Amy Callaghan

Take-up statistics for Pension Credit are available at Great Britain level only. The most recent take-up statistics are publicly available in the “Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up” publication which can be found on the statistics section of gov.uk. The latest publication relates to the financial year 2019 to 2020.

Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2019 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The most recent caseload statistics for Pension Credit refer to August 2022, and are publicly available via DWP Stat-xplore. The table below shows the Pension Credit caseload statistics by constituency in Scotland in August 2022.

Universal Credit provides those who are under 25 with lower rates than those age 25 and over. This is to reflect the fact that these claimants are more likely to live in someone else’s household and have lower living costs. It also reflects the lower wages that younger workers typically receive. However, it is acknowledged that some claimants under 25 do live independently, which is why Universal Credit includes separate elements to provide support to claimants for these additional costs, such as housing costs. These additional amounts are provided to claimants at the same level irrespective of age.

Successive governments have given due consideration to the impact of the proposals made in the Pensions Acts of 1995, 2007, 2011 and 2014, that introduced changes to the State Pension age. These assessments have been published.

No assessments have been made specifically on individual constituencies in Scotland.

State Pension age is currently 66 and two further increases are currently in legislation: a gradual rise to 67 for those born on or after April 1960; and a gradual rise to 68 between 2044 and 2046 for those born on or after April 1977.

The Pensions Act 2014 requires Government to regularly review State Pension age. The first review in 2017 accepted a recommendation by John Cridland CBE to bring forward the increase in State Pension Age to 68 to between 2037 and 2039, subject to a further review before legislating. Work is underway on the second Government Review of State Pension age which, must be published by May 2023. This Review will consider a wide range of evidence, including findings from two independent reports, to assess whether the rules about State Pension age remain appropriate. We cannot pre-empt the outcome of the Review.

It is not possible to do this, as DWP does not collect this constituency data.

The Minister for Lords and officials appeared at the Work and Pensions Select committee on 18 January 23 to discuss ‘Children in poverty: Child Maintenance Service’ which included discussion on recommendations from NAO and the domestic abuse review conducted by Dr Samantha Callan.

These discussions highlighted the following;

• Continuing to improve our service, in particular our online services through the wider Departmental Service Modernisation.

o Services that have been made available online and therefore 24/7 and, in many cases, now delivered via automation and therefore faster and more responsive.

o The introduction of online Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance service providing support to separated parents in managing their own affairs as well as making the CMS more accessible.

o A wider organisational redesign is underway with a key priority to improve customer experience.

• Dr Samantha Callan Review recommendations:

o Recommendations on training have been adopted: domestic abuse awareness training is in place and training is being reviewed with a view to strengthening.

o Recommendation on single caseworker treatment is being piloted currently.

• Use of the DWP customer experience survey to track satisfaction levels and provide insight.

o The Department’s 2020/21 Customer Experience Survey and the CMS Customer Experience Survey are currently unpublished, so we are unable to share the findings at this time.

o The reason for the delay is because of the impacts of Covid on the survey, resulting in an extended QA process.

o Steps are in place to publish the findings and the final sign off procedures are currently taking place within the Department, with the intention to publish by Summer 2023.

• Real time customer feedback has been piloted now considering how to introduce at scale.
• Sessions planned in March for MP researchers to support them in constituency casework relating to Child Maintenance.

The £20 Child Maintenance Service (CMS) application fee is designed to encourage parents to consider whether they can make their own private family-based arrangements rather than apply to the statutory scheme by default as this tends to be in the best interests of children.

The fee is waived if domestic abuse has been experienced by the applicant or any children in the household and for parents aged under 19 to ensure the most vulnerable do not face a barrier in accessing the statutory scheme.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) continues to take rigorous action to collect maintenance, combining robust negotiation activity with the highly effective use of its extensive range of Enforcement Powers. This approach is driven by the Payment Compliance strategy increasing CMS compliance influencing activities to tackle non-paying cases and challenge non-compliant behaviours. CMS applies a Continuous Improvement focus to Enforcement strategy and processes.

Total child maintenance collected using Enforcement Actions amounted to £36.1 million in the quarter to September 2022 compared with £33.8 in September 2021 and £28.4 in September 2020. This rise in collections is linked directly to increased collections through Deductions from Earnings Orders, lump sum and regular deductions taken directly from paying parents’ bank accounts, Liability Order and Bailiff actions and making full use of all available sanctions.

