Baroness Lister of Burtersett

It is for the governing body of a school to determine uniform policy. In making decisions about its school uniform policy, and all other school policies, a school must have regard to its obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty. Where a school has different dress codes for male and female pupils, they will need to carefully consider their obligations under equalities legislation not to discriminate unlawfully on the grounds of any protected characteristic. The department publishes guidance to help schools understand how the Equality Act affects them and how to fulfil their duties under the Act: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-advice-for-schools. This includes a duty on schools not to discriminate unlawfully due to the protected characteristics of sex and gender reassignment. The department also publishes non-statutory best practice guidance on school uniform which is clear that “in formulating its school uniform policy, a school will need to consider its obligations not to discriminate unlawfully”: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/514978/School_Uniform_Guidance.pdf. For example, it is not expected that the cost of girls’ uniform is significantly more expensive than boys.

Under the Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Act 2021, the forthcoming statutory guidance will be limited in scope to the cost aspects of uniform, but we will continue to make our non-statutory guidance available to schools alongside it.

We are working with departments across government to evaluate access to free school meals for families with no recourse to public funds. This review has not been formally concluded at present. In the meantime, the extension of eligibility will continue with the current income threshold until a decision on long-term eligibility is made.

Once the review is complete, we will update our guidance accordingly. Our current guidance regarding the extension is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups.

We are working with departments across government to evaluate access to free school meals for families with no recourse to public funds. In the meantime, the extension of eligibility will continue with the current income threshold until a decision on long-term eligibility is made.

Once the review is complete, we will update our guidance accordingly. Our current guidance regarding the extension can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups.

The Department for Education remains committed to long term improvements to support children and young people’s mental health, set out in the government’s response to its Green Paper and NHS Long Term Plan. This includes the roll-out of mental health support teams and the provision of training for Senior Leads for Mental Health in schools and colleges.

As part of this, we are producing evidence about what works to support mental health and wellbeing in schools, so that they can make evidence-based decisions about how to best support their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. The department is funding a large-scale programme of randomised control trials of mental health interventions in schools. The aim of this programme is to provide robust evidence on what works to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing and whether programmes can be delivered effectively in a school setting.

The programme is testing the effectiveness of 5 different approaches to supporting pupil mental health and wellbeing in primary and secondary schools across England. It includes a programme of brief mindfulness-based exercises to be run by teachers in the classroom, which provides teachers with a short training session and materials to run brief mindfulness-based exercises with their classes.

The government has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of mindfulness in colleges and universities. It is for higher education providers as autonomous bodies to identify and address the needs of their student body and decide what mental health and wellbeing support to put in place.

The government will carefully consider the findings of the National Food Strategy Part One?report and will be responding fully in due course.

Free school meals are an integral part of our provision for families on low incomes and our wider actions to promote social mobility. We are supporting around 1.4 million of the most disadvantaged children through free school meals, saving families around £400 a year. It is right that we are targeting our support towards those families that are most in need of it.

Children have been and remain at the heart of our recovery planning. Supporting children and young people to recover from the COVID-19 outbreak means encouraging school attendance and helping them to catch up on lost learning, but also ensuring they are safe and well. We look forward to continuing our close work with children’s charities and benefitting from their insights and experience to inform our long-term recovery plans to support the continued safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children and young people.

Our guidance published on 2 July provides schools, colleges and nurseries with the details needed to plan for a full return, as well as reassuring parents about what to expect for their children. We know that school is a vital point of contact for public health and safeguarding services that are critical to the wellbeing of children and families. The guidance has been developed in close consultation with the sector and medical experts from Public Health England to ensure that both staff and students are as safe as possible.

Pupils in England will also benefit from a £1 billion COVID-19 catch-up package to directly tackle the impact of lost teaching time over the 2020-21 academic year. This includes £650 million to be shared across state primary and secondary schools and a National Tutoring Programme, worth £350 million to increase access to high quality tuition for the most disadvantaged young people.

Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we have prioritised vulnerable children and young people’s attendance in early years, schools and colleges and supported local areas to improve attendance rates.

As well as working in collaboration with children’s charities, we have also supported those that provide vital services that are helping vulnerable children and young people.

In April, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out the £750 million COVID-19 funding for frontline charities. The Department for Education and the Home Office were allocated a total of £34.15 million specifically for vulnerable children’s charities. As part of this, on 10 June, the two departments launched the £7.6 million Vulnerable Children National Charities Strategic Relief Fund to provide support to national children’s charities operating in England and Wales which offer services to safeguard vulnerable children, and which have suffered financially owing to the impact of COVID-19. The strategic aim of this funding is to ensure that large charities can continue to sustain their existing services.

As part of this funding, the department also announced £7.27 million for a consortium led by Barnardo’s, which will support their new See, Hear, Respond service supporting vulnerable children, young people and families affected by COVID-19. The department has also provided funding to other charities working with vulnerable children, including Grandparents Plus, Family Rights Group and FosterTalk. This adds to investment in the NSPCC’s Childline service, while some £10 million has already been committed to the Family Fund, helping families with children who have complex needs and disabilities through grants for equipment which makes their lives easier.

As well as charities, we are supporting local authorities during this outbreak by providing a package of support totalling £4.3 billion to help meet the immediate COVID-19 related pressures, including in Children’s Social Care and in delivering services for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

From 1 June, early years settings have been able to welcome back all children. Guidance for parents and carers about opening from 1 June is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, has announced that from 13 June, single adult households can form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household. This will mean that lone parent households may form a support bubble with another household to provide informal childcare, so long as no members of either household are shielding. This will enable grandparents and other family members to provide childcare support to lone parents, or for grandparents living on their own to look after grandchildren from one other household. The guidance is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing.

On 23 June, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced that from 4 July, two households will be able to meet up in any setting subject to social distancing measures. Friends and family members providing informal childcare from that date will need to adhere to guidance on social distancing. The guidance is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing-after-4-july.

Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a Covid Summer Food Fund which will enable children who are eligible for free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the 6-week holiday period. This is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the outbreak.

The government has made significant wider support available for children and families at this time. On 10 June, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, confirmed an additional £63 million to be distributed to local authorities in England to help those who are struggling to afford food and other essentials due to COVID-19. In addition, the government has introduced an uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit by around £1,000 a year for the next 12 months as part of an injection of over £6.5 billion by the government into the welfare system.

Additional support has been pledged by various departments across government with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announcing the provision of £16 million for food support through charities, including FareShare and WRAP. DEFRA have also issued 2 million food packages to those who are shielding.

The Department for Education’s Holiday Activities and Food programme ensures that thousands of disadvantaged children have access to enriching activities and nutritious healthy meals over the summer, and is receiving £9 million this year.

More widely, the government has supported families to cope with the impact of coronavirus by introducing a range of support measures, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme. Support has also been provided to help families pay their rent or mortgage, access sick pay, and delay tax payments.

In relation to free school meals, this response applies to educational settings in England only. Education is a devolved matter and it will be for each administration to determine the actions they wish to take.

As both my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.

Our latest guidance for schools is set out below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings.

Alongside our national approach to supporting free school meal pupils, we are committed to supporting schools and children who benefit from our breakfast club programme. Our suppliers, Family Action along with Magic Breakfast, are in contact with schools on the programme, where possible, and are working closely with them to target the children most in need to continue to provide them with a healthy breakfast.

Schools on the programme can choose to support target children in the way which works best for them. This may include parents collecting food parcels from open schools or breakfast food ‘drop offs’ to target families. This should be arranged alongside the school’s wider support for children on free school meals, and schools must follow Public Health England’s advice on social distancing at all times.

This programme operates during term time, and we would not expect provision to continue through schools during the May half term holiday week. We continue to work flexibly with Family Action and Magic Breakfast on the best ways to support schools during the COVID-19 outbreak.

These are rapidly developing circumstances. We continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

Our latest guidance on vulnerable children is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings.

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, for the purposes of continued attendance at educational settings, vulnerable children and young people are defined as those who:

• are assessed as being in need under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, including children who have a child in need plan, a child protection plan or who are a looked-after child
• have an education, health and care (EHC) plan whose needs cannot be met safely in the home environment
• have been assessed as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities (including children’s social care services), and who are therefore in need of continued education provision. This might include children on the edge of receiving support from children’s social care services, adopted children, or those who are young carers, and others at the provider and local authority discretion

The official statistics on the number of children in poverty is based on the Annual Households Below Average Income Survey. It is not possible to separately identify children defined as ‘vulnerable’ from the survey data.

The department’s analysis of deprivation and low income in education uses free school meal eligibility as an indicator of children living in families that need additional support. Detail on free school meal eligibility is available at: https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals.

We do not hold data on the overlap between the numbers of children and young people included in the total of the three categories of vulnerable children and children eligible for free school meals.

Our published ‘characteristics of children in need: 2018 to 2019’ data shows that 54.1% of Children in Need at 31 March 2019 (aged 5-16, excluding those who were looked after at any point during the year unless they were also on a child protection plan) were eligible for free school meals. This data is available in Table 1 of the ‘Children in need outcomes national tables: 2019’ available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2018-to-2019.

Our published information on children with Special Educational Needs from the 2019 school census shows that, in January 2019, 32.7% of pupils with EHC plans were eligible for free school meals. This is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2019.

Educational providers and local authorities have the discretion to offer support to children and young people who they consider to be vulnerable, where the child or young person does not fall into either of the categories above.

Educational providers and local authorities may therefore choose to offer support to children and young people where their individual circumstances, including the impact of poverty, may suggest that they would benefit from this support and continued provision.

As this is based on ongoing, locally made decisions, we do not hold data on the number of children and young people that have been identified as otherwise vulnerable or the overlap between this cohort and their eligibility for free school meals.

These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

Alongside our national approach to supporting pupils to continue to access free school meals, we are also committed to supporting schools and children who benefit from our breakfast club programme.

Our suppliers, Family Action along with Magic Breakfast, are in contact with schools on the programme, where possible, and are working closely with them to target the children most in need to continue to provide them with a healthy breakfast.

Schools on the programme can choose to support target children in the way which works best for them; this may include parents collecting food parcels from open schools or breakfast food ‘drop offs’ to target families. This should be arranged alongside the school’s wider support for children on free school meals, and schools must follow Public Health England’s advice on social distancing at all times.

Family Action have reported that more than 880 schools in disadvantaged areas are registered to receive breakfast deliveries from this programme during the coronavirus outbreak. These schools are located nationwide across England.

Devices have been ordered for the most disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for exams in Year 10, receive support from a social worker, or are a care leaver.

Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school, and disadvantaged children in Year 10 do not have an internet connection, we will be providing 4G connectivity access to them.

Local authorities, trusts and other relevant organisations overseeing schools will be given guidance on how to request government-funded and allocated devices. We recognise that local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify and prioritise children and young people who need devices.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates determine the maximum housing support for Housing Benefit and Universal Credit claimants in the private rented sector. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas.

In April 2020 we increased LHA rates to the 30^th percentile of local rents, costing nearly £1 billion and providing 1.5 million claimants with £600 more in housing support, on average over 2020-21, than they would have otherwise received.

LHA rates have been maintained at their increased levels in 2021-22 and will remain at those levels for 2022-23, so that everyone who benefitted from the increase will continue to do so.

A claimant’s ability to cover their rental costs will be unique to the individual. For those who require additional help with housing costs Discretionary Housing Payments are available from local authorities (LAs). Since 2011 we have provided almost £1.5 billion to LAs to help support people who face a shortfall in meeting their rental housing costs.

Work Coach learning is designed to be gender neutral, and support tailoring actions to individual customer needs. It does not specifically reference women with criminal records or who are on probation, when they are applying for jobs.

