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1174414

registered interest
date	29/01/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Codes of Practice: Sexual Harassment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will amend the Ministerial Code to include what the steps that will be taken in the event that a (a) Minister and (b) Special Adviser is accused of sexual harassment.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	9729
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2020 answer text <p>The Ministerial Code makes clear that: “harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour wherever it takes place is not consistent with the Ministerial Code and will not be tolerated”. Sections 1.4 to 1.6 of the Ministerial Code sets out steps to investigate allegations of a breach of the Ministerial Code.</p><p>The model contract for Special Advisers and the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the standards of conduct expected of special advisers, and the disciplinary procedures that will be followed where necessary.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith grouped question UIN 9730 question first answered 03/02/2020 15:13:04 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1174416

registered interest
date	29/01/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Codes of Practice: Bullying
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has plans to amend the Ministerial Code to include the steps that will be taken in the event that a (b) a Minister and (b) Special Adviser is accused of bullying a civil servant.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	9730
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2020 answer text <p>The Ministerial Code makes clear that: “harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour wherever it takes place is not consistent with the Ministerial Code and will not be tolerated”. Sections 1.4 to 1.6 of the Ministerial Code sets out steps to investigate allegations of a breach of the Ministerial Code.</p><p>The model contract for Special Advisers and the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the standards of conduct expected of special advisers, and the disciplinary procedures that will be followed where necessary.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith grouped question UIN 9729 question first answered 03/02/2020 15:13:04 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1173946

registered interest
date	28/01/2020
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	Food Banks
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 place in the Library a copy of the evidence review undertaken by her Department on the drivers of food bank use, that was commissioned in 2018; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	9079
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2020 answer text <p>The literature review on the drivers of food bank use will be published in due course; at which point it will be placed in the Library.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/02/2020 18:07:37 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172282

registered interest
date	21/01/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Revenue and Customs: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the staffing complement is of the HMRC national minimum wage compliance unit; and how many posts in that unit were unfilled as of 20 January 2020.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	6165
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2020 answer text <p>The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC investigate every complaint they receive from workers, and also carry out a number of targeted, risk-based investigations to tackle new and emerging threats.</p><p> </p><p>If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact Acas, in confidence, on 0300 123 1100 or submit a query online using the link <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pay-and-work-rights-complaints" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pay-and-work-rights-complaints</a></p><p> </p><p>Based on the most recent available data, as at 30 December 2019 the HMRC National Minimum Wage Compliance Unit had 447 staff in post and 47 vacancies.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, staff across HMRC contribute to enforcing the NMW: these include lawyers, technical advisers, and those specialising in criminal investigations.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 27/01/2020 14:27:03 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172106

registered interest
date	20/01/2020
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 estimate she has made of the number of children living in households where claimants have had deductions made to their monthly universal credit payments in the latest period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	5463
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 28/01/2020 11:17:12 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172107

registered interest
date	20/01/2020
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 estimate she has made of the number of universal credit claimants who have had a (a) waiver and (b) reduction in deductions to their monthly payments on the grounds of hardship in the latest period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	5464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2020 answer text <p>The Department has an obligation to ensure that public funds are administered responsibly and to abide by the principles set out in Her Majesty’s Treasury’s guidance on Managing Public Money. Waiver applications have to be considered in line with this guidance. Debts can only be waived if recovery is causing substantial medical and/or financial hardship to a claimant or their immediate family.</p><p> </p><p>In 2019/20 (up to 31<sup>st</sup> December 2019), there were 10 Universal Credit claimants who had their debts waived.</p><p> </p><p>We understand the impact that debt can have on the wellbeing of claimants and we endeavour to ensure that the recovery of any overpayment is managed in a way that takes account of the claimant’s individual circumstances. Where a person says they cannot afford the proposed rate of recovery, a reduction in their rate of repayment may be agreed.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In 2019/20 (up to 31<sup>st</sup> December 2019), 159,000 Universal Credit claimants had the rate at which they were repaying a benefit overpayment reduced.</p><p> </p><p><em>*The figures provided in this response have been sourced from internal management information and were not intended for public release. They should therefore not be compared to any other similar figures subsequently released by the Department. The figure relating to the number of debts waived has been rounded to the nearest 10, and the figure relating to reductions in repayment rates has been rounded to the nearest 1,000. It is important to note that debts waived may not all relate to Universal Credit.</em></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/01/2020 16:30:45 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172108

