Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to email correspondence of 14 June 2023 from the hon. Member for Sefton Central.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The correspondence of the 14 June 2023 is being taken forward and a full response should be issued within the 20 working day target.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has she made of the impact of deductions from Universal Credit equivalent to the amount received in Carers Allowance on carers; and what representations she has received on allowing carers to keep their Carers' Allowance without having deductions made from Universal Credit.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We receive regular representations that receipt of Carer’s Allowance should not affect other benefits. But the principle that available income reduces entitlement to means-tested benefits is long-established, for example in income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA(IB)), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA (IR)) and Income Support.
Universal Credit is a means-tested system of support, and where an individual claims Universal Credit, their award is adjusted to take account of other financial support that the claimant is already receiving – including earnings, other income and benefits.
Where claimants have income available to help meet their everyday living costs, their entitlement to Universal Credit is adjusted accordingly. This includes other benefits such as new style Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Carer’s Allowance, which are taken into account in full.
There are no plans to change the treatment of Carer’s Allowance in Universal Credit.
Carers on a low income who provide care for at least 35 hours per week for a severely disabled person can get an additional amount, as part of their Universal Credit award. Carers do not need to be claiming Carer’s Allowance to be eligible for the additional amount for carers.
The 2022/23 rate for the carer addition in UC is £168.81 per calendar month.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have been affected by the underpayment of benefits after transitioning from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance in Southport constituency.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19th January to question number 104377.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have been affected by the underpayment of benefits after transitioning from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance in Sefton Central constituency.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19th January to question number 104377.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations she has received on the impact of using the universal credit online journal on people with mental health conditions .
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Universal Credit is a 24 hour, seven days a week, digital service that allows claimants to manage their own data and account online at a time which is convenient for them. Via their account, claimants can check their Universal Credit benefit payments, notify us of changes and record notes on the online journal facility.
To enable Work Coaches to provide a tailored experience for all claimants, including those with mental health conditions, Work Coaches are able to record in a free text format, through the use of ‘pinned notes’ in the Universal Credit system, information which supports staff in identifying and recording circumstances of individual claimants.
However, if claimants are unable to make a digital claim, they can make and maintain their claim via our Freephone Universal Credit helpline. When a claim is made by telephone, claimants do not need to provide an email address and are not given an online account to maintain, nor an online journal to manage. A telephone claim is also clearly marked on the service to remind DWP staff to use alternative channels to communicate information with claimants and their monthly award statement will be sent via post.
Additionally, Help to Claim support delivered through Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland offers tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. This support has been bolstered by the announcement in March this year of a further 12 months of funding for Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to deliver Help to Claim.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the extent of delays in responding to requests for State Pension forecasts for people who have deferred their State Pension.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Where customers have deferred making their State Pension claim, there is no delay to DWP responding to such requests for State Pension forecasts. All such requests are being processed.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of varying the taper rate of universal credit for workers in the social care sector.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No such assessment has been made. Universal Credit was designed with the aim of simplifying the benefits system and making work pay, and does not differentiate by different sectors of work. The single taper rate makes it much easier for people who are working or who are considering a job to see clearly how much financial support they will receive and to understand the advantages of work.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to reply to the letter of 18 December 2017 from the hon. Member for Sefton Central on the personal independence payment award to Mrs Sheila Ellis.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, my hon. Friend the member for Truro and Falmouth (Sarah Newton), replied on 30 January 2018.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on continuing his Department's Your Simple Payment account service.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Simple Payment service contract with Citibank is due to end in March 2018. We are actively encouraging customers to use an existing bank account or to provide new bank, building society or credit union account details into which their payments can be transferred.
For those customers unable to provide an alternative method of payment a replacement service will be available. Contact with customers has already begun and there will be further contact and information as we approach transition. Customers will transition to the new service by the end of the current Citibank contract.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the hon. Member for Sefton Central of 12 October 2017 to the Leader of the House, Official Report, column 469, if he will remove the charge for telephone calls to his Department on universal credit.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
As announced by the Secretary of State at the Work and Pensions Select Committee on 18 October 2017, DWP plans to change the Universal Credit helpline to a freephone number over the next month.