Specific Universal Credit Prison Work Coach (PWC) learning is provided for Work Coaches who will be undertaking a role with prison leavers. This comprises of 47 hours of learning, blended to include facilitation, self-study and group work. The learning content can be tailored to learners’ requirements.

This PWC learning aims to provide skills and knowledge without any reference to gender, preparing the PWC to support prison leavers with their Universal Credit claim and journey into employability. There is a focus on building relationships with employment partners to help create workshops and job vacancies for prison leavers.

All Work Coaches including PWCs complete Complex Needs learning. This is upskilling to identify a claimant who has complex needs and be aware of the support that they can give. Concerns, such as prevalent employer attitudes to ex-offenders, stigma and common misconceptions are discussed. Learning highlights that ex-offenders are often vulnerable because they may have lived outside of the modern world for a period and may be less used to managing their own affairs.

The learning provides information on what has to be declared and supports giving advice to ex-offenders on disclosure. Learning stipulates that a Work Coach must get a customer's consent before declaring that they have a conviction to an employer.

In April 2021 we reduced the standard cap rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 30% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance enabling them to take home more of the award. These changes were brought forward from October 2021(March 2020 Budget) to April 2021 and supported Universal Credit claimants to manage financial difficulties.

The Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014 provided for transition to UC and these were amended in 2019 by the Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 providing for managed migration.

A short instrument containing some amendments to the 2014 and 2019 Regulations is being considered. This instrument will be subject to the negative procedure.

The Harrogate pilot was suspended as the Department focused on delivering its part of the Government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. An announcement on our latest Move to Universal Credit plans will be made in due course.

The department will make an announcement in due course on Move to Universal Credit.

The department will make an announcement in due course on Move to Universal Credit.

Protecting a private space for policy development has always been an important factor in the formation of Government policy.

We are currently considering a range of policy options for changes to health and disability benefits and support, reflecting on the 2021 Green Paper and subsequent consultation. As part of this, we will regularly draw on a wide range of evidence, research and analysis.

We plan to officially publish the research as soon as we can once policy development work has concluded and therefore publish it alongside the Health and Disability White Paper.

We do not routinely publish Internal Process Reviews (IPRs) or their findings.

From September 2020 to present (January 2022) the Department has conducted

10 Internal Process Reviews for cases in which we are aware that a Safeguarding Adults Review has also been undertaken.

Recommendations from Internal Process Reviews (IPRs) are a critical source of insight and learning.

Improvements the Department has made following the completion of IPRs in the last few years include:

• Introducing a holistic check of a customer’s circumstances prior to issuing them with a large payment.
• Improving staff guidance to ensure vulnerable customers’ benefits are not automatically stopped when they cease engaging with the Department.
• Following two unanswered visits to a claimant’s address - where there remains concern for their vulnerability - the claim will now not automatically be closed and payments will not cease. Instead, the case will be escalated to a manager to convene a case conference to ensure consideration of all the circumstances. Where applicable, the case can be further escalated to the area Advanced Customer Support Senior Leader (if not yet involved) who could then liaise with relevant external agencies such as the Police or social services to assure the customer’s safety as appropriate.

No assessment has been made of the increase in Universal Credit sanctions in June and July 2021. The increase is a result of the re-introduction of conditionality following its suspension at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sanctions rate remains low at 0.78%.

We do not plan to publish a report on the sanctions evaluation as we were unable to assess the deterrent effect and therefore this research doesn’t present a comprehensive picture of sanctions

The Publication Protocol for Government Social Research provides guidance on the publication of social research, but it is important that Ministers consider research and its publication on a case by case basis and in the best interests of Government policy formation.

The report in question engages an exemption from disclosure because it relates to the formulation or development of this government policy – Section 35(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act. This exemption protects the private space within which Ministers and their policy advisers can develop policies without the risk of premature disclosure.

I am satisfied that in this instance the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure. Therefore, I do not intend to publish this research at present.

The DWP Green Paper reflects a wide range of issues that were shaped by engagement with disabled people, representative organisations and charities, with relevant research and analysis playing a role in supporting the content which was presented.

I have no intention to publish this research at present. It is important to protect the private space within which Ministers and their policy advisers can develop policies without the risk of premature disclosure.

The DWP Green Paper reflects a wide range of issues that were shaped by engagement with disabled people, representative organisations and charities, with relevant research and analysis playing a role in supporting the content which was presented.

I have no intention to publish this research at present. It is important to protect the private space within which Ministers and their policy advisers can develop policies without the risk of premature disclosure.

In April 2020 Local Housing Allowance rates were increased to the 30th percentile of local rents. This investment of nearly £1 billion provided 1.5 million claimants with an average £600 more housing support in 2020/21 than they would otherwise have received.

LHA rates have been maintained at the same cash level for 2021/22 rather than reverting to previous rates which were much less generous. This provides a reasonable amount of support and ensures that all claimants who benefitted from the increased levels of housing support will continue to do so.

For those who require additional support with housing costs Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. Since 2011 we have provided over £1 billion in DHP funding. We have allocated a further £140 million for Discretionary Housing Payments for 2021/22 in England and Wales.

The Department reallocated resources to prioritise work to help the COVID-19 effort. This caused delays to some work, including this literature review. The review summarises publicly available information and does not contain any new research carried out by the Department.

The Department has recently published new data from the Family Resources Survey on household food security, giving us a better understanding of who is most at risk. This underlines how seriously we take the issue of food insecurity.

Analysis of the proportion of first payments that go to the main carer has been carried out. However, it is not possible to draw robust conclusions based on the limited evidence available

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not store information in a format entirely commensurate with the question, but I can confirm that approximately £3 billion Tax Credit debt associated to Universal Credit claimants has been transferred to DWP. This debt relates to 2.4 million claimants, some of whom could appear more than once in this total. The following table breaks this down and shows how much has been recovered to date.

Tax Credit debt transferred to date

During the same period, the Department wrote off £9.4 million Tax Credit debt for approximately 5,700 customers. The latest HMRC forecasts suggest that a further £2.4 billion is due to migrate to DWP Debt Management for future recovery. Therefore, based on the value of debt transferred to date and the forecast of further debt that will transfer, if all Tax Credits debt associated to UC claimants was written off it would cost in the region of £5.4 billion associated to approximately 4 million customers.

The Department has a duty to protect public funds and an obligation to ensure that overpaid benefit payments are recovered in accordance with the appropriate social security legislation.

The Department seeks to recover benefit overpayments as quickly as possible without creating any undue financial hardship to the claimant. The rate of deduction is determined by legislation and can only be calculated once other higher priority deductions have been taken into account. The maximum deduction that can be taken from someone’s UC Standard Allowance was reduced to 25 per cent in April 2021.

We want to ensure that repayment of all debt owed to the Department is sustainable and takes into account the customer’s ability to pay. Claimants are encouraged to contact DWP if they are unable to afford the rate of recovery. The recovery rate of Tax Credit overpayments can be reduced where a claimant is experiencing financial hardship.

Since Summer 2019, the online claim process has featured messaging that encourages joint claimants to select the bank account of the main carer when choosing where Universal Credit payments should be paid to. This seeks to balance encouragement of positive financial management behaviours, whilst also allowing claimants to choose how to best manage their own finances.

It is not currently possible to reliably identify whether payment has been made to the main carer in couples with children. While we have analysed data on payments to male and female members of couples (as below), we cannot yet confidently identify the main carer. It has not been possible to draw robust conclusions based on this limited evidence. Further work is planned.

The ‘Universal Credit Statistical Ad Hoc: Gender of bank account holders on Universal Credit’, published January 2019, shows that for couple claimants where the gender of the account holder could be identified, 59% of accounts are held by a female with 41% held by a male. This is the source of the statistic stated in the Government’s response to the report from the Joint Committee on the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill, that ‘around 60 per cent of Universal Credit payments go to the main carer, usually a woman’, although I regret that response should more accurately have said that ‘around 60 per cent of Universal Credit couple payments go to the woman, usually the main carer.’

Since Summer 2019, the online claim process has featured messaging that encourages joint claimants to select the bank account of the main carer when choosing where Universal Credit payments should be paid to. This seeks to balance encouragement of positive financial management behaviours, whilst also allowing claimants to choose how to best manage their own finances.

It is not currently possible to reliably identify whether payment has been made to the main carer in couples with children. While we have analysed data on payments to male and female members of couples (as below), we cannot yet confidently identify the main carer. It has not been possible to draw robust conclusions based on this limited evidence. Further work is planned.

The ‘Universal Credit Statistical Ad Hoc: Gender of bank account holders on Universal Credit’, published January 2019, shows that for couple claimants where the gender of the account holder could be identified, 59% of accounts are held by a female with 41% held by a male. This is the source of the statistic stated in the Government’s response to the report from the Joint Committee on the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill, that ‘around 60 per cent of Universal Credit payments go to the main carer, usually a woman’, although I regret that response should more accurately have said that ‘around 60 per cent of Universal Credit couple payments go to the woman, usually the main carer.’

We carefully balance our duty to the taxpayer to recover overpayments with our support for claimants. Safeguards are in place to ensure deductions are manageable; from 12 April 2021, we further reduced the cap on deductions from Universal Credit awards to 25 per cent and lengthened the payback period from 12 months to 24 meaning in effect someone can receive 25 payments over 24 months, giving them more flexibility over the payments of their UC award. This will also allow claimants to retain more of their award, giving additional financial security.

New Claims Advances are available which allows claimants to receive up to 100 per cent of their estimated UC payment upfront. Advances are designed to ensure that the most vulnerable claimants receive the money they need to live on during their transition to UC. Claimants have the option to spread twenty-five UC payments over twenty-four months, giving them more flexibility over the payments of their UC award.

From 3rd April 2020, deductions from Universal Credit for some government debt, such as Tax Credits, benefit overpayments and Social Fund Loans were suspended for 3 months, which resulted in many claimants seeing an increase in the amount they received while allowing staff to prioritise processing the unprecedented number of new benefits claims.

Customers can contact the Department if they are experiencing financial hardship in order to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment, depending on financial circumstances.

The information requested is provided in the attached spreadsheet.

The statistics are shown in the following table:

Number of people in receipt of income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support and Housing Benefit, and estimates of the number of those receiving Severe Disability Premium (SDP), February 2020, Great Britain

Sources: Stat-Xplore, DWP Work and Pensions 5 per cent Sample, DWP 100 per cent Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) data, and 100 per cent Jobseekers Allowance Payment System Atomic Data Store

Notes:

1. Benefit Caseloads have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. SDP estimates have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
3. “..” indicates that an SDP estimate for Housing Benefit is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
4. The SDP estimates supplied are derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

With re-prioritisation of workloads during Covid-19, this project was paused. We will provide an update on this work in due course.

As part of the continuous development and improvement of the Universal Credit service, the Department has conducted and completed two sets of A/B tests since December 2019. These tests are robust and effective analytical tools which offer a high degree of confidence in the statistical validity of results gathered to evaluate the impact of changes that are being made to the Universal Credit service.

The first set of tests were used to analyse and validate the usage of two-factor authentication for our claimants. The second set of tests were used to measure the benefit of introducing the Confirm Your Identity service on to the Universal Credit system.

No assessment has been made.

(1) The removal of the spare room subsidy has been an important tool to help to manage housing support expenditure and enable mobility within the social rented sector. Making a change to this policy would not increase the size of properties people are currently living in or increase their bedroom entitlement under local authority lettings policies.

(2) There are currently no plans to change the Benefit Cap. The Benefit Cap ensures fairness between those receiving out-of-work benefits and taxpayers. The Government firmly believes that, where possible, it is in the best interests of children to be in working households and the benefit cap provides a clear incentive to move into work. A child living in a household where every adult is working is about 5 times less likely to be in relative poverty than a child in a household where nobody works.

Universal Credit claimants with household earnings of at least £604 in an assessment period are exempt from the cap along with the most vulnerable claimants that are entitled to disability benefits and carer benefits.

(3) The decision to apply a no recourse to public funds (NRPF) condition as part of a non-UK national’s immigration status is a Home Office policy matter. Non-UK nationals and family members who are issued with a residence permit with a NRPF condition are not eligible to access taxpayer-funded benefits such as Universal Credit, Child Benefit or housing assistance for the duration of their leave to remain. DWP has no powers to award taxpayer-funded benefits to an individual whose Home Office immigration status specifies no recourse to public funds. Public funds do not include contributions-based benefits such as New Style Job Seekers Allowance.

Non-UK nationals can apply for a change to their NRPF condition if, since being granted leave to remain, their financial circumstances have changed and they have become destitute or there are now particularly compelling reasons relating to the welfare of their child on account of their very low income, or there are now exceptional circumstances in their case relating to their financial circumstances.

Winter support package funding is being provided to local authorities, with more scope for distribution to individuals with no recourse to public funds. It will be at the discretion of local authorities to ensure those who need it most receive it. Local authorities may also provide basic safety net support if it is established that there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question.

We are working across-government to tackle a range of cost of living issues that affect not only the poorest in society but other households including those who are struggling financially due to the pandemic. The information provided by local authorities on how they are using the Covid Winter Grant Scheme to support vulnerable households will feed into our future policy thinking as part of this work.

The eligibility rules relating to immigration status have not changed. Local authorities can and do use their judgement in assessing what support they may lawfully give those who are ineligible for public funds or housing support, on an individual basis and taking into account their specific needs and circumstances. This includes providing basic safety net support if it is established that there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems, or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question.

The £220m Holiday Activities and Food programme will be expanded across England next year. The Department for Education will work closely with local authorities as they prepare for delivery of the programme to begin at Easter. More details about the scheme, including eligibility, will be available over the coming weeks.

The Department reallocated resources to prioritise work to helping the COVID-19 effort. As such, we will update on literature reviews in due course.

Between 16 March and 23 June, the latest date this information is available, 3,240,610 individual applications/declarations were made to Universal Credit (UC).

Between 16 March and 23 June, the latest date this information is available, 664,180 applications/declarations were made by couples to UC.

The Department published Management Information each week on the numbers of declarations to UC since the 1 March to 23 June. This information is available in the attached Annex A and can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-declarations-claims-and-advances-management-information.

The Department publishes monthly statistics on the number of claims to UC and on the number of households, by family type, on UC. The next update will be on Tuesday 10 November 2020 at 9:30am.

Since its introduction in 2003, successive governments have attempted to promote Pension Credit but with limited results. For a number of years now, the take-up rate for Pension Credit has remained at around 60 per cent. Previous research by the Department suggested that the main reason for people not claiming is people believing they are not eligible, for example because they think they have too much money or own their own home.

While over 1.5 million pensioners currently receive Pension Credit, the Government wants to make sure that all pensioners eligible can claim the Pension Credit to which they are rightly entitled. That is why in February this year we launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of Pension Credit and help dispel some of the misconceptions that people might have about Pension Credit eligibility. We wanted to make it clear that having savings, a pension or owning a home are not automatic barriers to receiving Pension Credit. We also wanted to highlight that even a small award of Pension Credit can provide access to a range of other benefits such as help with rent, council tax reduction schemes, heating costs and for those aged 75 or over a free television license.

We are also continuing to work with our stakeholders to help spread the key messages from the campaign because we know that often the best ways to reach eligible pensioners is through trusted stakeholders working in the community. Our online Pension Credit toolkit has been updated with the recent awareness campaign materials to supplement the resources it already contains for those working with pensioners, such as guides to Pension Credit and information designed to help older people understand how they could get Pension Credit.

In May this year we launched an online claim service for Pension Credit to supplement the existing telephone and postal claim services. The new online service enables pensioners to apply for Pension Credit at a time that suits them. Around 50 per cent of new claims to Pension Credit are currently being made using the service and more than 34,000 online claims have been made since it was launched.

The Department publishes monthly statistics on the number of households, by family type, on Universal Credit. The latest available information is for May 2020, and is provided below:

Total number of households on Universal Credit as of May 2020 was 4,239,779. Of these, the number of couple households stood at 866,056

Further breakdowns are provided in the accompanying tables. This information is published here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.

The next update will be on Tuesday 10th November 2020 at 9:30am.

Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

The requested information is not held as the level of detail to determine whether ineligibility was due to partner earnings is not available.

The Move to Universal Credit Pilot was temporarily suspended following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the unprecedented increase in Universal Credit new claims. This has allowed the Department to process in excess of three million new claims during the pandemic, showing that scalability and resilience is inherent in the design of Universal Credit.

It is likely that lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic will have helped with our wider learning about how to support people most effectively and we will take that learning into account when considering our next steps with the Move to Universal Credit Pilot.

In the first phase, we planned to have around 70 cases in the pilot. By the point we temporarily suspended the pilot, the actual number of cases in the pilot was 69.

The Department committed to updating Parliament and stakeholders on progress and were due to provide the first update in Spring 2020, however, due to COVID-19 we have been unable to do so.

The Move to Universal Credit Pilot was temporarily suspended following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the unprecedented increase in Universal Credit new claims. This has allowed the Department to process in excess of three million new claims during the pandemic, showing that scalability and resilience is inherent in the design of Universal Credit.

It is likely that lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic will have helped with our wider learning about how to support people most effectively and we will take that learning into account when considering our next steps with the Move to Universal Credit Pilot.

In the first phase, we planned to have around 70 cases in the pilot. By the point we temporarily suspended the pilot, the actual number of cases in the pilot was 69.

The Department committed to updating Parliament and stakeholders on progress and were due to provide the first update in Spring 2020, however, due to COVID-19 we have been unable to do so.

The Department does not specify how benefit recipients should spend the money they receive and does not monitor the spending decisions they make.

There are no current plans to undertake specific research to assess income distribution at an individual rather than household level.

The Department does not centrally collect data for claimants who are serving a custodial sentence, or who are remanded in prison and in receipt of housing benefit, or the housing element of Universal Credit. To provide this would incur a disproportionate cost.

The written answer of 6th August (HL7232) explained that the Department is routinely notified by Prison Services across England, Wales and Scotland when offenders enter custody, including those on remand. For those who exceed the time limits for retaining housing costs support whilst remaining detained on remand, the specialist teams referred to previously ensure that the appropriate action is taken. The Department has no plans to extend the time limits for retaining housing costs support.

The information requested is not available.

The Government has introduced a package of temporary welfare measures worth around £9.3 billion this year to help with the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chancellor announced a series of policies to support people, jobs and businesses on 20 March 2020 during which he confirmed an increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance for 12 months until March 2021, in addition to planned uprating of 1.7 percent. Further decisions on spending will be made at the next fiscal event.

The Department is routinely notified by Prison Services across England, Wales and Scotland when offenders enter custody, including those on remand. We have specialist teams to identify claimants who are in receipt of either Universal Credit or legacy benefits so that the appropriate action can be taken.

The Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) programme aims to join up services locally to help disadvantaged families to reduce parental conflict, and to embed this support in the local offer for families. If a Practitioner feels that another service is able to help as well as or instead of the RPC programme, such as a welfare advice service then the channels are available to make a referral.

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

It is not appropriate to comment at this time as court proceedings are live.

The latest estimated proportion of eligible pensioners who are claiming Pension Credit is 61 per cent. Official statistics on the take-up of income-related benefits at Great Britain level, can be found in the ‘Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up in 2017 to 2018’ publication, which is available on Gov.uk.

The Government wants to make sure that all eligible pensioners can claim Pension Credit. That is why in February this year we launched a targeted twelve-week nationwide campaign to raise awareness of Pension Credit.

Part of the campaign was to dispel some of the misconceptions that people might have about Pension Credit eligibility. We wanted to make it clear that even a small award of Pension Credit can provide access to a range of other benefits such as help with rent, council tax reduction schemes, heating costs and for those aged 75 or over, a free television licence.

We continue to work with stakeholders to help spread the key messages from the campaign because we know that often the best ways to reach eligible pensioners is through trusted stakeholders working in the community. Our online Pension Credit toolkit has been updated to help older people understand how they could claim Pension Credit.

In May this year we also launched an online claim service for Pension Credit to supplement the existing telephone and postal claim services. The new online service provides an additional claim facility and enables pensioners to apply for Pension Credit at a time that suits them.

The Department is routinely notified by Prison Services across England, Wales and Scotland when offenders enter custody, including those on remand. We have specialist teams to identify claimants who are in receipt of either Universal Credit or legacy benefits so that the appropriate action can be taken.

To support our re-implementation of Claimant Commitments in July, we are issuing guidance to Work Coaches and Case Managers. We are managing this in a phased approach to deliver a tailored and effective service for our customers, recognising the individual and prevailing circumstances including COVID restrictions. We have not needed to issue new guidance on benefit sanctions. We trust and empower our job centre managers and Work Coaches to work with their customers appropriately.

We regularly update the guidance and up-to-date information about the employment and benefits support available, including Universal Credit, Statutory Sick Pay, New style Jobseeker's Allowance, and Employment and Support Allowance, can be found here:

www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/employment-and-benefits-support/.

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

The Government appreciates the support that Carers UK, and other carers organisations offer to unpaid carers who provide such vital support to some of the most vulnerable people in society, including pensioners and those with disabilities.

For those who find themselves in severe financial difficulties, the Prime Minister has announced over £60 million for local authorities in England to support local welfare assistance programmes. In addition, on 8 May, the Government announced funding of up to £16 million for charities to provide millions of meals over a 12-week period; this includes the £3.5 million Food Charities Grant Fund to support charities with grants of up to £100,000 so they can continue to provide food to vulnerable people.

Unpaid carers in financial need are able to access the full range of Social Security benefits, which include Universal Credit and Pension Credit. Carer’s Allowance is also available to provide a measure of financial recognition for those who give up the opportunity of full-time work in order to provide regular and substantial care.

We continue to support those carers in most need through additional amounts (premiums) in means-tested benefits and have also announced increases to the standard allowance in Universal Credit. Meaning claimants will be up to £1040 better off this financial year, which some carers receiving Universal Credit will benefit from.

The rate of Carer’s Allowance was also increased in early April as part of the annual uprating process. Since 2010, the rate of Carer’s Allowance has increased from £53.90 to £67.25 a week, meaning nearly an additional £700 a year for carers. By 2024 – 25, spending on Carer’s Allowance is forecast to be £3.6 billion in real terms, almost doubling from £1.8 billion in 2010/11, meaning we would be helping almost twice as many carers.

During the current emergency we have focussed on ensuring carers do not inadvertently stop receiving Carer’s Allowance because of changes to patterns of care. This includes allowing emotional support to count towards the 35 hours of care being provided by the carer as well as relaxing the rules around breaks in care. These changes aim to support carers whose role has, in many cases, become harder due to the need to self-isolate or shield the person they care for.

The Department cannot precisely quantify the proportion of households by ethnic group that are affected by these policies since recording of ethnicity on benefits administrative data is voluntary and, as such, not sufficiently reliable.

Tables 1 shows the Median, Lower Quartile and Upper Quartile of the number of weeks taken for a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claim to receive an initial decision from registration. This data covers both PIP New Claims and Reassessments from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for each month from April 2019 – April 2020, the most recent 13 months for which data is available.

Table 2 shows the Median, Lower Quartile and Upper Quartile of the number of calendar days taken for a PIP Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) to be cleared from registration. This data covers all MRs cleared each month from April 2019 – April 2020, the most recent 13 months for which data is available.

A copy of the tables is attached.

