Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Western Excerpts

Monday 16th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Lee Dillon (Newbury) (LD)]

7. Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of jobcentres launching outreach initiatives in local communities.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)]

Jobcentres work with a range of external providers to offer a wealth of outreach support. In Berkshire, this includes work coach support for customers with complex needs delivered by Reading college, outreach delivered by the Slough homelessness team and at Windsor Homeless Project locations, and employment support delivered by the probation hub in Reading. Outreach work is something that we not only strongly support, but actively encourage.

[Mr Dillon]

The Minister has named a number of projects in Berkshire, none of which falls within my constituency of Newbury. Would he welcome community interest companies such as Lambourn Junction hosting jobcentres in their facilities to make sure that people in rural constituencies such as mine have access to a jobcentre, rather than having to travel into the main town centre for that support?

[Andrew Western]

I would very much welcome such an initiative being brought forward in the hon. Member’s constituency of Newbury. He may also be pleased to know that there is the potential for a youth hub to open in Newbury, similar to that in Oxford, which was grant funded and is already in operation.

[Rebecca Long Bailey (Salford) (Ind)]

8. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of pension contributions for auto-enrolled pensions for lower earners.

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[Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)]

9. What steps her Department is taking to support people newly recognised as refugees into work.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)]

Once people are granted refugee status, they have immediate access to DWP employment support and services. Work coaches work with refugee customers to understand their individual employment needs and provide tailored support, as appropriate, including with CV writing, interview preparedness and help securing work experience. Those who require more intensive support can be referred to DWP employment programmes or other contracted provision.

[Tim Farron]

The Government are seeking to clear the very unacceptable backlog—the huge backlog—of asylum applications they inherited from the previous Government. As a result, we are already beginning to see an increase in the number of newly recognised refugees, who rightly now have the right to work and to contribute here. Can the Minister say a bit more about the strategic planning and cross-departmental work that is happening on providing tailored support—he talked about tailored support, but the existing scheme of course comes to an end in June—so that refugees who have every right to be here have the ability to take a job, pay taxes and contribute here?

[Andrew Western]

The hon. Member is entirely correct to recognise the important role of refugees in contributing to our economy. There is a range of tailored support available with things such as language support and, as I mentioned earlier, with CV writing and interview preparedness, but there is also support with ensuring that their qualifications earned elsewhere are transferable to this country. I would of course be very happy to meet him to discuss further the support that could be put in place as we look, as he says, to clear the asylum backlogs. We are in constant communication with the Home Office and other Departments to ensure that there is a holistic approach in doing so.

[Munira Wilson (Twickenham) (LD)]

10. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of levels of maternity and paternity pay and allowances.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)]

The Government keep the rates of parental pay under review. Following the Secretary of State’s announcement in a written ministerial statement to Parliament on 30 October, and subject to parliamentary approval, parental pay will increase in line with the consumer prices index at the rate of 1.7% from April 2025.

[Munira Wilson]

At less than half the rate of a full-time national minimum wage, maternity and paternity pay is so low that most parents simply cannot live on it, and they are often forced into debt, or forced back to work sooner than they would like. A poll of fathers found that two-thirds of them would take more leave if paternity pay were higher. If we want to give families choice in how they care for their children in those precious early months, will the Minister discuss with colleagues in the Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade how we can boost rates of maternity and paternity pay?

[Andrew Western]

I understand the point that the hon. Lady is making, but requests for a significant uplifting of benefits come with a price tag and I heard no suggestions as to how that would be paid for. On support for parents, the Government committed in their manifesto to review parental leave to ensure that it best supports working families. Further details of that review will be announced in due course.

[Alistair Strathern (Hitchin) (Lab)]

Recent damning statistics highlighted that just 2% of parents made use of shared parental leave in the past year, with uptake skewed towards the highest earners. Given the importance of breaking down barriers to equal parenting for employment, will the Minister ensure that he works with the Department for Business and Trade as part of the upcoming review to ensure that enhanced parental leave is considered, including strengthening paternity leave entitlements?

[Andrew Western]

My hon. Friend is correct to highlight not just the importance and benefits of shared parental leave, but the disparity between those who make use of it. I will, of course, maintain dialogue with the Department for Business and Trade as we go through that review, but I would also welcome a discussion with my hon. Friend about his ambitions and ideas for how we could take that forward.

[Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)]

11. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the rates of universal credit.

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[Douglas McAllister (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab)]

How does the Secretary of State envision the future of jobcentres in my constituency and across Scotland, and what role will technology play in that?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight that any reform to our jobcentres must come with digital transformation. We are currently exploring schemes such as a “Jobcentre in your pocket” app, as well as looking for ways in which jobseekers can self-serve in terms of meeting the conditions of their conditionality regime.

[Seamus Logan (Aberdeenshire North and Moray East) (SNP)]

T4. On 4 December, my hon. Friend the Member for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey (Graham Leadbitter) asked the Prime Minister about the WASPI—Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign—women, and was told that the Government were working “at pace”. Since then, 1,400 or 1,500 more women have died without justice or compensation. Will the Minister tell us what working “at pace” means and give us a timeline?

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[Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) (Lab)]

A recently published freedom of information request indicates that AI tools used to detect DWP fraud are biased and disproportionately discriminate against people by age, disability, marital status and nationality. Obviously, that has caused considerable concern. What assurances can the Minister give that the procurement and use of such tools will be covered by strict governance standards, including tests for fairness?

[Andrew Western]

My hon. Friend will know that we face a significant challenge, with fraud and error costing the Department almost £10 billion a year. It is right that we look to utilise all available tools to tackle it. However, I understand her concerns, although I would remind her that the final decision on whether someone receives a welfare payment is always made by a human. That is the most robust safeguard that we can have in place—although of course it sits alongside a broader suite.

[Aphra Brandreth (Chester South and Eddisbury) (Con)]

My inspirational constituent, Bells Lewers, has terminal bowel cancer. When she was first undergoing treatment, she was initially turned down for personal independence payment, despite the significant impact on her ability to work and carry out basic daily activities. Has the Minister considered incorporating clinical diagnosis alongside function in eligibility assessments, and will he meet Bells to discuss the assessment process?

[Sally Jameson (Doncaster Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

An astonishing £35 billion has been lost to benefit fraud and errors since the pandemic. Will the Minister outline the plans and the timeline for recouping that money?

[Andrew Western]

My hon. Friend is right to highlight the enormous cost to the Department—upwards of £35 billion—of fraud since the pandemic. She will be pleased to know that the fraud, error and debt Bill is due to come to the House early in the new year. This Government are serious about tackling fraud; it is just a shame that we inherited the mess we did.