Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to provide additional support for travel costs of civil servants identified for consolidation at her Department's office at Manchester Chorlton Graeme House.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.
As of March 2022, 405 colleagues located in Manchester Chorlton Graeme House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Manchester Anchorage Salford Quays or Stockport Millennium House, based on where their role will be based. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.
An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:
· Income Deprivation
· Employment Deprivation
· Education, Skills and Training Deprivation
· Health Deprivation and Disability
· Crime
· Barriers to Housing and Services
· Living Environment Deprivation
On current plans, the Department expects to exit Manchester Chorlton Graeme House by September 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department expects to close her Department's office at Manchester Chorlton Graeme House.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.
As of March 2022, 405 colleagues located in Manchester Chorlton Graeme House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Manchester Anchorage Salford Quays or Stockport Millennium House, based on where their role will be based. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.
An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:
· Income Deprivation
· Employment Deprivation
· Education, Skills and Training Deprivation
· Health Deprivation and Disability
· Crime
· Barriers to Housing and Services
· Living Environment Deprivation
On current plans, the Department expects to exit Manchester Chorlton Graeme House by September 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the (a) equality impact assessment and (b) socio-economic impact assessment on the closure of her Department's office at Manchester Chorlton Graeme House.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.
As of March 2022, 405 colleagues located in Manchester Chorlton Graeme House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Manchester Anchorage Salford Quays or Stockport Millennium House, based on where their role will be based. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.
An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:
· Income Deprivation
· Employment Deprivation
· Education, Skills and Training Deprivation
· Health Deprivation and Disability
· Crime
· Barriers to Housing and Services
· Living Environment Deprivation
On current plans, the Department expects to exit Manchester Chorlton Graeme House by September 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of whether the closure of her Department's office at Manchester Chorlton Graeme House will result in compulsory redundancies.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.
As of March 2022, 405 colleagues located in Manchester Chorlton Graeme House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Manchester Anchorage Salford Quays or Stockport Millennium House, based on where their role will be based. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.
An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:
· Income Deprivation
· Employment Deprivation
· Education, Skills and Training Deprivation
· Health Deprivation and Disability
· Crime
· Barriers to Housing and Services
· Living Environment Deprivation
On current plans, the Department expects to exit Manchester Chorlton Graeme House by September 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the number of jobs that will be affected by the closure of her Department's office at Manchester Chorlton Graeme House.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.
As of March 2022, 405 colleagues located in Manchester Chorlton Graeme House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Manchester Anchorage Salford Quays or Stockport Millennium House, based on where their role will be based. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.
An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:
· Income Deprivation
· Employment Deprivation
· Education, Skills and Training Deprivation
· Health Deprivation and Disability
· Crime
· Barriers to Housing and Services
· Living Environment Deprivation
On current plans, the Department expects to exit Manchester Chorlton Graeme House by September 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) age, (b) race, (c) gender, and (d) disability profile of the civil servants affected by the closure or consolidation of her Department's office at Manchester Chorlton Graeme House.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The following depicts the profile of colleagues based at Manchester Chorlton Graeme House:
Age – 2.4% aged 16-24, 16.1% aged 25-34, 17.1% aged 35-44, 28.9% aged 45-54, 31.1% aged 55-64, 4.4% aged 65+.
Race – 22.2% of colleagues are from ethnic minorities
Gender – 45.5% male, 54.5% female
Disability – 16.6% of colleagues have declared a disability
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
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 potential impact on hybrid working by staff of the consolidation of her Department's office at Manchester Chorlton Graeme House.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The adoption of hybrid working practices has been carefully and fully considered. The introduction of hybrid working arrangements by the Department for back of house functions means that staff will only need to work on average 40% of their working week in the new location. DWP aims to utilise its hybrid working policy to help facilitate more inclusive workplaces, which are capable of adapting to the needs of the employees and the Department.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
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 in Manchester Withington constituency who have been affected by the underpayment of benefits following the transition from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19th January to question number 104377.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
What progress her Department is making on the publication of its review into access to benefits for people with a terminal illness, announced in July 2019.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Department is working across Government on proposals, including potential legislative options, following the evaluation. I remain committed to implementing the key areas identified in the evaluation, changing the 6-month wait, improving awareness and consistency.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on potential difficulties that people with mental health problems have in applying for benefits during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Ministers and officials of both Departments hold regular discussions relating to the ongoing covid-19 outbreak including its impact on people with health conditions.
My Department has provided mental health training for staff who have direct contact with claimants, including all Work Coaches, to equip them to identify mental wellbeing issues or vulnerabilities, and to take appropriate action to support individuals. Work Coaches will tailor support to the needs of the individual and work closely with local organisations that provide additional specialist support.