Please note that information about the extremes of a distribution (e.g. the maximum clearance time) risks being disclosive. We would not release this information publicly. Therefore, we have presented information on the lower quartile, median and upper quartile of clearance times.

The information requested on the clearance times for a successful appeal outcome to be implemented is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Table 1 below shows the Median, Lower Quartile and Upper Quartile of the clearance time of Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). This data covers ESA MRs from Work Capability Assessments (WCA) for each month from April 2019 – April 2020, the most recent 13 months for which data is available.

Table 1: Clearance time of MR decisions for ESA Work Capability Assessments, in calendar days, by month of decision, April 2019 to April 2020: Great Britain

Please note that information about the extremes of a distribution (e.g. the maximum clearance time) risks being disclosive. We would not release this information publicly. Therefore, we have presented information on the lower quartile, median and upper quartile of clearance times.

The information requested on the clearance times for a successful appeal outcome to be implemented is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Data Source: Decision Maker and Appeals Case Recorder Computer System claimant records

Notes

• The average clearance time is derived by calculating the median number of days taken from the date when the Benefit Centre has determined that the Mandatory Reconsideration is a true MR, to the date the decision is cleared by the decision maker in the Dispute Resolution Team.
• The table shows the median clearance time of mandatory reconsiderations cleared within a given calendar month. The median number of days is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value. The median is presented as the average instead of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases.
• Definition of Quartiles: The lower quartile is the value for which 25 per cent of all clearance times fall below if you were to order the distribution from lowest value to highest value. The upper quartile is the value for which 75 per cent of all clearance times fall below if you were to order the distribution from lowest value to highest value.
• MR refers to Mandatory Reconsideration - the formal review process requested by the customer. MR incorporates all MRs raised in the WCA process and also includes Reconsiderations raised following the WCA.
• Only claims with a cleared MR decision are included.
• There may be an element of retrospection in the figures for the latest month; they may change when more up to date information is included.
• MR median clearance times are published here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Table 1 below shows the Median, Lower Quartile and Upper Quartile of the number of days taken for a Universal Credit (UC) Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) to be cleared from registration. This data covers all UC MRs for each month from May 2019 – May 2020, the most recent 13 months for which data is available.

Table 1: Average Clearance Times from UC MR registration to clearance in days from May 2019 – May 2020

Please note that information about the extremes of a distribution (e.g. the maximum clearance time) risks being disclosive. We would not release this information publicly. Therefore, we have presented information on the lower quartile, median and upper quartile of clearance times.

The information requested on the clearance times for a successful appeal outcome to be implemented is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Notes

• Figures are for Great Britain only.
• This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.
• The median is presented as the average instead of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases.
• Definition of Lower Quartile: The lower quartile is the value for which 25 per cent of all clearance times fall below if you were to order the distribution from lowest value to highest value.
• Definition of median: The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value.
• Definition of Upper Quartile: The upper quartile is the value for which 75 per cent of all clearance times fall below if you were to order the distribution from lowest value to highest value.

New claims for benefits which could provide an exemption to the Benefit Cap for an eligible household continue to be taken and processed, as such an exemption will apply once benefit entitlement is established.

Claimants can approach their Local Authority for a Discretionary Housing Payment if they need additional help to meet rental costs.

The Government is fully committed to supporting disabled people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We are ensuring that disabled people continue to have access

to updated guidance, including workplace and transport related guidance during the COVID-19 outbreak. All equality and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We worked with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to transcribe gov.uk pages on general coronavirus guidelines and financial advice into spoken word formats. This guidance is available on RNIB phone lines. This ensures that visually impaired people without access to the internet are able to receive the same advice as sighted people with internet access.

The Cabinet Office Disability Unit continues to work with stakeholders, such as the RNIB, and across Government Departments to ensure that the needs of disabled people are considered in the Government’s response to COVID-19.

The Department has been working to ensure we get support as quickly as possible to those individuals and households most financially affected by the coronavirus pandemic. It has been a longstanding principle of Universal Credit (UC) that an assessment of earnings, other income and capital is needed to establish eligibility to target support to those most in need. There may be several reasons why someone is not eligible to receive UC, will have received a nil award or withdrew their claim. Among other reasons, this includes:

• speculative claims which were subsequently withdrawn;
• found new employment (which may at present include being rehired under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme or taken advantage of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme);
• redundancy payments affecting their entitlement;
• the last month’s salary taken account. The key principle of UC is that it’s calculated based on income, so if someone’s income from work drops, their UC payment will rise to top it up;
• their claim may have been found to be fraudulent; and
• Individuals may have capital saved above the £16,000 limit for UC entitlement.

Between 16 March and 3 May there were 1,875,000 declarations made to UC, all of which are processed. Of these:

• 70 per cent have received a UC payment;
• 12 per cent had a nil award due to earnings;
• seven per cent were withdrawn by the claimant;
• one per cent closed due to ineligibility regarding capital rules;
• eight per cent closed due to other ineligibility reasons; and
• one per cent have outstanding verification preventing payment.

Claimants move from existing benefits to UC when they experience a significant change in their circumstances that triggers a new claim to benefit. We do not centrally collate the number of claimants that have made a new claim to UC as a result of such a change in circumstances.

Nobody has to wait five weeks for a payment under Universal Credit. Advances are a mechanism for getting claimants faster access to their entitlement; allowing claimants to receive 13 payments over 12 months with up to 12 months to repay the advance.

New Claims Advances of up to 100 per cent of potential entitlement are available if a claimant needs support during their first assessment period. Face-to-face checks for Universal Credit advances have been scrapped due to COVID-19, so people get the support they need despite COVID-19 restrictions.

The Government has already taken steps to help ease the burden of the repayment of advances.

We have reduced the maximum deduction from 40 per cent to 30 per cent of a claimant’s standard allowance. The Budget 2020 set out that the maximum level will be further reduced, so that standard deductions will not exceed 25 per cent of a claimant’s Standard Allowance from October 2021.

The repayment time for advances has already been extended from six months to 12 months, and a further extension to 24 months from October 2021 was announced in the budget. Claimants can ask for repayments to be delayed for up to three months if they can’t afford them.

We continue to review our policies but have no further planned changes at this time.

The Government has noted the report by the Children’s Society Leave No Family Behind.

Local Authorities were provided with the notional sum of £131.7 million for local welfare assistance in 2020/21. In response to the COVID-19 emergency, significant action has been taken across Government to support those affected by coronavirus, including the most vulnerable. This support includes; income protection schemes, mortgage holidays and additional support for renters. For those most in need we’ve injected more than £6.5 billion into the welfare system, including an increase to Universal Credit of up to £1,040 this financial year.

A further £3.2 billion has also been made available to local authorities, through an un-ring-fenced grant, so they can address pressures they are facing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The package recognises the additional costs and pressures councils are facing as a result of the current emergency.

On June 10 the Prime Minister announced an additional £63 million for local authorities, to help those who are struggling financially due to the impact of COVID-19. Local authorities are working hard to support those who are vulnerable and this additional funding will allow them to quickly step in and provide discretionary financial help, for food and other necessities, to those facing severe hardship.

We took the decision to temporarily suspend the requirement for face-to-face Jobcentre Plus appointments for all claimants in Universal Credit, New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), old-style JSA and ESA, and Income Support.

Arrangements after the suspension will be communicated in due course.

Quarterly data on the number of a) Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants by benefit entitlement, and b) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) caseload by phase of ESA claim and payment type, from February 2014 to November 2019 are given in the spreadsheet attached.

There are currently no plans to change the benefit cap. The Benefit Cap restores fairness between those receiving out-of-work benefits and taxpayers.

Review and reassessment activity on related benefits is currently suspended meaning payment of those benefits will continue. As such, those claimants will also continue to be exempt from the benefit cap.

Universal Credit is fundamentally different to legacy benefits and claims cannot be compared like for like.

Claimants can approach their Local Authority for a Discretionary Housing Payment if they need additional help to meet rental costs. Exemptions will also continue to apply for the most vulnerable claimants that are entitled to disability benefits and carer benefits.

The data for deductions from March 2020 is not yet available. From 3 April 2020, deductions from Universal Credit for benefit overpayments were suspended for three months. This was done to ease the financial pressure of debt recovery on benefit claimants and to also allow Debt Management staff to be re-deployed to focus on the unprecedented volume of new claims received during the covid-19 outbreak.

There are exemptions to the application of the benefit cap that do not require a claimant to take additional steps. Claimants may benefit from a nine-month grace period where their benefit will not be capped if they have a sustained work record. Exemptions will continue to apply for the most vulnerable claimants who are entitled to disability benefits and carer benefits.

In addition, Universal Credit households are exempt from the cap if they receive earnings of at least £604 in each assessment period. We would encourage claimants to continue to prepare and look for work where it is safe to do so. There are jobs available in key sectors such as agriculture, distribution and health and social care. In addition, retailers have announced tens of thousands of new jobs in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Claimants are encouraged to explore these opportunities and others, where able to do so. The online service Find a Job can be used to search and apply for them. We continue to offer support to our claimants through their online journal.

Claimants can apply for a Discretionary Housing Payments from their local authority if they need additional support to meet housing costs and over £1 billion has been provided to Local Authorities since 2011 to help the most vulnerable claimants. There is already £180 million in Discretionary Housing Payments for local authorities to distribute for supporting renters with housing costs in the private and social rented sectors in 2020/21. This includes an additional £40 million as announced at the spending round last year.

The latest published Personal Independence Payment statistics, which cover the period April 2013 to January 2020 are published on the Department for Work and Pensions statistics webpages. The tables below show the average actual clearance times covering the period January 2019 to January 2020 for claimants under a) normal rules (table 1), and b) special rules for terminal illness (table 2); Data covering the period April 2013 to April 2020 will be published on June 11^th. Appeal clearance times from the date lodged to the date of disposal are published by the Ministry of Justice, and show that the mean clearance time for Personal Independence Payment appeals was 32 weeks in the period October to December 2019.

We continue to monitor processing times across the different benefits to ensure that eligible claimants receive the financial support they are entitled to in a timely manner.

Source: PIP Computer System claimant records.

Notes:

1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number of weeks.

2. The status of claims as 'normal rules' and 'new claim/reassessment' is shown as at the point of issue of the Part2/return of the Part2/return from the AP/DWP decision, in accordance with the measure. It is possible for claims to transition between normal/special rules and new claims/reassessments during the course of the claimant journey.

3. The figures in the table are the average clearance time of claims cleared within that calendar month.

4. The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value. The median is presented here instead of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases (e.g. cases where the person has been hard to reach due to being in prison, hospital, failed to attend the assessment on numerous occasions etc.)

5. The 'Registration to issue of Part 2' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of registration of the claim (i.e. the date of the PIP 1 registration phone call) and the date the Part 2 form is sent to the claimant. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase or claims that were disallowed prior to the issue of the Part 2 form because of failure to meet basic eligibility criteria.

6. The 'Issue of Part 2 to return of Part 2' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date the Part 2 form is sent to the claimant and the date the form is received back by the Department. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase or claims that were disallowed because the Part 2 form was not returned within the time limit.

7. The 'Referral to AP to return from AP' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of referral to the Assessment Provider and the date of return of the Assessment Provider’s recommendation to DWP. This is a proxy for the length of time the claimant has waited for an assessment, because data on the dates that assessments took place is not held by DWP. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase or claims that were returned to DWP without a report and disallowed because the claimant failed to attend the assessment without good reason.

Note: the new claims data given for this measure is slightly different from the data previously published within the ad hoc statistical release of 28th January 2015. This is because the measure published in the ad hoc included all claims that were no longer outstanding with the Assessment Providers and hence included claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase or claims that were returned to DWP without a report and were disallowed because the claimant failed to attend the assessment without good reason.

