Neil Gray

This contract is one element of a wider programme to achieve compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 by the end of 2018, in accordance with a commitment the House made in 2011 to the Crown Premises Inspection Group.

Achieving compliance will reduce the risk of fire causing loss of life or injury to individuals, destroying or damaging the building, or disrupting the work of Parliament.

This information was provided in a Written Statement made by my predecessor on 16 December 2014, cols 86–87WS:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm141216/wmstext/141216m0001.htm#14121636000008

The final cost of the Independent Options Appraisal was £2.02 million, excluding VAT.

The two Houses spent the following amounts on repair, renovation and restoration of the Palace of Westminster in each financial year from 2007/08 to 2014/15. Figures before 2007/08 are not available.

2007/08 - £27.6m
2008/09 - £18.4m
2009/10 - £31.6m
2010/11 - £29.2m
2011/12 - £29.3m
2012/13 - £36.3m
2013/14 - £42.2m
2014/15 - £48.7m (Provisional, subject to audit)

The process by which repair and renovation of the Palace of Westminster is procured – whether for the purpose of the longer-term Restoration and Renewal Programme, the Medium Term Investment Plan, or otherwise:

1. is shaped by objectives specified in an Outline Business Case produced in accordance with the Treasury Green Book Five Case model;
2. is resolved by a contract awarded through an open and competitive tender procedure that is compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015;
3. takes into consideration whether compliant collaborative procurement options, where available, are a viable option according to the scope of the work;
4. includes a specification and range of award criteria which are representative of, and will be capable of realising, the value-for-money objectives determined by the respective Outline Business Case;
5. may be considered within a higher level Gateway Review Assurance process where considered appropriate.

The default position in the Houses’ Procurement Policy is to set evaluation criteria weightings of 70% for price and 30% for quality. We expect these ratios to be applied when procuring repair and renovation works. The House Procurement Policy goes on to provide a waiver process by which a justification and recommendation can be made to vary these weightings according to circumstances and value-for-money considerations specific to a given procurement. A contract that looks to transfer a higher level of responsibility and liability for design to the contractor is a common example of where the balance in weighting may be moved towards quality as a consequence of a waiver application.

The need for repairs is determined with reference to a number of factors: condition surveys of the Estate; an annual exercise to prioritise the portfolio of projects; inspections carried out on a quadrennial basis; advice from the House’s Design Authority; and calls to the PED Helpdesk. In particular:

1. A comprehensive condition survey of the Estate was carried out in 2008/09, the results of which fed into a 25-year plan. This survey identified a significant number of defects, the works for which were all priced and given recommended completion dates. These tasks were then packaged minor or major projects and added to the scope of existing works within the 25-year plan.
2. Following on from this comprehensive survey, there is a rolling programme of condition surveys every two years, which similarly identifies defects and further work.
3. An annual exercise is undertaken by senior managers, including the Director General of Facilities and the Finance Director, to assess and prioritise the portfolio of projects in order to inform the Medium Term Investment Plan for the following four-year period. Projects are prioritised, taking the following factors into account:

• compliance with legislative or contractual requirements;
• business objectives;
• mitigation of the risk of failure to services;
• conservation of the fabric of the buildings.

The Medium Term Investment Plan is then considered by the Finance Committee before being approved by the House of Commons Commission.

1. The Palace of Westminster is a Grade 1 listed building, and PED follows best practice by ensuring that an inspection is carried out every four years by the Conservation and Architectural Team. These inspections identify tasks which should be carried out to ensure the fabric of the building is maintained properly.
2. The PED Design Authority, established in 2011, is committed to “ensure consistent standards, value for money, statutory compliance and user satisfaction”. Practically, it concentrates on the lifecycle of the engineering assets, ensuring that initial and replacement capital costs are balanced with the ongoing operating and maintenance costs, and with identified business needs. It acts as a Central Engineering department, and advises on the requirements for works and systems and services across the Parliamentary Estate.
3. PED has a helpdesk system which receives and handles building faults reported by Members, Members’ staff, and staff of the House. These faults are prioritised according to service level agreements.

The Director General of Facilities would be happy to brief the hon. Member in more detail, should he wish.

The process by which repair and renovation of the Palace of Westminster is procured – whether for the purpose of the longer-term Restoration and Renewal Programme, the Medium Term Investment Plan, or otherwise:

1. is shaped by objectives specified in an Outline Business Case produced in accordance with the Treasury Green Book Five Case model;
2. is resolved by a contract awarded through an open and competitive tender procedure that is compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015;
3. takes into consideration whether compliant collaborative procurement options, where available, are a viable option according to the scope of the work;
4. includes a specification and range of award criteria which are representative of, and will be capable of realising, the value-for-money objectives determined by the respective Outline Business Case;
5. may be considered within a higher level Gateway Review Assurance process where considered appropriate.

The default position in the Houses’ Procurement Policy is to set evaluation criteria weightings of 70% for price and 30% for quality. We expect these ratios to be applied when procuring repair and renovation works. The House Procurement Policy goes on to provide a waiver process by which a justification and recommendation can be made to vary these weightings according to circumstances and value-for-money considerations specific to a given procurement. A contract that looks to transfer a higher level of responsibility and liability for design to the contractor is a common example of where the balance in weighting may be moved towards quality as a consequence of a waiver application.

The need for repairs is determined with reference to a number of factors: condition surveys of the Estate; an annual exercise to prioritise the portfolio of projects; inspections carried out on a quadrennial basis; advice from the House’s Design Authority; and calls to the PED Helpdesk. In particular:

1. A comprehensive condition survey of the Estate was carried out in 2008/09, the results of which fed into a 25-year plan. This survey identified a significant number of defects, the works for which were all priced and given recommended completion dates. These tasks were then packaged minor or major projects and added to the scope of existing works within the 25-year plan.
2. Following on from this comprehensive survey, there is a rolling programme of condition surveys every two years, which similarly identifies defects and further work.
3. An annual exercise is undertaken by senior managers, including the Director General of Facilities and the Finance Director, to assess and prioritise the portfolio of projects in order to inform the Medium Term Investment Plan for the following four-year period. Projects are prioritised, taking the following factors into account:

• compliance with legislative or contractual requirements;
• business objectives;
• mitigation of the risk of failure to services;
• conservation of the fabric of the buildings.

The Medium Term Investment Plan is then considered by the Finance Committee before being approved by the House of Commons Commission.

1. The Palace of Westminster is a Grade 1 listed building, and PED follows best practice by ensuring that an inspection is carried out every four years by the Conservation and Architectural Team. These inspections identify tasks which should be carried out to ensure the fabric of the building is maintained properly.
2. The PED Design Authority, established in 2011, is committed to “ensure consistent standards, value for money, statutory compliance and user satisfaction”. Practically, it concentrates on the lifecycle of the engineering assets, ensuring that initial and replacement capital costs are balanced with the ongoing operating and maintenance costs, and with identified business needs. It acts as a Central Engineering department, and advises on the requirements for works and systems and services across the Parliamentary Estate.
3. PED has a helpdesk system which receives and handles building faults reported by Members, Members’ staff, and staff of the House. These faults are prioritised according to service level agreements.

The Director General of Facilities would be happy to brief the hon. Member in more detail, should he wish.

The process by which repair and renovation of the Palace of Westminster is procured – whether for the purpose of the longer-term Restoration and Renewal Programme, the Medium Term Investment Plan, or otherwise:

1. is shaped by objectives specified in an Outline Business Case produced in accordance with the Treasury Green Book Five Case model;
2. is resolved by a contract awarded through an open and competitive tender procedure that is compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015;
3. takes into consideration whether compliant collaborative procurement options, where available, are a viable option according to the scope of the work;
4. includes a specification and range of award criteria which are representative of, and will be capable of realising, the value-for-money objectives determined by the respective Outline Business Case;
5. may be considered within a higher level Gateway Review Assurance process where considered appropriate.

The default position in the Houses’ Procurement Policy is to set evaluation criteria weightings of 70% for price and 30% for quality. We expect these ratios to be applied when procuring repair and renovation works. The House Procurement Policy goes on to provide a waiver process by which a justification and recommendation can be made to vary these weightings according to circumstances and value-for-money considerations specific to a given procurement. A contract that looks to transfer a higher level of responsibility and liability for design to the contractor is a common example of where the balance in weighting may be moved towards quality as a consequence of a waiver application.

The need for repairs is determined with reference to a number of factors: condition surveys of the Estate; an annual exercise to prioritise the portfolio of projects; inspections carried out on a quadrennial basis; advice from the House’s Design Authority; and calls to the PED Helpdesk. In particular:

1. A comprehensive condition survey of the Estate was carried out in 2008/09, the results of which fed into a 25-year plan. This survey identified a significant number of defects, the works for which were all priced and given recommended completion dates. These tasks were then packaged minor or major projects and added to the scope of existing works within the 25-year plan.
2. Following on from this comprehensive survey, there is a rolling programme of condition surveys every two years, which similarly identifies defects and further work.
3. An annual exercise is undertaken by senior managers, including the Director General of Facilities and the Finance Director, to assess and prioritise the portfolio of projects in order to inform the Medium Term Investment Plan for the following four-year period. Projects are prioritised, taking the following factors into account:

• compliance with legislative or contractual requirements;
• business objectives;
• mitigation of the risk of failure to services;
• conservation of the fabric of the buildings.

The Medium Term Investment Plan is then considered by the Finance Committee before being approved by the House of Commons Commission.

1. The Palace of Westminster is a Grade 1 listed building, and PED follows best practice by ensuring that an inspection is carried out every four years by the Conservation and Architectural Team. These inspections identify tasks which should be carried out to ensure the fabric of the building is maintained properly.
2. The PED Design Authority, established in 2011, is committed to “ensure consistent standards, value for money, statutory compliance and user satisfaction”. Practically, it concentrates on the lifecycle of the engineering assets, ensuring that initial and replacement capital costs are balanced with the ongoing operating and maintenance costs, and with identified business needs. It acts as a Central Engineering department, and advises on the requirements for works and systems and services across the Parliamentary Estate.
3. PED has a helpdesk system which receives and handles building faults reported by Members, Members’ staff, and staff of the House. These faults are prioritised according to service level agreements.

The Director General of Facilities would be happy to brief the hon. Member in more detail, should he wish.

Further to the answer given by the Paymaster General on 16 July 2020, Public First was engaged by the Cabinet Office to test public opinion and reaction to government messaging including focus groups for COVID-19 research. This work has helped to understand public attitudes and behaviours to inform our vitally important public health messages and policies, and has enabled us to deliver a strong, national, cross-government communications campaign to support the UK’s response and recovery from the pandemic.

In the discharge of this activity it was necessary for Public First to meet with civil servants to report on the findings of the focus groups. Public First also provided on-site resource to support Number 10 communications. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. Any Government announcements will be made in the usual way.

Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on research, on a rolling monthly basis, and details of its contracts on GOV.UK as part of routine government transparency arrangements. GOV COMMS EU EXIT PROG and EU EXIT COMMS were existing cost codes used to pay invoices relating to COVID-19 research within a reasonable period of time. These payments were subsequently journaled over to the COVID-19 cost centre once that was created.

Further to the answer given by the Paymaster General on 16 July 2020, Public First was engaged by the Cabinet Office to test public opinion and reaction to government messaging including focus groups for COVID-19 research. This work has helped to understand public attitudes and behaviours to inform our vitally important public health messages and policies, and has enabled us to deliver a strong, national, cross-government communications campaign to support the UK’s response and recovery from the pandemic.

In the discharge of this activity it was necessary for Public First to meet with civil servants to report on the findings of the focus groups. Public First also provided on-site resource to support Number 10 communications. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. Any Government announcements will be made in the usual way.

Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on research, on a rolling monthly basis, and details of its contracts on GOV.UK as part of routine government transparency arrangements. GOV COMMS EU EXIT PROG and EU EXIT COMMS were existing cost codes used to pay invoices relating to COVID-19 research within a reasonable period of time. These payments were subsequently journaled over to the COVID-19 cost centre once that was created.

Further to the answer given by the Paymaster General on 16 July 2020, Public First was engaged by the Cabinet Office to test public opinion and reaction to government messaging including focus groups for COVID-19 research. This work has helped to understand public attitudes and behaviours to inform our vitally important public health messages and policies, and has enabled us to deliver a strong, national, cross-government communications campaign to support the UK’s response and recovery from the pandemic.

In the discharge of this activity it was necessary for Public First to meet with civil servants to report on the findings of the focus groups. Public First also provided on-site resource to support Number 10 communications. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. Any Government announcements will be made in the usual way.

Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on research, on a rolling monthly basis, and details of its contracts on GOV.UK as part of routine government transparency arrangements. GOV COMMS EU EXIT PROG and EU EXIT COMMS were existing cost codes used to pay invoices relating to COVID-19 research within a reasonable period of time. These payments were subsequently journaled over to the COVID-19 cost centre once that was created.

Further to the answer given by the Paymaster General on 16 July 2020, Public First was engaged by the Cabinet Office to test public opinion and reaction to government messaging including focus groups for COVID-19 research. This work has helped to understand public attitudes and behaviours to inform our vitally important public health messages and policies, and has enabled us to deliver a strong, national, cross-government communications campaign to support the UK’s response and recovery from the pandemic.

In the discharge of this activity it was necessary for Public First to meet with civil servants to report on the findings of the focus groups. Public First also provided on-site resource to support Number 10 communications. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. Any Government announcements will be made in the usual way.

Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on research, on a rolling monthly basis, and details of its contracts on GOV.UK as part of routine government transparency arrangements. GOV COMMS EU EXIT PROG and EU EXIT COMMS were existing cost codes used to pay invoices relating to COVID-19 research within a reasonable period of time. These payments were subsequently journaled over to the COVID-19 cost centre once that was created.

Further to the answer given by the Paymaster General on 16 July 2020, Public First was engaged by the Cabinet Office to test public opinion and reaction to government messaging including focus groups for COVID-19 research. This work has helped to understand public attitudes and behaviours to inform our vitally important public health messages and policies, and has enabled us to deliver a strong, national, cross-government communications campaign to support the UK’s response and recovery from the pandemic.

