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1233828

registered interest
date	14/09/2020
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	Hospitality Industry and Tourism: Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to (a) tackle unemployment and (b) promote job retention in the tourism and hospitality sector.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	905930
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government’s Job Retention and Eat Out to Help Out schemes have provided unprecedented support to the tourism and hospitality sector</p><p> </p><p>The August 2020 statistics[1] show that the accommodation and food services sector has seen 77% of employments furloughed, with over £4.7 billion claimed through CJRS. 87% of employers in this sector have furloughed at least one employment.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>By midnight on 31 August more than 100 million meals were eaten by diners as part of Eat Out to Help Out, with the 84,700 establishments signed up to the scheme making 130,000 claims worth £522 million[2].</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>For those in the sector that have unfortunately been made unemployed, I am working with colleagues from across government to ensure these people can access support to pivot into sectors where jobs are available.</p><p> </p><p>More widely, my department is working closely with other government departments, external organisations and local partners to support people into work. The Kickstart scheme was recently announced to help young people aged 16-24 find 6-month work places, while the start of Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) and Job Finding Support Service will follow.</p><p> </p><p>As my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in his Plans for Jobs statement[3] in July, DWP is also doubling the number of work coaches in Job Centres to help provide the urgent support needed for jobseekers to find work, including those in the tourism and hospitality sector.</p><p> </p><p>As well as this, DWP designed two websites that were launched in April, Jobhelp and Employer Help, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, recognising both a radically different labour market as some sectors contract and others expand. Jobhelp[4] offers job search advice, showcases recruiting sectors and signposts to job vacancies to help people successfully find work.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-statistics-august-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-statistics-august-2020</a></p><p> </p><p>[2] <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-diners-eat-100-million-meals-to-protect-2-million-jobs" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-diners-eat-100-million-meals-to-protect-2-million-jobs</a></p><p> </p><p>[3] <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/a-plan-for-jobs-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/a-plan-for-jobs-2020</a></p><p>[4] <a href="https://jobhelp.campaign.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://jobhelp.campaign.gov.uk/</a></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 14/09/2020 17:03:34 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1233673

registered interest
date	11/09/2020
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	Support for Mortgage Interest: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what changes she has made to the qualifying period for support for mortgage interest in response to the covid-19 outbreak; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
tabling member printed	Alan Brown
uin	88896
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2020 answer text <p>The Department has no plans to amend the qualifying period for Support for Mortgage Interest.</p><p> </p><p>Home owners experiencing difficulties with mortgage repayments because of COVID-19 should contact their lender as soon as possible to discuss what support might be available.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 16/09/2020 12:20:32 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1233677

registered interest
date	11/09/2020
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: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, further to the Social Security Advisory Committee’s letter of 27 May 2020 which stated that it is increasingly untenable for (employment support allowance (ESA) and job seeker's allowance (JSA)) claimants to be excluded and continue to have a lower level of income than those in receipt of Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit, if she will commission research into the comparative effect of the covid-19 lockdown on people who are living on (a) £74.35 a week standard allowance for ESA, JSA and Income support and (b) £95 a week paid to those on universal credit, working tax credit and statutory sick pay.
tabling member constituency	Edmonton
tabling member printed	Kate Osamor
uin	88919
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2020 answer text <p>The Department has no current plans to commission such research.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for Universal Credit if they believe that they will be better off. Claimants should check their eligibility before applying to Universal Credit as legacy benefits will end when they submit their claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future. For this reason, prospective claimants are signposted to independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK.</p><p> </p><p>There are special arrangements for those in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium, who will be able to make a new claim to Universal Credit from January 2021.</p><p /> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 21/09/2020 17:00:10 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4515 label Biography information for Kate Osamor

1233678

registered interest
date	11/09/2020
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: Disability
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 the disability green paper.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	88813
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2020 answer text <p>The Department will be bringing forward a Green Paper on health and disability support, focusing on how the welfare system can better meet the needs of claimants with disabilities and health conditions. The Green Paper will be strongly influenced by the views of disabled people and representatives from disability organisations, drawing on the significant engagement we have conducted and which will continue, albeit through different channels, over the Autumn.</p><p> </p><p>Given the necessary focus on the departmental response to COVID-19, we are working to a longer timescale than previously anticipated but we remain committed to publishing in the coming months.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 16/09/2020 12:34:04 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1233679

