Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were underpaid the State Pension due to incorrectly updated National Insurance records in the 2022-23 financial year; and what the total amount is that these people are owed.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

This response covers both missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) and UC National Insurance issues.

The exercise to correct National Insurance records for those individuals impacted by errors in their HRP record is underway. The HRP corrections exercise started with HMRC dispatching letters in late 2023. Cases subsequently notified from HMRC started being processed in DWP in early 2024.

In the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023, the central estimate was around 187,000 cases who may have an underpayment of State Pension and for whom we expect to correct, with a total underpayment estimate of £1,043 million.

We intend to publish an update on the exercise in this year’s Annual Report and Accounts.

DWP has corrected the UC data issue for the cases impacted for the tax years up to and including the tax year 2022/2023. This data has been shared with HMRC. As HMRC updates NI records, these updates are sent to DWP. Any State Pension entitlement will be reassessed, and any underpayment addressed accordingly.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average value was of an underpayment of the State Pension due to incorrectly updated National Insurance records in the 2022-23 financial year.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

This response covers both missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) and UC National Insurance issues.

The exercise to correct National Insurance records for those individuals impacted by errors in their HRP record is underway. The HRP corrections exercise started with HMRC dispatching letters in late 2023. Cases subsequently notified from HMRC started being processed in DWP in early 2024.

In the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023, the central estimate value of an underpayment was £5,000 for alive cases above state pension age and £3,000 for deceased cases.

We intend to publish an update on the exercise in this year’s Annual Report and Accounts.

DWP has corrected the UC data issue for the cases impacted for the tax years up to and including the tax year 2022/2023. This data has been shared with HMRC. As HMRC updates NI records, these updates are sent to DWP. Any State Pension entitlement will be reassessed, and any underpayment addressed accordingly.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill on the (a) physical and (b) mental wellbeing of people with (i) M.E. and (ii) other chronic diseases.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department has assessed the impact of the third-party data measure in the regulatory impact assessment scrutinised and green-rated by the Regulatory Policy Committee. This was published on the 27th November 2023 as part of the supporting documentation for the Data Protection and Information Bill and is available here: Data Protection and Digital Information Bill: supporting documents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The department has fulfilled all the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 and in line with our statutory duty keeps the impact of this measure on groups with protected characteristics under continuous review.

In 22/23, DWP overpaid over £8bn due to fraud and error. This is unacceptable and we are taking robust steps to tackle this.

The third party data legislation we are seeking is one such approach. The focus of this power will be about finding signals of potential benefit fraud and error.

The measure does not target a particular group of benefit claimant and we have tried and tested safeguarding procedures to protect vulnerable groups and will follow business as usual processes.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help people claim each benefit to which they are entitled.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) provides information on eligibility and how to make a claim for benefits, including signposting to telephony routes (including textphone and Relay UK) for people who are unable to complete forms online. There are videos on the DWP YouTube channel that provide further information on a range of benefits including Personal Independence Payment, Universal Credit, Winter Fuel Payment, Pension Credit and DLA for Children and these explain how to claim and what to expect once a claim has been made.

Guidance on GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) includes information on benefits people may be able to claim and other financial support. This includes housing support, help with council tax and direct payments for social care. Where appropriate DWP letters include signposting to additional help and support.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact for his Department's policies of defined benefit pensions.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The defined benefit pensions landscape remains central for the retirement plans of millions of current and future pensioners. There have been significant changes over recent years and the Government has been alive to the resulting risks and opportunities. The revised DB funding arrangements, which will be implemented in the Autumn, will help to keep members hard earned benefits safe and support the vision set out in our recent DB consultations to ensure that assets can work as hard as possible for the benefit of members, sponsoring employers, and the wider economy.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department are responsible for manually updating records relevant to eligibility for the State Pension.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

This information is only available at disproportionate cost to The Department for Work & Pensions as the Department does not have a business requirement for this information to be retained.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing recipients of Attendance Allowance to report a change in circumstances digitally.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The modernisation of Retirement Services, which includes Attendance Allowance, forms a key part of DWP’s Service Modernisation Programme. A key objective of the programme is to understand how existing services - such as Attendance Allowance - should operate in the future and understand how and whether services, including reporting change of circumstances, can be accessed by citizens more quickly and easily online.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to extend (a) member and (b) trade union representation to the Board of the Pension Protection Fund.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

There is no legal requirement for the Board of the Pension Protection Fund to include member or trade union representation, and there are no plans to extend representation to these groups.