In the discharge of this activity it was necessary for Public First to meet with civil servants to report on the findings of the focus groups. Public First also provided on-site resource to support Number 10 communications. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. Any Government announcements will be made in the usual way.

Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on research, on a rolling monthly basis, and details of its contracts on GOV.UK as part of routine government transparency arrangements. GOV COMMS EU EXIT PROG and EU EXIT COMMS were existing cost codes used to pay invoices relating to COVID-19 research within a reasonable period of time. These payments were subsequently journaled over to the COVID-19 cost centre once that was created.

The Minister for the Cabinet Office has received no such representations. This issue concerns the Lord Lyon King of Arms in his judicial capacity and is therefore a devolved matter.

The Minister for the Cabinet Office has received no such representations. This issue concerns the Lord Lyon King of Arms in his judicial capacity and is therefore a devolved matter.

Since the start of the Green Deal, 75 photovoltaics installations were undertaken in Airdrie and Shotts constituency through Green Deal plans provided by Home Energy Lifestyle Management Systems.

The GOV.UK website describes different ways of working flexibly. This includes: job sharing; working from home; part time; compressed hours; flexitime; annualised hours; staggered hours; and phased retirement.

The availability of atypical employment provides a number of benefits for workers who cannot or do not want to commit to ‘standard’ full-time employment. This results in high participation rates among groups which might otherwise be excluded from work altogether, like mothers returning to work.

The UK’s flexible labour market means those who work in flexible arrangements continue to be entitled to employment protections regardless of the contract type. But we recognise that there are instances where the UK labour market is not working fairly for everyone and is why we asked Matthew Taylor to carry out his independent Review of Working Practices. Our full response later this year will reflect Government’s position and next steps.

This Government is clear that zero hours contracts should not be considered as an alternative to proper business planning or used as a permanent arrangement if it is not justifiable. They play a small but important part in the labour market, allowing flexibility for both employers and individuals. People on zero-hour contracts make up less than 3 per cent of the workforce and almost 70 per cent are happy with the number of hours they work, according to the latest ONS Labour Force Survey research (March 2015).

In May 2015 Government banned the use of exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts so that people cannot be prevented from looking for or working elsewhere when their employer does not guarantee work.

Matthew Taylor in his Review of Modern Working Practices has proposed some reforms around zero-hour contracts and Government will consider the whole report carefully and make a full response later this year.

The Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) Access to Work scheme provides financial awards to disabled people in order to fund additional support above the level of an employer’s statutory duty to make reasonable adjustments. This supports disabled people to retain work or take up new opportunities, but does not replace employers’ duties under the Equality Act 2010.

In addition, Disability Confident supports this Government’s commitment to halve the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people by engaging with employers, who have a crucial role to play in ensuring disabled people are recruited, retained and developed in their careers. The scheme gives employers the opportunity to assess how Disability Confident their business is and sign up at one of three levels. They complete each level before moving on to the next.

DWP is currently trialling a Small Employer Offer, which provides small employers with a personalised package of support, including adaptations and advice and a payment of £500 after three months when they take on new employees who have a health condition or disability.

The industrial strategy green paper, Building our Industrial Strategy, is part of a consultative approach to developing our strategy and seeks views from organisations across the country, including disability organisations. I look forward to further engagement with them, building on engagement with my officials to date.

The Government is clear that the industrial strategy is part of our work to deliver an economy that works for everyone, including disabled people. In particular, the Government’s green paper Improving Lives – the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper considers how we can improve employment outcomes for disabled people. Many employers are already creating healthy, inclusive workplaces, but more needs to be done so that employers provide the support needed for employees with disabilities and long-term health conditions, to help them get into and stay in work.

The Improving Lives consultation closes on 17th February, and we will be working to ensure its outcomes are aligned with our industrial strategy.

The industrial strategy green paper, Building our Industrial Strategy, is part of a consultative approach to developing our strategy and seeks views from organisations across the country, including disability organisations. I look forward to further engagement with them, building on engagement with my officials to date.

The Government is clear that the industrial strategy is part of our work to deliver an economy that works for everyone, including disabled people. In particular, the Government’s green paper Improving Lives – the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper considers how we can improve employment outcomes for disabled people. Many employers are already creating healthy, inclusive workplaces, but more needs to be done so that employers provide the support needed for employees with disabilities and long-term health conditions, to help them get into and stay in work.

The Improving Lives consultation closes on 17th February, and we will be working to ensure its outcomes are aligned with our industrial strategy.

Repayment of the additional £675m borrowed from the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) will start from the early 2020s.

In addition to this repayment, £69m was transferred to the NLDF from The Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund (OLDF) when it closed in January 2015, representing a share of the income from the sale of the Olympic Village. This adds to the £79 million (from savings in the Olympic Programme) which was transferred from the OLDF to the NLDF in July 2014. The OLDF funds are allocated in the usual proportions, as set out in legislation.

Lottery funding shares are set out in legislation. Currently health, education, environment and charitable causes are apportioned 40%, Sport 20%, Arts 20% and Heritage 20% across the UK. Creative Scotland received 1.78% and sportscotland received 1.62% of overall lottery funding in 2014/15. In addition, Scottish good causes receive funding from the four UK-wide distributors: British Film Institute, UK Sport, Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund.

There is a robust commitment in place to pay back £675m to the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF). This funding was borrowed from the Fund in addition to the original contribution of £410m.

It is expected that the NLDF will start to receive funds from the early 2020s through land development and sales in the Olympic Park. Scottish good causes will benefit from their portion of this reimbursed funding.

All countries of the UK contributed to the funding of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The initial £410m National Lottery contribution, outlined in the Games bid, was supplemented with a further £675m borrowed as part of the increased Olympic budget. The total transfer from the National Lottery Distribution Fund was £1,085m.

An estimated £114m (taken from across both the £410m and £675m amounts) was the share given by Lottery programmes in Scotland. This includes amounts transferred from distributors operating wholly in Scotland, and notional amounts allocated to Scotland by UK-wide distributors.

Universal Credit guidance is routinely published in the House of Commons’ Library. Guidance is themed by topic and work areas; within these instructions the role of the journal is outlined, including how and when it should be used for messaging claimants.

Journal entries can be deleted in specific circumstances, including where messages are addressed to the wrong claimant, personal or sensitive information has been added, or an incorrect letter has been uploaded. However, as stated in my response to Question 134451, claimants should receive an explanation to explain any changes to their journal messages. There are exceptions to providing explanation of amendments which can apply if it would be inappropriate to do so due to a claimant’s personal circumstances.

There are no plans to reintroduce the suspension of conditionality and related sanctions for the January 2021 lockdown. Work Coaches will continue to work with claimants to ensure claimant commitments are reasonable for claimants’ circumstances, and allows them to continue to adhere to Covid-19 public health advice.

The Pilot remains suspended as the Department continues to focus on delivering its part of the Government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 allow the Department to pilot moving claimants to Universal Credit from legacy benefits. Prior to its suspension, the emphasis of the pilot was not to focus on the number of people moved, but to assist with developing the design of the Move to UC service and its processes, to provide the best possible support for claimants who are moved to Universal Credit.

The Pilot remains suspended as the Department continues to focus on delivering its part of the Government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 allow the Department to pilot moving claimants to Universal Credit from legacy benefits. Prior to its suspension, the emphasis of the pilot was not to focus on the number of people moved, but to assist with developing the design of the Move to UC service and its processes, to provide the best possible support for claimants who are moved to Universal Credit.

There were 2153 Subject Access Requests received by DWP during January 2020; and those generated 979 contribution requests. We cannot immediately identify which of those 979 requests included Universal Credit records, as to gather this information would require manual intervention on each of the 979 cases. This could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

Work Coaches and Case Managers are prevented from amending or deleting Universal Credit journal entries made by a claimant.

Staff members can retrospectively amend information they have posted to the Universal Credit journal, however claimants should receive an explanation to justify the amendment.

The Pensions Act 2007 increased State Pension age to 68 between 2044-46.

A general Regulatory Impact Assessment was conducted for the Pension Act 2007. It did not look at specific professions.

Government committed in legislation to undertake a review of State Pension age every six years, which means that the statutory deadline for the publication of the next Government review is 2023.

The Money and Pensions Service publishes data on pension wise appointments across 2019-2020 here:

https://moneyandpensionsservice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Pension-Wise-Service-Evaluation-report-2019-2020.pdf and notes there were over 97k face to face and around 62k telephone appointments.

The Money and Pensions Service publishes data on pension wise appointments across 2019-2020 here:

https://moneyandpensionsservice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Pension-Wise-Service-Evaluation-report-2019-2020.pdf and notes there were over 97k face to face and around 62k telephone appointments.

The Money and Pensions Service publishes data on pension wise appointments across 2019-2020 here:

https://moneyandpensionsservice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Pension-Wise-Service-Evaluation-report-2019-2020.pdf and notes there were over 97k face to face and around 62k telephone appointments.

As part of the eligibility criteria for income related benefits claimants need to have a legal right to reside and factual habitual residence. When eligibility needs to be determined, evidence is gathered and an assessment made through the Habitual Residence Test.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The table below gives the number of UC claim closures due to a claimant failing the Habitual Residence Test (HRT) and the monthly percentage share of all UC claim declarations on a monthly basis from March 2018 to November 2020.

The Department only holds the requested information for Habitual Residence Tests (HRT) completed by Universal Credit (UC) full service claimants for the time period requested.

Notes:

1. We have taken the cohort of declarations and found the closures due to failing HRT within that cohort, as opposed to grouping by closure date.
2. Figures are for households on UC, either couple or single claims, and does not represent the number of individuals within the household.
3. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
4. Please note that percentages have been rounded to the nearest 0.1% and may not sum due to rounding.
5. Figures cover claims in Great Britain only.

The table below gives the total number of Habitual Residence Tests (HRT) completed by Universal Credit (UC) full service claimants since March 2018, the total number of UC claims that were declared in the same months, and the proportion of these UC claims where a HRT was completed.

The Department only holds information on the Habitual Residence Tests (HRT) completed by Universal Credit (UC) full service claimants for the time period requested.

Table Notes:

1. All figures are rounded to 100. The proportion of UC claims where a HRT was completed (%) is calculated using the unrounded figures.
2. Data on claims made to UC are for Great Britain only. HRTs completed are for Great Britain only.
3. The UC HRT statistics are taken from Management Information on UC Full Service claims and do not include Live Service claims for which HRT data is not available.
4. The statistics on claims made to UC are taken from the UC Official Statistics in the ‘Claims made to Universal Credit’ table on the DWP Stat-Xplore portal.
5. The month used in this table is the month in which the UC claim was declared.
6. The HRT UC full service data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The HRT data should therefore be treated with caution.

No – and there are no plans to publish the Equality Impact assessment as it is a return to existing legislation.

Government is committed to safeguarding the savings of consumers based in the UK and people living overseas with UK based savings. Although the majority of transfers are to safe destinations there are still fraudsters who try to entice individuals to transfer to schemes for the purposes of relieving them of their pension savings.

To help protect people from pension scams, clause 125 in the Pensions Schemes Bill 2020 will allow government to introduce measures to limit the statutory right to transfer. The clause achieves many things and reference is made to all the parliamentary responses on this topic for the details. However, in summary:

1. it introduces in legislation provisions that require members to provide evidence of an employment link or, if transferring abroad, residency before a statutory transfer can take place; and

2. it will remove the right to transfer if certain circumstances (red flags) are identified by the trustee or scheme administrator. For other prescribed circumstances people will be required to confirm they have received information or taken guidance about the risk of scams before a transfer can proceed. We are and will continue to work with industry and regulators to identify these circumstances. This means that trustees will have the power to refuse a transfer if the red flags occur or an individual has not taken guidance. The regulator will oversee the operation of these new requirements.

Regulators and trustees also have a broader role to play in scam prevention. The Pension Regulator, Financial Conduct Authority, and Money Advice and Pension Service issued information on 7 April pointing to the actions members should seek to take to safeguard against becoming victims of scams. Additional guidance was issued to trustees, and providers from both The Financial Conduct Authority and the Pensions Regulator to support them to produce suitable communications during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Please see links below for more information about the joint statement from Regulators and the Money Advice Service, and help available, produced by the Pension Protection Fund and supported by government.

https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/covid-19-savers-stay-calm-dont-rush-financial-decisions

https://www.ppf.co.uk/sites/default/files/file-2020-05/COVID-19-and-your-pension.pdf

In addition, the Government, working with the regulators and the Money and Pension Service, has been communicating with pension savers to alert them to the risk of scams in the current climate. DWP continues to communicate regularly on social media about the warning signs of a scam.

We have adopted an approach that not only safeguards against pension scams but assists all pension savers seeking to access their pensions.

For all pension savers aged 50 and over, in the lead up to accessing their pension savings, our aim is to support them make informed choices about their retirement income. We are therefore committed to replicating measures introduced by the FCA for contract based schemes for occupational pension schemes and requiring trustees to provide information to pensions savers from the age of 50, in a simpler format, to encourage savers to think about their retirement savings, choices and raise awareness of Pension Wise.

We want to encourage savers to take appropriate guidance via Pension Wise when they apply to access savings. We want to present taking guidance or advice as a natural part of the journey when individuals access their pension savings. We are working with the FCA on rules that would require managers of private pension schemes to Introduce parallel provisions.

The Government is committed to safeguarding consumer savings and continues to raise public awareness of scams through ongoing communications directly from DWP and with other organisations.

DWP continues to communicate regularly on social media to set out the warning signs of a scam and has made multiple posts referencing Pension Scams and #ScamSmart in total across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in the period March to September 2020.

In addition, Pensions Dashboards will help more people actively manage their pension savings and plan for their retirement, and this will include making decisions about pension consolidation, particularly for deferred defined contribution pots. Initial dashboards will enable a user to find and view their pension savings in one place. Future functionality will be informed by user research and testing, and consumer protection will be a primary concern in this decision making.

