Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
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 offer greater support to claimants of employment and support allowance in response to the rise in the cost of living.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Government understands that people are concerned about pressure on household budgets and is taking action to help. Alongside the £9.1 billion Energy Bills Rebate announced on 3 February, it is providing £12 billion of support over this financial year and next to ease cost of living pressures, with help targeted at working families, low-income households and the most vulnerable.
The Government is making sure we continue to deliver the financial support that people need. Our spending on disability support is the second highest in the G7 – with a record £59 billion forecast to be spent this year (2021/2022), or 2.5% of GDP. This will increase by £3.5 billion to over £62 billion in 2022/23.
This year, the total amount that the Government spends on Employment and Support Allowance will increase by 3.1% from April 2022, in line with the Consumer Prices Index. This approach is fair to both benefit recipients and taxpayers.
Claimants receiving legacy benefits who believe they may be better off on Universal Credit should first refer to the independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK. They can also get help through the government funded Help to Claim scheme as well as Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland.
In addition, Personal Independence Payment is available to help with the extra costs faced by people with a long-term health condition or disability.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking with Chancellor of the Exchequer to help support pensioners with increases in the cost of living.
Answered by Guy Opperman
This country has never paid our pensioners more. This year, we will spend over £129 billion on the State Pension and benefits for pensioners in Great Britain. From April,
The Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Act 2020 raised the State Pension by 2.5% from April 2021 although CPI was 0.5% and earnings were negative. From April, the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension will be around £720 more in 2022/23 than if it had been up-rated by prices since 2010. That’s a rise of over £2,300 in cash terms.
In addition, around 1.4 million eligible pensioners across Great Britain receive around £5 billion annually in Pension Credit, which tops up their retirement income and act as a passport to other financial help, such as support with housing costs, council tax, heating bills and a free TV licence for those over 75.
Cold weather payments are payable to those in receipt of Pension Credit and the warm home discount - a rebate of £140 on a customer’s energy bill - is available to those in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit. From 2022/23 the eligibility criteria for the warm home discount scheme will be extended to a greater number of Pension Credit customers and the payment increased to £150.
Customers of State Pension age are also entitled to an annual Winter Fuel payment worth up to £300. This winter we will pay over 11m pensioners a winter fuel payment at an annual cost of £2bn which is a significant contribution to winter fuel bills.
The Chancellor’s announcement on 3 February of a package of support to help households with rising energy bills, worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23, will also be available to eligible pensioners.
Further support for pensioners includes free eye tests and NHS prescriptions worth around £900m every year and free bus passes worth £1bn every year.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has her department made of the implications for her policies of the number of job vacancies in the labour market as of 2 February 2022 in (a) Weaver Vale constituency, (b) the North West and (c) the UK.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
For October to December 2021 there were a record high 1.2 million vacancies nationally, many in key sectors. Official statistics are not available at a local level, but ONS publish experimental statistics based on online job adverts. These suggest that, as of 28 January 2022, there are almost 40% more job adverts online in the North West than they were in February 2020. Our labour market policies are designed to support claimants who can work to move into work, improving their financial situation and wellbeing; and to support employers who need to fill vacancies.
To deliver the workforce needed by the labour market, the Government has launched ‘Way to Work’. This will apply the lessons from the Kickstart Scheme to bring employers and claimants together in our Jobcentres. This will expedite applications and interviews and speed up the process of getting people into work. We will also make it easier for employers to work with us to fill their vacancies through jobs fairs (both in person and online), Employer Hubs, our social media channels (including JobHelp), and advertising on FindAJob.
This is good news for employers who need to fill their vacancies. It is also good for our claimants who will be better off financially in work.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
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 been affected by the underpayment of benefits after transitioning from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance in Weaver Vale constituency.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19th January to question number 104377.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
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 number of pensionable age people in Weaver Vale constituency who are still awaiting payment of their state pension.
Answered by Guy Opperman
DWP does not have any claims outstanding. Those where we are awaiting additional information to process a customer’s claim are actioned on receipt of the required information, in the usual way.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made on the effectiveness of the personal independence payment assessment process' (a) timescale from application submission to the result and (b) approach to applicants with disabilities
Answered by Chloe Smith
We are committed to ensuring that people can access financial support in a timely manner and managing customer journey times for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants is a priority for the Department. We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence.
Processing times can vary reflecting factors including customer demand, operational resource and timescales for different parts of the process. Clearance times for new PIP claims in July 2021 (most recent data available) are similar to those pre-pandemic.
PIP focuses support on those experiencing the greatest barriers to living independently; 34% of those on PIP receive the highest level of support, compared to 15% of its predecessor benefit’s (DLA’s) working-age claimants. At the core of PIP’s design is the principle that awards of the benefit should be made according to a claimant’s overall level of need, regardless of whether claimants have a physical or non-physical condition. Entitlement to PIP is therefore assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a fit and proper person test for providers of exempt accommodation.
Answered by David Rutley
The supported housing sector provides essential accommodation and support for the most vulnerable members of society to live as independently as possible in their community.
We are working closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the oversight of supported housing to ensure it is good quality and provides the right support for residents as well as value for money for taxpayers. As part of this work, all available options will be considered. Additionally, following extensive engagement with stakeholders, we are reviewing the guidance for specified accommodation claims to improve consistency in decision-making for exempt accommodation.