The Pension Protection Fund does, however, have Member Panels – which Board members are invited to attend – to enable members to feed in views on the service offered and thoughts about changes that could be made in the future.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) applied for and (b) received employment and support allowance for inflammatory bowel disease in (i) Preston, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) England in each year since 2020.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire and (c) England have (i) applied for and (ii) received Personal Independence Payments for inflammatory bowel disease in each year since 2020.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) clearances and awards can be found here. The requested data can be found on the ‘PIP Clearances’ dataset by going to ‘Geography’, ‘National – Regional – LAs – OAs’ and following the drop downs to the relevant areas. Similarly, you can filter for those with inflammatory bowel disease through ‘Disability’, ‘Gastrointestinal disease’ and selecting ‘Inflammatory bowel disease’. To further filter just for those awarded, you can go to ‘Clearance Type Detail’ and select ‘Awarded’.

A lookup which shows which Local Authorities are in Lancashire is available here.

Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.

Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here. An account is not required to use Stat- Xplore, the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) restrictions and (b) guidance are in place for landlords renting out properties to immediate family members and receiving (i) housing benefit and (ii) universal credit for that property.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

To be eligible for support with housing costs in Housing Benefit and Universal Credit, claimants must be liable for making payment of rent on a commercial basis. A claimant can receive support with housing costs if that test is satisfied and liability is to a close relative, but only where that relative does not live in the same property as the claimant.

Guidance setting this out is available on Gov.uk.

Found: Correspondence from Peter Schofield CB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Work and Pensions, re Treasury

Found: DfE is the lead Department, with formal delivery links with HMT, No.10, DWP and DLUCH, HMRC and Ofsted

Found: Correspondence dated 26 April 2024 from the Chair to Peter Schofield CB Permanent Secretary Department

Found: In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions should introduce a generational breakdown of the Households

Found: Monday 11 March 2024 Peter Schofield CB , Permanent Secretary, Department for Work and Pensions; Neil

Found: We no longer have the former DWP Secretary of State here, but I am aware that DWP has a 15-page questionnaire

Found: I spent four years as a Minister in DWP.

Found: for Work and Pensions’ Accounts 2021–22 – Fraud and error in the benefits systemHC 44 27th Evaluating

Found: question, “What lessons has Capita learned from its work providing PIP assessments on behalf of DWP

Found: question, “What lessons has Capita learned from its work providing PIP assessments on behalf of DWP

Found: If you take, for example, Jobcentre Plus and all the institutions through the Department for Work

Found: question, “What lessons has Capita learned from its work providing PIP assessments on behalf of DWP

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a Parkinson's Passport that would give automatic access to clearly defined benefits.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is currently exploring the feasibility of this, and the other asks within the charter.

The Department for Work and Pensions offers Personal Independence Payments (PIP) to individuals with health conditions or disabilities. However, there is currently no automatic entitlement to PIP in relation to specific health conditions, except in cases of people nearing the end of life, specifically the last year of life. The Government understands that there are people with severe and lifelong health conditions which will not improve. Guidance ensures that those on the highest level of support, whose needs will not improve, receive an ongoing award with a light-touch review at the 10-year point.

The primary focus of the Department for Transport’s Blue Badge scheme is to help those with the greatest mobility needs. Eligibility is not based on the type of disability. There are several automatic qualifying criteria for a Blue Badge, such as being in receipt of PIP because you cannot walk more than 50 metres. People who do not automatically qualify for a Blue Badge may still be eligible for a badge through further assessment.

