Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve communication and partnership working between the universal credit system and landlords and letting agents when there are concerns about a claimants' tenancy.
Answered by Will Quince
We provide clear routeways for Landlords to raise general queries or concerns about individual cases, for example, through our Partnership Manager network.
In May 2020 we introduced a new online system for private landlords to enable better interaction with Universal Credit. Private landlords are now able to request a Universal Credit tenant’s rent is paid directly to them online, which helps claimants who struggle with managing their money to pay their rent. This system replaces the arrangement of completing a form and submitting it via email or post.
This approach mirrors that used by Social Rented Sector (SRS) landlords, who have been able to request direct payment of housing support using the Social Rented Sector Landlord Portal since December 2019. The portal continues to be used by over 700 Social landlords to support the administration of SRS housing costs, and has been vital in helping landlords respond to the challenges of COVID-19. We are continuing to work with landlords to develop improvements to the portal and use their feedback to influence the features we release for the Portal.
Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs) are available for those claimants who cannot manage their single monthly payment and there is a risk of financial harm to the claimant and/or their family. APAs may be considered at the outset of a claim by a work coach or case manager, or at any time during the claim, such as if the claimant is struggling with the single monthly payment. They can also be triggered by information received from the claimant, their representative or their landlord.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to increase uptake of pension credit; and if she will put in place a strategy to achieve full uptake of that benefit.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
While over 1.5 million pensioners currently receive Pension Credit, the Government wants to make sure that all pensioners eligible can claim the Pension Credit to which they are rightly entitled. That is why in February this year we launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of Pension Credit and help dispel some of the misconceptions that people might have about Pension Credit eligibility. We wanted to make it clear that having savings, a pension or owning a home are not automatic barriers to receiving Pension Credit. We also wanted to highlight that even a small award of Pension Credit can provide access to a range of other benefits such as help with rent, council tax reduction schemes, heating costs and for those aged 75 or over a free television licence.
We are also continuing to work with our stakeholders to help spread the key messages from the campaign because we know that often the best ways to reach eligible pensioners is through trusted stakeholders working in the community. Our online Pension Credit toolkit (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit) has been updated with the recent awareness campaign materials to supplement the resources it already contains for those working with pensioners, such as guides to Pension Credit and information designed to help older people understand how they could get Pension Credit.
In May this year we launched an online claim service for Pension Credit to supplement the existing telephone and postal claim services (https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit). The new online service enables pensioners to apply for Pension Credit at a time that suits them. Around 50% of new claims to Pension Credit are currently being made using the service and more than 34,000 online claims have been made since it was launched. https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to permit the direct payment of rent to landlords at any point during a universal credit claim to support the budget management of claimants.
Answered by Will Quince
Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs), such as a Managed Payment to Landlord (MPtL), are already available to enable the housing costs element to be paid directly to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments or is in rent arrears. APAs can be considered at any point during a claim to Universal Credit and the decision to implement one is assessed on a case by case basis.
Our Work Coaches and Case Managers gauge claimants’ financial needs from their first interview. For those who need help with budgeting, we can signpost additional support, for example through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), who can help with personal budgeting and money management through its free helpline, printed guides and digital guidance.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help minimise the number of evictions of people in receipt of universal credit as a result of rent arrears.
Answered by Will Quince
Claimants may find themselves in rent arrears for a variety of reasons, many of which can pre-date their claim to Universal Credit. The Department encourages people out of work, or on a low income, to consider whether claiming Universal Credit could provide them with additional support before issues, such as debt, spiral out of control. We promote Universal Credit through various external channels, including through the ‘Understanding Universal Credit’ website, to help people navigate the range of support available and provide information about how to apply.
Our own analysis shows that Universal Credit in fact reduces debts, such as rent arrears. Supporting research carried out by the National Federation of Arm's-length Management Organisations (ALMOs), shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. It also shows that arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time.
Recent changes to Universal Credit include temporarily increasing the standard allowance by up to £1,040 per year and increasing the Local Housing Allowance rates, including the Shared Accommodation element, so that it covers the lowest 30% of local market rents benefiting over one million households by £600 a year on average. These measures form part of an unprecedented increase to welfare spending of £9.3 billion following the outbreak of COVID-19.
The Department has also delivered a number of improvements to support claimants during their first assessment period, such as removing waiting days and paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit on to Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. Since July 2020, an additional two-week run has been introduced to assist eligible claimants moving from Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance (IR) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (IB). Advance payments are available so nobody has to wait five weeks for payment.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a health and safety committee will be formed for the Benton Park site, where a request has been made under Regulation 9 of the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 by two safety representatives.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions is fully committed to its collaborative approach with Trade Union representatives and to meeting Health and Safety legislative requirements; as such it has a full Safety Committee Structure in place that includes the provision for such a meeting to be held in relation to the Benton Park site, and does so.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) duration and (b) delivery method of training for new work coaches will be as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is committed to providing new Work Coaches with the technical knowledge, skills and behaviours to be able to provide a high quality service to our claimants.
The current methodology follows a learn, consolidate, learn approach through virtual classroom delivery by learning development officers, followed by consolidation in the live working environment.
The end to end Work Coach learning journey is 52 days, consisting of 32 days in virtual in class learning, delivered over 5 parts, with 20 days’ consolidation with the business split between each in class period.
We are though reviewing our learning approach for Work Coaches through the summer to see if there are alternative approaches that could enhance the learning.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether contracts for new work coaches in her Department will be (a) full-time or part-time and (b) short-term or permanent.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP will offer Work Coach roles on both a full-time and part-time basis, in line with the DWP flexible working policy.
Recruitment will be a blend of permanent roles, and fixed term appointments.