Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department is providing to social security claimants to help them manage increased utility costs.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The government is providing significant financial support to many households to support them with rising energy bills. The Energy Bills Rebate will provide around 28 million households with an upfront discount on their bills worth £200. Energy suppliers will apply the discount to domestic electricity customers from October, with the Government meeting the costs. Households in England, which are in council tax bands A-D, will also receive a £150 rebate on their council tax. The rebate to bills will be made directly by local authorities from April and will not need to be repaid.
DWP administers the Cold Weather Payment scheme, which provides £25 extra a week to vulnerable people in receipt of certain income-related benefits, when the average temperature has been recorded, or is forecast to be, 0 degrees Celsius or below over 7 consecutive days at the weather station linked to an eligible person’s postcode.
Some customers in receipt of Universal Credit may be entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment if they or their partner reached state pension age on or before 26 September 2021.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy administers the Warm Home Discount Scheme for low income and vulnerable customers. It gives direct assistance with their energy costs. Energy suppliers provide rebates on energy bills currently worth £140 per household each winter. This year (2021/22), the scheme will be worth £354 million.
The Energy Price Cap will continue to protect consumers, ensuring they pay a fair price for their energy this winter.
Further detail on all three schemes can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment
https://www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment
https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme
In addition, we recognise that some people require extra support over the winter, which is why vulnerable households across the country can access the £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund provides £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula applies in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have an asbestos-related disease other than mesothelioma who are unable to claim compensation due to the fact that a liable insurer cannot be identified.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
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 ensure that sufferers of asbestos-related diseases other than mesothelioma who cannot identify a liable insurer are able to claim full compensation.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Anyone who contracts Pneumoconiosis, bilateral diffuse pleural thickening, or primary carcinoma of the lung when accompanied by asbestosis or bilateral diffuse pleural thickening, through work may be eligible for compensation under the Pneumoconiosis Etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979 scheme.
This scheme is open to current and former employees, including those who cannot identify a liable insurer. Information on eligibility is provided on gov.uk.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report, Estimates of the impact of extending the scope of the payment scheme in the Mesothelioma Bill to include other asbestos related diseases and other non-asbestos work related diseases, published in June 2013, if she will review and update that report.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Mesothelioma Act 2014 established the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS). The DMPS makes lump sum payments to people who contract diffuse mesothelioma from negligent exposure to asbestos in the workplace, but are unable to pursue a civil claim because their former employer no longer exists and their former employer’s insurer cannot be traced. The DMPS is funded by a levy paid by insurers who are active in the Employer’s Liability insurance market.
This Scheme makes payments to eligible sufferers of diffuse mesothelioma only. Since this disease is always fatal and always caused by asbestos, it has been possible to implement DMPS as a simple payment scheme. Other asbestos-related diseases and other non-asbestos work related diseases have more uncertainties regarding cause, severity and aggravation by other factors and this complexity is not compatible with a straightforward tariff-based scheme such as the DMPS. The report published on 6 December 2013 highlighted the adverse impact on the amount of the levy should the scope of the Scheme be widened, which would also require a re-designing of the scheme, the legislation, and the commercial requirements.
There are no plans to update the 2013 report or extend eligibility to the DMPS.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether other companies have been involved in the GovCoin contract to undertake trials on the use of blockchain technology for the welfare and benefits system; and whether any claimant information was shared with (a) those other companies and (b) GovCoin during the period of that contract.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
In 2016, DWP ran a proof of concept pilot to explore GovCoin’s (DISC) capability. No other companies were involved in the pilot and no benefit or personal data was shared with GovCoin (DISC) on claimants.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recommendations were made to her Department as a result of the trials that GovCoin undertook on the use of blockchain technology for the welfare and benefits system; and whether the findings of those trails will be published.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
In 2016, DWP ran a trial proof of concept on a small scale and the findings concluded that it was not viable due to limited take up potential and the expenses it would incur. No other companies were involved in the trial and no benefit or personal data was shared with GovCoin (DISC) on claimants.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department contracted GovCoin to undertake trials on the use of blockchain technology for the welfare and benefits system.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
In 2016, we ran a proof of concept pilot to explore GovCoin’s (DISC) capability. The pilot came to an end in early 2017.
The are no contractual obligations with Govcoin and we have no plans to do any further work with GovCoin
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was paid from the public purse to GovCoin to undertake trials on the use of blockchain technology for the welfare and benefits system.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
In 2016, we ran a proof of concept pilot to explore GovCoin’s (DISC) capability. The pilot came to an end in early 2017.
No public money was paid to Govcoin. Equally, Govcoin made no payment to the Government for this exploratory exercise. We have no plans to do any further work with GovCoin.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department's contract with GovCoin to undertake trials on the use of blockchain technology for the welfare and benefits system has concluded.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
In 2016, we ran a proof of concept pilot to explore GovCoin’s (DISC) capability. The pilot came to an end in early 2017.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of workplace assessments in Scotland for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in each year since 2015.
Answered by Sarah Newton
We have interpreted your questions to be about Access to Work workplace assessments.
The data requested are not held centrally and to provide them would incur disproportionate cost.