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Written Question
State Retirement Pensions: Females
Wednesday 15th May 2019

Asked by: Ged Killen (Labour (Co-op) - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2019 to Question 217138, what designation has been assigned to those complaints.

Answered by Guy Opperman

I refer the honourable gentlemen to the answer previously given in response to Question 217138. The Independent Case Examiner closed all live complaints concerning changes to women’s State Pension age when they became subject to legal proceedings, as is required under its governance contract. In the event the legal proceedings fall away or there is no determination on the matters which form the basis of this group of complaints, the Independent Case Examiner could consider reopening the cases at the request of the Department. The Department cannot evaluate the potential merits of making such a request until the legal proceedings have been concluded.


Written Question
State Retirement Pensions: Females
Wednesday 15th May 2019

Asked by: Ged Killen (Labour (Co-op) - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2019 to Question 217138, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of her Department instructing the Independent Case Examiner to reopen complaints relating to the equalisation of the state pension age cases in the event that legal proceedings fall away.

Answered by Guy Opperman

I refer the honourable gentlemen to the answer previously given in response to Question 217138. The Independent Case Examiner closed all live complaints concerning changes to women’s State Pension age when they became subject to legal proceedings, as is required under its governance contract. In the event the legal proceedings fall away or there is no determination on the matters which form the basis of this group of complaints, the Independent Case Examiner could consider reopening the cases at the request of the Department. The Department cannot evaluate the potential merits of making such a request until the legal proceedings have been concluded.


Written Question
State Retirement Pensions: Females
Friday 8th February 2019

Asked by: Ged Killen (Labour (Co-op) - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2019 to Question 214627 on State Retirement Pensions: Females, whether she plans to instruct her Department to re-open complaints relating to the equalisation of the state pension age in the event that (a) the matter is no longer the subject of legal proceedings and (b) there has been no legal determination on the issues which form the basis of the complaint to the Independent Case Examiner as set out in that Answer.

Answered by Guy Opperman

The Independent Case Examiner closed all live complaints concerning changes to women’s State Pension age when they became subject to legal proceedings, as is required under its governance contract. In the event the legal proceedings fall away or there is no determination on the matters which forms the basis of this group of complaint, the Independent Case Examiner could consider reopening the cases at the request of the Department.


Written Question
State Retirement Pensions: Females
Monday 4th February 2019

Asked by: Ged Killen (Labour (Co-op) - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether as a result of the ongoing judicial review into complaints in relation to the equalisation of state pension age, women that have lodged complaints that are being processed will have their complaints (a) paused or (b) closed until the judicial review is complete.

Answered by Guy Opperman

This government and the various other bodies are acting no differently to all previous governments subject to a legal challenge on such an issue.

Following the High Court’s decision on 30 November 2018 to grant the claimants permission to proceed to a full judicial review hearing on the changes to State Pension age, the department has reviewed its handling of such complaints.

The department has concluded that the issue in the Judicial Review does impact on the ongoing complaints. Therefore, the DWP has decided to temporarily suspend action on current and future complaints on State Pension age matters until the final court decision in the judicial review. We do not think it is appropriate for the DWP to investigate a matter that is currently being considered by the High Court. An update explaining this will be added to the gov.uk website, and anyone who has an affected complaint we will notify. Matters that are unrelated to the judicial review will be progressed as normal under DWP’s complaints procedure.

This approach is consistent with the decision taken by the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman. Following the decision of the High Court to grant permission for a judicial review to go ahead on the changes to State Pension age, the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman’s office has confirmed that they will be taking no further action on current and future complaints they receive on changes to State Pension age until the court proceedings conclude.

The Independent Case Examiner provides an independent review of complaints which remain unresolved following a final response from the DWP. As such, the Independent Case Examiner has also considered its position in light of the High Court decision. The Independent Case Examiner Office has no role to play in matters which are, or have been, the subject of legal proceedings. As a result, following the High Court decision, the Independent Case Examiners’ Office took action to close all live State Pension age complaints, in line with its agreed operational parameters.

