Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of supporting leaseholders in receipt of Universal Credit to pay service charge costs when they take up (a) part-time, (b) short-term and (c) seasonal work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has not recently assessed the potential merits of supporting leaseholders in receipt of Universal Credit (UC) to pay service charge costs when they take up a) part time, b) short-term and c) seasonal work.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting single parents in part-time work with dependent children from the Administrative Earnings Threshold.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Administrative Earnings Threshold determines the level of work coach support that Universal Credit customers receive. Customers on low incomes are able to access regular work coach advice and support to help them to increase their earnings, this can include advice on childcare or help to address skills gaps to aid career progression.
Work Coaches take each of our customers’ personal circumstances into account when agreeing reasonable actions to look for or progress in work, including any childcare responsibilities. Alongside this, we have committed to reviewing Universal Credit by listening to the full range of views on potential changes, so that our social security system is fit for purpose. And we will also be exploring how we can better support parents, as we develop our child poverty and labour market strategy objectives.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that participation in disability sports does not affect eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is intended as a contribution towards the extra costs faced by people with a long-term health condition or disability. It is assessed on the basis of needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself, and can be paid at one of eight different rates to reflect those needs.
Participation in sport is not necessarily an indication of needs reducing. We would hope that disabled people will take every opportunity to participate in sport, as we know that can improve health, wellbeing and overall independence. However, where needs change, it is right that the level of support in PIP should change to match those needs.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing people who are (a) under pension age and (b) terminally ill to access their state pension.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The principle of having a State Pension age that is the same for everybody has the merit of simplicity and clarity and provides an important trigger moment for planning purposes. Unlike some Private Pensions, it has always been the case that nobody can claim their State Pension before they reach State Pension age.
For those nearing the end of their life, the Government’s priority is providing people with financial support quickly and compassionately. Special benefit rules enable people who are nearing the end of their lives and have 12-months or less to live to get faster and easier access to certain benefits.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of allowing people who are terminally ill to withdraw funds from private pensions.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
If you have a private or workplace pension, you may be able to begin taking an income and/or lump sums from your pension at any age due to ill health. This provision is dependent on the rules of the scheme and is a matter for individual schemes and may vary. Scheme members should contact their scheme administrators in the event of ill health to ascertain any benefits that they may be entitled to under the rules of the scheme.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing benefits for those (a) in supported accommodation and (b) subject to higher service charge payments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Supported housing provides a vital service for the most vulnerable people in society, helping them live as independently as possible in the community. The benefits system recognises the extra costs and service charges associated with supported housing.
Housing Benefit is paid to those on a low income living in supported accommodation if they meet criteria set out in legislation. Housing Benefit can cover all or part of the rent and any eligible service charges and in the majority of cases full rent is paid.
The Secretary of State is required to undertake an annual uprating review of benefits and state pensions every year. The review will commence at the usual time this Autumn.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 allow terminally ill people to access their state pensions early.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The principle of having a State Pension age that is the same for everybody is fundamental in the UK. Unlike a personal or workplace pension, which can potentially be drawn earlier, it has always been the case that nobody can claim their State Pension early, before they reach their State Pension age. We have no current plans to change this principle.
For those at the end of their life, the Government’s priority is providing financial support quickly and compassionately. The main way that the Department does this is through special benefit rules, sometimes referred to as “the Special Rules”. These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment, serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit. For many years, the Special Rules have applied to people who have 6 months or less to live and now they have been changed so they apply to people who have 12 months or less to live.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support young people from low social-economic backgrounds into employment.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
We want everyone to be able to find a job, progress in work, and thrive in the labour market whoever they are and wherever they live.
The Department of Work and Pensions Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support to young people aged 16 to 24 who are claiming Universal Credit. This support includes the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Employability Coaches for young people with additional barriers to finding work, and Youth Hubs across Great Britain.
DWP is a strong champion for social mobility. We have established the Social Mobility Pledge Consortium in partnership with TalkTalk. The pledge asks businesses to make measurable commitments to diversify the backgrounds of their workforce and help vulnerable people in to work. Nearly 120 employer signatories have made the pledge over the last year.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support youth employment schemes such as UK Year of Service.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The UK Year of Service is one of several youth employment schemes announced and part funded by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS). We have been working with DCMS and the National Citizen Service Trust to ensure the scheme achieves the best outcomes for the young people it will support. This includes exploring opportunities to join-up and build on the Department for Work and Pensions’ positive relationship with employers, and by sharing knowledge and evidence related to supporting young people in to work.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 ensure claimants subject to benefit sanctions have adequate income to afford living essentials.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Sanctions are calculated only with reference to the full value of the standard allowance to which that claimant is entitled and are deducted from the claimant’s total Universal Credit (UC) award. Sanctioned claimants who receive other awards or additional money, such as the housing and childcare elements, will continue to do so in full, unless the total UC award is eroded by the earnings taper or other income.
As a safeguard for claimants who demonstrate they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs as a result of their sanction, we have a well-established system of hardship payments available. These needs can include accommodation, heating, food, and hygiene. Claimants are able to apply for a hardship payment from the first assessment period that the sanction has been applied to.
Sanctions are only applied if the claimant fails to meet a tailored requirement without good reason.