Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help support parents of (a) twins and (b) other multiples with increases in the cost of living.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government understands the pressures people, including parents, are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. Overall, we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of bills.
From April 2023, everyone who receives a state benefit or pension will have seen their benefit rates increase by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels have also increased by the same amount.
To support parents who are in work, from 1 April, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.
We recognise that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours. That is why, as announced at the Spring Budget, we are investing billions in additional childcare support for parents of toddlers, investing in wraparound childcare in schools, and increasing financial support for, and expectations of, parents claiming Universal Credit.
Households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. The first £301 payments have been issued to 8.3 million households, and two further payments will follow this autumn and in spring 2024. In addition, 6.4 million individuals on eligible ‘extra-costs’ disability benefits have also recently received a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment meaning households with more than one disabled person will receive multiple Disability Cost of Living Payments.
For people who require additional support, in England, the Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows Local Authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living. The guidance for Local Authorities can be found here. Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of this guidance and grant determination that DWP have set out for the fund. Local Authorities are expected to support households in the most need, and in particular those who may not be eligible for the other support Government has recently made available, however, are nevertheless in need. The Devolved Administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of unfreezing the pensions of overseas pensioners.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions, and we continue to up-rate it abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so – for example where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating. There are no plans to change this policy.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the ability of the Health and Safety Executive to tackle exploitation in the garment industry following a 46 per cent reduction in the budget of that organisation since 2009-10.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
For the financial year 2020/21, the Health and Safety Executive has been provided with an additional £19m, an increase of over 10% of their budget, to ensure that workplaces are COVID secure. HSE targets its resources to higher risk sectors or to where they have intelligence or complaints to investigate further and this latter approach targets the textile sector.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many garment factories in Leicester have failed a covid-19 inspection conducted by the Health and Safety Executive.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
HSE have carried out 296 Covid19 specific interventions in respect of textile factories, in Leicester, since April 2020. Premises do not pass and fail, as such, however we can confirm that enforcement action has been taken in respect of 54 premises. Action taken includes a mixture of enforcement notices and letters, in addition to written advice, which were follow up to ensure compliance.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what powers the Health and Safety Executive has to investigate factories in Leicester where the failure to implement covid-19 safety measures is a serious risk to public health.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Under Section 20 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, HSE Inspectors have a range of powers that they can use to investigate reported incidents and concerns, including those relating to implementation of Covid 19 safety measures in factories in Leicester.
Inspectors have the right to enter premises to carry out their functions at any reasonable time. They have the right to ask questions, to examine documents and to take copies. They also have the right to talk to employees and safety representatives, as required.
Inspectors have the power to issue Improvement Notices where they identify a breach of health and safety legislation or to issue Prohibition Notices where they identify a risk of serious personal injury. They also have powers to institute proceedings in Court where there has been a serious breach of health and safety legislation.
Throughout the pandemic, HSE has actively engaged with businesses, through site visits and phone calls, investigating reports from those raising concerns, assessing compliance with health and safety law, and using guidance such as that published about social distancing from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19) to ensure businesses are adhering to requirements. HSE has also provided support to local public health bodies who lead on dealing with outbreaks.
HSE continues to regulate in areas of highest risk and industries where concerns of Covid-19 transmission are greatest.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Recommendation 13 of the Work and Pensions Select Committee's report entitled, DWP’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, HC 178, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of suspending the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ conditions on public health grounds for the duration of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Access to DWP income-related benefits such as Universal Credit flows from an individual’s immigration status.
DWP has no legal powers to award taxpayer-funded benefits to an individual whose Home Office immigration status specifies no recourse to public funds. Non-UK nationals and family members who are issued with a residence permit with a ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition are not eligible to access taxpayer-funded benefits such as Universal Credit.
Guidance on the support available for persons granted leave with no recourse to public funds conditions, including from local authorities, is available on the Gov.uk website. Those with a ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition can claim contributions-based benefits, such as new-style Jobseeker’s Allowance, providing they meet the eligibility criteria.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to (a) adequately fund and (b) strengthen the powers of the Health and Safety Executive to support their proactive inspection of (a) premises occupied by the garment industry in Leicester and (b) other workplaces.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
HSE is funded to deliver its planned regulatory role and the government has made available up to an extra £14.19 million to support the provision of Covid-19 advice and additional regulatory activities.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, HSE has a sufficient range of powers to enforce health and safety law in the workplaces it regulates. HSE continues to regulate in areas of greatest risk and build capability for proactively inspecting workplaces across the country to target regions and industries where concerns of Covid-19 transmission are greatest.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mandatory reconsiderations of universal credit decisions relating the the habitual residency test for universal credit there were from July 2018 to March 2020; and how many of those decisions were overturned following that reconsideration.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many decisions on habitual resident tests for universal credit took (a) less than 14 days, (b) between 14 and 28 days, (c) more than 28 days but less than 60 days and (d) 60 days or more from the habitual residence test interview date from July 2018 to March 2020.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons claimants were refused universal credit linked to a habitual residence tests from July 2018 to March 2020.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.