Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff in the Department for Work and Pensions are permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours; and what is the percentage of overall working time they are permitted to spend on such network activity.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Currently 7 National Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Networks are given pro rata time allocation to support respective network activity.
Time allocation
The National EDI Network Co-Chairs have a 25%-weekly time allocation and the Strand Lead/Board Member/Committee roles have a weekly 10%-time allocation. Each Network can recruit up to 10 Committee members (please note that not all Networks have up to 10 Committee members).
7 National EDI Networks with allocated time equates to:
1 x 25 % time allocation 37- hour week contract equates to 9.25 hours for each co-chair or 18.5 hours for both per week or 962 hours year for each of them
1x10% time allocation 37 – hour week contract equates to 3.7 per committee member, or for each committee member 10 x 10 % equates to 37 hours a week or 1,924 hours annually for all members of a Committee.
Across all 7 Networks:
*note that not all Committee roles are filled.
Cross Civil Service Networks
Alongside DWP EDI Networks there a number of cross Civil Service Networks. DWP colleagues who take up the role of Co-Chair for a recognised cross government EDI Network can receive 5% time allocation to carry out their duties. Colleagues are welcome to be a member of any Staff Network but are only able to receive time allocation for one role on an EDI Network at any time.
The 2 chairs of the Civil Service LBGT+ Network both sit in DWP. They have 37-hour week contracts and 5% of this equates to 1.85 hours each a week – or 96.2 hours a year for each them.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the Department for Work and Pensions and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs have stopped publishing data on tax contributions and welfare payments by nationality.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
Following the review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, HMRC proposed changes to 25 statistics publications in a public consultation that ran from 24 October 2022 to 16 January 2023. In response to the user consultation the annual Income Tax, NICs, tax credits and child benefit statistics for non-UK nationals release was discontinued. The consultation suggested the statistics to be of limited value to users, due to the decrease in data coverage as tax credits claimants move across to Universal Credit, and the lack of timeliness in the data.
Separately the DWP reviewed the ‘Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP working age benefit recipients’ statistics and announced in July 2022 that it would be ceasing publication of these statistics as they no longer met the purpose for which they were created. The statistics reflected the nationality status of the benefit claimants at the point of National Insurance number (NINo) registration, which does not necessarily reflect the nationality at the point of claiming the benefit, as the allocation of a NINo can be made many years, or even decades, before an individual claims a benefit. Therefore, benefit recipients who were non-UK nationals and subsequently obtained British citizenship would have been counted in those statistics as non-UK nationals.
The proposals and outcomes from the consultation on changes to HMRC statistics publications are published on GOV.UK.
HMRC does publish information on non-UK nationals in PAYE employment by nationality, region and industry on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants in Peterborough constituency were not in the work-related activity group category in each quarter since Quarter 1 of 2015; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The information available for the number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants by phase of claim and Parliamentary constituency is published, and can be found at:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp.
Guidance for users is available at:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants in Peterborough constituency were waiting up to (a) three, (b) six and (c) 12 months for work capability assessments in the last year for which data is available; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Information on Employment and Support Allowance, outcomes of Work Capability Assessments and Mandatory Reconsiderations are published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/statistics
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of how many properties have been released for letting in Peterborough since the introduction of changes in the spare room subsidy regime; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
This information is not gathered by the Department of Work and Pensions.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families in Peterborough constituency are subject to the most recent changes in the welfare benefit cap; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
It is estimated that around 200 households in Peterborough constituency will be affected by the lower benefit cap in 2016/17.
Notes:
1. Estimates assume no behavioural responses - any behavioural responses to the lower cap, such as claimants moving into employment, would cause the number of households affected to reduce
2. This figure is rounded to the nearest 100 households
3. The methodology used to estimate the households affected by the cap is consistent with that described in the latest impact assessment published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-reform-and-work-act-impact-assessment-for-the-benefit-cap
The benefit cap will be lowered from 7th November from £26,000 to £20,000, except in London where it will be lowered to £23,000. To help ensure Local Authorities are able to protect the most vulnerable Housing Benefit claimants and to support households adjusting to our welfare reforms, the Government will provide £870m funding for Discretionary Housing Payments over the next 5 years. Information about this and other measures to ease the transition for families affected by this policy change is included in the latest impact assessment at the link above.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department is making in reducing welfare dependency and increasing wages in Peterborough; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
The government is making good progress in moving to a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare economy. In Peterborough the number of people claiming one of the main out-of-work benefits has fallen by over 3,400 (21%) since 2010. Average gross weekly earnings in Peterborough have risen by 12% since 2010, to £487 per week.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Peterborough constituency received a cold weather payment in the last 12 months for which records are available; and if will he make a statement.
Answered by Steve Webb
The Cold Weather Payment scheme is administered at weather station level rather than any other standard GB geography such as constituency level. The coverage area for each weather station is determined by the Met Office which assesses the most appropriate weather station for each postcode area. Cold weather payments are triggered when the average temperature recorded at the weather station has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0oC or below over seven consecutive days.
The constituency of Peterborough covers all or part of the postcode areas PE1-PE8 and PE13. Postcode areas PE1 to PE8 are covered by Wittering weather station. There have been no cold weather payments paid in this area in the last 12 months (to 27th February 2015).
PE13 postcodes are covered by Marham weather station. Qualifying individuals living in this area will have received a payment in respect of a seven-day period of cold weather from 17th-23rd January 2015. No other payments were triggered in Marham in the last 12 months. Marham weather station covers the postcode areas of CB6-CB7, IP24-IP28, PE12-PE14 and PE30-PE38. We estimate that 23,800 payments were made in this area as a whole in respect of the January 2015 trigger. We are not able to break this figure down to a lower level.
Notes
1. The number of payments made is not necessarily the total number of individuals benefitting from a Cold Weather Payment. Any individuals making a joint claim for one of the qualifying benefits, such as a couple living together, will receive one payment between them rather than one payment each.
2. Individuals in receipt of Pension Credit are usually eligible for Cold Weather Payments. In addition those on Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit may be eligible for Cold Weather Payments if they are in receipt of certain disability benefits, have a disabled child, or a child under the age of five.
3. The number of payments given here is an estimate as information on the exact number of payments made is not readily available. These figures are produced by determining the volume of eligible recipients in each weather station area at the start of the winter season and using these figures throughout the winter to estimate payments and expenditure based on the actual triggers recorded.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals in Peterborough constituency have participated in the work choice scheme in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Esther McVey
Below are the number of individuals starting the Work Choice programme within Peterborough Parliamentary Constituency, in each financial year since the start of the programme on 25th October 2010 and up to 31st December 2014:
Parliamentary Constituency | 2010-11 (from 25th October 2010) [1] | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 (up to 31st December 2014) |
Peterborough | 60 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
[1] Cases from WORKSTEP, Workprep and Job Introduction Scheme were transferred over to Work Choice on the go-live date of 25th October 2010.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals have (a) applied for and (b) been granted assistance through the access to work programme in Peterborough constituency in each year since 2007; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Harper
Information on Access to Work applications is not available at a Parliamentary Constituency level. Below are the numbers of individuals helped by Access to Work in Peterborough Parliamentary Constituency in each financial year since 2007:
Parliamentary Constituency | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
Peterborough | 70 | 60 | 70 | 70 | 60 | 60 | 70 |