With regards to free prescriptions, approximately 89% of prescription items are currently dispensed free of charge, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place. People with Parkinson’s disease who are 60 years old or over are entitled to free prescriptions. For those that have to pay for prescriptions, the cost can be capped by purchasing a pre-payment certificate, which can be paid for in instalments. Additionally, the NHS Low Income Scheme can provide help with health costs on an income-related basis.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure a smooth transition for students with special educational needs and disabilities from (a) key stage 2 to key stage 3 and (b) key stage 4 to key stage 5.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life and supports them to achieve positive outcomes.

Mainstream schools and colleges should use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person with special educational needs gets the special educational provision they need. This might include tailored support to prepare for transitions.

In addition, for those with an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan, there must be a focus from year 9 onwards on preparing the young person for transitions as part of their plan’s annual review. Planning for the transitions should result in clear outcomes being agreed that are ambitious, stretching, and which are tailored to the needs and interests of the young person.

The department is developing good practice guidance to support consistent, timely, high-quality transitions for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and for those in alternative provision (AP). This will ultimately look at transitions between all stages of education from early years and will focus initially on transitions into and out of post-16 settings. This includes transitions into higher education, employment, adult services, and, for young people leaving AP at the end of key stage 4, building on learning from the recent Alternative Provision Transition Fund.

The department is working with the Department for Work and Pensions and key partners from the SEND and post-16 sectors, including the Association of Colleges and Natspec, to develop the guidance. The department is working with young people with different types of need, including those with and without EHC plans, to co-produce the guidance to ensure it improves experiences and outcomes. The department will also involve parents and carers.

Two-child benefits limit

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Found: for Work and Pensions 2624 2618 0 6 4 2624 2538 32 54 96.72256098 97.94207317 2624 234 355 2035 962

Found: community, to help them access mainstream services – such as those provided by Skills Funding Agency and Department

Found: For example, benefit fraud is prosecuted by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Found: • New Futures Network holds the national operational relationship with the Department for Work and

Found: It operates within the Framework Document agreed between Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) and

Found: Social Security Ministers from the Welsh Government and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) held

Found: Customers will receive a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions, or the Department for Communities

Found: The Check your State Pension forecast – a joint service by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department

Found: decision not to make the adjustment – or was an inadvertent admission (see per HHJ Beard in Fernandes v Department

Found: MacCulloch v ICI [2008] I CR 1334 EAT (subsequently approved by the Court of Appeal in Lockwood v DWP

Found: • New Futures Network holds the national operational relationship with the Department for Work and

Found: incidents of bullying and harassment. 9.15 The Contractor shall co -operate with the Department and Department

Found: It operates within the Framework Document agreed between Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) and

Found: you have one) Forename(s) Surname(s) We will share the National Insurance number you provide with the Department

Found: After a legal connection deadline of 31 October 2026 was set last year, the Department for Work and

Found: We are delivering this jointly with the Department for Work and Pensions , the Department of H ealth

Found: for Work and Pensions, Youth Offending Service).

Found: DWP staff are not counsellors but it is important that systems, procedures and responses are in place

Found: The Sector -based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) is delivered by DWP for claimants receiving out of

Found: to move onto Universal Credit as quickly as possible (with expected support from loca lly deployed DWP

Found: DWP has a range of measures designed to provide assistance and support for victims of domestic abuse

Found: Drug and alcohol dependency Contents Introduction Department for Work and Pensions support

Found: failure to attend’ sanctions, the date of compliance is the date the claimant makes contact with DWP

Found: DWP have created a Homeless & Housing Toolkit to provide comprehensive guidance to staff which includes

Found: Intensive W ork Search claimants aged under 18 are automatically eligible fo r the DWP Youth Offer

Found: There is no DWP equivalent. It is disregarded indefinitely .

Found: There is no DWP equivalent.