(Source – Child Maintenance Service published Statistics : National Tables – table 7.1 ‘Enforcement Actions’, April 2015 to September 2022).

As a result of a focussed effort to increase enforcement activity £49.4 million was paid through the Collect & Pay service in the quarter ending September 2022 compared to £47.4. million in the quarter ending September 2021.

(Source – Child Maintenance Service published Statistics : National Tables – table 5 ‘Money Due and Paid each quarter’ January 2015 to September 2022).

There has been a consistent downward trend in the proportion of unpaid maintenance as a proportion of maintenance arranged since 2017, falling from 12.5% in 2017 to 8.2% in September 2022.

(Source – Child Maintenance Service published Statistics : National Tables - table 6 ‘ how much maintenance CMS has arranged March 2015 to September 2022).

As at September 2022 there were 872,000 children covered by Child Maintenance Service (CMS) arrangements. The service has recorded an increase in the number of children covered by CMS arrangements increasing by 25,700 between June 2022 and September 2022.

Under the Direct Pay service Child Maintenance Service provides the calculation and no further use of the service is required. Parents are issued a text message three months after they set up their arrangement and at each annual review, to check the arrangement is still meeting their requirements. If they cannot arrange payments between themselves or a Paying Parent does not keep up with the payments, the Receiving Parent can ask to switch to the Collect and Pay Service.

61% of all Child Maintenance Service arrangements use Direct Pay with 37% using Collect and Pay.

At the end of September 2022:

• 548,800 children were covered by 384,600 Direct Pay arrangements
• 304,200 children were covered by 231,000 Collect & Pay arrangements
  • 164,800 of these children were covered by 117,500 Collect & Pay arrangements where the Paying Parent paid some maintenance during the quarter
  • 139,400 of these children were covered by 113,500 Collect & Pay arrangements where no maintenance was paid during the quarter

The number of children covered by CMS arrangements has increased steadily over the last 2 years.

(Source – Child Maintenance Service published statistics – data to September 2022)

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) continues to take rigorous action to collect maintenance, combining robust negotiation activity with the highly effective use of its extensive range of Enforcement Powers. This approach is driven by the Payment Compliance strategy increasing CMS compliance influencing activities to tackle non-paying cases and challenge non-compliant behaviours. CMS applies a Continuous Improvement focus to Enforcement strategy and processes.

Total child maintenance collected using enforcement actions amounted to £36.1 million in the quarter to September 2022 compared with £33.8 in September 2021 and £28.4 in September 2020. This rise in collections is linked directly to increased collections through Deductions from Earnings Orders, lump sum and regular deductions taken directly from paying parents’ bank accounts, Liability Order and Bailiff actions and making full use of all available sanctions.

(Source – Child Maintenance Service published Statistics : National Tables – table 7.1 ‘Enforcement Actions’, April 2015 to September 2022).

As a result of a focussed effort to increase enforcement activity and influence Paying Parents to pay their child maintenance £49.4 million was paid through the Collect & Pay service in the quarter to September 2022 compared to £45.6 million in the quarter ending March 2022 when the NAO report was published.

(Source – Child Maintenance Service published Statistics : National Tables – table 5 ‘Money Due and Paid each quarter’ January 2015 to September 2022).

There has been a consistent downward trend in the proportion of unpaid maintenance as a proportion of maintenance arranged since 2017, falling from 12.5% in 2017 to 8.2% in September 2022.

(Source – Child Maintenance Service published Statistics : National Tables - table 6 ‘ how much maintenance CMS has arranged March 2015 to September 2022).

There are no plans to change the policy around the standard allowance rates for those under 25 at this time.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has not completed his investigation into communication of changes to women’s state pension. It would be inappropriate to discuss the investigation whilst it is ongoing. Section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”.

The Department is cooperating fully with the PHSO in their investigation.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s investigation into the communication of changes to women’s State Pension age is ongoing. Section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”.

It would be inappropriate to comment whilst the investigation is ongoing.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s investigation into the communication of changes to women’s State Pension age is ongoing. Section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”.

It would be inappropriate to comment whilst the investigation is ongoing.

Pensioner households will receive a one-off pensioner Cost-of-Living payment in 2022/23, worth £300. This will be paid in November or December as a top up with the Winter Fuel Payment. Therefore, a household with someone of State Pension age will receive £500 and a household with someone aged 80 or over will receive £600.

No decisions have been taken regarding 2023/24.

This Government is committed to supporting people on lower incomes through a range of measures, including by spending around £59 billion on people with disabilities and health conditions in 2021/22, which will increase by £3.5 billion to over £62 billion in 2022/23.

