Asked by: Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many letters of apology for an administrative error have been sent by his Department in each of the last five years.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The information requested is not available.
Asked by: Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to maintain the level of (a) services used and (b) benefits claimed by disabled people.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is absolutely committed to supporting disabled people, to improving the quality of life of those facing disadvantage and to tackling poverty by addressing the causes driving it. We spent nearly £50 billion on disability benefits and services in 2012/13.
We will continue to support disabled and vulnerable people, providing a strong welfare safety net for those in need. Overall spending on the main disability benefits is forecast to be higher in every year to 2017-18 than it was in 2009-10.
In the last 12 months the number of working age disabled people in work has increased by 238,000. Many disabled people can work, want to work, and need our support to get into work.
We are also committed to ensuring that all disabled people have the opportunities and support that they need to get a job and remain in employment and there is a range of provision to help them. The Disability Confident Campaign, which actively promotes the Access to Work scheme, is key to supporting employers in working with Government to halve the disability employment gap.
Asked by: Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many sanctions were given to benefit claimants in Renfrewshire who are (a) lone parents and (b) have a learning disability in each of the last five years.
Answered by Priti Patel
Information that is available in respect of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) lone parent sanctions is published and available at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/:
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html
The rest of the information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to maintain the level of (a) services used and (b) benefits claimed by carers.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by informal carers who provide invaluable support for relatives, partners, friends and neighbours who may be ill, frail or disabled.
We have ensured that carers are central to the Government’s reforms to care and support, and there are stronger rights for carers in the Care Act, which came into force in April 2015.
The Government is committed to continuing to provide financial support for carers through the benefit system.
Asked by: Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants in Renfrewshire that appealed all or part of a sanction of their benefit were successful in each of the last five years.
Answered by Priti Patel
The available information for the number of Sanction appeals and reconsiderations overturned, in respect of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance, is published at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/:
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html
Asked by: Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what average length of time applicants in Renfrewshire have waited for personal independence payment assessments since the start of their rollout.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The available information on average (median) waiting times, at a national level, has been published and is available from the Personal Independence Payment statistics home page: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics.
The Department is assessing the quality of the clearance time data at lower geographical levels and is considering the future release of such information into the public domain. These statistics will be published when they are ready, with the release pre-announced in line with United Kingdom Statistics Authority release protocols.