Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what evidential basis he stated to The Telegraph on 20 March 2024 that GPs were signing people off work for feeling down and bluesy.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In his interview with The Telegraph on 20 March 2024, the Secretary of State set out the challenges we are facing with tackling long-term sickness related economic inactivity, particularly due to mental health.
The Secretary of State gave an example of why someone might go to their GP for a fit note, for a mental health condition. The figure that 94% of fit notes issued were ‘Not fit for work’ refers to all fit notes issued by GP practices in England between October 2022 - September 2023.
Of the fit notes issued by GP practices in England between October 2022 – September 2023 with a known diagnosis, 37% are for mental and behavioural disorders.
This Government is committed to reforming the fit note to ensure that people get timely access to work and health support, in turn reducing sickness absence and improving health outcomes.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2024 to Question 17582 on National Insurance Contributions: State Retirement Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of abolishing, rather than reducing, national insurance contributions on state pension entitlements.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Cutting NICs rates does not affect anyone’s entitlement to the State Pension or contributory benefits.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2024 to Question 18113 on Jobcentres: Finance, what the individual incentives are in the two incentive pilot programmes for work coaches supporting people into work.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP ran an initial incentives pilot for a 6-month period from March 2023 until August 2023. A second phase of the incentives pilot commenced 1 January 2024 and ended on 31 March 2024. The pilot was in line with existing Reward and Recognition policy, with vouchers between £95 and £250 issued to individuals working in those Jobcentres that qualify for an award.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2024 to Question 18113 on Jobcentres: Finance, what the cost to the public purse was of the two incentive pilot programmes.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Incentive pilots were funded from within the Department’s existing Reward and Recognition budget at no additional cost to the public purse.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 4.58 of the Office for Budget Responsibility publication entitled Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published in March 2024, whether he has made an estimate of future trends in the level of fraud in Universal Credit claims.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP produces forecasts of overpayments in the benefit system as part of its forecasts for benefit expenditure. These are reviewed and agreed by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which uses them as part of its fiscal forecasting and to evaluate policy costings.
As per our commitment published in the Treasury Minutes, CP 1029 – Treasury Minutes – Government Response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Eightieth report from Session 2022-23 and the First to the Sixth reports from Session 2023-24 (parliament.uk), we will set out our forecast in the Annual Report and Accounts for financial year 23/24, expected to be published later this year.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to offer financial incentives for Jobcentre work coaches to get people into work.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP ran an initial incentives pilot for a 6-month period from March 2023 until August 2023. This was piloted alongside Additional Jobcentre Support (AJS) to support more claimants into work. A second phase of the incentives pilot commenced 1 January 2024 and is due to end 31 March 2024. The pilot is in line with existing Reward and Recognition policy and incentives are paid as reward vouchers.