8. The 'Return from AP to DWP decision' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of return of the Assessment Provider’s recommendation to DWP and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase or claims that were returned to DWP without a report and disallowed because the claimant failed to attend without good reason.

9. The 'Registration to DWP decision (end to end)' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of registration of the claim and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria or failure to return the Part 2 form within the time limit).

10. The 'Referral to AP to DWP decision (end to end)' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of referral to the Assessment Providers and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria or failure to return the Part 2 form within the time limit).

11. Note: the individual parts of the claimant journey average times may not sum to the end to end claimant journey average times. This is because each measure is based on the median clearance time of cases cleared at that stage, while the end to end measure is based on the median clearance time for all cleared cases. As the size and distributions of clearance times for the individual stages will vary, the sum of the individual medians will not sum to the end to end median.

12. '-' Fewer than 50 claims in this category.

13. Great Britain only.

Source: PIP Computer System claimant records.

Notes:

1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest working day, i.e. Monday to Friday (including bank holidays).

2. The status of claims as 'special rules' and 'new claim/reassessment' is shown as at the point of referral to the AP/return from the AP/DWP decision, in accordance with the measure. It is possible for claims to transition between normal/special rules and new claims/reassessments during the course of the claimant journey.

3. The figures in the table are the average clearance time of claims cleared within that calendar month.

4. The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value. The median is presented here instead of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases (e.g. cases were the person has been hard to reach due to being in prison, hospital, failed to attend the assessment on numerous occasions etc.)

5. The 'Registration to referral to the AP' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of registration of the claim and the date of the referral to the Assessment Provider. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria).

6. The 'Referral to AP to return from AP' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of referral to the assessment providers and the date of return of the Assessment Provider’s recommendation to DWP. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase.

8. The 'Return from AP to DWP decision' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of return of the Assessment Provider’s recommendation to DWP and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase.

9. The 'Registration to DWP decision (end to end)' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of registration of the claim (or the date of transition if the claim moves from being a normal rules claim to being a special rules claim during the claimant journey) and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria).

10. Note: the individual parts of the claimant journey average times may not sum to the end to end claimant journey average times. This is because each measure is based on the median clearance time of cases cleared at that stage, while the end to end measure is based on the median clearance time for all cleared cases. As the size and distributions of clearance times for the individual stages will vary, the sum of the individual medians will not sum to the end to end median.

11. '-' Fewer than 50 claims in this category.

12. Great Britain only.

The Secretary of State has a statutory obligation to review the levels of the benefit cap at least once in each Parliament unless an early election is called, as it was last year. A review will take place at an appropriate point in the future. When the Secretary of State decides to undertaking that review she will consider the national economic situation and any other matters that she considers relevant.

We are aiming to publish the results of the two strands of benefit cap evaluation by Summer 2020. We are still hoping to meet that timescale although given the current COVID-19, we advise that there could be further delay, we will endeavour to confirm a publication timetable as soon as possible.

Information relating to Universal Credit claimants who will be exempt from the benefit cap for the nine-month grace period is not readily available, to provide it would incur disproportionate costs. There are currently no plans to change the current benefit cap levels. The Government has quickly and effectively introduced over £6.5bn of measures that benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the current situation. DWP is experiencing significant increased demand as such the safety and stability of the benefits system must be prioritised.

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

The Department has no plans to uplift Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support.

Information relating to Universal Credit claimants who will be exempt from the benefit cap for the nine-month grace period is not readily available, to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.

The Government has been clear in its commitment to support those affected in these difficulties times and we have made a number of changes to the welfare system to ensure people are receiving the support they need. These changes include:

• making it easier to access benefits. Those applying for Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) who may have coronavirus, are self-isolating, or caring for a child (or qualifying young person) who falls into either of those categories, or individuals who have been advised to ’shield’ because they are at high risk of severe illness, will be entitled from day 1 of their claim – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessment. Both Universal Credit (UC) and ESA can now be claimed by phone or online;
• increasing the standard allowance of UC and working tax credit for this year by around £1000 per year;
• temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed claimants affected by COVID-19 to ensure that the self-employed can access UC at a more generous rate;
• making Statutory Sick Pay available from day 1 – as opposed to day 4 - where an eligible individual is sick or self-isolating; and
• increasing in the Local Housing Allowance rates for UC and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest 30% of local market rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.
• To allow staff to be re-deployed to the front line, we have suspended recovery of some Government debts such as Tax Credits, benefit overpayments and Social Fund Loans.
• The Department has also made Regulations which remove restrictions preventing prisoners on temporary release due to the COVID-19 measures from claiming means-tested benefits, including UC, during the period of that release.

Taken together, these measures represent an injection of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system and, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, including the Business Retention Scheme and the Self Employed Income Support Scheme, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support introduced by an advanced economy in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Government remains committed to supporting the essential work the Voluntary, and Community and Social Enterprise Sector do in our communities which is why the Chancellor recently announced a £750 million package of support to ensure they can continue their vital work during the coronavirus outbreak. Following the Chancellor’s announcement last month, the bidding process for direct cash grants through the National Lottery Community Fund has now launched for those in England.

The Coronavirus Community Support Fund aims to support the tens of thousands of charities and organisations at the heart of local communities that are making a big difference during the COVID-19 outbreak, including delivering food, essential medicines and providing financial advice, which includes welfare support and advice. The funding is to help organisations ensure they can meet increased demand as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as continuing their day to day activities supporting vulnerable people in need.

It is a longstanding principle of the welfare system that benefits are not paid to claimants with income available from other sources to support themselves. Where claimants have income available to meet their everyday living costs, such as Maternity Allowance (MA), it is right that their entitlement to Universal Credit (UC) is adjusted accordingly. The general principle is that unearned income, which is provided to meet everyday living costs, is taken into account in the calculation of UC. Where claimants have income available to meet their everyday living costs, their benefit entitlement is adjusted accordingly. This is particularly the case where there would be double provision of social security benefits and the same approach is applied to Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance.

The difference in the treatment of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and MA in UC is not unintended and is a consequence of the simplification of the treatment of earned income in UC. One of the simplifications introduced by UC is for information on people’s earned income to be collected automatically through revenue information which we receive from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. This enables a claimant’s UC entitlement to be reassessed quickly in response to any changes in earnings.

As statutory benefits (such as SMP) are paid by employers, and are an earnings equivalent, they are treated as earned income. However, other benefits paid to meet living costs, such as MA will continue to be taken fully into account in the UC assessment, as they have been with other legacy benefits.

This simplification in the process of the treatment of earned income in UC is essential to make it responsive to changes in a claimant’s circumstances, and has been key to the vital role it has played in supporting people through this pandemic to date.

The Department has made no estimate of (1) the cost, and (2) the number of women affected by the disparity, in the treatment of MA and SMP for the purposes of calculating UC, during the COVID 19 pandemic.

No couples have been included so far in the Move to UC pilot. There is no requirement for claimants to have spent a specified time on benefits to be included in the pilot.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the increase in Universal Credit new claims since March 2020, the Move to UC pilot has been temporarily suspended.

A considerable amount of academic research has been published on the finances of carers, including from Carers UK and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Carer’s Allowance itself is designed to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person.

Income replacement benefits help people and households on lower incomes, and can include a carer premium, currently £37.50 a week. An equivalent additional amount applies in Pension Credit. Universal Credit also includes a carer element at the rate of £162.92 per monthly assessment period. These amounts recognise the additional contribution and responsibilities associated with caring and mean that lower-income carers can receive more money than others who receive these benefits.

The rate of Carer’s Allowance was increased in early April as part of the annual uprating process. Since 2010, the rate of Carer’s Allowance has increased from £53.90 to £67.25 a week, meaning nearly an additional £700 a year for carers. The standard allowance in Universal Credit has been temporarily increased for the 20/21 tax year by £86.67 per month (equivalent to £20 per week) on top of the planned annual uprating. This additional increase means claimants will be up to £1040 better off. Carers receiving Universal Credit will benefit from this.

The Department takes seriously the need to support claimants, and wants Universal Credit to be easy to access. It is designed to be a ‘digital-first’ service, ensuring we make best use of technology to deliver a modern and effective working-age welfare system. This allows our staff to concentrate on those people who require additional support through different channels.

Our Universal Credit Claimant Survey, found that 98 per cent of claimants have internet access and did claim online, and the majority of those said they found the claim process overall to be straightforward. A copy of the survey is attached.

For those that are still unable to access or use digital services, or are not able to travel, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available via the Freephone Universal Credit helpline – which is clearly displayed on GOV.UK. In addition, Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland have been delivering the ‘Help to Claim’ service since April 2019. The Citizens Advice ‘Help to Claim’ service offers tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time, and is currently available online and by telephone.

Although the Department offers comprehensive support for claimants to use our digital service, there will be occasions when people are unable to make their claim online, so telephone applications can be accepted. In these instances, information normally available through a claimant’s online account will be communicated in an alternative format, which is best suited to an individual’s circumstances.

The information requested is not currently available as most COVID claims have not yet got to the stage where they are due their first payment. We plan to release an assessment of how many claimants are affected by the child-limit policy as part of our regular statistics on the two child limit. This assessment is due to be released in summer 2020.

Being placed on furlough does not have an impact on an individual’s continuity of service. The Government is committed to supporting all workers at this time, including working parents. We have amended Regulations to ensure that prospective parents do not lose out on parental pay as a result of being furloughed. The changes will apply to workers starting a period of family-related statutory pay on or after 25 April 2020, and mean that individuals will be entitled to pay based on their usual earnings rather than a furloughed pay rate.

The COVID-19 emergency continues to be a rapidly evolving situation. The Government has announced measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised and that benefit those facing the most severe financial disruption. DWP and HMRC are experiencing significant increased demand and the Government has to prioritise the safety and stability of the benefits system overall.

Alongside the temporary increases to Universal Credit standard allowances and the basic element of working tax credits which came into force on 6 April and will remain in place for the tax year 2020/21 other announced measures include:

• Regulations have been made which mean Statutory Sick Pay will now be temporarily payable from day one of an employee’s absence from work, where that absence is related to Coronavirus.
• People unable to work for more than seven days because of coronavirus can obtain an isolation note through a new online service.
• We are temporarily relaxing the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed Universal Credit claimants affected by the economic impact of COVID-19. This means a drop in earnings during the outbreak will see a claimant’s UC payment increase.
• We are providing more support for benefit claimants in the Private Rented Sector by increasing Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile, helping to alleviate affordability challenges.
• The additional earnings disregard in Housing Benefit has been increased from £17.10 a week to £37.10.
• People applying for or receiving benefits do not have to attend jobcentre appointments for three months, starting from Thursday 19 March 2020.
• All ESA claimants suffering from coronavirus or required to self-isolate in line with government guidance, including those in the shielded group, will:

- be treated as having limited capability for work without the requirement for a fit note or undergoing a Work Capability Assessment; and,

- subject to satisfying the normal conditions of entitlement, waiting days will be removed meaning that ESA will be payable from day one of their claim

• Disabled and sick claimants who cannot attend a reassessment for Personal Independence Payments, Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit will continue to receive their payments while their assessment is rearranged.

We continue to keep the situation under review and if there are any further changes we will update Parliament accordingly.

The Department of Culture Media and Sport is the lead government department responsible for the Innovation in Democracy Programme. Participants in the citizens' assemblies, run as part of the Innovation in Democracy Programme, receive £75 per day to thank them for participating, which totals £300 for the four days of the citizens assembly. In addition, participants are reimbursed for costs of travel, childcare and other caring costs.

