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Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Children
Thursday 11th January 2024

Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of households that are (a) affected by the two-child limit and (b) living in poverty.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The latest available statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children are published here: Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children, April 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

National statistics on the number and percentage of people in poverty, including regional-level data, is published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. This can be found here. The most recent figures state that in the year 2021/22 there were 11.4 million people living in a household below the absolute poverty threshold after housing costs. This represents a decrease of 1.7 million people since 2009/10.


Written Question
Household Support Fund
Wednesday 10th January 2024

Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)

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 ending the Household Support Fund on low-income households.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No such assessment has been made.


Written Question
Cost of Living Payments: Disability
Tuesday 21st November 2023

Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to provide a Disability Cost of Living Payment during winter 2022-23.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

A Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 was paid to eligible claimants in September 2022. A second Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 was then paid in June 2023. 85% of claimants were also entitled to either £300 Pension Cost of Living Payments and up to £900 means tested benefit Cost of Living Payments.

Further to this, the Energy Price Guarantee was extended from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, meaning a typical household bill will be around £3,000 per year in Great Britain.


Written Question
Attendance Allowance
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will take steps to ensure that attendance allowance forms can be submitted electronically.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Attendance Allowance is currently in the private beta phase of development, where DWP are inviting a limited number of people to use the online claim service, so feedback can be gathered to improve the service. We will look to move from trialling to public beta in due course.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits
Monday 15th May 2023

Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)

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 are not claiming benefits to which they are entitled.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 5616.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: ICT
Friday 12th May 2023

Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department uses (a) automated or (b) partially automated technologies to (i) investigate benefit claimants or claims and (ii) select or refer benefit claimant or claims for possible investigation.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

You ask: whether his Department uses (a) automated or (b) partially automated technologies to (i) investigate benefit claimants or claims.

The department does not use (a) automated or (b) partially automated technologies to (i) investigate benefit claimants or claims.

You further ask: whether his Department uses (a) automated or (b) partially automated technologies to select or refer benefit claimant or claims for possible investigation?

Yes, DWP’s Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service uses automated/partially automated technologies to identify claims that may warrant closer inspection (or may need additional consideration), assisting in the prevention and detection of fraud and error. It is right that we keep up with fraud in today’s digital age so that we can prevent, detect and deter those who would try to exploit the benefit system and more importantly, improve our support for genuine claimants. Any risk of fraud or error identified is reviewed by a trained member of staff and this is only one of a number of verification steps which will have to be cleared before an investigation is begun or before a claim is paid.

A decision to investigate a claimant is always made by a case handler who would take into account all relevant facts and circumstances.

Where automated technologies are used, DWP is always committed to processing data lawfully, proportionately, and ethically, with meaningful human input and safeguards for the protection of individuals.

We do not use automated technologies to replace human judgement to determine or deny a payment to a claimant. A human agent will always make final decisions and Equality and Data Protection Impact Assessments are carried out.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits
Thursday 11th May 2023

Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of people who do not claim benefits to which they are entitled.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 9 May to PQ 183412.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Thursday 11th May 2023

Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how her Department defines benefit fraud.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The definition of fraud and error is set out in our publication on the Monetary Value of Fraud and Error in the benefits system. It defines benefit fraud as cases where the following three conditions apply:

  • the conditions for receipt of benefit, or the rate of benefit in payment, are not being met;
  • the claimant can reasonably be expected to be aware of the effect on entitlement;
  • benefit stops or reduces as a result of the review.

The ‘background information’ section of our National Statistics publication provides further information.

Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2021 to 2022 estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Thursday 11th May 2023

Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any claimants who have had their claim suspended by the Risk Review Team have subsequently been convicted of fraud in the last six months.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Information on the number of claimants convicted of fraud after having their claim suspended by the Department’s Risk Review Team is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Since the beginning of December 2022, the Risk Review Team have reinstated 627 cases that were previously suspended.

The Risk Review Team currently have 108,362 cases suspended.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Thursday 11th May 2023

Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many customer cases have been reinstated following suspension by the Risk Review Team in the last six months.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Information on the number of claimants convicted of fraud after having their claim suspended by the Department’s Risk Review Team is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Since the beginning of December 2022, the Risk Review Team have reinstated 627 cases that were previously suspended.

The Risk Review Team currently have 108,362 cases suspended.