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	210464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2019 answer text <p>Anyone who is required to attend a Work Capability Assessment can ask to have their face-to-face assessment audio recorded. The Centre for Health and Disability Assessments ensure that sufficient recording equipment is available at the assessment centre, including transferring additional equipment to sites as required.</p><p> </p><p>Every claimant for Personal Independence Payment who wishes to have their assessment recorded has the right to do so but they must provide the recording equipment. DWP has set conditions for such recordings to take place, which are listed in the PIP Assessment Guide and are contained within correspondence to claimants from Assessment Providers.</p><p> </p><p>DWP will continue to keep the recording of assessments policy under review.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 24/01/2019 16:46:28 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1045534

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
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 recent assessment she has made of the effect of the availability of recording devices for benefits assessments on the (a) quality and (b) timeliness of those assessments.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	210465
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2019 answer text <p>Every person who is required to attend a Work Capability Assessment can ask to have their face-to-face assessment audio recorded. Where the request is made in advance the requirement will be met. Requests made on the day will be met where possible and the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments reviews the demand to ensure there is sufficient audio recording equipment. Personal Independence Payment claimants who wish to have their assessment recorded have the right to do so but they must provide the recording equipment.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s response to recommendation 4b of Paul Gray’s second independent review of the Personal Independence Payment assessment (<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/668621/pip-assessment-second-independent-review-government-response.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/668621/pip-assessment-second-independent-review-government-response.pdf</a>) set out our assessment of a trial of audio recording assessments</p><p> </p><p>DWP also recently commenced a video recording pilot for claimants with Personal Independence Payment face-to-face assessments. The pilot enables us to test communications products and live testing of video recording, providing that claimants elect to participate. Findings from the pilot will inform views on rolling out video recording more widely, in order to promote greater trust and transparency.</p><p> </p><p>DWP will continue to keep the recording of assessments policy under review.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 24/01/2019 17:16:28 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1045545

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
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: EU Nationals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-UK EU citizens have been refused universal credit on the basis that they do not have a right to reside in each month since January 2017.
tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
uin	210587
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p>Comprehensive guidance outlining eligibility for Universal Credit for EEA Nationals and the habitual residency test is available to all staff across the Jobcentre network. Universal Credit guidance is published in the House of Commons Library and the Department is committed to refreshing this at regular intervals.</p><p>Eligibility for income-related (means-tested) social security benefits depends on a person’s immigration status in the UK. Claimants must be exercising a legal right to reside and be habitually resident before they are eligible to claim income related benefit. This is assessed through the Habitual Residence Test (HRT). DWP does not automatically provide other Government departments with information regarding an individual’s benefit claim. The Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 and immigration decisions are the responsibility of the Home Office.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 24/01/2019 14:00:51 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

1045619

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
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: Chronic Illnesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Employment Support Allowance (ESA), how many and what proportion of people with the most severe health conditions and disabilities with lifetime award of ESA have been placed in the ESA Support Group or Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity category and are exempt from repeat assessments; what steps his Department has taken to ensure individuals with lifelong illnesses will not be required to be reassessed; and for what reasons decision-makers are allocating timeframes for the award of ESA for applicants whose ESA 50 forms have not been reviewed.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	210604
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2019 answer text <p>In response to (a)(i), information on the number of claimants who have met the severe conditions criteria for Employment and Support Allowance is published and can be found in tables 5a and 5b in the file which can be found at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-december-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-december-2018</a></p><p> </p><p>With regard to (a)(ii), the information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>In response to (b), the Honourable lady might be interested to know that we have worked with healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to develop a set of criteria to switch off re-assessments for people with the most severe health conditions or disabilities (unless there is a change of circumstances). From 29 September 2017 those placed in ESA’s Support Group and the UC equivalent who have the most severe and lifelong health conditions or disabilities, whose level of function would always mean that they would have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity, and be unlikely ever to be able to move into work, will no longer be routinely reassessed.</p><p> </p><p>With regards to question (c) to clarify, all ESA50 questionnaires completed and returned by claimants are reviewed by a Healthcare Professional. Their advice to the decision maker including advice on the review period will be based on all of the evidence they have considered.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 24/01/2019 13:46:27 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1045755

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
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: Fibromyalgia
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 to update the training module on Fibromyalgia issued by her Department on 18 April 2018; and whether her Department has made an assessment of (a) the level of compliance with the training module by benefits assessors and (b) the effectiveness of the guidance in identifying suffers of Fibromyalgia.
tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton North East
tabling member printed	Emma Reynolds
uin	210666
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2019 answer text <p>The training module is due to be reviewed in April 2019 and Fibromyalgia UK will be invited to quality assure the document which they previously reviewed in March 2018. The Department’s Independent Audit Team conducts an audit of a statistically significant sample of the Centre for Health and Disability Assessment reports that includes Fibromyalgia cases. The role of Healthcare Professionals conducting assessments is to provide advice on the functional impact of a condition and not to diagnose or advise on treatment.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 24/01/2019 13:37:11 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4077 label Biography information for Emma Reynolds

1045772

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
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	Mental Health: First Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Backbench Business Committee debate on Mental Health First Aid on 17 January 2019 Official Report columns 1366-1395, what steps her Department is taking to ensure employers are aware of the the Health and Safety Executive's guidelines on existing requirements to consider mental health alongside physical health when undertaking a first aid needs assessment, published in November 2018.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Wavertree
tabling member printed	Luciana Berger
uin	210679
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2019 answer text <p>On the 21 November 2018 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published revised guidance for employers on compliance with the existing Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 (<a href="http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/needs-assessment.htm" target="_blank">http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/needs-assessment.htm</a>). HSE developed this revised guidance with Mental Health First Aid-England to clarify and increase employer understanding that mental health should already be considered alongside physical health when undertaking a first aid needs assessment. The findings from this assessment will help direct employers to decide what measures they need to put in place. There are a range of actions that employers can undertake, but their choice should be guided by the outcomes of their first aid needs assessment and will depend on factors such as employee needs, the type of work and size of company.</p><p> </p><p>HSE has communicated this clarified guidance directly to key stakeholders involved in the design and delivery of first aid at work training courses.</p><p> </p><p>HSE is also taking opportunities to raise awareness through existing activity under its Health and Work programme, where preventing work-related mental ill health is a key priority. There is also related wider government activity led by the Joint DWP/DHSC Work and Health Unit to promote mental health core standards from the Lord Stevenson and Paul Farmer ‘Thriving at Work’ review published in October 2017, to help employers implement a comprehensive approach to managing mental health in the workplace.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 24/01/2019 14:51:40 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4036 label Biography information for Luciana Berger

1043694

registered interest
date	18/01/2019
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
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 9 May 2018 to Question 142518 on employment support allowance, what guidance her Department has issued to GPs on the provision of medical notes to claimants of employment and support allowance that are appealing her Department's decision on their claim.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, West Derby
tabling member printed	Stephen Twigg
uin	210007
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2019 answer text <p>The guidance issued to GPs is published on the gov.uk website. The relevant information can be found on pages 8 and 9 of the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/691502/the-benefits-system-a-short-guide-for-gps.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/691502/the-benefits-system-a-short-guide-for-gps.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 23/01/2019 16:26:35 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	167 label Biography information for Stephen Twigg

1043714

registered interest
date	18/01/2019
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	Personal Independence Payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's target timetable is for applicants of personal independence payments to be notified of the decision on their application; and what (a) proportion and (b) number of applications met that target in each year for which information is available.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	210050
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not have targets for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) applications.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 23/01/2019 16:16:53 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows