Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the evidential basis supporting her statement that trials of employment advisers giving CV and interview advice in hospitals has produced dramatic results.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Based on over 20 years of research, the Individual Placement and Support employment model is internationally recognised as the most effective way to support people with mental health problems to gain and keep paid employment. Individual Placement and Support services offer intensive, individually tailored support to help people to choose and find the right job, with ongoing support for the employer and employee to help ensure the person sustain their employment.
Randomised Control Trials demonstrated that Individual Placement and Support can achieve up to twice as many job outcomes for people with severe mental illness than traditional programmes. For example, in 2013, 55% of clients were found to be in competitive employment for at least one day compared to 28% of clients in the control group.
Individual Placement Support has been subject to several impact evaluation Randomised Control Trials. All trials have shown significantly better results, in terms of achieving competitive employment for Individual Placement Support participants, compared to conventional vocational rehabilitation services. On average, people who receive Individual Placement Support show employment rates of 30-40% compared to rates in the control group of 10-12%.
The severe mental illness Individual Placement Support programme aims to support an additional 140,000 people living with severe mental illness to access the services by 2028/29. This programme aims to reduce economic inactivity and increase labour market participation and retention for people with severe mental illness.
In August, 38,704 people had accessed Individual Placement services in the previous 12 months, meaning we are above our trajectory to meet the end of year target of 40.500 people accessing these services.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 3732 on Pension Credit: Applications, how the Service Modernisation Programme will make service more user friendly and accessible for citizens; and what her planned timeline is for making those changes.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We continuously improve and iterate the Pension Credit application service to make the service more user friendly and accessible for citizens. New features are released regularly to the service in line with user research and feedback on the service from citizens and colleagues and in line with the Pension Credit policy.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to support the health of pensioners living in energy inefficient homes when Winter Fuel Payment is withdrawn.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Energy support is the responsibility of Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
We are providing support through our Warm Homes Plan which pensioners will benefit from. This will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. Our long-term plan will protect billpayers permanently, reduce fuel poverty, and get the UK back on track to meet our climate goals.
The Household Support Fund is also being extended for a further six months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025. An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.
The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme.
The Home Upgrade Grant provides grants to low-income households to upgrade the energy performance of the worst quality, off gas grid homes in England by installing multiple energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating. This will typically include insulation measures in combination with a heat pump to make the home heat efficient and suitable for the future as we build towards net zero.
The Government is committed to a preventative approach to public health. Keeping people warm and well at home and improving the quality of new and existing homes will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer, healthier lives and reducing pressures on the NHS.
The Government is ensuring pensioners are supported through our commitment to protect the Triple Lock, over 12 million pensioners will benefit, with many expected to see their new State Pension increase by around £1700 over the course of this Parliament.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of simplifying the application process for Pension Credit.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are streamlining all Pension Credit application routes by using information held internally to reduce the number of questions the citizen must answer.
A key objective of DWP’s Service Modernisation Programme is to utilise end user research to understand how the application process should operate in the future and consider the opportunities on how services can be more user friendly and easily accessible for citizens.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to review the removal of the spare room subsidy.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Any decisions on the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy policy need to be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, housing priorities, and the fiscal context.
Those unable to meet a shortfall in their rent can seek a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) from their local authority. DHPs can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department will replace cash payments for the Personal Independence Payment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We will be reviewing the responses people have made to the previous government's consultation on Personal Independence Payment, which closed on Monday 22 July.
The proposals in this Green Paper were developed by the previous government. We will be considering our own approach to social security in due course.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) physical and (b) mental feasibility of people being able to continue working (i) until the existing state pension age and (ii) beyond that age.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Department provides information to support people to make informed decisions such as Midlife MOT sessions in Jobcentres, and the digital Midlife MOT offer available to everyone online which offers financial, health and career guidance. There is no requirement for people to work beyond the State Pension age, however some people may choose to.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria the Government uses to assess whether to amend the state pension age.
Answered by Paul Maynard
Under Section 27 of the Pensions Act 2014, the Secretary of State has a duty to periodically review whether the existing rules about State Pension age are appropriate. He must consider evidence about life expectancy and appoint an independent reviewer to report to him on other factors that are relevant for the review.
The second Government Review of State Pension age was published on 30 March 2023. Government concluded that the planned increase in State Pension age from 66 to 67 will take place between 2026-2028. Government also concluded that due to uncertainties in relation to life expectancy data, labour markets and the public finances, there will be a further review within two years of the next Parliament to consider age 68. The further review will be supported by the latest evidence, including life expectancy projections, updated with 2021 Census data, and the economic position.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of free television licences issued to residents in (a) the Norwich City Council area (b) Norwich South constituency and (c) Norwich North constituency in each of the last three years; and what the total annual value was of those licences.
Answered by Guy Opperman
In the 2015 funding settlement, the Government agreed with the BBC that responsibility for the concession will transfer to the BBC in June 2020.
The government and the BBC agreed at the time that this was a fair deal for the BBC. The BBC benefited as the government closed the iPlayer loophole and committed to increase the licence fee in line with inflation. And to help with financial planning, the government agreed to provide phased transitional funding over 2 years to gradually introduce the cost to the BBC.
This reform was subject to public discussion and debated extensively during the passage of the Digital Economy Act 2017 through Parliament.
On 10 June 2019, the BBC announced that the current scheme will end. From 1 June 2020, a free TV licence will only be available to a household with someone aged over 75 who receives Pension Credit.
The table below provides estimates of the costs and caseloads for 2015/16 through to 2017/18 of providing free TV licences to people aged 75 years and over in the geographical areas requested. Expenditure in nominal prices. The figures for 2018/19 will be available in September.
|
| Caseload (thousands) | |
| 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 |
(a) the Norwich City Council (Norwich local authority area) | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.6 |
(b) Norwich South constituency | 6.7 | 6.9 | 6.8 |
(c) Norwich North constituency | 7.4 | 7.7 | 7.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Expenditure (£m) (Nominal) | |
| 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 |
(a) the Norwich City Council (Norwich local authority area) | £1.21 | £1.21 | £1.23 |
(b) Norwich South constituency | £0.96 | £0.95 | £0.97 |
(c) Norwich North constituency | £1.06 | £1.07 | £1.10 |
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long on average it takes to (a) agree and (b) allocate pension credit to eligible claimants.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The specific information requested is not available.