registered interest
date	20/01/2020
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 estimate she has made of the value of deductions to universal credit payments under each reason for deduction in the latest period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	5465
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2020 answer text <p>The Department’s deductions policy strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to meet their obligations and their ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. From October 2019, Universal Credit deductions have been reduced to 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance down from 40% to better achieve these objectives.</p><p> </p><p>In the latest period for which figures are available (August 2019), £1.3 billion of Universal Credit was paid, of which £94 million (7%) was deducted. The table below provides a breakdown of the deductions by reason.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Deduction reason</p></td><td><p>Value of Deductions (£)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UC advance repayments</p></td><td><p>50,252,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tax Credit overpayments</p></td><td><p>14,295,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP overpayments</p></td><td><p>8,042,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social fund loans</p></td><td><p>5,466,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of rent and/or service charges</p></td><td><p>5,001,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Fines</p></td><td><p>4,931,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>HB overpayments</p></td><td><p>1,771,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of Community Charge or Council Tax</p></td><td><p>1,285,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UC Recoverable Hardship payments</p></td><td><p>843,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP Fraud overpayments</p></td><td><p>742,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Fuel and Water Ongoing consumption</p></td><td><p>615,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Child maintenance</p></td><td><p>527,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of water charges</p></td><td><p>273,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>HB and DWP Civil Penalties</p></td><td><p>121,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>HB Fraud overpayments</p></td><td><p>113,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>HB and DWP Administrative Penalties</p></td><td><p>76,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of fuel (electric and gas)</p></td><td><p>67,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of Eligible loans</p></td><td><p>51,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of Integration loans</p></td><td><p>44,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tax Credit Fraud overpayments</p></td><td><p>1,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mortgage interest</p></td><td><p>less than 500</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p>1. Values of deductions in the table are rounded to the nearest thousand. The total value of all deductions and the amount of universal credit paid is rounded to the nearest £1,000,000.</p><p>2. Deductions include advance repayments, third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.</p><p>3. Amount of Universal Credit paid reflects the amount of money paid to claimants and their landlords as part of their award, including the amount which they would have been entitled to had it not been deducted. It does not include other payments such as advances and hardship payments.</p><p>4. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 27/01/2020 18:05:44 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince previous answer version 2667 answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172109

registered interest
date	20/01/2020
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 estimate she has made of the value of universal credit deductions made to repay administrative errors in the latest period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	5466
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2020 answer text <p>As a Department, we understand the impact that debt can have on the wellbeing of claimants and we endeavour to ensure that the recovery of any overpayment is managed in a way that takes account of the claimant’s individual circumstances. Where a person says they cannot afford the proposed rate of recovery, a reduction in their rate of repayment may be agreed.</p><p> </p><p>Section 105 of The Welfare Reform Act 2012 amended the Social Security Act 1992, such that for Universal Credit, New Style JSA and New Style ESA, any payment in excess of the entitlement is recoverable, regardless of how the overpayment of entitlement occurred. This policy was brought in to reflect the need for a better value for money welfare system and to reinforce the overarching aim that Universal Credit mirrors work.</p><p> </p><p>In 2018/19, working with local authorities, the Department recovered £1.1bn in overpayments. Of this, £19.3m related to Universal Credit overpayments arising as a result of Departmental errors.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/01/2020 16:38:35 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172110

registered interest
date	20/01/2020
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, if she will place in the Library the (a) code of practice and (b) decision-making process governing universal credit deductions.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	5467
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2020 answer text <p>The Department’s deductions policy strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to meet their obligations and their ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. From October 2019, Universal Credit deductions have been reduced to 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance down from 40% to better achieve these objectives.</p><p> </p><p>Deductions are made following the priority order, which determines the order in which items should be deducted. ‘Last resort’ deductions, such as rent or fuel costs, are at the top of the priority order, ensuring that claimant welfare is prioritised, followed by social obligation deductions, such as child maintenance, and finally benefit debt, such as Social Fund loans and benefit overpayments.</p><p> </p><p>The Department collects and analyses data on Universal Credit regularly, including on the rate of deductions. Alongside this, the Department is always building our understanding on the impact deductions can have on claimants, and has heard evidence from external organisations on this issue. We have to balance these impacts with the need for claimants to meet their obligations.</p><p> </p><p>The Code of Practice ‘What happens if you are overpaid Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance?’ was deposited in the Library 6 May 2014. Deposit reference ‘DEP2014-0790’ refers.</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/" target="_blank">http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/</a></p><p /><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/01/2020 16:48:27 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172111

registered interest
date	20/01/2020
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, how many and what proportion of universal credit deductions were made to repay over-payments made in error in the latest period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	5468
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/01/2020 17:56:24 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens