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1289523

registered interest
date	24/02/2021
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	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 recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of universal credit payment rates; and whether her Department undertakes regular analysis to help ensure universal credit payment rates are set at levels that meet the basic needs of recipients.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	158179
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>No such assessment has been carried out.</p><p> </p><p>There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of benefit should be as everyone has different requirements. Income related benefit rates are not made up of separate amounts for specific items of expenditure such as food or fuel charges.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to helping people with the cost of living and providing a safety net for those that need it. We have injected billions into the welfare system for those most in need, including increases to the Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit standard allowances of up to £1040 this financial year, and uplifts to the Local Housing Allowance rates to cover the lowest 30% of market rents. The Covid Winter Grant Scheme builds on that support with an additional £170m for local authorities in England, to support families with children and other vulnerable people, with the cost of food and essential utilities this winter.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 158180 question first answered 01/03/2021 15:38:01 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1289524

registered interest
date	24/02/2021
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	Universal Credit: 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 implications of her policies of the findings of Citizens Advice Scotland, published in February 2021, that the value of standard allowance of universal credit without the £20 uplift is less in real terms than in 2013.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	158180
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>No such assessment has been carried out.</p><p> </p><p>There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of benefit should be as everyone has different requirements. Income related benefit rates are not made up of separate amounts for specific items of expenditure such as food or fuel charges.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to helping people with the cost of living and providing a safety net for those that need it. We have injected billions into the welfare system for those most in need, including increases to the Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit standard allowances of up to £1040 this financial year, and uplifts to the Local Housing Allowance rates to cover the lowest 30% of market rents. The Covid Winter Grant Scheme builds on that support with an additional £170m for local authorities in England, to support families with children and other vulnerable people, with the cost of food and essential utilities this winter.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 158179 question first answered 01/03/2021 15:38:01 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1289604

registered interest
date	24/02/2021
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	Mobility
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendations of the Social Security Advisory Committee's Occasional Paper 23 on the use of public funds in supporting the mobility needs of disabled people, published on 17 November 2020.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	158181
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2021 answer text <p>The Department welcomed the report by the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) and engaged openly with SSAC throughout the process. The Department is committed to ensuring that disabled people get the right support and will use the upcoming Health and Disability Green paper to further explore this area. SSAC’s Occasional Paper 23 made recommendations to the Department which included collaboration with colleagues in other government departments, and after some initial engagement giving consideration to the recommendations, the Department is currently in the process of formulating a formal response to SSAC.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 04/03/2021 17:07:28 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1286965

registered interest
date	19/02/2021
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	Jobcentres
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in which locations her Department (a) has opened, (b) plans to open, (c) is considering opening a temporary job centre in 2021.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	155335
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2021 answer text <p>DWP is exploring potential options to take premises, on a temporary basis, predominantly in large metropolitan areas where we expect to see increased demand for the Department’s services. The Department has opened three temporary Jobcentre sites to date in Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne and Crawley.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is currently negotiating leases for a significant number of retail and office properties, in major centres, that meet the planning requirements for a jobcentre, with public access, good transport links and accessibility for both colleagues and customers. Location plans cannot be confirmed until commercial negotiations for each site conclude, however as leases are signed we will write to local MPs and provide the details of all sites on GOV.uk.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 24/02/2021 17:11:50 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1287018

registered interest
date	19/02/2021
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	Health and Safety: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many prosecutions have been pursued by the Health and Safety Executive relating to outbreaks of covid-19 in occupational settings; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	155336
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) takes COVID-19 safety at work very seriously and is playing a critical role in the national response to the pandemic. The Government has provided additional funding of £14 million to HSE to strengthen its capacity to tackle COVID-19.</p><p>Since the start of the pandemic, HSE has carried out over 127,000 Covid-19 spot checks, responded to over 19,000 workplace COVID-19 concerns and 569 outbreaks. Spot checks have been specifically targeted in those industries where workers are most likely to be vulnerable to transmission risks. HSE’s experience is that more than 90% of businesses checked have either the correct precautions in place or are willing to make necessary changes promptly and without the need for formal enforcement action.</p><p>No prosecutions have yet been initiated for COVID-19 related breaches, though HSE will not hesitate to take such action, in accordance with our published Enforcement Policy Statement and the Code for Crown Prosecutors, where this is warranted.</p><p> </p><p>Note: Figures extracted from HSE’s live operational database on 23<sup>rd</sup> February 2021 and are liable to change, e.g. as it may take up to ten working days for data to be uploaded onto the system.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 01/03/2021 17:13:24 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1287170

