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1366397

registered interest
date	05/11/2021
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	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 on 25 October 2021 to Question 57146 on Employment Support Allowance (ESA), what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) ESA decision makers apply hardship payments where appropriate for individuals whose ESA has been temporarily suspended while investigations into capital allowance are ongoing and (b) training of ESA decision makers on the role of hardship payments.
tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
uin	70285
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2021 answer text <p>Decisions about whether suspending payment would cause hardship are made on a case by case basis by considering the circumstances of the claimant at the point that suspension becomes an option. This would only arise after a claimant has been given the opportunity to resolve the doubt that has arisen in relation to their entitlement or award and not done that.</p><p> </p><p>Decision makers are trained to be fully conversant with all legislation and guidance in relation to all aspects of Decision Making, including hardship. There are quality assurance frameworks to ensure that there are consistent national standards in the decision-making process.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 16/11/2021 13:56:08 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith previous answer version 32253 answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1363497

registered interest
date	26/10/2021
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	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, what estimate she has made of the number of claimants who have reached the end of their 12 month entitlement to contributions-based employment and support allowance before the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments has completed its work capability assessment to determine whether their entitlement remains after the initial 12 month period.
tabling member constituency	Glenrothes
tabling member printed	Peter Grant
uin	63761
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 04/11/2021 15:54:50 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith previous answer version 28981 answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4466 label Biography information for Peter Grant

1361305

registered interest
date	19/10/2021
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	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, what support is available for employment and support allowance claimants who have had to leave the country for more than 28 days.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	58876
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2021 answer text <p>Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) can continue to be paid when a claimant is temporarily absent from Great Britain for more than 28 days where an absence is in connection with treatment in relation to their limited capability for work, or the health of a dependent child, provided they continue to meet the other conditions of entitlement. In these cases, ESA can continue to be awarded for the first 26 weeks in a 52-week period.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, where ESA claimants travel abroad for NHS treatment, or move to live with a partner or close family member who is a serving member of the armed forces there are no time limits.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 25/10/2021 17:04:17 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith previous answer version 26406 answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1359817

registered interest
date	15/10/2021
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	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, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for people on Income Related Employment and Support Allowance to apply for a hardship payment to include any cause of temporary payment suspension.
tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
uin	57146
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2021 answer text <p>Whether the claimant is facing a sanction related to work-related matters or a suspension because there is a doubt about their entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance, claimants can already apply for hardship with their Jobcentre adviser, work coach or via the helpline, at any time during the period when payment is reduced or stopped.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 25/10/2021 17:19:26 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1338612

registered interest
date	21/06/2021
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	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, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of employment support available to people who (a) claim Employment and Support Allowance and (b) want to move into employment.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	19699
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2021 answer text <p>No recent assessment has been made. We have recently restarted our employment support for people claiming ESA following a pause due to Covid-19. We adopt a personalised approach for every claimant, supporting them to undertake tailored activities designed to move them towards and into employment, if and when they are able.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 24/06/2021 15:03:38 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1316313

registered interest
date	19/05/2021
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	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, what plans her Department has to amend the employment and support allowance eligibility to include claimants who have been unable to pay National Insurance contributions as a result of shielding.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	3874
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2021 answer text <p>We have no plans to amend the National Insurance (NI) contributions conditions for contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).</p><p>Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals advised to ‘shield’ in line with public health guidance were eligible for ESA and would have received NI credits as part of their award. Where an individual required further financial assistance they may have been eligible for Universal Credit.</p><p>In addition, employers could and still can furlough clinically extremely vulnerable employees, who remain eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) even whilst shielding guidance is not in place. Individuals continue to pay NI contributions as normal as part of CJRS.</p><p /><p /> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 24/05/2021 13:53:56 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1310113

registered interest
date	19/04/2021
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	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, how many claimants of (a) new style and (b) contribution-based employment and support allowance were in the assessment phase when their payments were stopped as a result of reaching the end of the 365 day time-limit since March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	183256
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>The available statistics for ESA WCA by month of claim start (to June 2020) for initial assessment outcomes, including those still in progress, and assessment outcome by month of decision to September 2020, are published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-march-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-march-2021</a></p><p> </p><p>We recognise that Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) have unfortunately not been completed for some contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants as quickly as we would have liked due to the pressures presented by the pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The Honourable gentleman might be aware that face-to-face assessments for WCAs will resume from May across England and Scotland, and will do so in Wales from the point on their roadmap when socialising indoors is allowed. This will initially be for those who we have been unable to fully assess by other channels.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout the pandemic we have continued to assess people on paper evidence as usual, using this route whenever possible. We also introduced telephone assessments in June 2020 in a phased approach, with limited outcomes in the first instance, that allowed us to build capability and improve processes. Since the beginning of February all outcomes have been available in telephone assessments, and we are now in the process of completing second telephone assessments for people who previously had a telephone assessment but no outcome. The combination of these assessment channels will enable us to ensure that claimants receive their correct benefit entitlement as quickly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>If, following their assessment and the subsequent decision, an ESA claimant is entitled to a higher rate of benefit, payments are backdated where appropriate so that they do not lose out. Where an individual’s contributory ESA ends, if they require further financial support, they may be able to claim Universal Credit, depending on their personal circumstances.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 183257 question first answered 22/04/2021 14:22:07 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1310114

registered interest
date	19/04/2021
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	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, how many claimants of (a) new style and (b) contribution-based employment and support allowance are in the assessment phase as at 19 April 2021; and how and many what proportion of those claimants are awaiting a face-to-face assessment.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	183257
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>The available statistics for ESA WCA by month of claim start (to June 2020) for initial assessment outcomes, including those still in progress, and assessment outcome by month of decision to September 2020, are published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-march-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-march-2021</a></p><p> </p><p>We recognise that Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) have unfortunately not been completed for some contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants as quickly as we would have liked due to the pressures presented by the pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The Honourable gentleman might be aware that face-to-face assessments for WCAs will resume from May across England and Scotland, and will do so in Wales from the point on their roadmap when socialising indoors is allowed. This will initially be for those who we have been unable to fully assess by other channels.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout the pandemic we have continued to assess people on paper evidence as usual, using this route whenever possible. We also introduced telephone assessments in June 2020 in a phased approach, with limited outcomes in the first instance, that allowed us to build capability and improve processes. Since the beginning of February all outcomes have been available in telephone assessments, and we are now in the process of completing second telephone assessments for people who previously had a telephone assessment but no outcome. The combination of these assessment channels will enable us to ensure that claimants receive their correct benefit entitlement as quickly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>If, following their assessment and the subsequent decision, an ESA claimant is entitled to a higher rate of benefit, payments are backdated where appropriate so that they do not lose out. Where an individual’s contributory ESA ends, if they require further financial support, they may be able to claim Universal Credit, depending on their personal circumstances.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 183256 question first answered 22/04/2021 14:22:07 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1308128

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	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, how many claimants of (a) New Style and (b) contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance are in the assessment phase; and of those claimants how many are awaiting a face-to-face assessment.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	179282
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>The available statistics for ESA WCA by month of claim start (to June 2020) for initial assessment outcomes, including those still in progress, and assessment outcome by month of decision to September 2020, are published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-march-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-march-2021</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 179283 question first answered 15/04/2021 13:24:31 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1308129

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	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, how many claimants of (a) New Style and (b) contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance have been in the assessment phase when their payments stopped at the end of 365 days since March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	179283
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>The available statistics for ESA WCA by month of claim start (to June 2020) for initial assessment outcomes, including those still in progress, and assessment outcome by month of decision to September 2020, are published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-march-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-march-2021</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 179282 question first answered 15/04/2021 13:24:31 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft