Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has set a target for the reduction in the number of calls made to the universal credit helpline.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Department has not set any targets for the reduction in the number of calls made to the Universal Credit helpline. We have no procedures or targets to incentivise call handlers to encourage claimants to use online accounts.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
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 automatic split payment of universal credit payments to prevent domestic abuse.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We believe that most couples can and want to manage their finances jointly without state intervention. However, we recognise that there are circumstances in which split payments are appropriate. Where this is the case, split payments are available on request. Both members of a couple do not need to be present to arrange a split payment and consent is not required from the other partner to authorise a split payment. Claimants can request a split payment during a face to face meeting, a phone call, or online via their journal and do not have to provide evidence of abuse in order to be granted a split payment.
Not all individuals who are suffering domestic abuse will want a split payment and we work with claimants on an individual basis to provide support that fits with their individual circumstances. Work coaches receive training on domestic abuse and we provide all the support we can when an individual discloses they are suffering from domestic abuse, including signposting them to third party professionals who can provide additional expert advice and support.
We continue to work closely with the Scottish Government to support the development and implementation of their split payment policy, and will observe the implementation of split payments in Scotland further to understand the impacts of such a policy.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Channel Optimisation paper published in November 2017.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Channel Optimisation paper was an internal document and the Department has no plans to place a copy in the Commons Library.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has issued guidance to universal credit helpline call handlers on promoting the use of the digital channel to claimants.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question 206444 answered on 11 January 2019 and Question 207307 answered on 15 January 2019.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will place in the Library a copy of the training documents used for training call handlers on the universal credit helpline.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
For new entrants, the learning journey for Universal Credit Helpline call handlers is broadly made up of ‘soft skills’ customer service learning, which covers how to gather information through active listening, equality and diversity training and bespoke IT system-based technical learning, all of which is supported by consolidation activity. Colleagues, alongside experienced case managers receive on-going learning in their roles and have access to Universal Credit guidance which is refreshed at regular intervals. The majority of the low level business processes for learning are embedded into the service and do not stand alone as separate guidance or instructions to staff. However, call handlers have access to comprehensive Universal Credit guidance, which is published in the House of Commons Library and which the Department is committed to refreshing at regular intervals.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is provides to call-handlers on the universal credit helpline (a) when they start and (b) throughout their working time.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
For new entrants, the learning journey for Universal Credit Helpline call handlers is broadly made up of ‘soft skills’ customer service learning, which covers how to gather information through active listening, equality and diversity training and bespoke IT system-based technical learning, all of which is supported by consolidation activity. Colleagues, alongside experienced case managers receive on-going learning in their roles and have access to Universal Credit guidance which is refreshed at regular intervals. The majority of the low level business processes for learning are embedded into the service and do not stand alone as separate guidance or instructions to staff. However, call handlers have access to comprehensive Universal Credit guidance, which is published in the House of Commons Library and which the Department is committed to refreshing at regular intervals.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2018 to Question 185101 on Universal Credit: Telephone Services, if she will publish the (a) supportive lines and (b) agent led processes used by universal credit call centre staff, in addition to the Digital Channel Product.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Universal Credit is tailored to the individual needs of the claimant and the Department has chosen not to develop scripts or supportive lines for call handlers over and above the Digital Channel product.
Agent Led Processes (ALP’s) are low level business processes, designed to work as part of the Universal Credit service. They are embedded into the service and do not stand alone as separate guidance or instructions to staff. It is therefore not possible to split them out into individual processes for sharing purposes.
Call handlers have access to comprehensive Universal Credit guidance. Universal Credit guidance is published in the House of Commons Library and the Department is committed to refreshing this at regular intervals.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has taken steps to seek to assist in resolving the industrial dispute between the RMT union and Rail Gourmet at Edinburgh.
Answered by Andrew Jones
This is a local dispute over a breakdown in industrial relations between a private employer in the rail catering business and its catering employees who are members of the RMT. It is not appropriate for the Secretary of State to intervene and is for the parties concerned to resolve.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2018 to Question 185101, if she will publish the agent led processes and supportive lines available to universal credit helpline staff to assist claimants.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Agent Led Processes (ALP’s) are low level business processes, designed to work as part of the Universal Credit service. They are embedded into the service and do not stand alone as separate guidance or instructions to staff.
The “Digital Channel Product” is a guide which has been developed for Service Centre staff to use during telephone calls, to encourage claimants to check and use their online account as an alternative method of contacting the Department. The product gives staff some suggested ways to introduce a discussion regarding the online digital service with claimants.
In addition to this product, call handlers have access to comprehensive Universal Credit guidance. Universal Credit guidance is published in the House of Commons Library and the Department is committed to refreshing this at regular intervals.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
What steps he is taking to reduce gambling-related harm.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government published the Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures in May. This set out measures to strengthen protections around gaming machines, including cutting the maximum stake on B2 machines from £100 to £2, and on online gambling and gambling advertising. It also set out action on treatment and support for those who experience harm, including initiatives to improve the evidence on treatment needs and effectiveness, expand access to existing services and strengthen the voluntary system for funding support. We take gambling-related harm very seriously and will work closely across Government and with the Gambling Commission to build on the actions outlined in the Review.