Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
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 reasons why people receiving tax credits are not voluntarily migrating to Universal Credit.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is the customers responsibility to choose whether to make an application for Universal Credit. There is no evidence to suggest any actions the Department has taken or should have taken are influencing that choice.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make a comparative assessment of the level of pension credit uptake in Hackney South and Shoreditch in the financial years (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is not feasible to undertake this comparative assessment.
The latest estimates of Pension Credit take-up relate to the financial year 2018/19 and are representative of the GB population.
Estimates of take up of income related benefits can be found in the following publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2018-to-2019
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to reduce the number of children living in poverty in London.
Answered by Will Quince
This Government is committed to a sustainable solution to poverty so that we improve children’s long-term outcomes. This means a strong economy and a benefit system that supports employment and higher pay. Children in households where all adults are working are around 5 times less likely to be in poverty than those in workless households. Compared to 2010, there are 1 million fewer workless households and 665,000 fewer children in workless households.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether health professionals undertaking personal independence payment assessments for people with mental health issues are required to have a qualification in mental health.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Department requires Health Professionals to achieve approval status following broad training in disability analysis, as well as training in specific conditions, including mental health, multiple and complex conditions. This training is developed by the providers who engage with stakeholders and charities, and regularly review the material to ensure it remains current. The training delivers understanding of multiple mental health conditions and the impact they are likely to have on an individual’s ability to function. In addition, Mental Health Champions support Health Professionals to ensure they deliver quality assessments to customers with mental health conditions.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that staff conducting medical assessments of personal independence payment applicants are qualified to assess people with mental health issues.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Health Professionals undertaking assessments receive training on how to identify the impact of mental health conditions on claimants. This is followed by on-going professional training and support which continues for the duration of their employment in the role. Providers of assessments periodically engage with organisations / experts to help enhance their training materials.
In addition, Mental Health Champions support Health Professionals by providing additional expertise about mental health, cognitive, developmental and learning disabilities and can be referred to at any time during the assessment process.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department takes to ensure that child maintenance payments are paid by non-resident parents; and what steps her Department takes to support the resident parent.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We have a range of strong enforcement powers intended to ensure paying parents fulfil their financial responsibilities towards their children, and therefore help support receiving parents. These powers include deducting maintenance directly from earnings, sharing information about non-compliance with credit reference agencies, instructing bailiffs to collect arrears or seize goods, forcing the sale of property, commitment to prison and disqualification from driving.
We have also recently consulted on a new compliance and arrears strategy aimed at further increasing our compliance and enforcement powers.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there are plans to reduce the amount of debt that a child maintenance paying parent owes before an application for a Liability Order can be made.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The minimum amount for which a liability order will usually be sought is £500. This is intended to ensure that our use of this power is proportionate to the cost of applying for a liability order. This threshold is discretionary, and we may apply for liability orders for lower amounts depending on the specific circumstances of a case.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mandatory reconsideration request decisions made by his Department have been overturned by HM Courts and Tribunals Service since the introduction of that process.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The information is not held.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
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 enable special circumstances to be taken into account when making the decision to withhold pension credit to people who are away from their homes for a period of more than four weeks.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
It is the intention to amend the Pension Credit temporary absence from Great Britain rules from April 2016. The temporary absence rules allow entitlement to Pension Credit to continue where under normal conditions it would not do so.
We are planning for a general rule which will allow Pension Credit to remain payable for absences not exceeding four weeks. We intend to have exceptions to the general rule to cater for bereavement or medical treatment. Where the absence from Great Britain is in connection with a bereavement concerning a partner or close relative then entitlement to Pension Credit may continue for absences not exceeding eight weeks. Where the absence from Great Britain is in order to receive medical treatment then entitlement to Pension Credit may continue for absences not exceeding 26 weeks.
These changes do not affect the Pension Credit rules covering absences from home within Great Britain.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
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 enable special circumstances to be taken into account when making the decision to withhold housing benefit from people who are away from their homes for a period of more than four weeks.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The temporary absence rules allow Housing Benefit to continue where under the normal conditions of entitlement it would not do so. They are therefore extensions of entitlement rather than withdrawals of it.
It is the intention from April 2016, that Housing Benefit claimants who leave Great Britain for longer than 4 weeks will no longer be able to get Housing Benefit while they are away. This aligns the Housing Benefit rules with other benefits including Universal Credit.
We intend that the period of 4 weeks could be extended in exceptional circumstances (for example, if their reason for being abroad is due to the death of a family member).