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 plans to require periodic redeclaration of circumstances every six months for Universal Credit claimants from April 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the department will prompt Universal Credit claimants to confirm whether they have had a change in circumstances that might affect their claim. Any changes in circumstances declared will be processed and verified in the usual way. A roll out of this initiative will commence in April and testing will help determine frequency.
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 increasing the number of weeks that people who live in supported accommodation and who have increased their working hours above 16 hours can claim extended housing benefit payments for.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Most working-age customers residing in supported housing now receive Universal Credit for their daily living costs and Housing Benefit for their rent support. Customers in receipt of Universal Credit are not eligible for extended rent support as Universal Credit is both an in-work and out-of-work benefit.
Like Universal Credit, Housing Benefit has an income taper. As Housing Benefit may be claimed by those both in work and out of work, there are no rules around the number of hours that someone may work; instead, there are income tapers which apply.
The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health. However, Housing Benefit treatment of earnings is less generous than that of Universal Credit. Therefore, although customers living in Supported Housing are better off working than doing no work at all, they can be financially better off limiting the hours they work to ensure they retain a small amount of Universal Credit entitlement.
Notwithstanding these positive outcomes from work, the Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those residing in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.
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 - Economic 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 - Economic 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.