Participants in receipt of means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit, should report any income received through the Innovation in Democracy Programme to the Department. Awards of Universal Credit are calculated on the basis of the set benefit rate against money coming in to ensure fairness of treatment for all claimants against the money that they have earned. This means, as earnings increase, Universal Credit is gradually reduced in a predictable way. In households where a work allowance applies, only earnings above the work allowance are taken into account, and a single taper of 63 per cent per £1 is applied as earnings rise. Monthly assessment periods allow Universal Credit to be adjusted each month so if a claimant’s income falls or rises, they will not have to wait several months for a change in their Universal Credit.

Those people claiming Universal Credit, or other means-tested support, should seek advice from the Department before agreeing to receive money for involvement in the citizens' assembly to understand how it will affect their benefit entitlement. There is an option to attend the Citizen’s Assembly without payment.

The Department is conducting a literature review on the factors driving the use of food banks, which will be published before the summer.

We are aiming to publish the results of the two strands of benefit cap evaluation by Summer 2020.

As we have agreed with stakeholders at the outset of our work, the Move to Universal Credit pilot is designed, in its first phase, to test a series of hypotheses about the best way to move claimants from legacy benefits and tax credits onto Universal Credit. To do that we need to keep the numbers low, so we can observe and adapt in the light of claimants’ experiences and reactions. We plan to add volume later in the pilot, once we are convinced we have workable propositions, to test our ability to scale the hypotheses, learn the safest way to do that and to draw conclusions from significant volume on likely patterns of claimant behaviour.

At Christmas the number of cases in the pilot was 69. Cases are in the pilot not just at the point of moving, but we track after a move to Universal Credit because we are interested in how claimants adapt to the differences Universal Credit brings, relative to the old system of benefits and tax credits. By taking the approach of encouraging rather than forcing claimants to move, we want to understand why some claimants agree to move and others don’t, together with what supports claimants to make a positive decision. That can only be done by restricting the number of cases to a low number to allow for qualitative discussions.

It is too early to draw any definitive conclusions of the discovery work we are engaged in or to make public statements, but we have committed to stakeholders and Parliament to share findings when we have them. The first of these updates will be produced in the Spring.

The results of the two strands of benefit cap evaluation will be published together in due course. The research comprises:

a) A quantitative longitudinal survey of capped households under both Housing Benefit and Universal Credit together with qualitative case studies of local authorities, undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen).

b) Quantitative analysis of capped households undertaken by officials from the Department for Work and Pensions, and peer reviewed by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

The Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 allow the Department to pilot moving no more than 10,000 claimants across to Universal Credit from legacy benefits and is expected to last until November 2020.

The Move to Universal Credit pilot commenced, as scheduled, in the area served by Harrogate Jobcentre in July 2019. The goal of the pilot is to learn as much as possible about how to safely move people from legacy benefits onto Universal Credit. As a result, we will increase numbers as slowly and gradually as necessary.

We are adapting the design of this service and its processes frequently to ensure we provide the best possible support to those claimants who move to Universal Credit from their legacy benefit claims.

The Department has already committed to updating Parliament and stakeholders on progress. We expect to provide our first update in the Spring. We will also set out an evaluation strategy, developed in consultation with stakeholders, before coming to Parliament in the Autumn with the findings and our proposals for the next phase of the delivery of Universal Credit.

The Government has assessed the need for financial support noted in the Public Health England’s paper and has implemented the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme to provide targeted support to individuals on low incomes who will lose income as a result of having to self-isolate. The Government has provided £70 million to local authorities to meet the costs of payments under the scheme, with a further £39 million being released at the end of February.

The Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme will continue into the summer and will be expanded to cover parents who are unable to work because they are caring for a child who is self-isolating. The Government keeps all elements of its COVID-19 response under review, including the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme. We will continue to work closely with the 314 unitary and district authorities in England to monitor the effectiveness of the scheme.

Public Health England (PHE) is aware of the Royal Society’s paper but has made no formal assessment.

Current Government advice on vitamin D and health is based on recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Public Health England and the SACN published COVID-19 rapid guideline: vitamin D in December 2020 which concluded that there is currently not enough evidence to support taking vitamin D solely to prevent or treat COVID-19. The expert panel supported current Government advice for everyone to take the supplement throughout the autumn and winter for bone and muscle health. A copy COVID-19 rapid guideline: vitamin D is attached.

From this month the Government is providing a free four-month supply of daily vitamin D supplements to adults on the clinically extremely vulnerable list that have opted in to receive the supplements and residents in residential and nursing care homes in England to help support general health, in particular bone and muscle health.

The Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is for people on low incomes who have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app, either because they have tested positive or because they are a close contact of someone who has tested positive. We have worked closely with local authorities to monitor the effectiveness of the scheme and have listened to feedback from charities and support groups. We are now extending the scheme to the summer and are expanding eligibility to cover parents and guardians who have to take time off work to care for a child who is self-isolating.

We are working closely with all 314 lower tier and unitary local authorities to collate information on how the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is progressing, and will release information on the number of applications, number of successful applications and amounts paid out in due course.

The Test and Trace Support Payment of £500 was introduced on 28 September, to support people on low incomes who are unable to work from home if they are told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace and will lose income as a result.

Eligibility for a Test and Trace Support Payment is restricted to people who have been told to stay at home and self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, either because they have tested positive for COVID-19 themselves, or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.

If a child is self-isolating because they have tested positive, other household members will also need to self-isolate and will be able to claim under the scheme, provided they meet the other eligibility criteria. Parents or guardians of children who have to self-isolate because of contact with someone outside their household who has tested positive are not eligible.

A person can claim a Test and Trace Support Payment for each period of self-isolation required by NHS Test and Trace, provided they meet the eligibility criteria for each individual claim, and their periods of self-isolation do not overlap. There is no limit to the number of times that it can be received.

The Government recognises the vital role unpaid carers play, especially during this difficult period and we continue to work closely with carer’s organisations to support them.

During the pandemic, we have provided funding to Carers UK. They have extended their support phoneline, produced a leaflet to help carers identify themselves on discharge from hospital and published guidance specifically for carers and young carers, which includes further information about sources of support.

We have worked with the Social Care Institute for Excellence to publish guidance to help make decisions on restarting services and to provide quality care safely. In addition, through the Government’s Infection Control Fund, we have extended some of this funding to be used to support day services adopt infection control measures to help them reopen safely.

Individuals can claim for a Test and Trace Support Payment up to 14 days after their period of self-isolation ends.

We are working closely with all 314 lower tier and unitary local authorities to collate information on how the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is progressing and will release information on the number of applications, number of successful applications and amounts paid out in due course.

Individuals who meet the eligibility criteria for the NHS Test and Trace Self-Isolation Payment can apply to receive it within two weeks of their period of self-isolation ending, for the duration of the scheme. They will need to submit the necessary evidence to prove their eligibility.

Someone who is not in receipt of any of the benefits listed in the eligibility criteria, but who applies for one or more of them after testing positive or being identified as a contact, can still apply for the new payment subsequently, provided:

- They have been approved for the benefit they have applied for by the time they apply for the self-isolation payment; and

- They apply for the self-isolation payment no later than two weeks after their period of self-isolation ended.

All local councils have published Local Outbreak Control Plans, which include sections on identifying and managing outbreaks in high-risk communities and supporting vulnerable communities to self-isolate. Local areas are taking targeted practical action through these, engaging with local networks to get to the heart of communities. A range of activities are being implemented across the areas on the watchlist, which are typically deprived areas, to raise awareness and compliance with NHS Test and Trace as well as public health behaviours, with close attention to shared learning to ensure best practice.

This information is not available in the format requested.

Public Health England (PHE) re-issued existing Government advice on vitamin D supplementation in April 2020. This advice was published online on NHS.UK. PHE’s Change4Life and Start4Life online resources were also updated to reflect the vitamin D advice.

Industry representative groups were also advised of the reissuing of advice to allow them to prepare for potential uptake and maintain supplies in retail, chemists and health shops.

There is existing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on increasing supplement use to prevent vitamin D deficiency among specific population groups for commissioners, managers and other professionals with public health as part of their remit, working within the National Health Service, local authorities and the wider public, private, voluntary and community sectors. A copy of the NICE guidance, Vitamin D: supplement use in specific population groups, is attached.

The new FP10 National Health Service prescription form, which includes a tick box for Universal Credit claimants who meet the criteria for free prescriptions, is now being printed. Once the contractor has built sufficient stock to meet orders from the NHS, the form will be distributed.

Employees who are on sick leave or self-isolating as a result of coronavirus have access to Statutory Sick Pay subject to other eligibility conditions. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is not intended for short-term absences from work due to sickness.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is designed to help employers whose operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) to keep their employees and protect the UK economy.

Under the CJRS, an employer will be entitled to claim for a grant that covers 80% of their furloughed employee’s usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month. They can also claim for the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions, up to the level of the minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contribution, on that subsidised furlough pay.

For employees on fixed pay, claims for full or part time employees furloughed on return from family-related statutory leave should be calculated against their salary, before tax, not the pay they received while on family-related statutory leave. The same principles apply where the employee is returning from a period of unpaid statutory family-related leave.

Claims for those on variable pay, returning from statutory leave should be calculated using the highest of either:

• 80% of the same month’s wages from the previous year (up to a maximum of £2,500 a month)
• 80% of the average monthly wages for the 2019 to 2020 tax year (up to a maximum of £2,500 a month)

The government has introduced a range of measures to provide financial protection for those affected by Covid-19, including those with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).

Employers will be able to apply for grants under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for workers on the PAYE system. The government has also extended Statutory Sick Pay to be payable from Day 1 rather than Day 4 and made Contributory Employment and Support Allowance available from the first day of sickness rather than the eighth, subject to other eligibility criteria. For those who file Self-Assessment returns, the government has deferred Income Tax Self-Assessment payments from July 2020 to January 2021.

In addition, the government has announced that banks and building societies will offer a three-month ‘mortgage holiday’ for borrowers in financial difficulty, including landlords with tenants in financial difficulty, as a result of Covid-19. Alongside this, the government has legislated to prohibit tenant evictions for three months.

Estimates of the proportion of the male and female working population by income band are provided in the following table:

Source: Survey of Personal Incomes, tax year 2017 to 2018

Notes on the table

1. The proportions are for individuals with employment and/or self-employment income and are based only on their employment and/or self-employment income.
2. The tax year 2017 to 2018 is the latest year for which these figures are available.
3. The Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) is based on a sample of taxpayers.
4. Where income exceeds the threshold for the operation of PAYE (£11,500 for 2017-18), the SPI provides the most comprehensive and accurate official source of data on personal incomes. However, as HMRC do not hold information for all people with personal incomes below the tax threshold, the SPI is not a representative data source for this part of the population.
5. As is the case with the published Personal Incomes Statistics, these figures are statistical estimates and will be subject to sampling variation.

1. Child Benefit

Total Child Benefit payments, in real terms at 2019/20 prices, since 2000 can be found in the Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2019 published by the Department for Work and Pensions. This information has been presented below (Table 1) for the years for which outturn data is available.

Table 1 - Child Benefit expenditure, real terms (2019/20 prices),

Notes:

- Real terms, 2019/20 prices

- Figures presented are based on outturn data

Source:

- Benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2019

2. Income-related benefits

The information requested relating to Universal Credit is not held and can only be made available at a disproportionate cost.

Expenditure in real terms is available in respect of Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance on child elements in DWP Benefit expenditure and caseload tables. Again, to be helpful, this information has been presented below (Table 2) for the years for which outturn data is available.

Table 2 - Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance on child elements, real terms (2019-20 prices),

Notes:

- Real terms, 2019/20 prices

- Figures presented are based on outturn data

- *since Apr 2004, financial support for children is normally provided through Child Tax Credit

Source:

- Benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2019

Annual expenditure on tax credits cannot be broken down between Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits. However, this breakdown is available for the closely related measure of annual tax credits entitlement, and provided in Table 3 below. The main difference between tax credits entitlement and tax credits payments is that entitlement figures are based on the amounts households are entitled to once awards have been finalised, whereas payments are based on provisional awards which may differ from final awards, and can include payments and repayments in respect of earlier years.