Found: For benefit purposes , DWP describes a terminally ill claimant as having a progressive disease or health

Found: DWP defines s evere weather as a recorded or forecast average temperature of zero degrees celsius or

Found: t he claimant :  had SDP, they are signposted to the local authority, HMRC or put through to DWP

Found: Claimants are also expected to notify DWP in good time if they cannot attend an interview.

Found: Where it is clear a clai mant or a child is at risk, DWP does not need the claimant’s permission

Found: The categories of records which are considered as SCRs within DWP , and the risks associated with those

Found: for example, claimants aged 16 -24 in the Work Preparation regime can choose to participate in the DWP

Found: For video assessments, DWP can help claimants with costs for data usage.

Found: Employer Agreement) Once employers have signed the DWP Employer Agreement the claimant will be

Found: example, claimants aged 16 -24 in the Work Focused Interview regime can choose to participate in the DWP

Found: Where a claimant has already received help for a deposit and upfront fees through other DWP support

Found: All DWP debt recovery must be suspended when a claimant becomes insol vent regardless of whether DWP

Found: DWP Youth Offer Contents Introduction Eligibility Exemptions Youth Employment Programme

Found: Once service online or by phone • the phone number for Tell Us Once Tell Us Once will notify DWP

Found: Housing Benefit and DWP Administrat ive Penal ties. 18.

Found: Housing Payment Discretionary Housing Payments Discretionary Housing Payments ( DHP’s ) are a DWP

Found: costs are paid to their l andlord on the same day or on a different payment sche dule agreed betwee n DWP

Found: valid for 90 days and any vouchers not redeemed within this period will expire and funds returned to DWP

Found: Modern slavery and human trafficking Contents Modern slavery Identifying victims DWP support

Found: This is to give them time to find work or apply for DWP benefits and look for accommodation.

Found: requirement to accept a Claimant Com mitment is lifted permanently when a claimant: • meets the DWP

Found: previously • not doing any paid work , including zero -hour contracts • must not be on any other DWP

Found: • moving towards work and financial independence When a claiman t with complex needs contacts DWP

Found: held on their account or understand more complex issues, they may ask a representative to contact DWP

Found: jobcentre as thei r postal add ress, th ey must be advised that their correspondence can be open ed by DWP

Found: If DWP Visit ing are unable to make contact with the c laimant after two visits and there is a risk

Found: appointment, or • complete a manda ted activity it is the responsibility of the provider to notify DWP

Found: for any reason, either by notification from the appointee themselves or it is revealed to DWP

Found: A DWP agent will be required w here the functionality of the Universal Credit service does n ot allow

Found: Scotland) Power of Attorney Claimant Commitment Claimant with an appointee ( PAB / CAB ) contacts DWP

Found: Introduction Full time and part time training courses Funding for skills and training Access to Work DWP

Found: Where a claimant is identified, DWP can provide this help and support through: • early access to

Found: received If earnings information is not received or reported late and the claimant has informed DWP

Found: ork Contents Volunteers Volunt eering Voluntary work or activity Notional earnings DWP

Found: registered social landlords (including stock owning local authorities) that have made an agreement with DWP

Found: or coercive and contr olling behaviour with HMRC (for example, when claiming Child Tax Credit ), DWP

Found: This will ensure repayments of any existing priority deb t repayment are not affected and DWP is not

Found: this guide) A full list of circumstances relevant to the award of FSF is available in the general DWP

Found: There is a strict data -sharing and data -processing agreement between DWP and Scottish Government

Found: This is because a claimant is expected to notify DWP in good time if they cannot attend an interview

Found: DWP operates a foodbank signposting service to support claimants in this situation.

Found: There is no DWP equivalent.