registered interest
date	11/09/2020
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: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department is providing to help disabled people (a) find and (b) remain in employment during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	88814
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government has put in place a range of provision to help disabled people find and stay in work across the country. Our programmes include Access to Work, Disability Confident, specialised employment support including the Work and Health Programme and the Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme, and local trials in partnership with the Department for Health and Social Care. During the Covid-19 outbreak, we have provided this support remotely and made the Work and Health and Intensive Personalised Employment Support programmes easier to access by allowing self-referrals as well as referrals through work coaches.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 17/09/2020 16:24:34 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1233680

registered interest
date	11/09/2020
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 steps her Department has taken to ensure that new universal credit claimants are paid on time.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	88815
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2020 answer text <p>Processing Universal Credit claims and ensuring people are paid quickly is a key priority for the Department; our latest data shows over 90% of new claimants have received their payments on time and in full.</p><p>There have been over 3 million Universal Credit claims made since mid-March and there are currently 5.6 million people on Universal Credit. Universal Credit has clearly stood up to the challenges associated with the surge in claims following the outbreak of COVID-19, demonstrating scalability and resilience are part of its design. Millions more are able to access welfare which is fairer and more generous than the legacy benefit system.</p><p>The Department will continue to closely monitor its services across the country as we double the number of work coaches in Jobcentres before the end of the financial year, to strengthen our employment support offer through our ‘Plan for Jobs’.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 21/09/2020 16:56:26 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1233681

registered interest
date	11/09/2020
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: Coronavirus
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 is taking to support people of all ages back into work as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	88816
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2020 answer text <p>I refer the Rt. Hon. member to my response to question <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-05-06/43982" target="_blank">43982</a>.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 17/09/2020 10:58:01 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1233682

registered interest
date	11/09/2020
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	Pension Funds: Energy and Infrastructure
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 is taking to encourage pension scheme investment in (a) infrastructure and (b) energy provision.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	88817
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2020 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government is taking action to encourage pension scheme investment in infrastructure and energy provision and support this approach.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We are committed to enabling more diverse investments for pensions schemes that will improve returns to savers and support important sectors of the UK economy as such as infrastructure and energy, as we build back better.</p><p> </p><p>On the 11<sup>th</sup> September we published a consultation <em>Improving outcomes for members of defined contribution pension schemes</em> which includes measures to enable defined contribution pension schemes to more easily invest in long-term assets like green technology, venture capital, and infrastructure by allowing longer-term calculation methods for performance fees.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-outcomes-for-members-of-defined-contribution-pension-schemes" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-outcomes-for-members-of-defined-contribution-pension-schemes</a></p><p> </p><p>We also want pension scheme members to benefit from well-run pension schemes that have sufficient scale to invest in assets such as energy and infrastructure, and that provide good value for money. Therefore, the consultation also includes proposals on a more comprehensive value for members’ assessment to encourage accelerated consolidation within the market, This will enable trustees to take a longer-term approach to delivering for savers by expanding the range of investments and strategies they can utilise to achieve this.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 21/09/2020 16:58:37 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1233351

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
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: Darlington
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 is taking to support people transitioning from legacy benefits to universal credit in Darlington constituency.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	88398
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2020 answer text <p>We currently spend over £95 billion a year on working age benefits including Universal Credit and remain committed to supporting the most vulnerable in society.</p><p> </p><p>Recent changes to Universal Credit include temporarily increasing the standard allowance by up to £1,040 per year and increasing the Local Housing Allowance rates, including the Shared Accommodation element, so that it covers the lowest 30% of local market rents benefiting over one million households by £600 a year on average.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Department has delivered a number of improvements to support claimants during their first assessment period, such as removing waiting days and paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit on to Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. Since July 2020, an additional two-week run has been introduced to assist eligible claimants moving from Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance (IR) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (IB). Advance payments are available so nobody has to wait five weeks for payment.</p><p> </p><p>We are also doubling the number of work coaches across our network of jobcentres, from 13,500 to 27,000, so that every jobseeker receives tailored support to get back on their feet, build skills and move into work</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some people will need extra help to successfully establish a claim to Universal Credit. Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, have supported in excess of 250,000 individuals through ‘Help to Claim’ since April 2019, offering tailored and practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim and up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. ‘Help to Claim’ is funded by the Department and is available online, on the phone and face-to-face in locations including Jobcentres and Citizen’s Advice offices.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 17/09/2020 16:08:07 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1233370

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
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	Kickstart Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many organisations in each region have applied to be representatives of the Kickstart scheme in the first week since that scheme was launched on 2 September 2020.
tabling member constituency	Manchester Central
tabling member printed	Lucy Powell
uin	88324
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2020 answer text <p>The department is now processing many applications from across the UK, this is currently a clerical process, so reliable management information, particularly on geographical areas, is not yet available.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 88348 question first answered 15/09/2020 14:00:28 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4263 label Biography information for Lucy Powell