Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average value of support claimed under the childcare costs element of universal credit is; and what the average number of children per claimant in respect of whom claims are made is.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The average value of support claimed under the childcare costs element of Universal Credit is published and can be found in Table 5 here: Universal Creditclaimants eligible for and receiving the childcare element between March 2021 to February 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Notes:
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) families were eligible for and (b) eligible families took up up the childcare support component of universal credit in each of the last five years.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Figures prior to 2019 are not readily available as Universal Credit operated under two separate administrative systems until UC Full Service roll out was completed in December 2018.
We have therefore provided data for the past four financial years 2019-2020 to 2022-2023 in the attached spreadsheet, subject to the caveats set out in the attached.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she most recently commissioned a distributional analysis of the impact of the Specified Adult Childcare credits scheme.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
No such assessment has been made.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what was the cost to the public purse of (a) advertising and (b) other activity intended to increase the uptake of Specified Adult Childcare credits in each year since 2011.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Qualifying Years of National Insurance for State Pension can be filled whilst working or being self-employed; by being credited with National Insurance credits; and through making voluntary National Insurance contributions.
There are a wide range of National Insurance credits available. Specified Adult Childcare Credits are just one of the ways an individual can build a Qualifying Year of National Insurance to protect their future entitlement to State Pension.
We do not hold the requested information. Government provides information about Specified Adult Childcare credits on www.gov.uk.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the effect of Specified Adult Childcare credits being paid for one or more children in a household on income distribution.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Qualifying Years of National Insurance for State Pension can be filled whilst working or being self-employed; by being credited with National Insurance credits; and through making voluntary National Insurance contributions.
Specified Adult Childcare Credits are one of the many ways an individual can build a Qualifying Year of National Insurance to protect their future entitlement to State Pension. It is a transfer of the National Insurance credit from the primary parent/carer receiving Child Benefit to a Specified Adult providing care. Its award depends on the circumstances between an individual parent and a carer and it is not possible to estimate potential volumes.
As with the National Insurance Credit associated with Child Benefit, there is only one credit to be transferred regardless of number of children being claimed for. There is no immediate expenditure associated with the award of the credit. Each credit adds a qualifying year which is used when the individual reaches State Pension age to determine their overall State Pension entitlement.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of childcare support for families in receipt of Universal Credit.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
No such assessment has been made.
In Universal Credit, working families can claim up to 85%, increased from 70% in legacy benefits, of their eligible registered childcare costs each month regardless of the hours worked. This equates to a maximum support of £646.35 per month for one child and £1,108.04 per month for two or more children.
The current childcare offer is comprehensive, broad ranging and reflects different family circumstances, covering children over a range of ages. We believe that helping parents with their childcare costs is one of the best ways to help people into work, support families with the cost of living, and ensure every child has the opportunity of a high-quality early education.
The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes 15 hours per week free childcare for disadvantaged 2-year-olds and 3- & 4-year-olds. This doubles to 30 hours per week free childcare for working parents of 3- & 4-year-olds. The UC childcare element can be used to top up a claimant’s eligible free childcare hours if more hours are worked and childcare required. This offer means that for some claimants’ childcare costs should not present any barriers to entering work.
Eligible claimants who need help to enter employment can apply for help from the Flexible Support Fund (locally managed by Jobcentres to remove challenges to entering employment) with initial up-front childcare costs. This is a non-repayable payment that will pay upfront childcare costs directly to the provider up to the first salary received.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families are making a claim for childcare support under universal credit in (a) England and (b) the UK as on 8 September 2022; and what the average value of those claims is.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
In May 2022 there were 111,100 households receiving the childcare element of Universal Credit in England, with an average childcare element value of £326. In the UK, in May 2022 there were 133,000 families with an average childcare element value of £323.
Notes:
1. Figures rounded to the nearest 100 and £1
2. Average is calculated using the mean value of the amount of childcare element provided
3. Universal Credit figures are for GB only, as DWP do not administer Universal Credit in Northern Ireland
4. In line with published official stats data is only available to May 22
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families in England are claiming the maximum childcare support of (a) £646 for one child or (b) £1,108 for two or more children.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
In May 2022 there were 7,200 families in England claiming the maximum childcare support for one child and 2,800 families in England claiming the maximum childcare support for two or more children.
Notes:
1. Figures rounded to the nearest 100
2. In line with published official stats data is only available to May 22
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
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 annual cost to businesses of paying statutory sick pay at its current rate of £95.85 a week.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The estimated cost to employers of SSP is £1.5 billion a year. This is based on survey data from 2011. Data is not available on the total amount of SSP currently paid each year.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's oral contribution, Official Report, 11 March 2020 col 280, what the evidential basis was for the Government's commitment to reimburse businesses with fewer than 250 employees for statutory sick pay costs in relation to employees being off work for covid-19-related reasons for up to a fortnight as potentially providing over £2 billion for up to two million businesses; and if she will place the modelling used to underpin that estimate in the Library.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government recognises that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) may need financial support where they incur additional costs of paying Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) due to increased absences relating to Covid-19. Under the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, SMEs can reclaim up to two weeks of SSP per employee paid for sickness absences relating to Covid-19.
A range of costings were carried out in March 2020 based on the situation at the time. This was prior to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme being developed.
We will continue to revise costings based on outturn data from initial claims and the latest information about the Covid-19 outbreak.