Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of how many children would be lifted out of poverty if the household benefit cap was (a) uprated with inflation since 2016 and (b) abolished.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is not possible to produce robust estimates of the effect of the impact of uprating the household benefit cap by inflation on the number of children in child poverty or similar impacts of the removal of the household benefit cap on the same group.
There was a significant increase to the benefit cap levels following a review last year. The benefit cap continues to provide a strong work incentive and fairness for working taxpaying households and encourages people to move into work, where possible.
Where possible it is in the best interests of children to be in working households and, of course, returning to employment will significantly increase the likelihood of a household not being affected by the cap.
Both rates and numbers of children in absolute poverty (60% of 2010/11 median income, both before and after housing costs) were lower in 2021/22 than in 2009/10. In 2021/22 there were 400,000 fewer children in absolute low income after housing costs than in 2009/10.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ending the two-child limit on the number of children living in poverty; and if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of such a decision.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no plans to review this policy.
The latest available estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of such a decision was made in 2019, and can be found here.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of how many and what proportion of children were living in poverty in 2010 based on his Department's households below average income data.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The latest available National statistics on child poverty covering 2021/22 are available here.
This Government has overseen significant falls in absolute poverty since 2009/10. Both rates and numbers of children in absolute poverty (60% of 2010/11 median income, both before and after housing costs) were lower in 2021/22 than in 2009/10.
In 2009/10, 28% (3.7m) children were living in absolute poverty after housing costs.
In 2021/22, 23% (3.3m) children were living in absolute poverty after housing costs.
This means that, in 2021/22, there were 400,000 fewer children in absolute poverty after housing costs than in 2009/10, a decrease of 5 percentage points.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of applying the triple lock to the uprating of social security benefits in financial year 2024-25.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The triple lock is this Government’s commitment to increase the new and basic State Pensions annually in line with the highest of the increase in prices, the growth in average earnings, or 2.5%.
Accordingly, the Secretary of State has decided that – subject to Parliamentary approval – for the financial year 2024/25, the new and basic State Pensions, along with the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit, will increase by 8.5%, in line with the growth in average earnings. Working-age and extra-costs disability benefit rates will – also subject to Parliamentary approval – increase by 6.7%, in line with the increase in prices and in accordance with the provisions of the Social Security Administration Act 1992.
Using 8.5% instead of 6.7% for these benefits would potentially add approximately £2.3bn to the cost of the social security system in that year.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the number of people that are both economically inactive due to a health condition and on an NHS waiting list.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The department monitors trends in economic inactivity and works closely with other departments and organisations to understand the relationship between health and economic inactivity. There are a number of factors that could be contributing to a rise in economic inactivity. However, these factors are complex and may interact with one another and further work is required to establish whether, and to what extent, there is a relationship between the growth in NHS waiting lists and long-term sickness in the labour market.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many on average Universal Credit claimants' cases are overseen by each Universal Credit Case Manager as of November 2023.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are unable to accurately answer this question. This is because the information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. To calculate an average over time would require development of new code, which we don’t currently have.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which categories of claimants had their contact with work coaches reduced in the last 12 months.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
A policy change in August 2023 reduced the level of contact Jobcentre work coaches have with Universal Credit (UC) Intensive Work Search (IWS) claimants participating in contracted employment provision, including the Restart Scheme, from fortnightly to monthly. This was to reduce duplication of effort.
The Government announced an investment over 5 years of £3.5bn at Spring Budget to boost workforce participation and £2.5 billion at Autumn Statement as part its Back to Work plan to significantly expand available support and transform the way people interact with the benefits system.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many vacancies there are within his Department; and what recent estimate he has made of the number of full-time equivalent staff that will be employed by his Department by the end of 2024.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP have ambitious recruitment plans over 2023/24 and are filling approximately 4,400 posts a quarter, through internal and external recruitment to manage attrition and also grow key priority areas to respond to changing demand and commitments.
DWP has yet to sign off workforce plans for the period to end 2024, which forms part of the financial year 2024/25. DWP awaits further guidance from HMT on future Civil Service headcount levels following the chancellor’s announcement in October 2023, and will then be in a position to give an accurate estimate of FTEs employed in DWP by end 2024.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of increasing the local housing allowance to the 50th percentile of local market rents.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State has committed to review LHA rates annually and has just completed his review for 2024/25 rates. From April 2024 we are investing £1.2 billion increasing Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This significant investment will ensure 1.6 million private renters in receipt of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit will gain on average, nearly £800 per year in additional help towards their rental costs in 2024/25.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to uprate social security benefits in line with inflation in April 2024.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required by law to undertake an annual review of benefits and the State Pension, and this review will commence shortly.
The outcome of the review will be announced in the Autumn – and therefore it would not be appropriate to pre-judge the outcome.