Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
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 potential merits of altering the income change threshold on child maintenance allowance reviews.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where a paying parent's income is at least 25 per cent different than the figure obtained from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the last available full tax year, or no figure is available, the Child Maintenance Service will consider whether the liability should be based on the parent's current income. A change will not be considered unless it breaches the 25 per cent tolerance.
The 25 per cent threshold ensures that both parents can continue to budget with certainty and therefore provide ongoing stability for the child. Most people's income does not change to this degree over the course of one year. This approach ensures that minor changes to income do not interfere with the efficiency of the system, increasing costs for the taxpayer.
The Department has been conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose and reflects today’s social trends. The review will also consider income change thresholds including their potential impact on both the paying and receiving parents.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
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 potential impact of the income change threshold on child maintenance allowance on both the (a) paying and (b) receiving parents.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where a paying parent's income is at least 25 per cent different than the figure obtained from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the last available full tax year, or no figure is available, the Child Maintenance Service will consider whether the liability should be based on the parent's current income. A change will not be considered unless it breaches the 25 per cent tolerance.
The 25 per cent threshold ensures that both parents can continue to budget with certainty and therefore provide ongoing stability for the child. Most people's income does not change to this degree over the course of one year. This approach ensures that minor changes to income do not interfere with the efficiency of the system, increasing costs for the taxpayer.
The Department has been conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose and reflects today’s social trends. The review will also consider income change thresholds including their potential impact on both the paying and receiving parents.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to people waiting for a Personal Independence Payment tribunal.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 November 2024 to Question 11735.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of including long covid as an industrial illness for people working the NHS during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent scientific body, on changes to the list of occupational diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) can be paid. IIAC's advice is limited to entitlement to benefits under the Industrial Injuries Scheme and does not cover the classification of ‘an industrial illness’ more widely.
In November 2022, IIAC published a Command Paper which recommended five severe post-COVID-19 complications should bring entitlement to IIDB for certain health and social care workers. In November 2024, IIAC published a further command paper which concluded that the 2022 recommendation should be extended to cover certain transport workers.
The Department is carrying out a detailed assessment of the recommendations in both reports and will respond in due course.
In its most recent command paper, IIAC concluded that there is currently insufficient evidence available to recommend prescription for further complications following COVID-19 infection, or for further occupations. IIAC will continue to keep the situation under review and monitor the evidence and available data.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will meet with Auditory Verbal UK to discuss (a) barriers to opportunities and (b) improved outcomes for deaf children.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no current plans to meet. However, I note that my colleague the Minister for Early Education has met with and visited Auditory Verbal UK to understand the work they are doing to improve the lives of deaf children.