Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the (a) number of people who have been overpaid and (b) the amount that has been overpaid, in error by her Department in Wales in each year since 2012.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not hold the requested information broken down by individual country or region.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Direct Earnings Attachments her Department has issued for debts that have been outstanding for two years or longer in Wales in each year since 2012.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not hold the requested information broken down by individual country or region.
DWP’s primary method of debt recovery is by deduction from any on-going benefit that might be in payment. There are limits on the amount we can deduct, as prescribed by legislation. In Universal Credit the maximum we can deduct, formerly 40% of the Universal Credit Standard Allowance, was reduced from 30% to 25% in April 2021.
Where recovery from ongoing benefit entitlement is not possible, DWP will seek to agree a voluntary repayment plan with the debtor, taking into account the amount they can reasonably afford to repay each month.
Where a person fails to agree a voluntary repayment plan, we can apply a Direct Earnings Attachment which allows deductions to be taken directly from a person’s earnings. A Direct Earnings Attachment will reflect the customer’s overall outstanding balance due, rather than any individual debt. Some recovery may already have been made by other methods prior to a Direct Earnings Attachment being issued.
Anyone with overpayment deductions who experiences financial hardship is encouraged to contact the Department’s Debt Management unit. Where a person cannot afford the proposed rate of these deductions, a lower amount can be negotiated.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 average length of time between the incurring of debts by claimants through overpayment of benefits as a result of errors made by her Department and the issuing of a Direct Earning Attachment by her Department to recover those debts.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not hold the requested information broken down by individual country or region.
DWP’s primary method of debt recovery is by deduction from any on-going benefit that might be in payment. There are limits on the amount we can deduct, as prescribed by legislation. In Universal Credit the maximum we can deduct, formerly 40% of the Universal Credit Standard Allowance, was reduced from 30% to 25% in April 2021.
Where recovery from ongoing benefit entitlement is not possible, DWP will seek to agree a voluntary repayment plan with the debtor, taking into account the amount they can reasonably afford to repay each month.
Where a person fails to agree a voluntary repayment plan, we can apply a Direct Earnings Attachment which allows deductions to be taken directly from a person’s earnings. A Direct Earnings Attachment will reflect the customer’s overall outstanding balance due, rather than any individual debt. Some recovery may already have been made by other methods prior to a Direct Earnings Attachment being issued.
Anyone with overpayment deductions who experiences financial hardship is encouraged to contact the Department’s Debt Management unit. Where a person cannot afford the proposed rate of these deductions, a lower amount can be negotiated.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 impact of removing the two-child policy limit on (a) current and (b) future levels of poverty in (i) Wales, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No assessment has been carried out. However, latest figures from April 2021 indicate that over 50% of those households with three or more children who are in receipt of Universal Credit, are not affected by the two-child policy. Statistics relating to this policy are published annually, most recently on the 15 July 2021, and are available on GOV.UK.
Statistics from the Office for National Statistics show that in 2020, of all families with dependent children, 85% had a maximum of two in their family. The government therefore feels it is proportionate to provide support through Universal Credit for a maximum of two children. A benefits structure adjusting automatically to family size is unsustainable.
This policy also ensures fairness by asking families on benefits to make the same financial decisions as families supporting themselves solely through work. We recognise that some claimants are not able to make the same choices about the number of children in their family, which is why exceptions have been put in place to protect certain groups.
On 9 July 2021, the Supreme Court handed down its judgment in the judicial review of the two-child policy. The court found the two-child policy lawful and not in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 impact of removing the six week wait for new universal credit payments on (a) current and (b) future levels of poverty in (i) Wales, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are no plans to change the assessment period and payment structure of Universal Credit.
When claimants are paid Universal Credit is determined by the date of entitlement. The first payment is usually made around five weeks after the claim is made. The first calendar month is the initial assessment period. At the end of that period, entitlement for that month is calculated and paid 7 days later. Payments thereafter are made monthly in arrears.
The Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure are fundamental parts of its design. Universal Credit reflects payment patterns in the world of work, where the majority of people are paid monthly. Ensuring similarities between paid employment and receiving benefits eliminates an important barrier which could prevent claimants from adjusting to paid employment.
It is not possible to award a Universal Credit payment as soon as a claim is made as the assessment period must run its course before the award of Universal Credit can be calculated. It is not possible to accurately determine what a claimant’s entitlement will be in the month ahead. This process ensures claimants are paid their correct entitlement and prevents significant overpayments from occurring.
If new claimants need support before their first payment is made, all new claimants can request an advance of their entitlement to support them.
New Claims Advances are available urgently if a claimant needs support during their first assessment period and budgeting support is available for anyone who needs extra help. Advances of up to 100% of potential Universal Credit entitlement are available urgently if a claimant needs support. With an advance, claimants receive an additional Universal Credit payment, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 impact of removing the benefit cap on (a) current and (b) future levels of poverty in (i) Wales, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No assessment has been made of the potential impact of removing the benefit cap on the current and future levels of poverty in each nation.
The benefit cap provides a strong work incentive and fairness for hard-working taxpaying households and encourages people to move into work, where possible. This aligns with our long-term focus of continuing to support parents into, and to progress in, work. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has recently been expanded by £500 million, will help people across the UK to find work and to boost their wages and prospects.
Households can still receive benefits up to the equivalent gross earnings of around £24,000, or around £28,000 in London.
The Government continues to monitor and publish trends in poverty across the UK. National Statistics on the number and percentage of people in poverty are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. This can be found at:
Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2020 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate her Department has made of the adequacy of local housing allowance rates to meet future housing costs in (a) Wales, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Department has not made a recent estimate on the adequacy of local housing allowance rates to meet future housing costs in (a) Wales, (b) England, (c) Scotland. For d) social security is transferred to Northern Ireland.
In April 2020, we boosted investment in Local Housing Allowance rates by nearly £1 billion. We have maintained Local Housing Allowance rates at the same cash level for 2021/22 and they will remain at those levels for 2022/23, meaning everyone who benefitted from the increase will continue to do so.
For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments are available. Since 2011, we have provided almost £1.5 billion in Discretionary Housing Payments to local authorities for households who need additional support with their housing costs.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) people have been supported and (b) businesses established through the New Enterprise Allowance in I(i) Wales, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) England since 2014.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) is available across Great Britain only. NEA data for England, Scotland and Wales is published on Gov.uk (link attached) New Enterprise Allowance: April 2011 to December 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) .
The Data tables: New Enterprise Allowance official statistics: April 2011 to December 2020 give the total number of participants broken down by month and also the individuals and businesses started on NEA broken down by regions.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people have made benefit claims in Welsh in each year since 2015.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have received an underpayment of their benefits in Wales each year since 2015.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of fraud and error within the benefit system, including underpayments, are published on the Gov.UK website which can be accessed via the link below.
Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2020 to 2021 estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
These estimates relate to the levels of fraud and error in the benefit system in Great Britain. They are underpinned by reviews of benefit claimants in England, Wales and Scotland. We are unable to break down the statistics by region as the sample sizes are too small.
The main cause of underpayments is claimant error. To help prevent underpayments, we work hard to make it easy for claimants to tell us about changes in their circumstances and where possible, we look to update claims automatically. In Universal Credit changes can be reported electronically through the online journal.
Data is increasingly allowing the Department to check entitlement and correct any over or underpayment at the earliest opportunity. The automated use of Real Time Information means that for Universal Credit, PAYE earnings are captured automatically before any payment is.