Government is committed to safeguarding the savings of consumers based in the UK and people living overseas with UK based savings. Although the majority of transfers are to safe destinations there are still fraudsters who try to entice individuals to transfer to schemes for the purposes of relieving them of their pension savings.

To help protect people from pension scams, clause 125 in the Pensions Schemes Bill 2020 will allow government to introduce measures to limit the statutory right to transfer. The clause achieves many things and reference is made to all the parliamentary responses on this topic for the details. However, in summary:

1. it introduces in legislation provisions that require members to provide evidence of an employment link or, if transferring abroad, residency before a statutory transfer can take place; and

2. it will remove the right to transfer if certain circumstances (red flags) are identified by the trustee or scheme administrator. For other prescribed circumstances people will be required to confirm they have received information or taken guidance about the risk of scams before a transfer can proceed. We are and will continue to work with industry and regulators to identify these circumstances. This means that trustees will have the power to refuse a transfer if the red flags occur or an individual has not taken guidance. The regulator will oversee the operation of these new requirements.

Regulators and trustees also have a broader role to play in scam prevention. The Pension Regulator, Financial Conduct Authority, and Money Advice and Pension Service issued information on 7 April pointing to the actions members should seek to take to safeguard against becoming victims of scams. Additional guidance was issued to trustees, and providers from both The Financial Conduct Authority and the Pensions Regulator to support them to produce suitable communications during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Please see links below for more information about the joint statement from Regulators and the Money Advice Service, and help available, produced by the Pension Protection Fund and supported by government.

https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/covid-19-savers-stay-calm-dont-rush-financial-decisions

https://www.ppf.co.uk/sites/default/files/file-2020-05/COVID-19-and-your-pension.pdf

In addition, the Government, working with the regulators and the Money and Pension Service, has been communicating with pension savers to alert them to the risk of scams in the current climate. DWP continues to communicate regularly on social media about the warning signs of a scam.

We have adopted an approach that not only safeguards against pension scams but assists all pension savers seeking to access their pensions.

For all pension savers aged 50 and over, in the lead up to accessing their pension savings, our aim is to support them make informed choices about their retirement income. We are therefore committed to replicating measures introduced by the FCA for contract based schemes for occupational pension schemes and requiring trustees to provide information to pensions savers from the age of 50, in a simpler format, to encourage savers to think about their retirement savings, choices and raise awareness of Pension Wise.

We want to encourage savers to take appropriate guidance via Pension Wise when they apply to access savings. We want to present taking guidance or advice as a natural part of the journey when individuals access their pension savings. We are working with the FCA on rules that would require managers of private pension schemes to Introduce parallel provisions.

The Government is committed to safeguarding consumer savings and continues to raise public awareness of scams through ongoing communications directly from DWP and with other organisations.

DWP continues to communicate regularly on social media to set out the warning signs of a scam and has made multiple posts referencing Pension Scams and #ScamSmart in total across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in the period March to September 2020.

In addition, Pensions Dashboards will help more people actively manage their pension savings and plan for their retirement, and this will include making decisions about pension consolidation, particularly for deferred defined contribution pots. Initial dashboards will enable a user to find and view their pension savings in one place. Future functionality will be informed by user research and testing, and consumer protection will be a primary concern in this decision making.

This government is committed to safeguarding consumer savings. DWP, and other departments, have introduced measures that assist all savers to understand their choices and the possible risks of the choices they make, along with legislation to protect those most vulnerable to scams. This includes the ban on cold calling, which was introduced January 2019. Further action is being taken legislatively and operationally.

To help protect people from pension scams, clause 125 in the Pension Schemes Bill is being introduced, following extensive consultation and debate. It will allow government to introduce measures to limit the statutory right to transfer.

The Bill will ensure that a range of consumer protections will apply to all pension savers, regardless of what avenue, such as online or via social media, is used by potential scammers to contact them with regards to their pension savings. The powers in this Bill will enable government in certain circumstances (red flags) to remove the statutory right to transfer. The Government is working cross department and with industry & regulators to determine red flags including the use of online channels to make contact with pension savers.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), plays a key role in protecting the UK from cybercrime and fraud. The NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence (ACD) programme tackles cyber-attacks in an automated and scalable way, to improve national resilience. This includes a takedown service which searches for and identifies malicious websites. Where found, it removes them at source so they cannot cause further harm to the public.

To complement the ACD programme, the NCSC recently launched the Suspicious Email Reporting Service, which allows the public to flag suspicious emails to the NCSC simply by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk. They are then analysed and malicious content is taken down where found.

The Government continues to raise public awareness of scams through ongoing communications directly from DWP and with other organisations. Joint and independent communications from the FCA and tPR spelling out the dangers, what to watch out for and giving clarity to trustees and providers on the boundaries between guidance and advice have been issued since April this year (https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/covid-19-savers-stay-calm-dont-rush-financial-decisions(opens in a new tab)). Prior to Covid-19 the FCA and tPR conducted regular campaigns, through the ScamSmart branding, to raise awareness of pension scams and what to watch out for, these have been deemed very successful, over 222,000 visited the ScamSmart website to find out how to identify a scam scheme as a result of the most recent pre Covid campaign, July – November 2019.

DWP continues to communicate regularly on social media to set out the warning signs of a scam and has made multiple posts referencing Pension Scams and #ScamSmart in total across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in the period March to September 2020.

This government is committed to safeguarding consumer savings. DWP, and other departments, have introduced measures that assist all savers to understand their choices and the possible risks of the choices they make, along with legislation to protect those most vulnerable to scams. This includes the ban on cold calling, which was introduced January 2019. Further action is being taken legislatively and operationally.

To help protect people from pension scams, clause 125 in the Pension Schemes Bill is being introduced, following extensive consultation and debate. It will allow government to introduce measures to limit the statutory right to transfer.

The Bill will ensure that a range of consumer protections will apply to all pension savers, regardless of what avenue, such as online or via social media, is used by potential scammers to contact them with regards to their pension savings. The powers in this Bill will enable government in certain circumstances (red flags) to remove the statutory right to transfer. The Government is working cross department and with industry & regulators to determine red flags including the use of online channels to make contact with pension savers.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), plays a key role in protecting the UK from cybercrime and fraud. The NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence (ACD) programme tackles cyber-attacks in an automated and scalable way, to improve national resilience. This includes a takedown service which searches for and identifies malicious websites. Where found, it removes them at source so they cannot cause further harm to the public.

To complement the ACD programme, the NCSC recently launched the Suspicious Email Reporting Service, which allows the public to flag suspicious emails to the NCSC simply by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk. They are then analysed and malicious content is taken down where found.

The Government continues to raise public awareness of scams through ongoing communications directly from DWP and with other organisations. Joint and independent communications from the FCA and tPR spelling out the dangers, what to watch out for and giving clarity to trustees and providers on the boundaries between guidance and advice have been issued since April this year (https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/covid-19-savers-stay-calm-dont-rush-financial-decisions(opens in a new tab)). Prior to Covid-19 the FCA and tPR conducted regular campaigns, through the ScamSmart branding, to raise awareness of pension scams and what to watch out for, these have been deemed very successful, over 222,000 visited the ScamSmart website to find out how to identify a scam scheme as a result of the most recent pre Covid campaign, July – November 2019.

DWP continues to communicate regularly on social media to set out the warning signs of a scam and has made multiple posts referencing Pension Scams and #ScamSmart in total across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in the period March to September 2020.

This government is committed to safeguarding consumer savings. DWP, and other departments, have introduced measures that assist all savers to understand their choices and the possible risks of the choices they make, along with legislation to protect those most vulnerable to scams. This includes the ban on cold calling, which was introduced January 2019. Further action is being taken legislatively and operationally.

To help protect people from pension scams, clause 125 in the Pension Schemes Bill is being introduced, following extensive consultation and debate. It will allow government to introduce measures to limit the statutory right to transfer.

The Bill will ensure that a range of consumer protections will apply to all pension savers, regardless of what avenue, such as online or via social media, is used by potential scammers to contact them with regards to their pension savings. The powers in this Bill will enable government in certain circumstances (red flags) to remove the statutory right to transfer. The Government is working cross department and with industry & regulators to determine red flags including the use of online channels to make contact with pension savers.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), plays a key role in protecting the UK from cybercrime and fraud. The NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence (ACD) programme tackles cyber-attacks in an automated and scalable way, to improve national resilience. This includes a takedown service which searches for and identifies malicious websites. Where found, it removes them at source so they cannot cause further harm to the public.

To complement the ACD programme, the NCSC recently launched the Suspicious Email Reporting Service, which allows the public to flag suspicious emails to the NCSC simply by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk. They are then analysed and malicious content is taken down where found.

The Government continues to raise public awareness of scams through ongoing communications directly from DWP and with other organisations. Joint and independent communications from the FCA and tPR spelling out the dangers, what to watch out for and giving clarity to trustees and providers on the boundaries between guidance and advice have been issued since April this year (https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/covid-19-savers-stay-calm-dont-rush-financial-decisions(opens in a new tab)). Prior to Covid-19 the FCA and tPR conducted regular campaigns, through the ScamSmart branding, to raise awareness of pension scams and what to watch out for, these have been deemed very successful, over 222,000 visited the ScamSmart website to find out how to identify a scam scheme as a result of the most recent pre Covid campaign, July – November 2019.

DWP continues to communicate regularly on social media to set out the warning signs of a scam and has made multiple posts referencing Pension Scams and #ScamSmart in total across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in the period March to September 2020.

This information is not available.

The most recent poverty statistics for pensioners are derived from the 2018/19 Family Resources Survey (FRS) so would not cover the impact of the covid-19 pandemic. As the FRS sample is drawn from random UK addresses it does not provide information on those living overseas.

The Government recognises the vital role that all key workers including health and social care workers continue to play.

Universal Credit (UC) is designed to ensure that people are better off in work by reducing their UC by less than they are earning. Bonuses are treated as earnings in Universal Credit and the taper is applied when the UC award is calculated.

The Government has no plans to change its policy on uprating UK State Pensions overseas. This is a longstanding policy which has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years.

The Government is committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with the dignity and respect they deserve. The State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people.

The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions. It is based on a person’s National Insurance record without regard to nationality.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Benefit statistics for Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Department for Communities:

https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/topics/benefits-statistics

As you will be aware, at the Budget in March the Government published, jointly with the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA), a consultation on reform to Retail Prices Index (RPI) Methodology. The consultation sought views on whether UKSA’s proposal to reform RPI should be implemented at a date other than 2030, and if so, when between 2025 and 2030. As part of the consultation, the Government invited views on matters including how the holders of the Government’s issues of index-linked gilts, all of which use RPI as their reference rate, will be affected by the implementation of reform.

The consultation closed on 21 August, since when the Government has been considering the responses to the consultation. The potential effect of the proposed reform is a matter for HMT, which is the lead government department. The Government and UKSA’s response to the consultation will be published alongside the Spending Review on 25 November.

All of our assessment providers are advised to consider the needs of claimants when arranging assessment appointments. If a claimant believes they may have difficulties attending their appointment or that they need additional support, the claimant should discuss this with their provider as soon as possible, using the contact details on their appointment letter.

We are aware that for some claimants, particularly those with certain health conditions or disabilities, it may not be possible or appropriate to carry out assessments over the telephone. Where it is not possible to carry out a Personal Independence Payment telephone assessment, a decision will be made based on all the evidence available to ensure any payment is not delayed. For Work Capability Assessments, claimants will remain on their current award until we gather the evidence needed to make a recommendation or are able to conduct a face to face assessment, or until their benefit is due to end (new-style ESA).

The information requested is not held.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, and the significant increase in the Universal Credit caseload to 5.7 million, the decision was taken to temporarily suspend the Move to UC pilot in the area served by Harrogate Jobcentre, as part of the Government’s wider and ongoing response to the pandemic.

The Department successfully completed the rollout of Universal Credit in December 2018 and it is available in every Jobcentre across the country.

Universal Credit has stood up to the challenge of the COVID-19, whereas the previous legacy benefit system would have buckled under the pressure, with millions of people able to access welfare which is fairer and more generous. The application process is deliberately designed to be as quick and easy as possible, so that claimants receive money at the earliest opportunity. Universal Credit is a predominantly digital service, ensuring we make best use of technology to deliver a modern and effective working-age welfare system, allowing our staff to concentrate on those people who require additional support

Natural migrations to Universal Credit occur when a legacy benefit claimant has a change of circumstances that means that they need to make a new claim for support. In these cases, they will claim Universal Credit rather than a legacy benefit. As natural migrations only occur when a claimant’s circumstances change, the Department cannot and does not plan such moves.

Severe Disability Premium transitional payments are part of the wider transitional protection framework and it has always been the intention to convert Severe Disability Premium transitional payments into a transitional element as soon as we had developed the capability to do so safely and effectively. This ensures fair and equal treatment for all people receiving a transitional element. When the Severe Disability Premium transitional payment is converted to a transitional element the flat rate payment will be the same amount and will be included in the Universal Credit award.

To receive the Warm Home Discount, Pension Credit customers must be in receipt of the Pension Credit Guarantee Credit element, be named on the account and their supplier must participate in the scheme.

DWP matches Pension Credit data with data provided by energy suppliers participating in the Warm Home Discount Scheme in accordance with the scheme’s July qualifying date. Where a match is confirmed, a notification is issued by DWP to the energy supplier for the rebate to be applied automatically.

In some instances, a match is not confirmed and for those Pension Credit customers a letter is sent asking them to contact the Freephone Warm Home Discount Scheme Helpline [0800 917 1003] to see if they qualify.

No assessments have been made.

To receive the Warm Home Discount, Pension Credit customers must be in receipt of the Pension Credit Guarantee Credit element, be named on the account and their supplier must participate in the scheme.

DWP matches Pension Credit data with data provided by energy suppliers participating in the Warm Home Discount Scheme in accordance with the scheme’s July qualifying date. Where a match is confirmed, a notification is issued by DWP to the energy supplier for the rebate to be applied automatically.

In some instances, a match is not confirmed and for those Pension Credit customers a letter is sent asking them to contact the Freephone Warm Home Discount Scheme Helpline [0800 917 1003] to see if they qualify.

The Government now provides more support than ever before to help parents with the costs of childcare, including providing 15 hours a week of free childcare in England for all 3 and 4 year olds and disadvantaged 2 year olds, and doubling free childcare available for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours a week.

Parents already have access to more generous support for childcare costs through Universal Credit than via the legacy system. Working families can claim up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs each month up to a maximum support of £646.35 per month for one child and £1,108.04 per month for two or more children.

The childcare costs element is available to all lone parents and couples who are in receipt of Universal Credit, for relevant childcare provided, when both members are in paid work, regardless of the number of hours they work within their assessment period.

Help with upfront childcare costs for starting work is available through a non-repayable Flexible Support Fund (FSF) award for eligible UC claimants up to the limits set. This does not apply for claimants already in work. We have issued guidance to Work Coaches in Jobcentres to ensure that eligible claimants, who require help with upfront childcare costs in order to start work, are directed to the governments FSF.

The Government now provides more support than ever before to help parents with the costs of childcare, including providing 15 hours a week of free childcare in England for all 3 and 4 year olds and disadvantaged 2 year olds, and doubling free childcare available for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours a week.

Parents already have access to more generous support for childcare costs through Universal Credit than via the legacy system. Working families can claim up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs each month up to a maximum support of £646.35 per month for one child and £1,108.04 per month for two or more children.

The childcare costs element is available to all lone parents and couples who are in receipt of Universal Credit, for relevant childcare provided, when both members are in paid work, regardless of the number of hours they work within their assessment period.

Help with upfront childcare costs for starting work is available through a non-repayable Flexible Support Fund (FSF) award for eligible UC claimants up to the limits set. This does not apply for claimants already in work. We have issued guidance to Work Coaches in Jobcentres to ensure that eligible claimants, who require help with upfront childcare costs in order to start work, are directed to the governments FSF.

Universal Credit is committed to helping parents prepare for work, move into work and stay in work.

Work coaches have the ability to tailor the frequency and type of face-to-face support they offer to the needs of each lone parent or lead carer. Generally, lone parents and lead carers need to prepare for work when their youngest child reaches age 2 and will be required to look for and be available for work when their youngest child is aged 3. Additional safeguards apply during this period and any work-related expectations will be limited to a maximum of 16 hours per week because they are caring for a pre-school age child. Those expected to look for work may limit the time they can spend travelling to and from work and have additional time to attend an interview or take up work so they can make childcare arrangements.

Flexible Support Fund (FSF) is a discretionary fund available for use by Jobcentre Plus Service Leaders and work coaches.

The fund has many uses and could be used to contribute to upfront childcare costs, but it’s core purpose is supporting our customers back into employment through the removal of barriers and funding innovative programmes which sit outside of our mainstream contracted provision.

We understand that this is a difficult time for people on low incomes and we’ve taken significant action to support those affected by Coronavirus, including through income protection schemes, mortgage holidays and additional support for renters. For those most in need we’ve injected more than £9 billion into the welfare system, which includes an increase to Universal Credit of up to £1,040 this financial year.

Distributional analysis published by HMT in July 2020 shows the Impact of Covid-19 on working household incomes. This publication shows that the lowest income decile of working households has seen no fall in income due to Government measures that have been put in place. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-of-covid-19-on-working-household-incomes-distributional-analysis-as-of-may-2020

Estimating the potential impact of individual policies on future levels of poverty is not possible as it would require making judgements about what will happen to every person’s income in the future and then also isolating potential changes in income due to the effect of specific policies on certain individuals. It is not possible to do this accurately as there is so much uncertainty involved in projecting incomes.

Estimating the potential impact of individual policies on future levels of poverty is not possible as it would require making judgements about what will happen to every person’s income in the future and then also isolating potential changes in income due to the effect of specific policies on certain individuals. It is not possible to do this accurately as there is so much uncertainty involved in projecting incomes.

To meet the unprecedented demand for benefits during the pandemic, and ongoing challenge to front line services that the Department for Work and Pensions has faced since the outbreak, from March 2020, of the approximate 6,800 Child Maintenance staff, 322 FTE (to date) have been transferred on a permanent basis to support benefit delivery. This means we can continue to support separated parents, as part of the departments wider efforts to provide financial support through the welfare system.

Child Maintenance Service are currently recruiting to provide backfill for the people who have been moved to support welfare delivery.

DWP is working across government and with regulators to monitor and respond to any increases in transfers or pension scams. To date, this monitoring has revealed little evidence to demonstrate an increase in either transfers or scams across the industry as a whole as confirmed by the independent regulator. This has been confirmed by responses from industry. The Government will continue to monitor and respond to any emerging evidence.

The Government established Project Bloom, a cross-government taskforce that brings together law enforcement, government and industry to share intelligence, raise awareness of and the reporting of scams through public communication campaigns, and take enforcement action where appropriate.

Please see links below for more information about the joint statement from Regulators and the Money Advice Service, and help available, produced by the Pension Protection Fund and supported by government.

https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/covid-19-savers-stay-calm-dont-rush-financial-decisions

https://www.ppf.co.uk/sites/default/files/file-2020-05/COVID-19-and-your-pension.pdf

The Government continues to work with Regulators and enforcement agencies to prevent scams and take appropriate action. In the period March - July 2020, 116 reports of possible pension fraud were received by Action Fraud, compared to 179 for the same period in 2019.

Project Bloom has identified that the methodology of scammers is continually evolving, moving away from the traditional type of theft of peoples pensions through setting up a sham scheme, towards investment related fraud. Investment related fraud includes persuading individuals to invest in ventures that do not exist or using multiple charging structures that the member is not aware of.

DWP works with other government departments, regulators, police, enforcement agencies and the pensions industry to raise public awareness of pension scams and encourage the reporting of scams by victims. The Government established Project Bloom, a cross-government taskforce that brings together law enforcement, government and industry to share intelligence, raise awareness of and the reporting of scams through public communication campaigns, and take enforcement action where appropriate.

Project Bloom monitors the evolution of scam typology and the measures that all agencies including providers and financial professionals can take to help prevent scams.

The Government continues to drive forward and endorse better messaging from both TPR and FCA to the public and industry on how to identify a scam. Government helped facilitate and supported the joint statement by regulators at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, urging individuals not to make hasty pension decisions.

https://www.ppf.co.uk/sites/default/files/2020-05/COVID-19-and-your-pension.pdf.

https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/media-hub/press-releases/2020-press-releases/covid-19-savers-stay-calm-and-dont-rush-financial-decisions.

The Government is also using social media to further endorse the messaging from the regulators, with posts referencing Pension Scams and #ScamSmart in total across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in the period March to September 2020.

The ScamSmart campaign and website have been live since 2014. It started by focusing on just Investment Scams and has grown to incorporate Pension Scams. The aim of all the activity under the ScamSmart brand is to alert consumers to the warning signs that indicate a possible scam is taking place and to drive action, getting consumers to use the FCA Warning List tool and the Register. The national media campaign which ran from July to November 2019 resulted in excess of 220,000 people visiting the website.

The number of Paying Parents who have paid Child Maintenance are published quarterly. The latest published figures for Child Maintenance Service (CMS) are up the end of March 2020 and can be found on Stat-Xplore here:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance on how to extract information from Stat-Xplore can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Information on the number of CMS ‘Collect & Pay’ arrangements for which no payments were made in the quarter can be found by selecting the “Service Type and Paying Status” variable in the “Child Maintenance Service” dataset. Please note that arrangements listed as “Collect & Pay, Not Paying” include some arrangements for which no maintenance was due.

Alternatively, Table 8: Paying Parents Compliance, in the National tables of the CMS official statistics, gives the number of Paying Parents who were due to pay some Child Maintenance each quarter and the number of those who paid some maintenance. The latest statistics to the end of March 2020 are published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-march-2020-experimental

Statistics containing data to the end of June 2020 will not be available until the next publication, due on 30 September 2020.

This government is committed to safeguarding consumer savings. We have introduced, with other departments, measures that assist all savers to understand their choices and the possible risks of the choices they make along with legislation to protect those most vulnerable to scams.

There is currently no information available about pension unauthorised payments since the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak. This is because administrators of a registered pension scheme must tell HMRC when certain reportable events occur; reportable events include unauthorised payments. The scheme administrator does this by completing and submitting an Event Report for a tax year, these must be received by HMRC by the 31^st of January after the end of the tax year to which the Event Report relates. Therefore, reports for the period March to date are not available.

The data available from the industry has so far revealed little evidence of an increase in transfers or scams since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak. Similarly, independent regulators report less of a problem. We will continue to monitor and assess if there has been any increase in pension scams activity as a result of the crisis.

The Government is committed to safeguarding consumer savings. The Government is raising public awareness of scams through ongoing communications directly from DWP and with other organisations.

Joint and independent communications from the FCA and tPR spelling out the dangers, what to watch out for and giving clarity to trustees and providers on the boundaries between guidance and advice have been issued since April this year (https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/covid-19-savers-stay-calm-dont-rush-financial-decisions). Prior to Covid-19 the FCA and tPR conducted regular campaigns, through the ScamSmart branding, to raise awareness of pension scams and what to watch out for, these have been deemed very successful, over 222,000 visited the ScamSmart website to find out how to identify a scam scheme as a result of the most recent pre Covid campaign, July – November 2019.

In addition, Government is actively monitoring the numbers of transfers and scams and preparing further policy responses. At the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, the Department convened a cross-government and regulator group to closely monitor and respond to any increase in transfers and scams. The group includes DWP, HMT, both the Pensions Regulator and the FCA as well as the Money and Pensions Service and the Pension Ombudsman. All of the participating organisations have confirmed that to date no evidence has emerged of an increase in either transfers or scams, based on their internal monitoring of the industry.

DWP continues to communicate regularly on social media to set out the warning signs of a scam and has made multiple posts referencing Pension Scams and #ScamSmart in total across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in the period March to September 2020.

The Pension Schemes Bill was amended by Government in the House of Lords to add to the example conditions that can be placed on the statutory right to transfer by regulations. This amendment makes it explicit that the regulations can require that in certain circumstances the member demonstrates they have taken information or guidance before the transfer can proceed to ensure they are informed of the risks.

The Government wants to support all pension savers aged 50 and over in the lead up to accessing their pension savings, to make informed choices about their retirement income, which includes making them aware of Pension Wise through communications from their pension scheme trustees. We intend introducing Single page summary and single page risk warnings from age 50 and then every 5 years until the point they access their pension savings.

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) conducted trials to establish different ways to encourage more people to take Pension Wise guidance before accessing their pension savings under Pension Freedoms. These trials found that a nudge developed using behavioural science principles significantly increased take-up of Pension Wise guidance among those wishing to access their pension savings under pension freedoms. The evaluation report was published in July 2020. We are working to develop the most effective and proportionate way to implement this nudge to pension guidance. We intend to publish our proposed way forward shortly.

In addition we have banned cold calling and seek to provide and prosecute and publicise the convinction of all who comitt pension scams.

Between 1 March 2020 and 24 September 2020, the number of Pension Wise guidance sessions booked totalled 69,815.

The Government is committed to safeguarding consumer savings. The Government is raising public awareness of scams through ongoing communications directly from DWP and with other organisations.

Joint and independent communications from the FCA and tPR spelling out the dangers, what to watch out for and giving clarity to trustees and providers on the boundaries between guidance and advice have been issued since April this year. Prior to Covid-19 the FCA and tPR conducted regular campaigns, through the ScamSmart branding, to raise awareness of pension scams and what to watch out for, these have been deemed very successful, over 222,000 visited the ScamSmart website to find out how to identify a scam scheme as a result of the most recent pre Covid campaign, July – November 2019.

In addition, Government is actively monitoring the numbers of transfers and scams and preparing further policy responses. At the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, the Department convened a cross-government and regulator group to closely monitor and respond to any increase in transfers and scams. The group includes DWP, HMT, both the Pensions Regulator and the FCA as well as the Money and Pensions Service and the Pension Ombudsman. All of the participating organisations have confirmed that to date no evidence has emerged of an increase in either transfers or scams, based on their internal monitoring of the industry.

Please see links below for more information about the joint statement from Regulators and the Money Advice Service, and help available, produced by the Pension Protection Fund and supported by government.

https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/covid-19-savers-stay-calm-dont-rush-financial-decisions

https://www.ppf.co.uk/sites/default/files/file-2020-05/COVID-19-and-your-pension.pdf

DWP continues to communicate regularly on social media to set out the warning signs of a scam and has made 18 posts referencing Pension Scams and #ScamSmart in total across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in the period March to September 2020.

The Pension Schemes Bill was amended in the House of Lords to add to the example conditions that can be placed on the statutory right to transfer by regulations. This amendment makes it explicit that the regulations can require that in certain circumstances the member demonstrates they have taken information or guidance before the transfer can proceed to ensure they are informed of the risks.

The Government wants to support all pension savers aged 50 and over in the lead up to accessing their pension savings, to make informed choices about their retirement income, which includes making them aware of Pension Wise through communications from their pension scheme trustees. We intend introducing Single page summary and single page risk warnings from age 50 and then every 5 years until the point they access their pension savings.

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) conducted trials to establish different ways to encourage more people to take Pension Wise guidance before accessing their pension savings under Pension Freedoms. These trials found that a nudge developed using behavioural science principles significantly increased take-up of Pension Wise guidance among those wishing to access their pension savings under pension freedoms. The evaluation report was published in July 2020. We are working to develop the most effective and proportionate way to implement this nudge to pension guidance. We intend to publish our proposed way forward shortly.

We will continue to work collaboratively with organisations and regulators to look at all interventions which can better protect savers.

