Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help prevent retaliatory actions against staff who have made internal disclosures about disability discrimination.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As an accredited Disability Confident Leader, the Department for Work and Pensions take seriously its responsibility to support all staff, including those with a disability, who make disclosures about discrimination and preventing any retaliation.
The department has a number of mechanisms, including dedicated harassment, grievance, and HR policies and processes; regular promotion of Speak Up Safely Line and Ambassadors for Fair Treatment providing confidential, and if required anonymous support and guidance. We also provide wellbeing support (including mental health first aiders), as well as promoting a transparent and supportive approach to workplace adjustments, ensuring staff feel safe when disclosing disabilities.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether government departments meet duties to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled staff.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
All government departments are subject to the Equality Act 2010, which places a legal duty on employers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled staff and job applicants where they would otherwise be at a substantial disadvantage. Government Departments meet this duty by providing adjustments such as assistive technology, flexible working arrangements, specialist furniture, interpreters, and accessible workplaces. The Department for Work and Pensions leads the Disability Confident scheme in its capacity supporting disabled people into work, which encourages all employers, including government departments, to recruit, retain and develop disabled people and those with health conditions.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Health Adjustment Passport in supporting disabled people to (a) enter and (b) remain in employment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Health Adjustment Passports are voluntary and available to everyone with a health condition or disability.
The Health Adjustment Passport enables disabled people to move more easily into employment and between job roles and reduces the need to repeat personal information about their disability. The Passport supports transitions into employment by providing a tool to enable disabled people to have structured conversations with employers about disability. It acts as a transferable record of the adjustments needed, along with sign posts to available support including Access to Work (AtW).
If a user chooses to share the passport with their employer, it can help to raise the visibility of adjustments and highlight support available, including AtW. In the event the user applies for AtW support, the passport can aid an assessment by providing health and disability information beforehand, enabling support to be put in place more quickly.
Further information on the Health Adjustments Passport can be found on: Health Adjustment Passport - GOV.UK
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department will introduce Access to Work Adjustment Passports for all claimants.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Health Adjustment Passports are voluntary and available to everyone with a health condition or disability.
The Health Adjustment Passport enables disabled people to move more easily into employment and between job roles and reduces the need to repeat personal information about their disability. The Passport supports transitions into employment by providing a tool to enable disabled people to have structured conversations with employers about disability. It acts as a transferable record of the adjustments needed, along with sign posts to available support including Access to Work (AtW).
If an individual chooses to share the passport with their employer, it can help to raise the visibility of adjustments and highlight support available, including AtW. In the event the user applies for AtW support, the passport can aid an assessment by providing health and disability information beforehand, enabling support to be put in place more quickly.
Further information on the Health Adjustments Passport can be found on: Health Adjustment Passport - GOV.UK
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve transparency in Child Maintenance Service (a) calculations and (b) deductions (i) in general and (ii) where deductions from earnings orders are applied.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance calculation is based on the paying parent’s gross income, verified through HMRC data. To improve transparency, the CMS has enhanced data sharing with HMRC to ensure accurate income assessments, including unearned income such as dividends and rental income. Whenever a calculation is made both parents are notified of the amount, the reason for the calculation and how the calculation has been made enabling parents to challenge assessments they believe do not reflect the paying parent’s true financial position. The online portal, My Child Maintenance Case, allows parents to view all prior calculations.
The CMS applies general deductions through either voluntary arrangements or enforcement mechanisms. To improve transparency, the CMS has published guidance on Gov.uk detailing how these processes are applied.
Deductions from earnings orders (DEO) are a key enforcement tool used when a paying parent fails to meet their obligations. To improve transparency in this area, the CMS has issued clear employer guidance on how DEOs operate, including legal obligations, calculation methods, and reporting requirements. This includes ensuring employers receive formal written instructions from the CMS before any changes to deductions are made, preventing unauthorised or unclear adjustments. The protected earnings rate ensures that short term variations in earnings do not allow deductions to reduce a paying parent’s net income below a minimum level required for essential living costs.
Additionally, the CMS provide paying parents with notice of enforcement action and the opportunity to appeal or request a reconsideration of their maintenance calculation before a DEO is applied.
The Department continues to review and refine CMS processes to ensure they are transparent, fair, and effective in delivering financial support to children in separated families.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is provided to Child Maintenance Service caseworkers to ensure fair treatment of non-resident parents for (a) complex or disputed and (b) other cases.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
All Child Maintenance Service Case Workers are provided with the Decision Making and Welfare of the Child topics during new entrant learning.
These cover the principles of the decision-making process, gathering different types of evidence, applying the balance of probabilities, ensuring impartiality in the decision-making process in relation to resident and non-resident parents, and, where appropriate, the importance of considering the impact on any child who will be affected by the decision.
These principles are reinforced throughout the learning, for example, in deciding the number of nights of care for a shared care decision.
Child Maintenance Service Caseworker learning is standardised to ensure a consistent decision-making process and to allow for transparency if the decision is disputed in the future.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Child Maintenance Service does not deduct excessive amounts from non-resident parents.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
When negotiating arrears agreements and arrangements, CMS must consider all the circumstances of the non-resident parent and the case. The main aim is to get on-going maintenance payments flowing and to recover arrears as quickly and reliably as possible. The most severe measures are restricted to those parents who wilfully refuse or culpably neglect to pay their maintenance.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the backlog of cases within the Child Maintenance Service; and what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken to (a) process new applications and (b) resolve disputes.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) have no application or Mandatory Reconsideration (dispute) backlogs.
CMS is working on modernising service delivery with an aim of making services more cost efficient, effective, and timely. Both the applications and the Mandatory Reconsideration (dispute) process have been developed by improving customer communications, introducing digital options for making and progressing applications and disputes. Improved data sharing through enhanced collaboration with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and improvements to DWP systems to increase accuracy and speed of service.
Additionally, we are investing in improving training and guidance products and ensuring all of our services are resourced at stable levels that meet demand.
The CMS continues to monitor the effectiveness of these measures and continue to build on these improvements.
His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service have responsibility for appeals on CM decisions.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
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 importance of furniture provision as an element of the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We will be working closely with local authorities and external stakeholders on the detailed design of the Crisis and Resilience Fund and we will issue further information on our planned approach in due course.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he will require NHS employers to provide ongoing (a) education, (b) training and (c) health surveillance for all staff who (i) handle and (ii) may be exposed to hazardous medicinal products.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where hazardous medicinal products (HMPs) are substances hazardous to health within the meaning of The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) (COSHH), every employer is required to provide that employee with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training.
COSHH sets out specific requirements for where health surveillance is appropriate for the protection of the health of employees who are, or are liable to be, exposed to a substance hazardous to health. This includes where the exposure of the employee to a substance hazardous to health is such that –
(i) an identifiable disease or adverse health effect may be related to the exposure;
(ii) there is a reasonable likelihood that the disease or effect may occur under the particular conditions of his work; and
(iii) (iii) there are valid techniques for detecting indications of the disease or effect and the technique of investigation is of low risk to the employee.
It is therefore for the employer to determine if health surveillance is appropriate as part of it’s duties under COSHH.