The table provides information on the number of cases closed at the Independent Case Examiner relating to State Pension age changes, and the rationale for closing them. The number rejected (b) may increase (complaints cannot currently be accepted due to the judicial review).

Reason for complaint closure

Number

(a) Independent Case Examiner investigation report issued

192

(b) Rejected (the complaint failed to meet the Independent Case Examiner acceptance criteria)

1,598

(c) Withdrawn by complainant

1

(d) Closed following the High Court decision to grant permission for a judicial review of the Department’s handling of the change to women’s State Pension age – it is not within the Independent Case Examiner remit to consider issues which are, or have been, subject to legal proceedings.

2,505

In the event that the High Court makes no legal determination in respect of the complaint regarding State Pension age change, the Department will review its position once more and consider lifting the suspension.

At this point the Independent Case Examiner Office could, at the request of the Department, also re-open those complaints closed as a result of the judicial review. This would be on the understanding that: (a) the matter is no longer the subject of legal proceedings and (b) there has been no legal determination on the issues which form the basis of the complaint to the Independent Case Examiner.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Christmas
Thursday 15th November 2018

Asked by: Ged Killen (Labour (Co-op) - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to revise the payment dates for universal credit payments over Christmas and new year to allow claimants whose specified payment date is on or after 25 December 2018 to be paid more than one working day in advance of 25 December 2018.

Answered by Lord Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)

The Department has extensive experience of paying claimants over holiday periods and we have also paid Universal Credit to significant numbers of claimants over previous Christmas periods.

The Department will advance the timing of all payments for people affected by bank holidays, to make sure they have money over the festive period.

Universal Credit payments due to be received on 24, 25 and 26 December will be paid no later than 21 December.

Universal Credit payments due to be received on 30, 31 December and 1 January will receive payment no later than 31 December.

This information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/how-to-have-your-benefits-paid


Written Question
Universal Credit
Thursday 15th November 2018

Asked by: Ged Killen (Labour (Co-op) - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the guidance issued by her Department on the thresholds for (a) financial hardship when a universal credit claimant applies for an advanced payment and (b) exceptional circumstances when a universal credit claimant with an advance payment applies for repayments to be delayed for up to three months.

Answered by Lord Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)

Universal Credit guidance is published in the House of Commons Library and the Department is committed to refreshing the information on a regular basis.

New claimants to Universal Credit have always been able to apply for a Universal Credit Advance in their first month if they need financial support until their first regular payment of Universal Credit is made.

We have previously increased the maximum amount available for advances from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of the total award, and increased the repayment period from 6 months to 12 months. Last month’s Autumn Budget 2018 extended - from October 2021 - the maximum period over which an advance can be recovered, from 12 to 16 months. From October 2019, we will also reduce the maximum rate at which deductions can be made from a Universal Credit award from 40% to 30% of the standard allowance

If during the recovery of an advance the claimant experiences an unforeseen expense that would cause them or their family genuine hardship if they were required to continue to repay the advance, then they can be offered a deferral period of the repayment of the advance of up to 3 months for a new claim, benefit transfer or change of circumstance advance and up to 6 months for a budgeting advance.

In addition Personal Budgeting Support (PBS) is also offered to Universal Credit claimants from the outset of their claim. PBS helps claimants as they transition to Universal Credit and adapt to the financial changes that Universal Credit brings. PBS can be online, telephone or face to face support. Face to face support is currently delivered through local authorities via Universal Support.


Written Question
Universal Credit
Thursday 15th November 2018

Asked by: Ged Killen (Labour (Co-op) - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to universal credit, what estimate she has made of the (a) proportion of claimants who apply for an advanced payment that are successful, (b) number of claimants who seek a deferred payment of three months when repaying an advanced payment and (c) proportion of claimants who receive an advanced payment and apply successfully for a deferred payment.

Answered by Lord Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)

I refer the hon Member to the reply to Question 176262 on 11 October.


Written Question
State Retirement Pensions: Females
Monday 12th November 2018

Asked by: Ged Killen (Labour (Co-op) - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)

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 185131 on Independent Case Examiner, if she will publish that same information for complaints by women on the equalisation of the state pension age.

