Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
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 merits of including suicides as reportable incidents under the RIDDOR process.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) are made under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and apply to all sectors and workplaces in Great Britain.
Under RIDDOR, at Regulation 6, requires the responsible person to report:
A suicide would not meet the criteria for reporting under RIDDOR as it is not a death resulting from a work related accident or occupational exposure. An ‘accident’ is defined under RIDDOR as an unforeseen and unintentional incident.
Suicides will be considered in an Inquest conducted by a Coroner or Procurator Fiscal (in Scotland) who will make the decision whether the death was ‘suicide’. The Coroner/Procurator Fiscal can refer cases to the HSE, or other public body, if they consider there is an ongoing risk to others.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the percentage change to Discretionary Housing Payments funding to local authorities in England and Wales will be as a result of the most recent flat rate reduction in allocation.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Overall Discretionary Housing Payments funding is £100m in 2022/23, which is 29% less than the £140m that was available in 2020/21.
In addition to the central government contribution, English and Welsh Local Authorities can top up DHP funding up to a maximum of two and a half times this figure using their own funds.
Since 2011, the Government has provided almost £1.5 billion in DHPs to LAs to help support claimants who require further financial assistance with housing costs. In addition, the Government has made a further £2 billion available over the next three years to tackle and help prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
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 been affected by the underpayment of benefits after transitioning from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance in Blackburn.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19th January to question number 104377.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to support employment projects for disabled people through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We recognise the barriers some disabled people face to employment, and my department provides a range of support including the Work and Health programme and Intensive Personalised Employment Support.
The Chancellor announced at the November 2020 Spending Review that one portion the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will target places most in need across the UK, whilst a second portion of the Fund will target people most in need through bespoke employment and skills programmes for those who face labour market barriers. Final decisions regarding the design of the Fund will be published later this year.
The UK Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework later in 2021, which will outline the priorities of the fund, and confirm multi-year funding profiles at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
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 effect on trends in the level of her Department's expenditure of the transfer of claimants from disability living allowance to personal independence payment.
Answered by Sarah Newton
We continually monitor Personal Independence Payment (PIP) expenditure and manage the process of transferring Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants to PIP in a safe and controlled manner.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
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 effect of forthcoming changes to universal credit entitlement for mixed-aged couples on their level of income.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This change means that the same work incentives apply to the younger partner as apply to other people of the same age, and that taxpayer support is directed where it is needed most. The difference between the levels of financial support in Universal Credit as compared to Pension Credit and pension-age Housing Benefit, will depend on individual circumstances. The differences reflect the role of Universal Credit in ensuring that work always pays, and of Pension Credit in providing long-term support to those who have permanently left the labour market because of retirement on top of the support also provided by the State Pension. It is for the same reason that the treatment of earned income in Universal Credit is more generous than in Pension Credit. The younger partner in a mixed-age couple receiving Universal Credit will have access to the tailored support provided by work coaches to help them find work or progress in work. No work-related requirements will be applied to the older partner.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the effect of the minimum income floor on self-employed people.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The aim of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) is to encourage gainfully self-employed claimants to grow their business. It addresses flaws in Working Tax Credits and Housing Benefit that provided full support to claimants reporting persistently low (or zero) earnings from self-employment. Only Universal Credit claimants with a work expectation will have a MIF applied to their Universal Credit. A claimant’s expected hours of work depends on their circumstances. Where a claimant has limitations on the hours they can reasonably be expected to work, their MIF level is reduced. This ensures the level of the MIF matches the work expectations of other claimants in similar circumstances.
One of the announcements in Autumn Budget 2018 was that the 12-month start-up period, where claimants are exempt from the MIF, will be extended to all gainfully self-employed claimants, new to Universal Credit, or new to self-employment. We plan to introduce this from July 2019 with full implementation from September 2020. This will provide time for self-employed claimants to establish and grow their business, and strikes a balance between support for new business, not trapping claimants in poverty, and protecting public funds.
Plans are in place for an evaluation of the MIF and a large-scale tracking survey of self-employed Universal Credit claimants with a MIF applied to their claim
Universal Credit encourages all claimants with a work expectation to find and progress in work. To support those already in, or considering self-employment, we are also extending the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme from April 2019 onwards. The NEA provides support and mentoring for claimants who are looking to start or develop their business.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
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 trends in the level of in-work poverty; and if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the December 2018 Joseph Rowntree Foundation report conclusion that in-work poverty is rising faster than employment.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The figures quoted by the Joseph Rowntree Trust in this report are taken from official national statistics on the number and proportion of people in relative low income published by the Department for Work in March 2018. These statistics show that the risk of being in relative poverty (before housing costs) has remained broadly stable over time; there is a 10% chance of working adults being in relative poverty (before housing costs), which has not varied by more than 1 percentage point since 2005. The data also shows that the majority of those in relative in-work poverty are those with part-time work only, single earner couples, or those in full-time self-employment. Universal Credit is designed to help by offering smooth incentives to increase hours, setting a general expectation that lone parents and partners should work (if not caring for young children or a disabled person) and by offering generous childcare subsidies.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
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 undertake a review of the application process for personal independence payments.
Answered by Sarah Newton
We are absolutely committed to improving the overall Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimant experience as this is what claimants rightly expect and deserve. As part of that commitment, we constantly keep under review how we can improve the PIP application process. For example, this has been supported by the findings published in the PIP Claimant Research – Final Report, two independent reviews of PIP and recommendations from the Work and Pensions Select Committee.
Some of the key improvements we have made to the PIP application process:
However, I recognise that there is more to do to improve the application process and that is why we are in the final stages of commissioning independent research to support further improvements to the PIP2 questionnaire. In addition to the independent research, the Department has gathered views, on video recording, from a range of stakeholders and representatives as well as from claimants and health professionals. These views have helped to inform the design of the live testing pilot which began on 29 November 2018, which will inform views on rolling out video recording more widely, in order to promote greater trust and transparency.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who have been evicted for not paying their rent due to a delay before their first payment of universal credit.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not hold the information requested.
As of August 2018, 84% of paid Universal Credit full service new claims were paid in full on time. When new claims are not paid on time, it is estimated that two-thirds have an outstanding verification issue, such as providing bank statements, evidence of childcare costs, or proof of rent. Other times it’s because a claimant has not signed their claimant commitment.
Claimants can claim an advance of up to 100% of their estimated monthly entitlement as soon as they make their claim, so no-one needs to experience hardship when claiming Universal Credit.
Additionally, it was announced that from July 2020, income related legacy benefits, Income Support, Income Related Employment and Support Allowance and Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance will continue for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made. This is in addition to a pre-existing two week run-on of housing benefit.