Table 3 - Annual entitlement to Child Tax Credit (introduced 2003-04), real terms (2019-20 prices),

Notes:

- Figures for 2003-04 are not readily available and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Source:

- Nominal figures taken from Table 1.1 of HMRC’s Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics

- Real terms 2019-20 prices. To convert the nominal figures into real terms, the GDP deflators published in March 2019 were used.

- The estimates for 2016-17 and 2017-18 are affected by the introduction of Universal Credit.

- This table does not include entitlement to Working Tax Credit or Working Families Tax Credit as they are not considered income related benefits for children, although they do contain some child related elements.

Our Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) govern the relationship between the Home Office and the three companies contracted to provide asylum accommodation. They contain a detailed list of requirements for accommodation, including initial accommodation, dispersed accommodation and required accommodation standards. These requirements all meet or exceed the Government’s Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector.

In contracting with our accommodation providers, we are ensuring that pregnant women are dispersed into accommodation suitable for both the mother and the baby, both before and after birth. This is in line with our existing published guidance on healthcare needs and pregnancy dispersal.

Accommodation provider performance in relation to accommodation standards is monitored on a regular basis and we have tight timescales in which accommodation providers must resolve issues within our accommodation.

Detailed specifications on the services which have to be provided are set out in a published Statement of Requirements for the contracts.

Additionally, the Home Office meets regularly with health colleagues, including a Maternal Health Sub Group, with relevant clinicians, to discuss further improvements to the asylum support system for women with maternal health needs.

Answer to HL637:

Local Authorities were notified of the introduction of a fee exception in the Local Government Bulletin issued on 27 May by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities.

The Home Office is continuing to reach out to a wide range of organisations who have an interest in the fee exception and waiver to notify them of their introduction.

Answer to HL638:

There are no plans to publish the assessment of the children’s best interests in relation to the child registration fee. The Written Statement provided a summary of the conclusions of that assessment, outlining why the Home Office has opted for the specific approach of a waiver and exception.

Answer to HL637:

Local Authorities were notified of the introduction of a fee exception in the Local Government Bulletin issued on 27 May by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities.

The Home Office is continuing to reach out to a wide range of organisations who have an interest in the fee exception and waiver to notify them of their introduction.

Answer to HL638:

There are no plans to publish the assessment of the children’s best interests in relation to the child registration fee. The Written Statement provided a summary of the conclusions of that assessment, outlining why the Home Office has opted for the specific approach of a waiver and exception.

Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC).

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. There is no restriction on the number of surgeries an individual may attend. If an individual who is detained requires substantive advice on a matter which is in scope of legal aid, full legal advice can be provided if the statutory legal aid means and merits criteria are met.

Legal visits can take place from both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention. In line with Government advice on social distancing, during the pandemic, face to face legal visits were facilitated in exceptional circumstances, and only if other means of contact (Skype, telephone, email) were not feasible or appropriate. In light of changes to Government guidance, face to face legal visits can now be facilitated. Safe systems of work are in place to ensure the safety of detained individuals, onsite staff and visitors during these visits.

The number of in-person legal visits, which includes both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention, that took place between 1 January and 26 May 2022, is set out in the table below:

*Does not include in-person legal visits carried out under the DDA Scheme

This is provisional Home Office management information that has not been assured to the standard of official statistics.

Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC).

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. There is no restriction on the number of surgeries an individual may attend. If an individual who is detained requires substantive advice on a matter which is in scope of legal aid, full legal advice can be provided if the statutory legal aid means and merits criteria are met.

Legal visits can take place from both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention. In line with Government advice on social distancing, during the pandemic, face to face legal visits were facilitated in exceptional circumstances, and only if other means of contact (Skype, telephone, email) were not feasible or appropriate. In light of changes to Government guidance, face to face legal visits can now be facilitated. Safe systems of work are in place to ensure the safety of detained individuals, onsite staff and visitors during these visits.

The number of in-person legal visits, which includes both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention, that took place between 1 January and 26 May 2022, is set out in the table below:

*Does not include in-person legal visits carried out under the DDA Scheme

This is provisional Home Office management information that has not been assured to the standard of official statistics.

The immigration removal estate is kept under ongoing review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient capacity, in the right places and that it provides value for money.

The Home Office opened Derwentside immigration removal centre (IRC) for women in November 2021. We plan to supplement the new IRC by continuing to provide some detention capacity for women at Colnbrook, Dungavel and Yarl’s Wood IRCs. We have already completed design work to ensure the women’s space at Yarl’s Wood will be entirely separate from male resident space and we are planning to transition part of the Yarl’s Wood site back to an immigration removal centre for around 60 women. We will open the refurbished accommodation in late summer.

In order to meet operational needs and demands, we will continue to operate the immigration removal estate, including Yarl’s Wood, in a flexible manner and in line with the STHF Rules 2018 and the Detention Centre Rules 2001, as appropriate.

The Home Office does not hold the information in the format requested. Fees received from citizenship applications are not differentiated between the various categories in which they are received.

We do not have a separate code or field for fees collected for children’s citizenship applications.

The Home Office does not hold the information in the format requested. We do not have a separate code or field for fees collected for children registering their entitlement to citizenship under the British Nationality Act 1981.

Details of the fee payable and estimated unit cost from the date the current fees to register as a British citizen became effective, (from 8^th October 2018) can be accessed via the following link: Visa fees transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Secretary of State is considering her policy response to a review of the fee for a child to register as a British Citizen.

The review, which was undertaken in line with duties under Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, takes into account a number of factors. We expect to provide a further update shortly.

The Home Office does not hold the information in the format requested.

We do not have a separate code or field for fees collected for adults to register their entitlement to citizenship under the British Nationality Act 1981.

The Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority (IECA) was created to streamline decision-making and ensure, wherever possible, that the various factors which may be pertinent to decisions about an individual are taken by those who can consider their circumstances most fully.

The data on decisions taken by the IECA will be set out in the quarterly publication of NRM statistics and a breakdown by competent authority will be published once there is sufficient data to ensure individuals are not identifiable. We will regularly review this data to understand the impact of the change and ensure polices are being applied consistently.

The creation of the IECA was an internal restructure within the Home Office. A full assessment of the Public Sector Equality Duty was undertaken and, in line with our ongoing duty, will be kept under review.

We have not received any advice from UK Health Security Agency on the ongoing use of Napier however we continue to engage with UK Health Security Agency to ensure that COVID 19 is managed effectively on site.

I am not aware of any known COVID positive people at Napier.

There are no known cases of active tuberculosis at Napier, the one person identified by the NHS with active TB was, on the advice of UK Health Security Agency, moved to alternative accommodation on 14 December 21.

All individuals accommodated at Napier meet the suitability criteria. This is assessed via service user’s asylum screening interview, ASF1’s and any supporting evidence submitted by the service user or their representative.

Individuals considered vulnerable under the Asylum Seekers (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2005 regulation 4(3) and/or those who have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism as potential victims of trafficking are not suitable to be accommodated at Napier. Further suitability criteria can be found at: Allocation of accommodation policy, on gov.uk. Asylum seekers allocated to the accommodation have full access to the advisory services provided by Migrant Help and are able to raise issues about their suitability to be accommodated at the site.

According to local data held by Clearsprings Ready Homes, 1033 service users have been accommodated at Napier Barracks since 9^th of April 2021.

The draft statutory guidance was published on gov.uk on 20 October to inform parliamentary debate of the new measures before votes on them were taken. The Government also carried out two full public consultations on the measures in 2018 and 2019. All responses to these consultations were taken into account when the measures were designed, and the guidance drafted. Clause 65 of the Bill does not require further formal consultation on the statutory guidance.

The Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority (IECA) will streamline decision-making and ensure, wherever possible, that the various factors which may be pertinent to decisions about an individual are taken by those who can consider their circumstances most fully.  IECA decision makers will receive the same training as the Single Competent Authority (SCA) on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) decision making.

Both competent authorities will be held to account through existing quality assurance processes and the Multi-Agency Assurance Panels will continue to quality assure all negative conclusive decisions. Decisions will continue to be made in line with the definitions and standards of proof in the published Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance.

The data on decisions taken by the IECA will be set out in the quarterly publication of NRM statistics and a breakdown by competent authority will be published once there is sufficient data to ensure individuals are not identifiable. Naturally, we will regularly review this data to understand the impact of the change and ensure polices are being applied consistently.

This Government remains committed to identifying victims quickly, enhancing the support they receive and improving the training given to First Responders, who are responsible for referring potential victims into the NRM.

The Home Office has produced e-learning to help First Responders to identify potential victims of modern slavery and make referrals into the NRM when appropriate to do so. The e-learning is available through the Modern Slavery Organised Immigration Crime (MSOIC) website.

The Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority (IECA) will streamline decision-making and ensure, wherever possible, that the various factors which may be pertinent to decisions about an individual are taken by those who can consider their circumstances most fully.  IECA decision makers will receive the same training as the Single Competent Authority (SCA) on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) decision making.

Both competent authorities will be held to account through existing quality assurance processes and the Multi-Agency Assurance Panels will continue to quality assure all negative conclusive decisions. Decisions will continue to be made in line with the definitions and standards of proof in the published Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance.

The data on decisions taken by the IECA will be set out in the quarterly publication of NRM statistics and a breakdown by competent authority will be published once there is sufficient data to ensure individuals are not identifiable. Naturally, we will regularly review this data to understand the impact of the change and ensure polices are being applied consistently.

This Government remains committed to identifying victims quickly, enhancing the support they receive and improving the training given to First Responders, who are responsible for referring potential victims into the NRM.

The Home Office has produced e-learning to help First Responders to identify potential victims of modern slavery and make referrals into the NRM when appropriate to do so. The e-learning is available through the Modern Slavery Organised Immigration Crime (MSOIC) website.

The Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority (IECA) will streamline decision-making and ensure, wherever possible, that the various factors which may be pertinent to decisions about an individual are taken by those who can consider their circumstances most fully.  IECA decision makers will receive the same training as the Single Competent Authority (SCA) on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) decision making.

Both competent authorities will be held to account through existing quality assurance processes and the Multi-Agency Assurance Panels will continue to quality assure all negative conclusive decisions. Decisions will continue to be made in line with the definitions and standards of proof in the published Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance.

The data on decisions taken by the IECA will be set out in the quarterly publication of NRM statistics and a breakdown by competent authority will be published once there is sufficient data to ensure individuals are not identifiable. Naturally, we will regularly review this data to understand the impact of the change and ensure polices are being applied consistently.

This Government remains committed to identifying victims quickly, enhancing the support they receive and improving the training given to First Responders, who are responsible for referring potential victims into the NRM.

The Home Office has produced e-learning to help First Responders to identify potential victims of modern slavery and make referrals into the NRM when appropriate to do so. The e-learning is available through the Modern Slavery Organised Immigration Crime (MSOIC) website.

Whether residing in bridging hotels or alternative temporary accommodation, Afghans who were evacuated to the UK will retain the same temporary grant of leave issued to them upon arrival in the UK and, upon fulfilment of caseworking criteria, will receive indefinite leave to remain.

Afghans who were evacuated to the UK during, and post, Operation Pitting will receive integration support appropriate to their individual circumstances.

The Nationality and Borders Bill will introduce measures which will allow children of British Overseas Territories Citizen (BOTC) mothers, who were born before 1983; and the children of BOTC unmarried fathers who were born before 2006, to register as BOTCs.

Children of Chagossian mothers who left the Chagos Islands before 1969 would also be able to benefit from this change.

