Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Q339 of the evidence given by the Minister for Pensions to the Work and Pensions Committee on 10 January 2024, HC144, whether the Minister has had recent discussions with representatives of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) on indexation of pre-1997 contributions; and when he next plans to meet with PPF representatives.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I meet regularly with the Pensions Protection Fund and have discussed pre-97 Pensions Protection Fund indexation with them. The most recent meeting was on 7th March 2024.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to make unmarried long-term childless couples eligible for Bereavement Support Payment.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Bereavement Support Payment is currently only available to those who are married, in a cohabiting relationship with dependent children, or in a civil partnership. We currently have no plans to change the eligibility criteria for Bereavement Support Payment.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessments she has made of the adequacy of disability benefits in supporting constituents with mortgage repayments.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Support for homeowners in receipt of income-related benefits, including disabled people on those benefits, is available in the form of Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI), an interest-bearing loan offered at the same rate it was as a benefit.
SMI provides support for homeowners who are unable to meet their mortgage repayments due to illness, unemployment or other personal crisis or income shocks.
The primary purpose of SMI is to help people meet their existing mortgage commitments so that they can stay in their homes without fear of repossession.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the policy proposals announced on 9 June 2022 for Housing Benefit to be counted towards the costs of a mortgage in reforms of the housing market.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not yet met with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to discuss this policy.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Prime Minister announcement on Right to buy scheme extension on 9 June, what assessments he has made of the potential merits of allowing Housing Benefit to be counted towards mortgage costs.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Since the announcement on the 9 June, the department has begun looking at changing welfare rules so that people who receive housing support can use their benefit towards mortgage payments for a new mortgage instead of on rent.
Further consideration of the merits of changing welfare rules to support homeownership will be completed as the policy is developed in line with steers from the new administration.
A full equalities impact assessment will also be carried out in due course, and before any legislation is laid with the House.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason it is her Department's policy that pensioners are not eligible to claim carers allowance; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility of carers allowance to carers who are pensioners.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
I refer the honourable member to the answer my colleague, Chloe Smith, the Minister for Disabled People gave on 20 April 2022 to question UIN 154461
It should be noted that Carer’s Allowance is a devolved benefit in Scotland. However, while the Scottish Government builds its capacity to deliver a replacement, DWP Ministers have agreed that the Department should continue to administer Carer’s Allowance on behalf of the Scottish Ministers under an Agency Agreement, on the same basis as it is administered in England and Wales.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
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 give the cost of living payment to people who are (a) on statutory sick pay and (b) claiming Universal Credit.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
If a claimant was entitled to Universal Credit payment in the first instalment of the Assessment Period ending April 25th-May 25th, 2022, they should have been paid the £326 Cost of Living Payment. This includes those that are on Universal Credit and are also receiving Statutory Sick Pay.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is both administered and paid entirely by employers and provides a measure of earnings replacement to employees who are sick or incapable of work. It is just one part of the support which people might receive when they are unable to work. Individuals may be able to get Universal Credit and Statutory Sick Pay at the same time, depending on their individual circumstances.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
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 potential impact of (a) the carer's allowance earnings cap on people looking to accept a wider range of employment and (b) her Department's policy of immediately terminating that benefit in the event that someone breaches the income cap through (i) receipt of a tax rebate and (ii) other genuine means.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Carer’s Allowance weekly earnings limit is designed to allow carers to combine their caring responsibilities with some paid employment where they can. It is set at a level that aims to encourage those who give up full time work in order to undertake caring responsibilities, to maintain a link with the labour market through part time work.
The £132 limit, which has increased by around a third since 2010, is a net figure which is the figure left once any Income Tax, National Insurance contributions and other allowable payments and expenses are deducted from met earnings. So some people can earn more than £132 a week gross and still retain Carer’s Allowance.
When calculating earnings for Carer’s Allowance purposes, any amount by way of a refund of income tax is disregarded.
Once earnings exceed £132 a week (or on a weekly average where possible for those with fluctuating earnings) then there is no longer an entitlement to Carer’s Allowance and it will cease.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
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 allow those in the process of transferring from legacy benefits to Universal Credit to also receive the cost of living support package.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Universal Credit claimants entitled to at least 1p during assessment periods ending between 26 April 2022 to 25 May 2022 will be eligible for the £326 Cost of Living Payment.
Those entitled to a payment of income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support on any day in the period 26 April 2022 to 25 May 2022 will be eligible for the first Cost of Living payment.
Finally, tax credit customers who have received a payment, or an annual award of at least £26, of tax credits for any day in the period 26 April 2022 to 25 May 2022 are eligible for the first Cost of Living payment.
This ensures that any legacy benefit customer who met the above qualifying criteria and transferred to Universal Credit during the qualifying period would receive a Cost-of-Living payment through their passporting legacy benefit.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
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 allow a person to move back to legacy benefits from Universal Credit where that person decided to move from legacy benefits to Universal Credit owing to staff in her Department incorrectly advising that they would receive a higher payment on Universal Credit; and if she will make an estimate of how many people have been misdirected by her Department in that way in each of the last three years.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
DWP staff should not advise claimants what to do in terms of whether to submit a claim to benefit, nor if a claimant would be ‘better off’ moving to Universal Credit or remaining on legacy benefits. However, staff will signpost claimants to information available via the Understanding UC website and independent benefit calculators for further information.
The replacement of six legacy benefits by UC is a large and complex undertaking, introduced in a controlled and phased manner. It is therefore as a matter of fundamental policy design that once a claimant makes a claim for Universal Credit their existing legacy benefits will come to an end; this includes Tax Credits.