Asked by: Kevin Foster (Conservative - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress he has made on repairing the Torquay temporary jobcentre; and what his planned timetable is for when the work will be completed.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP announced the decommissioning of the Torquay Temporary Jobcentre on 17 May 2023. Customers and staff exited the site by June. The Department is in the process of preparing the site ready to hand back to the landlord.
We sincerely apologise that this work has taken so long. Since this issue was brought to our attention, we have escalated this to ensure the contractor completes the work as a matter of urgency.
The Department has provided the honourable member with a letter from DWP Estates with further information and a full explanation of the delay, which resulted from a combination of supplier failure and the transition to decommissioning this site.
We can confirm that replacement glazing units have been ordered and the Department will ensure installation is completed as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Kevin Foster (Conservative - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's most recent conversion rates are for cases moving from disability living allowance to personal independence payments in Torbay constituency.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Statistics on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Award Rates split by Parliamentary Constituency and Re-assessment indicator can be found in published statistics in data table 4Ci of: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics
Asked by: Kevin Foster (Conservative - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there is provision to ensure that both parents in a separated couple receive financial assistance for their children when joint custody has been approved.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Where a separated couple have joint custody for their children, only one of them will receive financial assistance for those children through Universal Credit. The separated couple may jointly nominate which of them that will be. The parent who receives financial support is the one whom the child normally lives with, but if the child normally lives with both, then it is the parent who has main responsibility for the child. This is to be decided by the parents, or failing that, the Secretary of State if the parents cannot agree or if the Secretary of State does not think that the nomination accurately reflects the arrangement. HM Revenue & Customs administer Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit and the rules similarly require that payment is directed towards the person who is mainly responsible for the child, so that at any one time, only one person can be entitled to receive payments in respect of a particular child.
Asked by: Kevin Foster (Conservative - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what forms of medical evidence his Department accepts for personal independence payments claims from a person suffering from (a) myalgic encephalopathy and (b) other illnesses with variable symptoms that permit part-time work.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a non-means-tested, non-taxable cash benefit that is paid regardless of the employment status of the claimant. It has been designed to take full account of fluctuating and variable conditions.
The Department encourages claimants to provide as much relevant evidence as necessary to support their claim. The “How your disability affects you” form and accompanying guidance sets out the range of information that can help the Department reach a decision. The guidance for Health Professionals also sets out sources of further evidence which could help inform their advice to the Department (Section 2.3 Further Evidence); this includes family members, carers or anyone else who supports them.
This guidance can be accessed on the gov.uk website:
Asked by: Kevin Foster (Conservative - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support claimants of benefits find employment in Torbay.
Answered by Priti Patel
Jobcentre Plus work coaches are delivering a personalised service to best meet the needs of the claimant and the local labour market. The flexible model of support available through the Jobcentre Plus offer includes, Sector Based Work Academies, New Enterprise Allowance, Work Experience and access to skills provision.
In addition, the Work Programme offers tailored support to those people who are at risk of becoming long-term unemployed.
Asked by: Kevin Foster (Conservative - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to further roll out the Universal Credit programme in Torbay constituency in 2015-16.
Answered by Priti Patel
The national roll out of Universal Credit is on track. Torbay is part of our Tranche 4 roll out schedule which runs from December 2015 to April 2016.
I enclose a link to overall roll out and expansion plans:
Asked by: Kevin Foster (Conservative - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he plans to take to help people with disabilities into work and training.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We have extended Access to Work to support disabled people take up supported internships and traineeships. We are launching Specialist Employability Support to provide intensive back to work support for more disabled people. We will continue to work with employers to ensure that they understand the benefits of recruiting and retaining disabled people.