Answered by Guy Opperman

Individual departments have set up complaints procedures. That approach has not changed under Labour 1997-2010 or successive governments. The DWP has a two tier complaints process which considers formal complaints about our service. Once a complainant has exhausted the DWP complaint process they are signposted to the Independent Case Examiner’s Office if they are dissatisfied with the final response to their complaint.

The Independent Case Examiner is independent, and discusses complaints. The Independent Case Examiner is appointed under contract to adjudicate on escalated complaints about the DWP, and its contracted service providers, in cases where the complainant has exhausted the relevant internal complaints process and remains dissatisfied. If a complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of an I Independent Case Examiner investigation (or the service provided by the Independent Case Examiner) they can ask their Member of Parliament to escalate their complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

The table below provides details of the number of complaints concerning the equalisation of women’s state pension age, that have been (a) received; (b) accepted for investigation and (c) resolved by the Independent Case Examiner in each month since January 2017 (we have interpreted (c) as a request for the number of concluded complaint examinations).

At the end of October 2018, there were 865 such cases awaiting a decision on whether the complaint could be accepted for investigation, which explains the drop in the number of cases accepted for investigation since April 2018.

Month

Complaints received

Complaints accepted for investigation

Concluded complaint examinations

January 2017

2

1

0

February 2017

26

5

0

March 2017

211

187

0

April 2017

172

157

0

May 2017

171

148

0

June 2017

144

124

1

July 2017

222

185

0

August 2017

290

243

0

September 2017

297

232

0

October 2017

418

338

3

November 2017

320

265

6

December 2017

222

177

4

January 2018

314

254

11

February 2018

240

210

28

March 2018

171

132

16

April 2018

196

2

11

May 2018

159

2

15

June 2018

147

2

30

July 2018

131

0

13

August 2018

108

5

14

September 2018

101

1

15

October 2018

119

0

14


Written Question
Independent Case Examiner
Thursday 1st November 2018

Asked by: Ged Killen (Labour (Co-op) - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been (a) received, (b) accepted for investigation and (c) resolved by the Independent Case Examiner in each month since January 2017 for which information is available.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

The table below provides details of the number of complaints (a) received; (b) accepted for investigation and (c) resolved by the Independent Case Examiner in each month since January 2017 (we have interpreted (c) as a request for the number of concluded complaint examinations).

Month

Complaints received

Complaints accepted for investigation

Concluded complaint examinations

January 2017

283

121

72

February 2017

250

92

70

March 2017

448

140

109

April 2017

380

244

58

May 2017

445

252

84

June 2017

391

226

85

July 2017

491

304

83

August 2017

507

336

69

September 2017

512

326

71

October 2017

664

428

81

November 2017

556

373

76

December 2017

358

66

65

January 2018

585

130

85

February 2018

517

82

82

March 2018

451

17

83

April 2018

479

177

74

May 2018

430

147

87

June 2018

444

309

108

July 2018

415

370

91

August 2018

442

238

104

September 2018

373

116

91


Written Question
Universal Credit
Monday 22nd October 2018

Asked by: Ged Killen (Labour (Co-op) - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)

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 number of instances where universal credit claimants have not received universal credit payments due to being paid every four weeks rather than per calendar month.

Answered by Lord Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)

The amount of Universal Credit paid reflects, as closely as possible, the actual circumstances of a household during each monthly assessment period, including any earnings reported by the employer during that assessment period, regardless of when they were paid. Monthly assessment is aligned to the way the majority of employees are paid and also allows Universal Credit to be adjusted each month. This means that if a claimant’s income falls, they will not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit.

Some claimants are paid in differing patterns, including four-weekly, fortnightly, weekly or on a variable day every month, which may mean that for some months these claimants receive two or more sets of earnings during one Universal Credit assessment period (AP). This may reduce, or in some cases completely reduce the Universal Credit award the claimant receives that month.

We have produced guidance to help ensure claimants, staff and representatives are aware of the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment cycles: this is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-different-earning-patterns-and-your-payments/universal-credit-different-earning-patterns-and-your-payments-payment-cycles.