Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Armed Forces Champions are employed in Jobcentres.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department’s Armed Forces Champions model is based around champions being allocated to Jobcentre Plus Districts, rather than individual Jobcentres. This means that there is at least one Armed Forces Champion role allocated to each Jobcentre Plus District supported by a Group network, with resources in the network targeted where there are geographically particularly high levels of demand.
Staff Roles | Staff in Post | ABM FTE |
Armed Forces Champion Lead | 10 | 10 |
Armed Forces Champions | 50 | 40 |
Grand Total | 60 | 50 |
Source: DWP’s internal Activity Based Model (ABM)
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Notes:
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Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average annual amount of Universal Credit paid to (a) serving members of the Armed Forces and (b) veterans was in each year since 2018.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not available. We do not know the total number of currently serving armed forces personnel who are claiming UC.
We have been collecting information, on those that have identified themselves as serving or have served, since April 2021, but we do not yet have enough responses to accurately estimate the total number.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of a War Widows pension are claiming Universal Credit.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested information is not held. War Widows Pension is administered by the Ministry of Defence and the department does not have access to this data.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants were (a) serving armed forces personnel and (b) veterans in each year since 2018.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not available. We do not know the total number of currently serving armed forces personnel who are claiming UC.
We have been collecting information, on those that have identified themselves as serving or have served, since April 2021, but we do not yet have enough responses to accurately estimate the total number.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households with at least one member serving in the armed forces are claiming Universal Credit.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not available. We do not know the total number of currently serving armed forces personnel who are claiming UC.
We have been collecting information, on those that have identified themselves as serving or have served, since April 2021, but we do not yet have enough responses to accurately estimate the total number.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increases in the cost of living on the number of serving armed forces personnel claiming Universal Credit.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No such assessment has been made.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 12 July 2023 to Question 193037 on Universal Credit: Armed Forces, how many Universal Credit claimants have been identified as (a) serving and (b) having served in the armed forces for the assessment period ending on 1 July 2023.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started collecting data on the Armed Forces status of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Great Britain (GB) in April 2021. At first only new claimants were asked about their Armed Forces status. From June 2021 onwards, other UC claimants reporting changes in their work and earnings have also been able to report their status. From July 2021 onwards, UC agents have also been able to record claimants’ Armed Forces status if they are told about this via other means such as journal messages, face-to-face meetings or by telephone.
Data coverage continues to improve over time and by July 2023 data was held on the armed forces status of approximately 66% of the GB UC caseload (see table below). It should be noted that Armed forces status is self-reported by claimants and is not verified by the Ministry of Defence or Office for Veterans’ Affairs. A claimant’s status can be recorded as “currently serving”, “served in the past”, “not served” or “prefer not to say”. Data is not collected on the specific branch of the Armed Forces that claimants are serving in or have served in in the past.
Data is not held on the total number of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past, but data is held on those who have identified themselves so far.
The way the data is collected means the claimants for whom an Armed Forces status is recorded are not representative of the UC caseload as a whole. This means it is not yet possible to produce reliable estimates of the overall number or proportion of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past.
Increases in the numbers of claimants with a recorded status of “currently serving” or “served in the past” do not necessarily mean the overall numbers of claimants who are currently serving or have served in the past have increased and may reflect increases in the number of claimants for whom data is held as data coverage improves over time.
The table below shows the proportion of the GB UC caseload with a recorded Armed Forces status in July 2023.
UC caseload month | Proportion of caseload with a recorded status | Currently serving | Served in the past | Not served | Prefer not to say | No recorded status | ||
July 2023 | 66% | 4,000 | 52,000 | 3,900,000 | 30,000 | 2,100,000 | ||
Notes:
1. Data is not collected on the Armed Forces status of UC claimants in Northern Ireland. The figures provided only relate to Great Britain.
2. Figures in the table have been rounded according to the Department’s Official Statistics rounding policy.
3. Due to methodological improvements, these figures are based on the Official Statistics UC caseload definition. Some previous figures have used an alternative caseload definition based on assessment period end dates.
4. Further information on the caseload definition used for the UC official statistics can be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent Armed Forces Champions have been posted in job centres in each year since 2015.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The first operational year there was a specific activity category for Armed Force Champions was 20/21. The table therefore shows Full Time Equivalent (FTE) of Armed Forces Champions posted in Job Centres in each year since 2020.
In 21/22, the department was establishing the AFC network and in May 2021 there were 31 AFCs/AFCLs in post and this number increased throughout the year as colleagues were recruited into these roles.
Since 22/23, the department has committed to deploying 50 AFCs and 11 AFCLs across the 37 Jobcentre Districts. In May 2022, there were 61 AFC/AFCLs in post and in May 2023, there were 57 AFC/AFCLs in post due to recent attrition. Districts are currently in the process of recruiting to fill the vacant posts to ensure we are fulfilling our commitment of 61 dedicated AFCs and AFCL’s across the Jobcentre Network.
Source: DWP’s internal Activity Based Model (ABM)
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| Armed Forces Champion, including Armed Forces Champion Leads FTE (Colleagues in post) | Armed Forces Champion, including Armed Forces Champion Leads ABM FTE (Resource allocated) |
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2020 | 1 | 0 |
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2021 | 31 | 19 |
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2022 | 61 | 52 |
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2023 | 57 | 48 |
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Notes:
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Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2022 to Question 104134 on Universal Credit: Armed Forces, how many Universal Credit claimants have been identified as (a) serving and (b) having served in the armed forces for the assessment periods ending on 1 March 2023.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started collecting data on the Armed Forces status of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Great Britain (GB) in April 2021. At first only new claimants were asked about their Armed Forces status. From June 2021 onwards, other UC claimants reporting changes in their work and earnings have also been able to report their status. From July 2021 onwards, UC agents have also been able to record claimants’ Armed Forces status if they are told about this via other means such as journal messages, face-to-face meetings or by telephone.
