Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in receipt of personal independence payments have a mental illness.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Department publishes a range of Official Statistics on PIP here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics
These include data tables showing a breakdown of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims in payment by their main disabling condition.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to ensure that every jobcentre has available information leaflets on suicide prevention.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
We have systems in place to ensure that Jobcentre staff can identify customers at risk of suicide or self harm and refer them to appropriate local sources of help.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the local housing allowance from pensioners in the private rented sector to those in the social rented sector.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Local housing allowance rates will not be introduced in the social rented sector for general needs housing until April 2019, and only then where tenancies have been taken out or renewed on or after 1 April 2016; and the tenant’s rent is higher than the Local Housing Allowance rates set for private sector tenants.
Pensioners in the private rented sector have been subject to Local Housing Allowance rates since 2008. It is therefore only right that we bring about parity of treatment across both sectors, but pensioners in the social rented sector are unlikely to be affected unless they are substantially under-occupying their properties or they have high service charges.
Discretionary Housing Payments remain available for those who need help transitioning to the change.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of pensioners receiving local housing allowance live in the (a) private rented sector and (b) social rented sector.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
According to the latest data (November 2016) there were 143 thousand Housing Benefit claimants aged 65 or over who were subject to the local housing allowance rules in the private rented sector. As the local housing allowance system will not be introduced into the social rented sector until April 2019 figures will not be published until August 2019.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the number of people who use (a) Wavertree and (b) Edge Hill jobcentres to attend daily work clubs.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
There are no daily work clubs at Wavertree Jobcentre or Edge Hill Jobcentre.
Jobcentre Plus does not contract for the delivery of Work Clubs and we are not responsible for the delivery. Work Clubs can be set up or supported by any suitable group including voluntary sector organisations, local authorities, community groups, and both local employers, and national employers through their local outlets. The role of Jobcentre Plus is to signpost claimants to local Work Clubs where they exist and where advisers believe the support offered will help the claimant find work. There is no requirement for follow up on the number of claimants who subsequently attend.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2017 to Question 64229, on jobcentres in Liverpool, which local public transport route planner applications his Department used in those calculations.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Department has used information from local transport provider websites, such as Traveline, that provide services in Liverpool to calculate travel costs.
Distances and journey times have been calculated using variety of methods to improve accuracy, including Google Maps which has been cross verified using the AA route mapping tool and information collected about local public transport routes with input from local DWP colleagues.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone parents are registered at the jobcentre in (a) Wavertree and (b) Edge Hill.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The information requested is not available. However, such information that is available is (a) the number of Lone Parents claiming Income Support within Liverpool Wavertree Parliamentary Constituency; plus in the table (b) the number of new claims by Lone Parents to Income Support who are registered at Wavertree and Edge Hill Jobcentres.
(a) The number of Lone Parents claiming Income Support within Liverpool Wavertree Constituency at August 2016 is 770.
(b) The number of new claims by Lone Parents to Income Support who are registered at Wavertree and Edge Hill Jobcentres.
Period | The number of new claims by Lone Parents to Income Support who are registered at Wavertree Jobcentre | The number of new claims by Lone Parents to Income Support who are registered at Edge Hill Jobcentre |
January 2016 to December 2016 | 60 | 103 |
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the equality impact assessment reports his Department has undertaken on jobcentre closures in Liverpool, Wavertree constituency.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Throughout the development of these proposals, the Department has been mindful of its duties under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. Consideration of the potential impact on staff and customers has been informed by statistical analysis of population data, local knowledge and consultation.
As we obtain further local, site-specific information for all sites, including those in the Liverpool Wavertree constituency, we will ensure any issues identified are also taken fully into consideration when the final decisions are made. We intend to complete this work within the next 12 weeks; equality analysis is not generally published separately but it will be used to inform final decisions.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carers are currently registered as (a) claimants and (b) staff at jobcentres in (i) Wavertree and (ii) Edge Hill.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what health and safety risk assessments have been conducted for (a) staff and (b) claimants relating to the proposed closures of the jobcentres in (i) Liverpool, (ii) Newcastle and (iii) Glasgow; and what such assessments have been conducted for such people and the jobcentres that will remain open in such areas of the risk of gang violence.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The safety of claimants is vitally important and is an issue we have taken very seriously as part of these proposals. Where we are proposing to close a Jobcentre we are taking all possible precautions, not only to minimise disruption for claimants, but also to protect vulnerable people by providing home visits and postal claims where it is appropriate to do so.
Throughout the development of these proposals, the Department has been mindful of its duties under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. Our continued focus on equality analysis will be important in helping to assess any risks for individual claimants brought about by these proposals. As we obtain further local, site-specific information we will ensure any issues identified are taken fully into consideration when the final decisions are made.