Found: Overpayments caused by official error Where an error or omission by an officer of the Department for

Found: Work and Health Programm e and Pioneer The Work an d Health Programm e and Pioneer are DWP ’s new

Found: provision When provision is appropriate Finding the right provision for a claimant Introduction DWP

Found: intensive support to transition into work, beyond that available in the jobcentre, including other DWP

Found: It is the claimant’s responsibility to inform DWP of the amount of their training allowance and to report

Found: To protect staff and DWP from harm, embarrassment or criticism the following must not be entered in

Found: In these cases, we make the claimant aware that these sites are not approved by DWP and we have no

Found: Public Protection Arrangements Contents Introduction Offenders managed under MAPPA Notifying DWP

Found: Contents Person s with a learning disability or learning difficulty What does this mean for DWP

Found: Features Support in the Light Touch regime One of the key elements of Universal Credit provides DWP

Found: treatment • the clinical findings A DS1500 or SR1 can be requested and provided directly to DWP

Found: DWP can legally ask an employer if claimants signposted to job s on Manage Jobs have applied and if

Found: support for people with a health c ondition Useful documents and links Mental health conditions DWP

Found: Claimants must be : • unemployed • aged 18 or over • not participating in other DWP contracted

Found: claims only, if a claimant appeals against a New Style ESA outcome and that appeal is successful, a DWP

Found: claims only, if a claimant appeals against a New Style ESA outcome and that appeal is successful, a DWP

Found: to enrol eligible learners on a Traineeship under the national programme up to 31 July 20 23 (and DWP

Found: Claimants must inform DWP if they take up any additional training.

Found: new career path • look for learning and training opportunities Wherever practicable, the DWP

Found: parties V27.0 46 Contrived tenancies V5.0 47 Cost of Living Payment V7.0 48 Council Tax V3.0 49 DWP

Found: V27.0 46 Contrived tenancies V5.0 47 Cost of Living Payment V7.0 48 Council Tax V3.0 49 DWP

Found: Irregular earnings are taken into account in the assessment period in which they are received by DWP

Found: Rapid Response Service If an employer is considering making redundancies, DWP can provide support

Found: Under the Equality Act 2010 , all DWP staff have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustm ents so disable

Found: expenses or benefits • e-exempt employers These claimants must self-report their earnings to DWP

Found: Vulnerable Group check Introduction Wales Skills to Employment Pathway (WSEP) is delivered by DWP

Found: Armed Forces pensions and benefits table Introduction As part of the Armed Forces Covenant , the DWP

Found: to prevent: • fraud • payment to the wrong person • complaints and reputational damage for DWP

Found: not understand or disagree s with something on their Work Plan, they must be advised to contact DWP

Found: Payment can apply for an exemption from paying vehicle tax. 2 Written Question answered by Department

Found: powers will be applicable to Scottish residents in receipt of devolved benefits administered by the DWP

Found: Mobility component Under the DWP social security system, Attendance Allowance is the only disability

Found: Key changes to FSS include the following: 1) Early in the pandemic, The Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Glossary of acronyms used in this publication Acronym Meaning COVID -19 Coronavirus Disease 2019 DWP

Found: The components of D.1 are currently regionalised using statistics on regional benefits caseloads from DWP

Found: Equality impact considerations and analysis Data source Limited data was available from DWP

Found: It is being delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) until we introduce Employment

Found: as a result of their employment, is currently delivered by the D epartment for Work and Pensions (DWP

Found: Security Scotland i.e. is Social Security Scotland gathering comparative data similar to that held by DWP

Found: received a notice of determination under paragraph 12, 7 (b) is not in receipt of a benefit from the Department

Found: receive PAWHP each year , the biggest transfer of cases from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP

Found: will receive PAWHP each year, the biggest transfer of cases from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP

Found: as clients can find it difficult to understand the differences between Social Security Scotland and Department

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding any implications for Scottish social security payments to women in Scotland as a result of the findings in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report, Women’s State Pension age: our findings on the Department for Work and Pensions’ communication of changes.

Answered by Somerville, Shirley-Anne - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26524 on 23 April 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Open Consultation: Consultation on next steps on delivery of Employment Injury Assistance

Found: developed a long-term health condition as a result of their employment, is currently delivered by the Department