Work Coach recruitment commenced in June with an initial cross government campaign and followed by a further 12 targeted external campaigns at the beginning of July. Additional external campaigns will be launched on Wednesday 9 September with further adverts launching on a weekly basis over the following 4 weeks.

Over 300 new work coaches have now started and our plans will see over 4500 start by 31 October with a further 9000 starting by 31 March 2021.

DWP continues to evaluate its existing estates capacity and explore options for new, temporary, premises to enable it to respond to the increased demand for its services across the UK. Parliament will be updated once firm decisions are made on any new premises.

The Department continues to review both the new and ongoing demand for its services, alongside the requirements for additional office space, to ensure it can cater for the current increase in demand and accommodate new Work Coaches in line with Covid-19 social distancing measures. Parliament will be updated once firm decisions are made on any new premises.

The Department continues to review both the new and ongoing demand for its services, alongside the requirements for additional office space, to ensure it can cater for the current increase in demand and accommodate new Work Coaches in line with Covid-19 social distancing measures. Parliament will be updated once firm decisions are made on any new premises.

The Department continues to review both the new and ongoing demand for its services, alongside the requirements for additional office space, to ensure it can cater for the current increase in demand and accommodate new Work Coaches in line with Covid-19 social distancing measures. Parliament will be updated once firm decisions are made on any new premises.

The Department continues to review both the new and ongoing demand for its services, alongside the requirements for additional office space, to ensure it can cater for the current increase in demand and accommodate new Work Coaches in line with Covid-19 social distancing measures. Parliament will be updated once firm decisions are made on any new premises.

No-one has to wait for a payment under Universal Credit (UC).

UC offers tailored financial support which dynamically adapts following each monthly assessment period, reflecting actual household circumstances. A non-repayable advance, or grant, would provide assistance to those in no immediate financial need and may encourage inappropriate or fraudulent claims to UC.

The current system of advances allows new claimants to request additional support during their first assessment period where needed. Advances can be repaid over a year, allowing new claimants to receive 13 payments during that period instead of 12. Budgeting support is available for anyone who needs extra help managing their finances.

In the year prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, around 55-60 per cent of new claims took up an advance. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take-up has been broadly consistent over the last 12 months.

No-one has to wait for a payment under Universal Credit (UC).

UC offers tailored financial support which dynamically adapts following each monthly assessment period, reflecting actual household circumstances. A non-repayable advance, or grant, would provide assistance to those in no immediate financial need and may encourage inappropriate or fraudulent claims to UC.

The current system of advances allows new claimants to request additional support during their first assessment period where needed. Advances can be repaid over a year, allowing new claimants to receive 13 payments during that period instead of 12. Budgeting support is available for anyone who needs extra help managing their finances.

In the year prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, around 55-60 per cent of new claims took up an advance. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take-up has been broadly consistent over the last 12 months.

No-one has to wait for a payment under Universal Credit (UC).

UC offers tailored financial support which dynamically adapts following each monthly assessment period, reflecting actual household circumstances. A non-repayable advance, or grant, would provide assistance to those in no immediate financial need and may encourage inappropriate or fraudulent claims to UC.

The current system of advances allows new claimants to request additional support during their first assessment period where needed. Advances can be repaid over a year, allowing new claimants to receive 13 payments during that period instead of 12. Budgeting support is available for anyone who needs extra help managing their finances.

In the year prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, around 55-60 per cent of new claims took up an advance. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take-up has been broadly consistent over the last 12 months.

Work Allowances remain focussed on providing an additional work incentive for some of the more vulnerable claimants and are just one of many elements of Universal Credit designed to provide work incentives and support to people moving into and progressing in work.

The Government has made significant investment to improve Universal Credit’s generosity through the reduction in the taper rate from 65% to 63% in 2017, and an extra £1.7 billion a year put into Work Allowances by 2023/24, increasing them by £1,000 a year for working parents and disabled claimants, from April 2019 - an extra £630 a year in the pockets of 2.4 million of the lowest paid families.

We are currently evaluating how many new jobcentres we will need to respond to the economic consequences of the Covid pandemic. Further details will be provided to Parliament when our plans have been finalised.

DWP is currently evaluating the estates capacity needed to respond to the economic consequences of the pandemic, this is being done in line with recruitment, which is already underway. Whilst there may be a few exceptions, in general we expect that this will be new estate, rather than jobcentres where leases have been surrendered, as new estate will be easier to make Covid-secure. Further details will be provided to Parliament when our plans have been finalised.

We are currently evaluating the job centre network to ensure we can accommodate the new Work Coaches in a COVID-secure way.

We are currently evaluating the job centre network to ensure we can accommodate the new work coaches in a COVID-secure way.

We are currently evaluating the job centre network to ensure we can accommodate the new work coaches in a COVID-secure way.

With reference to the Chancellor’s summer economic update of 8 July, we are doubling the number of work coaches to 27,000 by March 2021. We shall recruit an additional 4500 work coaches required by October through a blend of cross-government promotion and external campaigns.

An Institute for Government report on Civil Service turnover, published last year, highlighted that overall turnover in large delivery departments such as DWP is much lower than other parts of the Civil Service, with a stable front-line workforce, in for example job centres.

In 2015, the Department secured additional pay flexibility that enabled us to begin to reform pay structures for grades AA to HEO. Over a 4-year period, 2016 through to 2019, pay increases above the limits set within the Civil Service pay guidance were provided, in exchange for AA to HEO employees agreeing to modernised terms and conditions to support the Department’s service transformation – the ‘Employee Deal’. The modernised terms and conditions, including improvements to working patterns and flexible working, enabled us to extend our operating and opening hours.

The work to modernise terms and conditions continues, further extending our operating and opening hours being one of the many things we are doing to modernise DWP, so that whenever customers need us we are able to provide a complete, end-to-end service that meets their needs as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an exceptional surge in demand for our services. In response, we have secured funding from HM Treasury to embark upon an exercise to recruit 13,500 work coaches in Jobcentre Plus before the end of this financial year.

The Universal Credit (UC) childcare offer remains the same and working families can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month. This can be claimed up to a month before starting a job. For families with two children this could be worth up to £13,000 a year.

Help with upfront childcare costs for starting work is available through a non-repayable Flexible Support Fund (FSF) award for eligible UC claimants. The FSF received an additional £150m this financial year to help support UC claimants to move closer to, or in to, work. Help with upfront costs for eligible UC claimants is available through Budgeting Advances

Under Universal Credit, working families can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month. This can be claimed up to a month before starting a job. For families with two children this could be worth up to £13,000 a year.

Help with upfront childcare costs for starting work is available through a non-repayable Flexible Support Fund (FSF) award for eligible UC claimants, with the FSF receiving an additional £150m this financial year to help support UC claimants to move closer to or in to work. Help with upfront costs for eligible UC claimants is available through Budgeting Advances.

With reference to the Chancellor’s summer economic update of 8 July and the doubling of the number of work coaches, the majority of these [13500] roles will be new posts.

Recruitment will be targeted based on local demand, plus current available and emerging estate space and Job Centre operating model changes.

Recruitment will be targeted based on local demand, plus current available and emerging estate space and Job Centre operating model changes.

It is too soon in the recruitment process to be able to identify how many of the new work coaches will be allocated to each devolved nation or constituency. However, Scotland plans to recruit c450 new work coaches between now and the end of October in the first wave of recruitment. Central England and Wales region will recruit c1200 new work coaches in the same time period, split between Central England and Wales. Further planned recruitment later in the year will grow these numbers.

The Department for Work and Pensions has been working closely with HM Treasury on Our Plan for Jobs, which builds on and bolsters the existing support offered by our Job Centre Plus network.

Our initial proposals shared with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and later announced at the Summer Economic Statement on 8 July include:

- Providing enhanced work search support by doubling the number of work coaches in Jobcentre Plus before the end of the financial year

- Plans to introduce a new Kickstart Scheme in Great Britain, a £2 billion fund to create hundreds of thousands of high quality 6-month work placements aimed at those aged 16-24 who are are deemed to be at risk of long-term unemployment.

- An Expanded Youth Offer which involves expanding and increase the intensive support offered by DWP in Great Britain to young jobseekers, to include all those aged 18-24 in the Intensive Work Search group in Universal Credit.

- Expansion of the Work and Health Programme to offer new support to those who lose their job as a result of COVID including introducing additional voluntary support for those on benefits that have been unemployed for more than 3 months.

- Plans to increase the funding for the Flexible Support Fund by £150 million including to increase the capacity of the Rapid Response Service. It will also provide local support to claimants by removing barriers to work such as travel expenses for attending interviews.

- Expanding Sector Based Work Academies directed at priority areas, e.g. construction, infrastructure and social care. The sector-based work academy scheme offers training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview to those ready to start a job.

- Job finding support service which involves providing £40 million to fund private sector capacity to introduce a job finding support service in Great Britain. This online, one-to-one service will help those who have been unemployed for less than three months to increase their chances of finding employment

Young people in particular can be at an additional disadvantage due to limited work experience. DWPs new youth offers will include a structured 13-week programme, during which they will be helped in their search for work and referred to the most appropriate support such as careers advice, a sector-based work academy, a traineeship, work experience, mentoring circles or an apprenticeship. Once they have completed this programme participants will be encouraged to take up work-related training or an apprenticeship. Young people who require further support will be referred to young people’s hubs and specialist employability coaches.

The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The available information on completed work capability assessments for Employment and Support Allowance, for January to March 2020 and April to June 2020 will be published in September 2020 and December 2020 respectively, on Stat-Xplore here:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) clearances made each month from April 2013 – April 2020 split by geographical area (local authority and parliamentary constituency) and by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) for both new claims and reassessed claims, can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html

The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The available information on completed work capability assessments for Employment and Support Allowance, for January to March 2020 and April to June 2020 will be published in September 2020 and December 2020 respectively, on Stat-Xplore here:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) clearances made each month from April 2013 – April 2020 split by geographical area (local authority and parliamentary constituency) and by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) for both new claims and reassessed claims, can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html

As has always been the case, our assessment providers will initially try to complete paper based assessments, where there is sufficient evidence to make a recommendation. If this is not the case, providers will currently look to offer a telephone assessment, where appropriate. We offer reasonable adjustments for claimants who may need additional support to engage in a telephone assessment. Face to face assessments remain suspended and we will continue to review this in line with the latest public health advice.

The information requested is not held.

All requirements in the Claimant Commitment will be set in discussions with claimants, who will take ownership of planning how they will meet the requirements and ultimately secure employment. These requirements will be agreed by both the work coach and claimant and will be reasonable taking into account current circumstances.

All requirements in the Claimant Commitment will be set in discussions with claimants, who will take ownership of planning how they will meet the requirements and ultimately secure employment. These requirements will be agreed by both the work coach and claimant and will be reasonable taking into account current circumstances.

From the 1^st July 2020, DWP has started reintroducing the requirement for claimants of UC, NS and Legacy JSA, and NS ESA to accept a claimant commitment as part of any new claim.

The reintroduction of the claimant commitment represents a return to business as usual, not a policy change and therefore has not required direct consultation.

The operation of these policies are reviewed through consultation with stakeholders on an ongoing basis. Stakeholders were updated and informed by DWP.

The Department holds the following evidence from surveys on this.

72% of claimants agreed that the potential for sanctions meant they were more likely to conduct work search – UC extended gateway evaluation 2015 (page 38 at the link below).

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/481865/universal-credit-extended-gateway-evaluation.pdf

Around 70% of JSA claimants and 60% of ESA claimants who were aware their benefit could be reduced / stopped, if they did not comply with certain conditions, felt they were more likely to follow the rules - The job centre plus offer final evaluation report, (page 28 at the link below).

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/261656/rrep852.pdf

The Department has also committed to doing an evaluation of the effectiveness of Universal Credit sanctions at supporting claimants to search for work in response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s report on benefit sanctions. The Department will look to publish this by the end of 2020

Yes – an equality analysis has been undertaken by the Department for Work and Pensions on the reinstatement of conditionality across affected benefits, and provided to the Secretary of State so she can fulfil her Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) responsibilities.

We have not commissioned any research on this. To better understand what drives food bank usage the department is currently undertaking a review of external literature, we plan to publish this review by the end of the summer.

No research has been undertaken or commissioned by the Department to see whether there is any potential link between the sanctions regime on the mental health and wellbeing of individuals.

We engage at a personal and individual level with all of our claimants and are committed to tailoring support for specific individual needs, including agreeing realistic and structured steps to encourage claimants into or towards the labour market. These conditionality requirements are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain appropriate for the claimant. This would include tailoring to reflect any mental health issues the claimant raised.

When considering whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities and any evidence of good reason, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted.

This cost is not available at this time as this case is not yet concluded.

The monthly Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure are fundamental parts of its design, mirroring how the majority of working people are paid. Assessment periods for Universal Credit start from the date of entitlement (date of claim) and each subsequent assessment period will begin on the same date of the month.

All claimants decide when to claim, and therefore can choose when to fix their assessment period commencement date.

The Department uses internal advances modelling which is based on inputs from the Department’s INFORM and Policy Simulation Models.

Costs estimated only include claimants who are deemed eligible for payment.

The Department uses internal advances modelling which is based on inputs from the Department’s INFORM and Policy Simulation Models.

Costs estimated only include claimants who are deemed eligible for payment.

The Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure are fundamental parts of the design and the current advance system works, and works quickly. It is not possible to award a Universal Credit payment as soon as a claim is made, as the assessment period must run its course before the award of Universal Credit can be calculated.

Advances are in place to ensure financial support is available to those in need as soon as possible, with most claimants able to request an advance of up to 100% of the monthly amount they are due to receive.

