Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will hold discussions with (a) the hon. Member for North Tyneside and (b) Parkinson's UK on the potential impact of the social security system on people living with Parkinson's disease.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) assesses individuals against a set of descriptors to determine how their health condition or disability affects their ability to work. The WCA takes into account the functional effects of fluctuating and degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s. A key principle is that the WCA considers the impact that a person’s disability or health condition has on them, not the condition itself.
Claimants with the most severe health conditions and disabilities whose condition is unlikely to ever improve are no longer routinely reassessed.
From 2025, we are reforming the WCA to reflect new flexibilities in the labour market and greater employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions, whilst maintaining protections for those with the most significant conditions. Claimants who currently have no work-related requirements, except in some very limited circumstances, will not be reassessed or lose benefit because of these changes.
When making decisions on changes to the WCA, we carefully considered over 1300 consultation responses, including from disabled people, people with health conditions, and the organisations that represent and support them. We also engaged directly with clinical experts, employer groups and disability organisations across the country.
With these changes to the WCA criteria, 371,000 fewer people will be assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity by 2028-29 and will receive personalised support to help them move closer to employment. A further 29,000 individuals will be found fit for work by 2028-29 and will receive more intensive support to search for and secure work than would be the case under the current WCA rules. These figures are not based on specific conditions. This is because the WCA considers the impact that a person’s disability or health condition has on their ability to work, not the condition itself.
The department routinely engages with a wide range of organisations that represent and support disabled people and people with health conditions, including people living with Parkinson’s disease.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to Work Capability Assessments on people with Parkinson's disease.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) assesses individuals against a set of descriptors to determine how their health condition or disability affects their ability to work. The WCA takes into account the functional effects of fluctuating and degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s. A key principle is that the WCA considers the impact that a person’s disability or health condition has on them, not the condition itself.
Claimants with the most severe health conditions and disabilities whose condition is unlikely to ever improve are no longer routinely reassessed.
From 2025, we are reforming the WCA to reflect new flexibilities in the labour market and greater employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions, whilst maintaining protections for those with the most significant conditions. Claimants who currently have no work-related requirements, except in some very limited circumstances, will not be reassessed or lose benefit because of these changes.
When making decisions on changes to the WCA, we carefully considered over 1300 consultation responses, including from disabled people, people with health conditions, and the organisations that represent and support them. We also engaged directly with clinical experts, employer groups and disability organisations across the country.
With these changes to the WCA criteria, 371,000 fewer people will be assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity by 2028-29 and will receive personalised support to help them move closer to employment. A further 29,000 individuals will be found fit for work by 2028-29 and will receive more intensive support to search for and secure work than would be the case under the current WCA rules. These figures are not based on specific conditions. This is because the WCA considers the impact that a person’s disability or health condition has on their ability to work, not the condition itself.
The department routinely engages with a wide range of organisations that represent and support disabled people and people with health conditions, including people living with Parkinson’s disease.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2023 to Question 3412 on the Household Support Fund, when he expects a further decision on the future of the fund to be taken.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The current Household Support Fund runs until the end of March 2024, and the government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.
We have regular conversations with the Treasury about a range of issues relevant to the work of the Department.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the future of the Household Support Fund after March 2024.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The current Household Support Fund runs until the end of March 2024, and the government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.
We have regular conversations with the Treasury about a range of issues relevant to the work of the Department.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether levels of pay for administrative staff in his Department at (a) AA, (b) AO and (c) EO grades are (i) below, (ii) equivalent to or (iii) higher than the Living Wage Foundation's real living wage.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The following is based on the UK’s real living wage rates of £12.00 per hour and £13.15 per hour for London as of 14 November 2023.
Pay levels for DWP administrative staff are as follows:
a) All AA employees in Inner London are below the London rate.
b) Some AO employees on Legacy Terms and Conditions in Inner London are below the London rate. All other AO employees are above these rates.
c) All EO employees are above these rates.
This Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. The real living wage is not a statutory requirement unlike the National Living Wage, which applies to those aged 23 and over. From 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage increased to £10.42 an hour. All DWP employees are paid above this rate.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on a person being entitled to a share of their partner’s disability benefits as part of a divorce settlement.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Disability benefits, that is, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance, are personal benefits – the law does not provide for joint claims - and would remain with the existing claimant at the point of divorce. There are no plans to change this policy.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of universal credit payments on working claimants who are paid by their employers on a four-weekly basis; and whether his Department has plans to change Universal Credit payments to four-weekly instead of monthly.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has no plans to change either Universal Credit assessment periods or payment structures.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December to Question 96602 on Cost of Living Payments and Universal Credit, if he will take steps to collate the cost of living payment and Universal Credit payments so that claimants avoid benefit overlap which would require them to reapply for Universal Credit.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I refer the Hon member to the response I gave to her last PQ 96602, the cost of living payments have no impact on existing benefit awards, and so they do not cause claimants to have to reapply for Universal Credit.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of living payment on Universal Credit payments made every four weeks.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Cost-of-Living Payments are tax free and have no impact on existing benefit awards or on the benefit cap.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department is making a cost of living payment to people living in a residential care home settings.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We have kept the rules for the Cost-of-Living payments as simple as possible. This includes paying a flat rate to those in receipt of means-tested benefits regardless of household circumstance and paying the Disability Cost of Living Payment to those being paid the relevant benefit on the qualifying date. This was to ensure that we were able to develop the processes to deliver these payments quickly to those who most need the help with increased inflation. This includes those being paid a benefit where they were in a resident care home.