We have announced our new package of measures worth £9.1bn in 2022-23 to protect the majority of households from half of the forecast £700 rise in energy bills. Alongside this, we are providing £12 billion of support over this financial year and next to ease cost of living pressures, including help for working families, low-income households and the most vulnerable.

As of 4 November, there were 3,220 claims where we await further information from the customer before we can finalise their claim.

The Government has introduced significant measures to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19. It is committed to providing financial support for people at every stage of their life, including when they near or reach retirement. The welfare system will continue to provide support to men and women who are unable to work or those who are on a low income but who are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a range of issues.

The Government has introduced significant measures to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19. It is committed to providing financial support for people at every stage of their life, including when they near or reach retirement. The welfare system will continue to provide support to men and women who are unable to work or those who are on a low income but who are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age.

The Department has prioritised ensuring people have the information they need to understand the benefits and employment support they may be eligible for, including launching a new website to help people navigate the range of support available and apply for it.

Although DWP cannot advise existing claimants of legacy benefits whether they should claim UC, we actively encourage them to use benefit calculators to check their eligibility for Universal Credit before applying, and have strengthened communications to ensure that people understand that claiming UC will stop existing legacy benefits. This includes adding information to HMRC’s Interactive Voice Response for people calling on the phone, and updating GOV.UK pages. We have used the DWP Twitter and Facebook channels to share messages, and have used paid media to ensure we reach millions of people.

The Department continually makes improvements to the UC service in response to feedback and user research. Therefore, on 3 June we introduced a check-through box to remind claimants to check their eligibility before making a claim and to remind them that legacy benefits will cease when the UC claim is submitted.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet Ministers, but has not had any meetings on this.

The Government remains committed to providing dignity and security in retirement to all pensioners. In April 2020, full amounts of the basic and new State Pensions increased by 3.9%, in line with average earnings growth. This was the highest increase since 2012.

The full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is worth around £700 more in 2020/21 than if it had been uprated by earnings since 2010. That is over £1,900 in cash terms.

Pension Credit provides a safety net for people of State Pension age most in need. It provides a top up for people with a weekly income below £173.75 (for single people) or £265.20 (for couples). On 6^th May we introduced an online claim process for Pension Credit in addition to the existing ways of claiming by telephone and by post, making it quicker and easier for people to apply.

No specific assessment has been made.

While there have been no specific discussions, we regularly engage with the devolved administrations on support for people with rare conditions, such as Huntington’s disease.

The UK Rare Diseases Framework, published in January 2021, sets out the ambition to improve the lives of those with rare diseases. The nation-specific action plans provide details on how each administration will meet the shared priorities of the Framework.

The Government primarily funds research into rare conditions, such as Huntington’s disease and Juvenile-onset Huntington’s disease, via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

From 2017/18 to 2021/22, funding for research into Huntington’s disease was £32.6 million and in 2021/22, expenditure was £4.9 million. The NIHR and UKRI welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including adult Huntington’s disease and Juvenile-onset Huntington’s disease. While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR and UKRI award funding through open competition to ensure the highest quality research is funded.

On 17 March 2022, Evusheld was granted conditional marketing approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). However, the MHRA highlighted uncertainty over the appropriate dose needed for protection against the Omicron variant. Understanding its efficacy is necessary prior to any procurement or deployment decisions. The UK Health Security Agency is currently undertaking further testing on the treatment’s effectiveness against the Omicron variant to inform any such decisions.

Evusheld is not currently authorised for use in the United Kingdom. The Government continues to monitor a range of products, including Evusheld. However, negotiations with companies are commercially sensitive.

The RAPID C-19 collaboration has enabled active multi-agency oversight of national and international trial evidence for COVID-19 therapies as it emerges, both in potential treatment and prophylactic indications. Where material evidence is identified, this has enabled the rapid formation and implementation of UK wide clinical access policies. To date, the evidence has most strongly supported treatment use, although the evidence around prophylactic use will continue to be reviewed.

There are currently two routes to accessing treatments for COVID-19 for non-hospitalised patients in England with 1.3 million of the highest risk patients eligible directly for monoclonal antibody sotrovimab and antiviral drugs molnupiravir, Paxlovid and Remdesivir. In addition, over 20 million people are eligible for the antiviral molnupiravir through the PANORAMIC national study run by the University of Oxford. These treatments are used to prevent progression to severe disease and hospitalisation.