These changes to British nationality law will also allow these groups to acquire British citizenship more easily.

As per section 16 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Government has 56 days beginning with the day on which the report is published to respond to recommendations by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner.

The Government is carefully considering the recommendations in the ‘Safety Before Status’ report and will publish a response in due course.

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) is not yet open. Officials are working urgently to stand up the remaining elements of the scheme, amid the complex and changing picture.

The Government will continue to work closely with other government departments, non-governmental organisations, charities, local authorities and other partners and relevant organisations in the development and implementation of the ACRS.

The Home Office does not publish this data as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Therefore, the Home Office is unable to state the number and proportion of asylum claims made before August, awaiting interview for more than 6 months, a year and two years.

The Home Office will publish the outcome of section 55 review at the earliest opportunity following consideration of the implications of the Supreme Court’s judgment.

An Equality Impact Assessment has been completed for the policies being delivered through the Nationality and Borders Bill. This includes consideration of possible impacts on children. The Equality Impact Assessment was published on 16 September.

We are committed to our review of the policy, but due to ongoing litigation, we do not anticipate completing it until a more appropriate time.

This Government has a strong track record of helping child asylum seekers. In the year ending March 2021, we granted protection or other leave to over 2,333 vulnerable children, and over 46,000 since 2010.

Through the Nationality and Borders Bill, we will strengthen our ability to help those who need our help, while preventing abuse of the system and the criminality associated with it.

A Supreme Court hearing on Child Registration fees took place on 23^rd and 24^th June.

We await the final judgment and the ongoing section 55 review before publishing results.

In the judgment in the case of ST & VW v Secretary of State the Secretary of State for the Home Department was successful in five out of the six challenges brought against the No Recourse to Public Funds policy.

We are currently reflecting on the judgment relating to Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 and the nature of any amendments required to the Immigration Rules and guidance.

The Home Office has acknowledged the Court of Appeal’s judgment and has committed to reviewing the child citizenship registration fee in line with its duties under Section 55.

This review is on-going and the results will be published in due course.

The Home Office records the date on which all applications to the EUSS are received and concluded.

Our aim is to process all applications to the EU Settlement Scheme as expeditiously as possible. Complete applications are usually processed in around five working days.

More information about processing times for applications under the scheme is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-application-processing-times/eu-settlement-scheme-pilot-current-expected-processing-times-for-applications

The latest published information shows the total number of concluded applications to the EU Settlement scheme was 5.27 million up to 31 May 2021.

The latest figures can be found on the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme statistics’ web page available at:

EU Settlement Scheme statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Applications concluded by month and decision type are published in the detailed quarterly release – EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The British Nationality Act 1981 (Immigration Rules Appendix EU) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 will be an important means by which we protect the nationality rights of children who might otherwise be adversely affected in consequence of, or in connection with, the ending of free movement.

We will publish their introduction and operation using our usual methods such as gov.uk, but will also ask those who have been dealing with the EU Settlement Scheme more generally to raise awareness through the stakeholders they already engage with, including Local Authorities.

We anticipate many children who need to benefit from the provision will already have access to the requisite information to establish their nationality, not least as much of it will have been supplied by their parent as part of the EU Settlement Scheme application. Nonetheless, where there are evidence gaps, we are establishing processes to assist any applicants, and ideally without the need to ask for further information from the child or their parent. This includes the EUSS record itself given its importance to the operation of these provisions.

The British Nationality Act 1981 (Immigration Rules Appendix EU) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 will be an important means by which we protect the nationality rights of children who might otherwise be adversely affected in consequence of, or in connection with, the ending of free movement.

We will publish their introduction and operation using our usual methods such as gov.uk, but will also ask those who have been dealing with the EU Settlement Scheme more generally to raise awareness through the stakeholders they already engage with, including Local Authorities.

We anticipate many children who need to benefit from the provision will already have access to the requisite information to establish their nationality, not least as much of it will have been supplied by their parent as part of the EU Settlement Scheme application. Nonetheless, where there are evidence gaps, we are establishing processes to assist any applicants, and ideally without the need to ask for further information from the child or their parent. This includes the EUSS record itself given its importance to the operation of these provisions.

The British Nationality Act 1981 (Immigration Rules Appendix EU) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 will be an important means by which we protect the nationality rights of children who might otherwise be adversely affected in consequence of, or in connection with, the ending of free movement.

We will publish their introduction and operation using our usual methods such as gov.uk, but will also ask those who have been dealing with the EU Settlement Scheme more generally to raise awareness through the stakeholders they already engage with, including Local Authorities.

We anticipate many children who need to benefit from the provision will already have access to the requisite information to establish their nationality, not least as much of it will have been supplied by their parent as part of the EU Settlement Scheme application. Nonetheless, where there are evidence gaps, we are establishing processes to assist any applicants, and ideally without the need to ask for further information from the child or their parent. This includes the EUSS record itself given its importance to the operation of these provisions.

As part of the Department’s immigration detention reform programme, we are conducting a series of two pilots exploring alternatives to detention. In line with international best practice, each pilot will run for two years before a final evaluation.

The first of these pilots, Action Access, has provided women who would otherwise be detained with a programme of support in the community. This pilot concludes on 31 March 2021 after operating for two years. The second pilot, the Refugee and Migrant Advisory Service, is supporting both men and women and is running until June 2022.

We are working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on these pilots and they have appointed the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to independently evaluate this work. These evaluations will be published, with the evaluation report of the Action Access pilot scheduled for early Summer 2021. We will use the evaluations of these pilots to inform our future approach to case-management focused alternatives to detention.

The immigration removal estate is kept under ongoing review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient capacity, in the right places and that it provides value for money.

The Home Office has acquired the former Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in County Durham and will open it as an immigration removal centre for women by the autumn. Initial discussions with the planning authority have taken place and work has commenced at the site. An Equality Impact Assessment will be completed as part of this programme of work.

Now in its second year, the Action Access pilot has provided women who would otherwise be detained with a programme of support in the community, including case management support. We are working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and they have appointed the National Centre for Social Research to independently evaluate this work, once the pilot concludes in March 2021. The evaluation is scheduled for publication in June 2021. We will use the evaluation to inform our future approach to case-management focused alternatives to detention.

In order to meet operational needs and demands we will continue to operate the immigration removal estate in a flexible manner.

In November the UK and France agreed a package of £28.1m to support a range of activity as part of ongoing efforts to address illegal migration. The impact on migration pressures of this investment is regularly assessed by France and the UK through jointly agreed results frameworks. We are not intending to publish detailed information on the evaluation of the funding agreed with the French Government, as it relates to sensitive operational activity.

The UK will shortly restart UK resettlement arrivals to fulfil our commitment of resettling 20,000 refugees affected by the conflict in Syria under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) and we are working closely with partners to deliver this commitment.

Due to the lead times for refugee arrivals, it is likely that we will see most refugees start to arrive early in the new year

Decisions regarding resettlement beyond the completion of this scheme are yet to be made and will need to take account of the impact of COVID-19 and the ongoing pressures on the asylum system. We have committed to a review of safe and legal routes to the UK. We are aware that the pause in resettlement has had an impact on our resettlement partners and will continue to work with them as future plans are developed.

The new Immigration Rule which makes provision for the refusal or cancellation of permission to stay in the UK on the basis of rough sleeping will be used sparingly, and only where individuals have refused support offers such as accommodation and are engaged in persistent anti-social behaviour.

The Home Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government are working together to encourage local authorities and approved charities to resolve the immigration status of eligible rough sleepers and unlock access to any benefits and entitlements that rough sleepers may be eligible for.

We are currently reviewing the competition for the Support for Migrant Victims scheme following sector feedback, including considering how information is shared and recorded as part of the scheme to enable an evaluation of the needs of migrant victims.

In particular, we are looking at practical solutions that will provide reassurance to migrant victims of domestic abuse using the scheme that they will be able to access safe accommodation and support as a priority. We will conduct further engagement with the sector on the competition for funding in the near future.

We engaged with representatives of the Step Up Migrant Women campaign at our recent webinar with the sector on 22 October.

We greatly value the feedback provided by the sector and are considering their concerns as we review the Support for Migrant Victims Scheme prospectus. We will be arranging meetings with sector organisations in the coming weeks to discuss proposed changes and would welcome a meeting with representatives of the Step Up Migrant Women campaign.

We have been working closely with key domestic and international stakeholders on plans to safely resume UK resettlement arrivals against the backdrop of unprecedented restrictions and pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result of this work, and as announced by Baroness Williams of Trafford in the House of Lords on 9 November the UK will shortly restart UK resettlement arrivals to fulfil our commitment of resettling 20,000 refugees affected by the conflict in Syria under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) and we are working closely with partners to deliver this.

Due to the lead times for refugee arrivals it is likely that we will see most refugees start to arrive early in the new year.

As part of the Department’s immigration detention reform programme, we are conducting a series of pilots exploring alternatives to detention, with the first pilot being ‘Action Access’.

Now in its second year, Action Access has provided women who would otherwise be detained with a programme of support in the community, including case management support. In June 2020 the Home Office signed a contract with the King’s Arms Project in Bedford for the second pilot in the series, the Refugee and Migrant Advisory Service, which is supporting both men and women. The first participants joined this second pilot last month.

We are working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on these pilots and they have appointed the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to independently evaluate this work. These evaluations will be published, with the evaluation report of the ‘Action Access’ pilot scheduled for Summer 2021. We will use the evaluation of these pilots to inform our future approach to case-management focused alternatives to detention.

The bespoke new Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Visa route recognises our historic and moral commitment to British National (Overseas) citizens in Hong Kong, giving them the option to live in the UK if they decide that is an appropriate choice for them. Hong Kong citizens who do not hold BN(O) status or are not the close family member of a BN(O) will not be eligible to apply for the Hong Kong BN(O) Visa route.

Consistent with the wider Immigration Rules, individuals in Hong Kong will be able to apply under the new Points-Based System to come to live, work or study in the UK, provided they meet the necessary requirements. Those wishing to come to the UK under the new Points-Based-System will need to apply for a visa in advance of travel.

The existing youth mobility scheme is also open to people in Hong Kong aged between 18-30, with 1000 places currently available each year.

Coercive or controlling behaviour is an insidious crime with far reaching impacts for victims. That is why it has been explicitly included in the definition of domestic abuse in the Domestic Abuse Bill.

The Government is committed to ensuring that abuse in all its forms is properly identified and effectively tackled. We are, therefore, carefully considering the review of the coercive or controlling behaviour offence. It remains our intention to publish the review in time to inform the Lords’ stages of the Domestic Abuse Bill.

I intend to meet with noble Lords to discuss citizenship and belonging, and will listen to concerns they wish to raise on that subject.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s report on Family Reunion Applications was received on 7 January 2020. The report was laid before Parliament on Thursday 8 October 2020.

Individuals in Hong Kong who were British Dependent Territories Citizens before 1997 and chose not to register for British National (Overseas) status may apply under existing immigration routes to come to live, work or study in the UK. Those that hold Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports can visit for up to 6 months without needing a visa.

Those British Dependent Territories Citizens who elected to retain close ties with the UK through registering for British National (Overseas) status will have the option of applying for a new Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Visa from January 2021. Successful applicants will be able to come and stay in the UK for up to 5 years, with a view to settlement and then citizenship if desired.

Further details on this new immigration route can be found on gov.uk:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hong-kong-bno-visa-policy-statement

As the Home Secretary set out on 21 July, it is right that those with no legal right to be in this country are not allowed to exploit the system, but the right protections must be in place for those who status should have been assured. We will undertake a full evaluation of the compliant environment policy and measures – individually and cumulatively - to make sure this crucial balance is right. This is a complex area of policy and scoping of this work has begun, including on the detail of the evaluation. More information will be available in due course.