Asked by: Lesley Laird (Labour - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2019 to Question 218361, whether she plans to make an assessment of the effect of the roll-out of universal credit in Fife on the provision of services for lone parents and disadvantaged families by local authorities and third party sector organisations in the next six months.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Department currently has no plans to make this assessment. We do continue to evaluate Universal Credit as it is delivered. Research and analysis is conducted to assist and inform the evaluation and the expansion of Universal Credit, focusing specifically on the effects of Universal Credit on claimants’ behaviours and outcomes. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-evaluation-framework-2016.
Universal Credit spending will be £2 billion higher compared to the system it replaces, meaning on average £300 extra per year for a family on Universal Credit relative to the legacy system.
We have implemented a number of changes to help families on Universal Credit. For example, work allowance rates will be increased by £1000 from April 2019, directing additional support to some of the most vulnerable low paid working families.
Furthermore, New Burdens funding has been provided to local authorities to cover additional costs associated with rollout.
Asked by: Lesley Laird (Labour - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
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 effect of the roll-out of universal credit in Scotland on provision of services for lone parents and disadvantaged families by (a) local authorities and (b) third sector organisations.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
We have not made an assessment of the effect of the roll-out of universal credit in Scotland on provision of services for lone parents and disadvantage families by Local Authorities and third party sector organisations.
We are committed to helping parents into work. Childcare is essential in enabling parents to work, although we recognise that this can cause additional financial difficulty.
Universal Credit claimants are able to claim up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, compared to 70 per cent on the legacy system. People with an offer of paid work can also get childcare costs paid a month in advance.
On 11 January 2019, Secretary of State Rt. Hon Amber Rudd MP announced measures that will provide increased support for Universal Credit (UC) claimants. This included piloting a more flexible approach to claimants reporting childcare costs, which will allow people to be reimbursed for childcare even when they aren’t able to provide immediate evidence.
Asked by: Lesley Laird (Labour - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
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 effect of the roll-out of universal credit in Fife on provision of services for lone parents and disadvantaged families by (a) local authorities and (b) third sector organisations.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
We have not made an assessment of the effect of the roll-out of universal credit in Fife on provision of services for lone parents and disadvantage families by Local Authorities and third party sector organisations.
We are committed to helping parents into work. Childcare is essential in enabling parents to work, although we recognise that this can cause additional financial difficulty.
Universal Credit claimants are able to claim up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, compared to 70% on the legacy system. People with an offer of paid work can also get childcare costs paid a month in advance.
On 11 January 2019, Secretary of State Rt. Hon Amber Rudd MP announced measures that will provide increased support for Universal Credit (UC) claimants. This included piloting a more flexible approach to claimants reporting childcare costs, which will allow people to be reimbursed for childcare even when they aren’t able to provide immediate evidence.
Asked by: Lesley Laird (Labour - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps the (a) Government and (b) DVLA has taken to ensure that people over 70 are assessed to ensure safety when driving.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The existing process is that drivers must renew their driving entitlement at the age of 70 and every three years after that. This provides a timely reminder to individuals to consider their health in the context of driving. To renew they must make a legal declaration that they can meet the standards and confirm whether they have any listed medical condition. Those who advise of a medical condition will be investigated and a driving licence will only be issued if they can meet the appropriate health standards.
The Department for Transport announced in June 2018 that it has identified older people as one of four priority road user groups which will be included in the forthcoming Road Safety Statement and action plan. The DVLA is working closely with the Department on this.
Asked by: Lesley Laird (Labour - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 5.27 of Budget 2018, how much of the £160 million allocated in 2019-20 for counter-terrorism policing will be spent on counter-terrorism in Scotland.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Counter-terrorism policing in Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government will receive Barnett consequentials on the increase to counter terrorism policing in England and Wales in the usual way. We do not provide regional breakdowns of counter-terrorism funding for national security reasons.
Asked by: Lesley Laird (Labour - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans his Department has put in place for the effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Robin Walker
We have agreed in principle the terms of the UK’s smooth and orderly exit from the EU, as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. While the chances of no deal have been reduced considerably, the government will continue to do the responsible thing and prepare for all eventualities, in case a final agreement cannot be reached. We have been clear from the start that the Devolved Administrations should be fully engaged in this process, as close cooperation between UK Government and the Devolved Administrations is essential to delivering an exit that works for all parts of the UK. The Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) and the Cabinet Office continue to work closely with the Scottish Government and other UK Government departments to prepare for Exit.
UK Government departments have developed a wide number of plans to resolve operational issues in all scenarios across the whole of the UK, including Scotland, and are working closely with their counterparts in the Scottish Government as these plans develop.
Asked by: Lesley Laird (Labour - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on the current board members of JPI Media; and of those members, how many served previously on the Johnston Press board.
Answered by Margot James
The directors of JPI Media Holdings Ltd are David Duggins, Dean Merritt, and John Ensall, none of whom have previously been directors of Johnston Press.
Asked by: Lesley Laird (Labour - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the locations of all UK ministerial visits to Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency since the 2010 general election.
Answered by David Lidington
The Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally. Details of Ministers’ overseas travel and their meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and are available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lesley Laird (Labour - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the steps the JPI Media Board will take to mitigate pension losses and to stabilise the pension scheme for employees of Johnston Press.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Johnston Press Pension Plan is currently in the Pension Protection Fund’s (PPF) assessment period, where it will be assessed whether the scheme’s funding level is sufficient to secure pensions to its members at least equal to the level of compensation the PPF would pay. If the scheme’s funding is not sufficient, then it will transfer into the PPF and compensation will be paid at 100 per cent for individuals over their scheme’s retirement age at the date of the insolvency, and 90 per cent of the member’s accrued benefits, subject to an overall cap for everyone else. Benefits accrued post 1997 will be linked to PPF indexation going forward.
There are around 5,000 pension scheme members who will be affected.
The Pensions Regulator and the PPF are working together with the administrators to understand the circumstances surrounding the sale and its implications for the Johnston Press Pension Plan.
Asked by: Lesley Laird (Labour - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information she holds on the (a) number of past and present employees of Johnston Press who will be affected by its decision to transfer its pension scheme to the Pension Protection Fund and (b) potential proportionate change in the value of the pensions of those employees.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Johnston Press Pension Plan is currently in the Pension Protection Fund’s (PPF) assessment period, where it will be assessed whether the scheme’s funding level is sufficient to secure pensions to its members at least equal to the level of compensation the PPF would pay. If the scheme’s funding is not sufficient, then it will transfer into the PPF and compensation will be paid at 100 per cent for individuals over their scheme’s retirement age at the date of the insolvency, and 90 per cent of the member’s accrued benefits, subject to an overall cap for everyone else. Benefits accrued post 1997 will be linked to PPF indexation going forward.
There are around 5,000 pension scheme members who will be affected.
The Pensions Regulator and the PPF are working together with the administrators to understand the circumstances surrounding the sale and its implications for the Johnston Press Pension Plan.