registered interest
date	19/02/2021
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	Post Office Card Account
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefits claimants receive their payments into a Post Office card account.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	155337
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>This is a question more appropriately directed to the Post Office.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 01/03/2021 17:09:15 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1286301

registered interest
date	11/02/2021
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	Universal Credit: Childcare
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 affordability of childcare for universal credit claimants since the judgment made on 22 January 2021 in R (Salvato) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2021] EWHC 102; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	153348
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2021 answer text <p>UC childcare is a generous offer - eligible claimants can claim up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month compared to 70% in legacy benefits.</p><p> </p><p>DWP’s internal analysis indicates that less than 5% of families/claimants hit the childcare costs cap of £646.35 for one child and £1108.04 for two children.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has been granted permission to appeal. It is therefore not appropriate to comment at this time.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The policy of reimbursing actual childcare costs paid has, as intended, resulted in a significantly lower level of fraud and error than in the legacy system, which was based on projected costs.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/02/2021 15:33:52 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1286302

registered interest
date	11/02/2021
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	Flexible Support Fund: Day Care
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 1 May 2020 to Question 37734 on Flexible Support Fund, when her Department plans to publish a breakdown of Flexible Support Fund spend on upfront childcare costs.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	153349
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2021 answer text <p>We have submitted a breakdown of spend to the WPSC for 2019/20 as agreed. This covers spend by geographic area and includes overall spend on childcare. This information will be published on the WPSC correspondence page on Parliament UK in due course</p><p><a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/164/work-and-pensions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/" target="_blank">https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/164/work-and-pensions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/</a></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/02/2021 17:20:36 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1286303

registered interest
date	11/02/2021
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	Flexible Support Fund
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much expenditure was allocated from the Flexible Support Fund in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK on (i) childcare and (ii) other categories of activity in (A) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	153350
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2021 answer text <p>The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table below.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Flexible Support Fund – Budget allocations (£m)</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scotland</p></td><td><p>3.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>37.8</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The total figure shown is the allocation for England, Scotland &amp; Wales.</p><p>Source : Hyperion</p><p>Numbers are rounded to the nearest £0.1m</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Eligibility criteria is the same in all areas however Fair Start Scotland, Scottish Governments employability programme, may impact on expenditure. There are also other competing programmes with significant investment in Scotland which may impact on expenditure, as customers would not be eligible for FSF whilst participating on other programmes.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Flexible Support Fund – Expenditure breakdown (£’000)</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Category</p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Partnerships</p></td><td><p>(15)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Removing Barriers</p></td><td><p>1,517</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Training</p></td><td><p>1,279</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Childcare *</p></td><td><p>60</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other</p></td><td><p>55</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>2,896</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source: Hyperion</p><p>Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand.</p><p>Negative numbers are in () and may reflect accounting adjustments.</p><p>* Childcare is only reported as a separate category from October 2019. Childcare expenditure between April 19 – September 19 cannot be separately identified and is reported within the Removing Barriers category.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 26/03/2021 12:07:07 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1286304

registered interest
date	11/02/2021
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	Universal Credit: Childcare
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 statistics on the (a) value of childcare element received by households claiming universal credit and (b) proportion of registered childcare costs that parents have claimed back from her Department.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	153351
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2021 answer text <p>There are currently no plans to publish these statistics.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/02/2021 15:47:24 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden