Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley 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 impact of removing the upper age limit for Personal Independence Payment claimants on those with mobility issues who are over pension age.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government support for mobility needs is focused on people who become disabled earlier in life; developing mobility needs in older life is a normal consequence of ageing for which people can plan and save for.
Individuals can claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for the first time up to the day before they reach State Pension age (SPa). Once someone is in receipt of PIP they can continue to do so beyond SPa, including the mobility component if they were in receipt of it on reaching SPa, for as long as they fulfil the entitlement conditions. There are limited circumstances where someone in receipt of the mobility component can move between rates once over SPa.
PIP claimants over SPa cannot establish a new entitlement to either rate of the mobility component in line with the general principle set out above.
The upper age limit for claiming PIP by new claimants for the first time was last reviewed prior to the most recent changes to SPa made by the Pensions Act 2014 and we have no plans to amend the upper age limit.
Where someone develops mobility difficulties when over SPa they can use any benefit they receive, including the daily living component of PIP, to meet those needs in a way that best suits them. Additional travel concessions and support may also be available by reference to age, whether or not there are mobility needs.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason (a) statutory maternity pay is treated as earned income and (b) maternity allowance is treated as unearned income for the purposes of calculating universal credit.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Universal Credit is a means tested system of support and where an individual claims Universal Credit, their award is adjusted to take account of any other financial support that the claimant is already receiving – including earnings, income and benefits.
Maternity Allowance is a benefit paid by the State which is unearned income for Universal Credit purposes. Unearned income that is available to help meet daily living costs is taken fully into account in determining the amount of Universal Credit that an individual can be paid. As such, in determining the amount of Universal Credit that is available, Maternity Allowance is deducted pound for pound from the total value of the award. This principle applies to other benefits, such as new style Jobseeker’s Allowance and new style Employment and Support Allowance.
Maternity Pay (SMP) is more akin to earnings and is treated as a form of earnings in common with other statutory payments paid by employers. As a result, when adjusting the Universal Credit award, as with other earnings SMP is subject to the work allowance and tapering rules that are built into Universal Credit. Claimants retain 37p for every pound of earnings (or more if they are entitled to a work allowance).
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley 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 extending the Bereavement Support Payment to include unmarried partners.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is our intention to take forward a Remedial Order that will extend eligibility for Bereavement Support Payment to cohabitees with children. We are currently considering the detail and implementation of the draft Remedial Order, which will be laid shortly before the House.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to amend the employment and support allowance eligibility to include claimants who have been unable to pay National Insurance contributions as a result of shielding.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We have no plans to amend the National Insurance (NI) contributions conditions for contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals advised to ‘shield’ in line with public health guidance were eligible for ESA and would have received NI credits as part of their award. Where an individual required further financial assistance they may have been eligible for Universal Credit.
In addition, employers could and still can furlough clinically extremely vulnerable employees, who remain eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) even whilst shielding guidance is not in place. Individuals continue to pay NI contributions as normal as part of CJRS.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Child Maintenance Service has to change payment plans to reflect fluctuations to gross weekly income; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Service uses gross income information provided by HMRC in the first instance. This approach is consistent for all clients regardless of their employment type and ensures the calculation process is fair, simple and efficient.
The scheme is designed so that liabilities remain consistent over the year, with limited changes. The calculation is reviewed annually, and generally only changes during the year if a parent’s income increases or decreases by at least 25 per cent.
Where the paying parent has fluctuations in gross weekly income the Service will calculate a liability based on the weekly average of the amounts paid over a period preceding the effective date of the relevant calculation.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has in place to support claimants who currently receive payments to Post Office card accounts and who will be unable to provide new banks details by November 2021.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
An alternative Payment Exception Service will remain in place to ensure claimants and pension recipients who are not able to access a standard account can continue to receive their benefit and pension payments.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with Post Office Limited on the payment of benefits to Post Office card accounts.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department holds weekly meetings with Post Office Limited to discuss the payment of benefits and pensions into Post Office card accounts.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department will provide to vulnerable claimants to manage the transition away from benefits being paid into Post Office card accounts.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is committed to supporting claimants to access their benefit and pension payments as we transform our payment exception services. Nobody will be left without a means to access to their benefits or pension.
The Department has put in place a dedicated team, the Financial Inclusion Customer Contact Centre, to support all Post Office Card Account customers. The Team can help customers update their payment details to a standard account; answer questions about the payment change and; signpost customers to impartial financial advice available through the Money and Pensions Service where they need help to identify a suitable alternative account.
We are working closely with Post Office Limited on the support that their teams can provide to Post Office card account customers. For example, we have recently launched leaflets in some Post Offices to support Post Office card account customers, together with details of how they can update their payment details to a standard account.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
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 potential effect on claimants of no longer being able to receive benefits through their Post Office card accounts.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has been encouraging Post Office card account customers to transfer to a standard account since 2016. Paying claimants into a standard account is the most efficient and safest payment method for the customer, and the Department.
Standard accounts have many advantages for the individual, for example, the ability to use direct debits and to pay for goods and services using a debit card. A standard account allows customers to access cash payments via a wide range of outlets and settings. The Post Office delivers personal banking services for a wide range of banks, building societies and other financial institutions, including cash withdrawal with a debit card.
The Department has continuously gathered insight from customers who contact us to discuss the closure of their Post Office card account to better understand their needs. This insight identified that some customers are unable to open or use an alternative account and for these customers we will pay through an alternative payment exception service to ensure that nobody will be left without access to their benefits or pension.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to remove the reasonable expectation of death within six months provision under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness for benefit claimants who are terminally ill with motor neurone disease.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is committed to delivering an improved benefit system for all claimants that are nearing the end of their lives and is working across Government to bring forward proposals following the evaluation. I remain committed to implementing the key areas identified in the evaluation; a consensus to change the six-month rule; improving consistency with other services used by people nearing the end of their lives; and raising awareness of the support that is available.