Data coverage continues to improve over time and by February 2023 data was held on the armed forces status of approximately 61% of the GB UC caseload (see table below). It should be noted that Armed forces status is self-reported by claimants and is not verified by the Ministry of Defence or Office for Veterans’ Affairs. A claimant’s status can be recorded as “currently serving”, “served in the past”, “not served” or “prefer not to say”. Data is not collected on the specific branch of the Armed Forces that claimants are serving in or have served in in the past.
Data is not held on the total number of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past, but data is held on those who have identified themselves so far.
The way the data is collected means the claimants for whom an Armed Forces status is recorded are not representative of the UC caseload as a whole. This means it is not yet possible to produce reliable estimates of the overall number or proportion of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past.
Increases in the numbers of claimants with a recorded status of “currently serving” or “served in the past” do not necessarily mean the overall numbers of claimants who are currently serving or have served in the past have increased and may reflect increases in the number of claimants for whom data is held as data coverage improves over time.
The table below shows how the proportion of the GB UC caseload with a recorded Armed Forces status has changed over time. It also shows how many claimants on the caseload had a recorded status of each type.
GB UC caseload by recorded Armed Forces status
UC caseload month | Proportion of caseload with a recorded status | Currently serving | Served in the past | Not served | Prefer not to say | No recorded status |
July 2022 | 51% | 3,000 | 38,600 | 2,804,200 | 21,000 | 2,753,300 |
August 2022 | 53% | 3,200 | 40,100 | 2,912,500 | 21,800 | 2,683,400 |
September 2022 | 54% | 3,200 | 41,400 | 3,002,500 | 22,400 | 2,614,700 |
October 2022 | 56% | 3,300 | 42,800 | 3,131,700 | 23,400 | 2,530,000 |
November 2022 | 57% | 3,300 | 44,000 | 3,218,300 | 24,000 | 2,467,100 |
December 2022 | 58% | 3,400 | 45,100 | 3,299,400 | 24,600 | 2,407,600 |
January 2023 | 59% | 3,500 | 46,200 | 3,375,000 | 25,400 | 2,349,700 |
February 2023 (provisional) | 61% | 3,600 | 48,300 | 3,508,300 | 26,500 | 2,306,900 |
Notes:
1. Data is not collected on the Armed Forces status of UC claimants in Northern Ireland. The figures provided only relate to Great Britain.
2. Percentages are rounded to the nearest percent and numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.
3. Figures may be subject to retrospective changes as more up-to-date data becomes available or if methodological improvements are made. Figures relating to February 2023 are provisional and may be subject to revision.
4. Due to methodological improvements, these figures are based on the Official Statistics UC caseload definition. Some previous figures have used an alternative caseload definition based on assessment period end dates.
5. Further information on the caseload definition used for the UC official statistics can be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he will respond to Question 104134 tabled on 6 December 2022 by the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Deane.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I refer the Right Honourable Gentleman to the answer given to his specific question given on the 14th December 2022.
For the avoidance of doubt please see the answer as follows:
Answered on 14 December 2022
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started collecting data on the Armed Forces status of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Great Britain (GB) in April 2021. At first only new claimants were asked about their Armed Forces status. From June 2021 onwards, other UC claimants reporting changes in their work and earnings have also been able to report their status. From July 2021 onwards, UC agents have also been able to record claimants’ Armed Forces status if they are told about this via other means such as journal messages, face-to-face meetings or by telephone.
Data coverage continues to improve over time and by September 2022 data was held on the armed forces status of approximately 54% of the GB UC caseload (see table below). It should be noted that Armed forces status is self-reported by claimants and is not verified by the Ministry of Defence or Office for Veterans’ Affairs. A claimant’s status can be recorded as “currently serving”, “served in the past”, “not served” or “prefer not to say”. Data is not collected on the specific branch of the Armed Forces that claimants are serving in or have served in in the past.
Data is not held on the total number of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past, but data is held on those who have identified themselves so far.
The way the data is collected means the claimants for whom an Armed Forces status is recorded are not representative of the UC caseload as a whole. This means it is not yet possible to produce reliable estimates of the overall number or proportion of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past.
Increases in the numbers of claimants with a recorded status of “currently serving” or “served in the past” do not necessarily mean the overall numbers of claimants who are currently serving or have served in the past have increased and may reflect increases in the number of claimants for whom data is held as data coverage improves over time.
The table below shows the proportion of the GB UC caseload with a recorded Armed Forces status. It also shows how many claimants on the caseload had a recorded status of each type.
GB UC caseload by recorded Armed Forces status
UC caseload month | Proportion of caseload with a recorded status | Currently serving | Served in the past | Not served | Prefer not to say |
September 2022 | 54% | 3,200 | 41,400 | 3,002,500 | 22,400 |
Notes:
1. Data is not collected on the Armed Forces status of UC claimants in Northern Ireland. The figures provided only relate to Great Britain.
2. Percentages are rounded to the nearest percent and numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.
3. Figures may be subject to retrospective changes as more up-to-date data becomes available or if methodological improvements are made.
4. Due to methodological improvements, these figures are based on the Official Statistics UC caseload definition. Some previous figures have used an alternative caseload definition based on assessment period end dates.
5. Further information on the caseload definition used for the UC official statistics can be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/’