The Government notes this report and contents. It has introduced a suite of measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised which benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes, part of an injection to welfare worth over £6.5bn, include:

• making it easier to access benefits. Those applying for Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) who may have coronavirus, are self-isolating, or caring for a child (or qualifying young person) who falls into either of those categories, or individuals who have been advised to ’shield’ because they are at high risk of severe illness, will be entitled from day 1 of their claim – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessment. Both Universal Credit (UC) and ESA can now be claimed by phone or online;
• increasing the standard allowance of UC by up to £1,040 this year;
• temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed claimants;
• making Statutory Sick Pay available from day 1 – as opposed to day 4 - where an eligible individual is sick or self-isolating; and
• increasing in the Local Housing Allowance rates for UC and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the lowest 30% of local market rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.

These measures, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support by an advanced economy.

From 17 March 2020 we suspended all face-to-face assessments for sickness and disability benefits for three months to protect vulnerable people (and assessment centre staff) from unnecessary risk of exposure to COVID-19. The Department continues to refer new claims for a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) to our provider, CHDA. If it is not possible to complete an assessment based on the paper evidence, a WCA will be conducted, where possible, over the telephone.

We also announced that from 24 March 2020 we were suspending all new referrals for reviews and reassessments across disability benefits. However, where a claimant has reported a deterioration in their condition, we will refer them for a reassessment. Where possible we will also continue to process cases that have already been referred to our assessment provider.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 19 May to question number 45199.

DWP has redeployed over 8,000 staff on to critical frontline work, streamlined processes and increased the capacity of our IT systems to enable the Department to stand up to unprecedented levels of demand.

We do hold data on benefit processing times, and publish an annual view in the Annual Report and Accounts, which is published here: Annual Report and Accounts. We also publish data on key benefits such as Universal Credit payment timeliness, which is published here: Universal Credit 2013-2020 and on PIP processing times which is published here: PIP Statistics

The published guidance for people who live with someone who has been advised to shield is clear that other members of the household do not need to start shielding and that they should carefully follow guidance on social distancing. Since someone can follow guidance on social distancing and still work, it would not be appropriate to extend Statutory Sick Pay to them.

Ministers have met with the Committee and provided their evidence about the welfare system and the Department’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department will continue to work constructively with the Committee, including the responses it received in response to their claimant survey. The Department’s Ministers meet regularly with stakeholders to listen and hear about their experiences first hand.

Since mid-March, the Department has received 2.9 million individual declarations for Universal Credit claims. Despite that surge, the system is standing up to the challenge and demonstrating that resilience is part of its design, whilst maintaining levels of payment timeliness.

And, for those claimants who felt that they could not wait for their first routine payment, New Claim Advances are available online and by telephone, with the majority receiving money within 72 hours.

(During the coronavirus) The Department has prioritised ensuring people have the information they need to understand the benefits and employment support they may be eligible for, including launching a new website to help people navigate the range of support available and apply for it.

Although neither HMRC nor DWP can advise tax credit claimants whether they should claim UC, we have actively encouraged them to use benefit calculators to check their eligibility for Universal Credit before applying, and have explained that applying for UC will stop their tax credit claim. This includes adding information to HMRC’s Interactive Voice Response for people calling on the phone, and updating GOV.UK pages. We have used the DWP Twitter and Facebook channels to share messages for tax credit claimants, and used paid media to ensure we reach millions of people.

The information requested is not available.

The Department has prioritised ensuring people have the information they need to understand the benefits and employment support they may be eligible for, including launching a new microsite within the Understanding Universal Credit website to help people navigate the range of support available and apply for it.

Although neither HMRC nor DWP can advise tax credit claimants whether they should claim Universal Credit (UC), we have actively encouraged them to use benefit calculators to check their eligibility before applying and have explained that applying for UC will stop their tax credit claim. This includes adding information to HMRC’s Interactive Voice Response for people calling on the phone, as well as updating GOV.UK pages. We have used the DWP Twitter and Facebook channels to share messages for tax credit claimants, and used paid media to ensure we reach millions of people.

Nobody has to wait five weeks for a payment under Universal Credit. Advances are a mechanism for getting claimants faster access to their entitlement; allowing claimants to receive 13 payments over 12 months with up to 12 months to repay the advance.

New Claims Advances of up to 100% of potential entitlement are available if a claimant needs support during their first assessment period. Face-to-face checks for Universal Credit advances have been scrapped due to Covid-19, so people get the support they need despite COVID-19 restrictions.

The Government has already taken steps to help ease the burden of the repayment of advances.

We have reduced the maximum deduction from 40% to 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance. The Budget 2020 set out that the maximum level will be further reduced, so that standard deductions will not exceed 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance from October 2021.

The repayment time for advances has already been extended from 6 months to 12 months, and a further extension to 24 months from October 2021 was announced in the budget. Claimants can ask for repayments to be delayed for up to 3 months if they can’t afford them.

Any further changes to this policy would require significant system development at a time when all resources are rightly focused on processing new claims. We will continue to review our policies but have no further planned changes at this time

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Universal Credit system has demonstrated its resilience and ability to deal with large increase in applications, ensuring we provide financial help to those in need. Using technology and automation Universal Credit delivers a modern and effective working-age welfare system, allowing our staff to concentrate on those people who require additional support. This approach is currently allowing us to continue to process new applications online and by telephone without the need to visit a Jobcentre.

The most recent scheduled Universal Credit statistical release surrounding the caseload volume was on 21 April 2020: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/universal-credit-29-april-2013-to-12-march-2020

DWP has contingency plans in place that prioritise activities to protect payments to claimants and access to new claims when capacity is compromised.

Claimants who are self-isolating as a result of Covid-19 will have their mandatory work search and work availability requirements removed to account for a period of sickness.

Universal Credit is a modern, flexible, personalised benefit reflecting the rapidly changing world of work and replaces six outdated and complex benefits with one. It is simplifying the benefits system and making work pay. Monthly assessment periods align to the way the majority of people are paid and also allows Universal Credit to be adjusted each month. This means that if a claimant’s income falls, they will not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit.

The Government has made significant investment to improve work incentives including: the reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 65% to 63% in 2017, and an extra £1.7 billion a year put into work allowances for working parents and disabled claimants to increase them by £1,000 a year from April 2019. This is providing a boost to the incomes of the lowest paid and result in 2.4 million families keeping an extra £630 per year of what they earn.

We are committed to helping the most vulnerable to improve their life chances by tackling the root causes of poverty, and ensuring that children have the best possible start in life continue to reform the welfare system so that it promotes work as the most effective route out of poverty and is fairer towards those who receive it and the taxpayers who pay for it. We also want to identify opportunities to create a highly productive workforce, improving progression prospects for the lowest paid people so everyone has the right skills to meet the UK’s future demand.

The Department supports people to be self-employed when it is the right thing for them to do to be financially self-sufficient. Key to this is continuing to help claimants in, or considering, self-employment to progress to a level of sustained financial self-sufficiency that does not exclude the possibility of better paid work elsewhere. This ensures fairness to claimants, but also taxpayers who fund the welfare system.

Work coaches offer tailored support to our claimants who are in self-employment through to help them to increase their productivity and earnings. Work coaches can refer low-earning claimants to mentoring support from New Enterprise Allowance providers and sign-post claimants to the other extensive business support which is already funded by the Government.

We recognise that it takes time for new businesses to grow and that even established businesses can experience difficulties. From September 2020, all self-employed Universal Credit claimants will be given the same 12 months’ exemption period to provide them with time and support needed to grow their businesses.

No one has to wait five weeks for their first payment of Universal Credit. New claim advances are available to support those in financial need until their first payment is made. The Department has learnt from where we did not get things right in the past in the legacy benefit system. Too often, the desire to pay quickly meant claimants not receiving their correct entitlement as we did not have an appropriate timeframe to review household circumstances. Universal Credit is calculated to reflect the claimant’s circumstances at the end of their monthly assessment period to accurately reflect circumstances at the point of payment.

Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. We have announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months. Proposed repayments of the advance are explained, and all claimants are advised to request a level of advance which is manageable both now and when considering the repayments required.

Universal Credit is simpler and fairer than the legacy benefit system. It is designed to target resources at those that need them most and to provide support for people who can’t work or need help moving towards the labour market. Our work coaches all undertake a robust learning process which includes a focus on health conditions and disabilities, how to tailor service delivery according to needs, and has specific content on requirement setting for people with mental health conditions.

Our Work Coaches gauge claimants’ financial needs from their first interview. For those who need help with budgeting, we are able to signpost additional support, for example through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), who can help with personal budgeting and money management through its free helpline, printed guides and digital guidance.

The Universal Credit system is structured around an online personal account which contains all the information relevant to the claim. This includes claimant’s bank account details, savings, capital, medical history, family relationships and address information. In order to take all reasonable steps to protect the position of claimants and their data, the Universal Credit design principle is that claimants own their own data, and this is made clear from the beginning of the claim.

When Universal Credit claimants receive their Work Capability Assessment decision, we advise them they no longer need to supply medical evidence to support their claim. Claimants may choose to obtain medical evidence for other purposes (for employers or other support in the community). Claimants may also choose to share the outcome of their Work Capability Assessment with their GPs, depending on their personal preferences and the relevance of the information to their GPs.

The Department continues to improve the process to ensure our claimants receive the appropriate support and information.

No one has to wait five weeks for their first payment of Universal Credit. New claim advances are available to support those in financial need until their first payment is made. The Department has learnt from where we did not get things right in the past in the legacy benefit system. Too often, the desire to pay quickly meant claimants not receiving their correct entitlement as we did not have an appropriate timeframe to review household circumstances.

Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. We have announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months. Proposed repayments of the advance are explained, and all claimants are advised to request a level of advance which is manageable both now and when considering the repayments required.

The best way to help people improve their lives is through employment. Households where all adults are in work are around 6 times less likely to be in relative poverty than adults in a household where nobody works. This improves further if all the adults are working full time, reducing a child’s risk of being in poverty from 66% for (two-parent) families with only part-time work to 7%. Universal Credit allows households the freedom from the ‘cliff edges’ which featured in the legacy benefits system, where money was lost when working more than 16, 24 or 30 hours.

There are many reasons people use foodbanks and their growth cannot be linked to a single cause. We have listened to feedback on how we can support our Universal Credit claimants and acted quickly, making improvements such as removing waiting days and introducing housing benefit run on. These changes are giving support to vulnerable people who need it most, whilst at the same time helping people get into work faster.

No one has to wait five weeks for their first payment of Universal Credit. New claim advances are available to support those in financial need until their first payment is made. The Department has learnt from where we did not get things right in the past in the legacy benefit system. Too often, the desire to pay quickly meant claimants not receiving their correct entitlement as we did not have an appropriate timeframe to review household circumstances.

Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. We have announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months. Proposed repayments of the advance are explained, and all claimants are advised to request a level of advance which is manageable both now and when considering the repayments required.

The best way to help people improve their lives is through employment. Households where all adults are in work are around 6 times less likely to be in relative poverty than adults in a household where nobody works. This improves further if all the adults are working full time, reducing a child’s risk of being in poverty from 66% for (two-parent) families with only part-time work to 7%. Universal Credit allows households the freedom from the ‘cliff edges’ which featured in the legacy benefits system, where money was lost when working more than 16, 24 or 30 hours.

There are many reasons people use foodbanks and their growth cannot be linked to a single cause. We have listened to feedback on how we can support our Universal Credit claimants and acted quickly, making improvements such as removing waiting days and introducing housing benefit run on. These changes are giving support to vulnerable people who need it most, whilst at the same time helping people get into work faster.

No one has to wait five weeks for their first payment of Universal Credit. New claim advances are available to support those in financial need until their first payment is made. The Department has learnt from where we did not get things right in the past in the legacy benefit system. Too often, the desire to pay quickly meant claimants not receiving their correct entitlement as we did not have an appropriate timeframe to review household circumstances.

Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. We have announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months. Proposed repayments of the advance are explained, and all claimants are advised to request a level of advance which is manageable both now and when considering the repayments required.

Our Work Coaches gauge claimants’ financial needs from their first interview. For those who need help with budgeting, we are able to signpost additional support, for example through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), who can help with personal budgeting and money management through its free helpline, printed guides and digital guidance.

Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs), such as a managed payment to landlord (MPTL), are available to enable the housing costs element to be paid directly to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments or is in rent arrears. APAs will only be considered where a lack of financial capability poses a risk to the claimant, or their family, and the decision to implement one is assessed on a case by case basis.

Our own analysis shows that Universal Credit in fact reduces rent arrears, supporting research carried out by the National Federation of ALMOs which shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. It also shows that arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of housing providers. It will be published when completed.

No one has to wait five weeks for their first payment of Universal Credit. New claim advances are available to support those in financial need until their first payment is made. The Department has learnt from where we did not get things right in the past in the legacy benefit system. Too often, the desire to pay quickly meant claimants not receiving their correct entitlement as we did not have an appropriate timeframe to review household circumstances.

Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. We have announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months. Proposed repayments of the advance are explained, and all claimants are advised to request a level of advance which is manageable both now and when considering the repayments required.

Our Work Coaches gauge claimants’ financial needs from their first interview. For those who need help with budgeting, we are able to signpost additional support, for example through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), who can help with personal budgeting and money management through its free helpline, printed guides and digital guidance.

Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs), such as a managed payment to landlord (MPTL), are available to enable the housing costs element to be paid directly to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments or is in rent arrears. APAs will only be considered where a lack of financial capability poses a risk to the claimant, or their family, and the decision to implement one is assessed on a case by case basis.

Our own analysis shows that Universal Credit in fact reduces rent arrears, supporting research carried out by the National Federation of ALMOs which shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. It also shows that arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of housing providers. It will be published when completed.

No one has to wait five weeks for their first payment of Universal Credit. New claim advances are available to support those in financial need until their first payment is made. The Department has learnt from where we did not get things right in the past in the legacy benefit system. Too often, the desire to pay quickly meant claimants not receiving their correct entitlement as we did not have an appropriate timeframe to review household circumstances.

Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. We have announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months. Proposed repayments of the advance are explained, and all claimants are advised to request a level of advance which is manageable both now and when considering the repayments required.

Our Work Coaches gauge claimants’ financial needs from their first interview. For those who need help with budgeting, we are able to signpost additional support, for example through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), who can help with personal budgeting and money management through its free helpline, printed guides and digital guidance.

Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs), such as a managed payment to landlord (MPTL), are available to enable the housing costs element to be paid directly to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments or is in rent arrears. APAs will only be considered where a lack of financial capability poses a risk to the claimant, or their family, and the decision to implement one is assessed on a case by case basis.

Our own analysis shows that Universal Credit in fact reduces rent arrears, supporting research carried out by the National Federation of ALMOs which shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. It also shows that arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of housing providers. It will be published when completed.

No one has to wait five weeks for their first payment of Universal Credit. New claim advances are available to support those in financial need until their first payment is made. The Department has learnt from where we did not get things right in the past in the legacy benefit system. Too often, the desire to pay quickly meant claimants not receiving their correct entitlement as we did not have an appropriate timeframe to review household circumstances.

Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. We have announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months. Proposed repayments of the advance are explained, and all claimants are advised to request a level of advance which is manageable both now and when considering the repayments required.

The best way to help people improve their lives is through employment. Households where all adults are in work are around 6 times less likely to be in relative poverty than adults in a household where nobody works. This improves further if all the adults are working full time, reducing a child’s risk of being in poverty from 66% for (two-parent) families with only part-time work to 7%. Universal Credit allows households the freedom from the ‘cliff edges’ which featured in the legacy benefits system, where money was lost when working more than 16, 24 or 30 hours.

There are many reasons people use foodbanks and their growth cannot be linked to a single cause. We have listened to feedback on how we can support our Universal Credit claimants and acted quickly, making improvements such as removing waiting days and introducing housing benefit run on. These changes are giving support to vulnerable people who need it most, whilst at the same time helping people get into work faster.

No one has to wait five weeks for their first payment of Universal Credit. New claim advances are available to support those in financial need until their first payment is made. The Department has learnt from where we did not get things right in the past in the legacy benefit system. Too often, the desire to pay quickly meant claimants not receiving their correct entitlement as we did not have an appropriate timeframe to review household circumstances. Universal Credit is calculated to reflect the claimant’s circumstances at the end of their monthly assessment period to accurately reflect circumstances at the point of payment.

Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. We have announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months. Proposed repayments of the advance are explained, and all claimants are advised to request a level of advance which is manageable both now and when considering the repayments required.

Universal Credit is simpler and fairer than the legacy benefit system. It is designed to target resources at those that need them most and to provide support for people who can’t work or need help moving towards the labour market. Our work coaches all undertake a robust learning process which includes a focus on health conditions and disabilities, how to tailor service delivery according to needs, and has specific content on requirement setting for people with mental health conditions.

Our Work Coaches gauge claimants’ financial needs from their first interview. For those who need help with budgeting, we are able to signpost additional support, for example through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), who can help with personal budgeting and money management through its free helpline, printed guides and digital guidance.

The Universal Credit award is calculated to reflect the claimant’s circumstances at the end of their assessment period. To do this, we treat all changes as applying from the beginning of the assessment period in which they take place (if reported in the assessment period within which they occurred). The award for that month is therefore wholly at the new rate. This reflects the claimant’s circumstances at the point of payment, and will better anticipate their needs over the forthcoming month.

This principle applies to all elements of Universal Credit. For example, if a new child is born part way through an assessment period, we apply the change to the whole month, not from the date the child was born.

Claimants can easily notify the Department of any changes that might incur within an assessment period using their online account, telephone and speak to their Work Coach face to face in a Jobcentre.

Additionally, existing Universal Credit claimants who have told the Department about a change in their circumstances, which means more Universal Credit is owed, may also apply for an advance payment. There are also discretionary housing payments in place to support those who require support meeting their rent costs.

Statistics on the housing element of Universal Credit are published and can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance for users is available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

The Government’s view is that providing support for a maximum of two children or qualifying young persons in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit ensures fairness between claimants on the one hand and, on the other, those taxpayers who support themselves solely through work. Universal Credit is designed to mirror the world of work where families do not automatically see their income rise on the birth of a new child.

This Government is committed to delivering a sustainable, long-term solution to poverty in all its forms. Tackling child poverty requires an approach that goes beyond one that focuses on income alone to one that addresses the root causes of poverty and disadvantage and improves long-term outcomes for families and children.

We recognise that some claimants are not able to make the same choices about the number of children in their family, which is why exceptions have been put in place to protect certain groups.

The Universal Credit award is calculated to reflect the claimant’s circumstances at the end of their assessment period. To do this, we treat all changes as applying from the beginning of the assessment period in which they take place (if reported in the assessment period within which they occurred). The award for that month is therefore wholly at the new rate. This reflects the claimant’s circumstances at the point of payment, and will better anticipate their needs over the forthcoming month.

This principle applies to all elements of Universal Credit. For example, if a new child is born part way through an assessment period, we apply the change to the whole month, not from the date the child was born.

Claimants can easily notify the Department of any changes that might incur within an assessment period using their online account, telephone and speak to their Work Coach face to face in a Jobcentre.

Additionally, existing Universal Credit claimants who have told the Department about a change in their circumstances, which means more Universal Credit is owed, may also apply for an advance payment. There are also discretionary housing payments in place to support those who require support meeting their rent costs.

Statistics on the housing element of Universal Credit are published and can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance for users is available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

The Universal Credit award is calculated to reflect the claimant’s circumstances at the end of their assessment period. To do this, we treat all changes as applying from the beginning of the assessment period in which they take place (if reported in the assessment period within which they occurred). The award for that month is therefore wholly at the new rate. This reflects the claimant’s circumstances at the point of payment, and will better anticipate their needs over the forthcoming month.

This principle applies to all elements of Universal Credit. For example, if a new child is born part way through an assessment period, we apply the change to the whole month, not from the date the child was born.

Claimants can easily notify the Department of any changes that might incur within an assessment period using their online account, telephone and speak to their Work Coach face to face in a Jobcentre.

Additionally, existing Universal Credit claimants who have told the Department about a change in their circumstances, which means more Universal Credit is owed, may also apply for an advance payment. There are also discretionary housing payments in place to support those who require support meeting their rent costs.

Statistics on the housing element of Universal Credit are published and can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance for users is available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

It is not possible to predict the impact of the real living wage on in-work poverty as poverty projections are inherently speculative as they require projecting how income will change for every individual in society which are affected by a huge range of unknown factors.

On 1 April 2020, the Government will increase the National Living Wage (NLW) for over 25s by 6.2% to £8.72. This increase is projected to meet the Government’s target of reaching 60% of median earnings by 2020. This latest increase will mean that the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW will have increased by nearly £3,700 since the year the policy was announced. In September last year, the Chancellor pledged to raise the NLW to two-thirds of median earnings within five years, making the UK the first major economy in the world to set such an ambition.

The Government considers the expert and independent advice of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) when setting the NMW and NLW rates. The LPC draws on economic, labour market and pay analysis, independent research and stakeholder evidence. The key distinction between the NLW and other rates, such as the Living Wage Foundation’s voluntary Living Wage, is that the LPC considers the impact on businesses and the economy when making its recommendations.

Universal Credit, at the heart of our welfare reforms, aims to reduce the number of workless households by reducing the financial and administrative barriers to work that existed in the previous system of legacy benefits.

In recent years the Government has made significant investment to improve work incentives including:

o the reduction in the UC taper rate from 65% to 63% in 2017; and.

o An extra £1.7 billion a year put into UC work allowances for working parents and disabled claimants to increase them by £1,000 a year from April 2019. Providing a boost to the incomes of the lowest paid and resulting in 2.4 million families keeping an extra £630 per year of what they earn.

We have also taken a range of broader steps to help families keep more of what they earn including another rise in the National Living Wage to £8.21 and increasing a full-time worker’s annual pay by over £2,750 since its introduction. Tax changes have also made basic rate taxpayers over £1,200 better off since April, compared with 2010. The most recent changes mean that, from April, a single person on the National Minimum Wage is taking home over £13,700 a year after income tax and National Insurance – £4,500 more than in 2009/10. Additionally, further help is being provided to working families by doubling free childcare to 30 hours a week for nearly 400,000 working parents of three and four-year-olds and introducing Tax-Free Childcare, worth up to £2,000 per child per year;

The Government has no plans to remove sanctions but continue to monitor the operation of the policies and processes to ensure the sanctions system remains clear, fair and effective in promoting positive behaviours.

The Government believes that these improvements help people on UC to keep more of what they earn, support employment and help to make work pay.

For all benefits other than Universal Credit, New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and New Style Employment Support Allowance (ESA), overpayments resulting from Departmental error are not recoverable.

Section 105 of The Welfare Reform Act 2012 amended the Social Security Act 1992, so that for Universal Credit, New Style JSA and New Style ESA, any payment in excess of the entitlement is recoverable, regardless of how the overpayment of entitlement occurred. This policy was brought in to reflect the need for a better value for money welfare system and to reinforce the overarching aim that Universal Credit mirrors work.

As a Department, we understand the impact that debt can have on the wellbeing of claimants and we endeavour to ensure that the recovery of any overpayment is managed in a way that takes account of the claimant’s individual circumstances.

I can confirm that the Department would not prosecute a claimant if an overpayment occurred purely as a result of a Departmental error, and would only consider prosecuting a claimant where there is strong evidence to suggest they may have committed benefit fraud

DWP supports the right of employees to raise any concerns they have about alleged wrongdoing and to be able to do this confidentially, if they wish, without fear of retribution. Within DWP, we encourage this and a Whistleblowing Policy is already published on the Department’s Intranet and is accessible by all employees. A copy of this policy will be placed in the Library of the House.

To provide this information would incur a disproportionate cost to the Department.

The Department would only seek to prosecute an individual where there was strong evidence to suggest that the individual had committed benefit fraud.

The Secretary of State is bound by law to complete an annual review of benefit and pension rates to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or – for pensions - earnings. This statute requires benefit and pension rates to be reviewed and set in each tax year. April 2020 is the new financial year.

The Secretary of State has completed her review and a Written Statement was tabled on 4 November:

https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-11-04/HCWS74/

This Government is committed to delivering a sustainable, long-term solution to poverty in all its forms. Tackling child poverty requires an approach that goes beyond one that focuses on income alone to one that addresses the root causes of poverty and disadvantage and improves long-term outcomes for families and children.

Through Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, published in 2017, we set out detailed evidence on the root causes of poverty and disadvantage and their impact on the outcomes of children in families where none of the parents is working. We also set out nine indicators to track progress in the areas that matter, including two statutory measures of parental worklessness and educational attainment – the two areas that we know can make the biggest difference to children’s outcomes.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/621364/improving-lives-helping-workless-families-web-version.pdf.

There is clear evidence that children in working households are not only less likely to grow up in poverty – their life chances are also significantly better. We will therefore continue to reform the welfare system so that it works with the tax system and the labour market to support employment and higher pay. Promoting full-time work through work incentives is a key feature of this approach, reinforced by the National Living Wage and the rising Personal Tax Allowance, which work together to promote independence from benefits.

Delivering a sustainable, long-term solution to all forms of poverty is a priority for this Government. There is clear evidence that full-time work substantially reduces the risk of in-work poverty; for example, there is only a 7% chance of a child being in poverty if both parents

work full-time compared with 66% for two-parent families with only part-time work.

The number of people in employment is at a near-record high of 3.8 million. Around three-quarters of the growth in employment has been in full-time work, substantially reducing the risk of poverty.

Universal Credit promotes full-time work through smooth incentives to increase hours, a general expectation that lone parents and partners should work (unless caring for young children or a disabled person); and generous childcare subsidies. We will therefore continue with our reforms to the welfare system so that it works with the tax system and the labour market to support employment and higher pay.

The Department for Work and Pensions publishes an annual report detailing latest available statistics regarding the estimated take-up of Pension Credit and other income-related benefits.

The latest version can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2016-to-2017

The next report containing 2017/18 data is currently due to be published around January – February 2020.

In respect of (a) `reduce the maximum length of financial sanctions for welfare claimants from three years to six months,` we laid legislation to reduce the maximum length of higher-level sanctions from three years to six months on 16 October 2019. We are now working to update communications and Learning and Development products ahead of the legislation coming into force on 27 November 2019.

In respect of (b) `improve access to the labour market for underrepresented groups:`

• We are committed to ensuring that everyone - irrespective of their gender - is able to enter work, progress in work and realise financial security. We are making Universal Credit work better for women, including building the capability of Work Coaches and supporting women in low-paid employment or multiple jobs to increase their earnings. We are also supporting women on Universal Credit to progress from low paying jobs, through a programme of research and trials into the barriers they face and into what works to tackle those barriers.

• To improve access to the labour market for ethnic minorities, we are providing targeted employment support in 20 areas across Great Britain with high levels of ethnic minority unemployment. In these areas, Jobcentre Plus works with employers and local authorities, wider public services and the voluntary sector to overcome barriers to employment faced by different ethnic groups. Lessons learned are shared across the wider Jobcentre Plus network.

• To support older people in remaining and returning to work, we abolished the default retirement age and extended the right to request flexible working.

• In 2017, we published the Fuller Working Lives Strategy, which aims to increase the retention, retraining and recruitment of older workers, by bringing about a change in the perceptions & attitudes of employers, and by challenging the views of working in later life and retirement amongst individuals. We also appointed the Business Champion for Older Workers to spearhead our work to support employers to retain, retrain and recruit older workers.

• In respect of people with disabilities, The Work and Heath Programme (WHP), which is working with local providers to offer co-ordinated support to those with multiple employment barriers, will help 275,000 people over 5 years, including 220,000 disabled people.

• Other DWP initiatives include Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme (IPES) due to launch before the end of 2019, Access to Work and Disability Confident. In addition, our Jobcentres offer tailored support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers, backed by the Personal Support Package which is a 4 year, £330 million package of employment support targeted at claimants with disabilities and health conditions.

• In respect of those at a disadvantage in the labour market, five DWP locally funded innovation pilots were launched between February and June 2018, aimed at providing tailored support to tackle long term barriers to work and in-work progression for those on low pay.

In respect of (c) `double membership to the Disability Confident scheme:` We are actively working with internal and external stakeholders, including the high profile Business Leaders Group, other representatives of Business and Jobcentre Plus, to promote the Disability Confident scheme and encourage employer sign up. As of 13th September 2019, the latest published figures show that 13,600 employers had signed up to the scheme and that number is growing week by week.

In respect of (d) ‘consult on reforming statutory sick pay,’ we published the consultation `health is everyone’s business` in mid-July and it closed on 7 October. We have received a good response from a range of stakeholders and we are currently reviewing the detailed responses to inform decisions on next steps.

The Department will look to publish its evaluation by the end of 2019.

Since 2010 we have seen over 3.7 million more people in work; two thirds of them in higher-skilled, higher paid roles. But, the Department wants to ensure everyone has a chance to move to higher paid work, which is why we ran this trial to learn more about what interventions could work. We will examine the outcomes as we develop our policies further to help boost their earnings.

The evaluation of the trial showed small but sustained impacts for those receiving the most support, and it also shows these interventions may be cost effective.

These results are promising, but there is still more work to do to increase our knowledge of What Works. The Department is currently in the second year of a four-year programme, announced in the Autumn Budget 2017, to deliver programme of research and analysis, and run a suite of tests and trials, working in partnership with other Government Departments and external organisations. This includes research which seeks to understand the situations and support needs of our future in-work cohorts; a Rapid Evidence Assessment of international policies linked to in-work progression; and work which will support Jobcentre staff to help claimants to make good decisions around job-switching.

The Department will be using the results of the trial, together with other research conducted in years 1 and 2 of this programme, to develop more targeted tests and trials to support the development of effective in-work services.

The 52-week In-Work Progression Trial Impact Analysis was published on 12^th September 2018 on GOV.UK. In the trial, the Frequent support group had Work Coach appointments every fortnight, while the Minimal support group only ever had two appointments in total.

i) Gender

The 52-week point-in-time progression measure for males was an additional £4.21 per week for the Frequent support group relative to the Minimal support group. For females, the point-in-time progression measure was an additional £5.99 per week for the Frequent support group relative to the Minimal support group. These progression estimates were calculated from samples and the difference of £1.78 is not statistically significant. The conclusion is that there does not appear to be evidence of a difference in progression between genders.

The 78-week point-in-time progression measure for males was an additional £1.34 per week for the Frequent support group relative to the Minimal support group. For females, the point-in-time progression measure was an additional £6.14 per week for the Frequent support group relative to the Minimal support group. Again, these estimates are based on samples and the difference of £4.80 is not statistically significant. The conclusion is that there does not appear to be evidence of a difference in progression between genders.

ii) Ethnicity

The Department holds some data about ethnicity. Of the self-reported ethnic backgrounds, 82% of trial participants were of a White background; 6% of participants were of a Black/African/Caribbean background; 5% were of an Asian background and 7% were made up of other ethnic backgrounds.

The Department has not calculated ethnicity sub-group progression measures. The small sample sizes in all other ethnicity groups, with the exception of the White background group, means that any comparisons of progression would not lead to statistically robust conclusions.

The information requested is not readily available to constituency level and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The size of a Work Coaches caseload will vary as it is dependent on a number of factors, including the level of customer support required, the needs of the local labour market and the Work Coaches working pattern.

The Government has been clear that leaving the EU with a deal is its preferred option.

The Government has put in place contingency plans for a range of exit scenarios. These contingencies ensure that DWP can continue to provide our vital services and that individuals will continue to be able to access DWP benefits and services on the same basis as they do now.

The Government is committed to providing a strong safety-net through the welfare system. We continue to spend over £95 billion a year on benefits for people of working age. DWP continues to monitor the effects of EU exit on the economy. Rates of benefits continue to be reviewed in line with the relevant legislation for uprating.

The design of Universal Credit is fundamentally different to legacy benefits, so any assessment would not reflect this adequately.

The Department published an assessment of legacy benefit and Universal Credit payment timeliness in its Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19. This showed that the speed of Universal Credit payments has continued to improve during its rollout and the Department continues to introduce improvements. Between February 2018 to February 2019 Universal Credit payment timeliness improved with 86% of new claims to Universal Credit receiving full payment on time in February 2019, an increase from 78% in February 2018.

Monthly assessment periods align to the way the majority of employees are paid, and how utility companies and other service providers collect payments. This allows Universal Credit to be adjusted each month, which means that if a claimant’s income falls they will not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit.

Overall, Universal Credit provides more tailored support, and makes it more financially rewarding to increase earnings when in employment compared to legacy benefits.

For new claimants applying for Universal Credit (UC), new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed quickly, until their first UC payment is due.

In addition to this, the Department has delivered a number of improvements to support claimants during their first assessment period, such as removing waiting days and paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.

For those who need help with budgeting, support is available for Universal Credit claimants via the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS). MaPS will help UC claimants with personal budgeting and money management through its free helpline, printed guides and digital guidance.

Under Universal Credit, claims may be backdated, by up to one calendar month, in some circumstances for vulnerable claimants who may be delayed in claiming Universal Credit through no fault of their own. Claims may also be backdated in specific circumstances when a couple separates to ensure that there is no gap in entitlement between the couple claim and the new claim made by a single claimant.

In order to provide the best possible support to our claimants it is important that we are able to have discussions about their claim and circumstances at the earliest possible opportunity, whether to support them back into work or to provide or signpost other support and guidance. It is therefore important that backdating provisions are used in specific circumstances, and that all claimants are encouraged to engage with us at the earliest opportunity.

Nobody has to wait for five weeks for a payment following an application for Universal Credit.

Universal Credit new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed urgently, until their first regular Universal Credit payment is due. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. We have announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months.

The Department has delivered a number of improvements to support claimants during their first assessment period, such as removing waiting days and paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.

Assessment periods align to the way the majority of employees are paid, and how utility companies and other service providers collect payments. This allows Universal Credit to be adjusted each month, which means that if a claimant’s income falls they will not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit.

It is a matter for the Scottish Government how they assess entitlement for devolved benefits.

The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment and the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) are based on the impact of a person’s disability or health condition, not on the condition itself and are not medical assessments. Therefore, medical evidence forms only part of the picture needed to assess someone’s functional needs or ability.

We ask people to send in evidence they already have to support their claim. Our Assessment Providers and Case Managers will ask GPs, hospitals and other healthcare or social care professionals for further evidence where they think that would be helpful.

To offer a more joined-up service to disabled people, the DWP Health Transformation Programme will be integrating the services that deliver PIP and WCA. Our ambition is to make the assessment process simpler, more transparent and more user-friendly.

Face-to-face consultations give individuals the opportunity to put across their own views of the impact of their health condition or impairment on their everyday lives. However, we recognise that attending a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment or Work Capability Assessment (WCA) can be a stressful experience, which is why our Assessment Providers do not carry out face-to-face assessments where there is enough existing evidence to determine an individual’s functional restrictions.

Our ambition is to make the assessment process simpler and more user-friendly by, where possible, gathering better evidence earlier in the claim to reduce the need for unnecessary face-to-face assessments.

Automatic enrolment has achieved a quiet revolution through getting employees into the habit of pension saving, and reversing the decline in workplace pension participation in the decade prior to these reforms. Since automatic enrolment started in 2012 participation rates have been transformed with 87% of eligible employees saving into a workplace pension in 2018, up from 55% in 2012.

The Department does not hold data for individual constituencies in relation to opt outs or the number of individuals who have saved above the automatic enrolment minimum contribution level. However, we do know that overall around 9% of automatically enrolled workers have chosen to opt out which is significantly below original estimates, and our latest evaluation report shows that in April 2017, approximately 5.9 million eligible employees were already meeting the April 2019 minimum contribution rates.

In the Airdrie and Shotts constituency, from 2012 to August 2019, approximately 8,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 960 employers have met their duties.

The Department provides services to around 22 million people, and has a responsibility to communicate policy and essential information to claimants and other key audiences, in a similar way to other government departments. Newspaper advertising contributes to our routine communications activity that has been running alongside the rollout of Universal Credit since 2013.

The Universal Credit Uncovered media partnership with the Metro is currently underway and running for a further six weeks so we are unable to provide accurate spend to date figures for the partnership. However, we can commit to publish final full spend on the partnership at the end of July once all activity has concluded.

The information used for the partnership was sourced by DWP officials. The content features actual claimant case studies and interviews from Jobcentre work coaches, and the advertorials have been developed in partnership with the Metro.

The Department for Work and Pensions is leading work across Government to assess progress against sustainable development goal 1. The Prime Minister has committed the UK to undertaking a Voluntary National Review (VNR) on progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda. This will be presented to the UN’s High Level Political Forum in July this year.

The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions. The maximum rate of deductions cannot normally exceed 40 per cent of the Universal Credit standard allowance, and from October 2019 this will be reduced to 30 per cent.

However, last resort deductions can be applied to protect vulnerable claimants from eviction and/or having their fuel supply (gas/electricity) cut off, by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of these essential services. In these circumstances, when it’s considered to be in the best interests of the claimant and their family, deductions may be taken above the 40 per cent limit.

If a claimant is in financial difficulty as a result of the level of deductions being made they can contact the Department to request that a reduction in deductions be considered.

Of eligible* claims to Universal Credit Full Service due a payment in December 2018:

• 0.8% (10,000 claims) had a deduction above 40 per cent of their standard allowance.

Notes

1. *Eligible claimants are claimants that have satisfied all the requirements of claiming Universal Credit; they have provided the necessary evidence, signed their claimant commitment and are eligible and have received their first payment.

2. Deductions include Universal Credit advance repayments, third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.

3. Figures rounded to nearest 1,000.

4. Claim numbers may not match official statistics caseloads due to small methodological differences.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. However, since it was introduced in April 2018, all Housing Benefit claimants, whose Housing Benefit award was ended because of a new claim to Universal Credit, have been awarded the two-week Transition to Universal Credit Housing Payment.

The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions. Last resort deductions can be applied to protect vulnerable claimants from eviction and/or having their gas, electricity and water cut off, by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of these essential services. If a claimant is in financial difficulty as a result of the level of deductions being made, they can contact the Department to request that a reduction in their deductions be considered.

The latest available data is for eligible claims to UC Full Service that are due a payment in December 2018. Of those claims with a payment in December 2018 relating to the first month of their claim, 2% have a deduction to repay rent arrears. This equates to 3,000 claims.

Notes

• Rent arrears deductions are defined as arrears of rent and/or service charges relating to a rented property
• Figures for rent arrears deduction include only those claims with a non-zero rent arrears deduction.
• Figures rounded to nearest 1,000.

Around 60 per cent of new claims take up an advance. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take-up has been broadly consistent over the last 12 months. This shows that claimants are being made aware of advances and are using it where they need this help.

The average advance amount for new claims is around £400.

Our latest published data shows that consistently around 85% of new claimants are being paid in full and on time. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics. In many cases where full payment is not made on time, it is due to unresolved issues such as: claimants not accepting their Claimant Commitment or passing identity checks, or having outstanding verification issues, such as housing costs and self-employed earnings. In order to support claimants to claim, we have taken steps to improve verification processes. For example, we have listened to feedback and built processes into the system to make it easier and quicker for people to verify their housing costs, for example through the landlord portal.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Around 60% of new claims to Universal Credit receive an advance payment in the first month of their claim. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take-up has been broadly consistent. This shows that claimants are being made aware of advances and are using it where they need this help.

The table below shows the number of advance payments made to Universal Credit claimants.

Data for March 2019 is not currently available

Notes

1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 1000

2. The number of advances includes advances for both Universal Credit live service and full service. However different methodologies and data sources are used for each

3. Where a claim receives multiple advances within the same month, all are counted individually.

For the purpose of deciding the amount of Universal Credit new claim advance available, the indicative monthly Universal Credit entitlement is calculated from the information provided about the household on the Universal Credit new claim application.

Comprehensive guidance on Universal Credit Advance payments is available to all staff across the Jobcentre network.

This guidance is clear that it is essential that all new claimants are offered an Advance and that it is processed at the first point of contact. Applications for an advance payment can be made in person, by telephone or online depending on the claimant’s circumstances.

New claimants can apply for a Universal Credit advance, worth up to 100 per cent of a claimant’s indicative award, paid within 72 hours of making a request, and can receive payment within a day if needed. Around 60% of eligible new claims to Universal Credit received an advance in February 2019.

Universal Credit guidance is published in the House of Commons library and the Department is committed to refreshing this at regular intervals.

The Information requested about successful and (ii) unsuccessful claim for universal credit in each month in the last 12 months is not readily available, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The self-reported health condition or disability of individual Universal Credit claimants are recorded on our system and can be viewed by work coaches. However, it is not centrally collated in a way that allows aggregated analysis to be undertaken.

The Department can record complex needs through the use of pinned notes which support staff in identifying and managing relevant experiences and circumstances of individual claimants.

We continue to develop our approach to capturing accurate, aggregate data on claimants, including claimants with vulnerabilities. This work has been prioritised for the current Universal Credit development phase.

Currently we do not report aggregate information about whether or not a claimant has a mental health condition and to collate and quality assure this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Our work coaches receive training to ensure they can offer effective support to different claimant groups. This enables them to provide tailored support and gain an excellent understanding of whether their claimants have, have had in the past, or might cycle in and out of having a mental health condition or extra support needs.

DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs.

Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive training programme designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to provide a high quality service to all claimants. Specific training and guidance is provided for working with different vulnerable groups and those with complex needs including claimants with mental health conditions.

In addition, Work Coaches have completed a two-day workshop, designed by experts in mental health and psychologists, and delivered where possible alongside external mental health partners. The training began in November 2017 and was completed at the end of March 2019. April 2019 will see the start of delivering this training to staff across the entire organisation who are employed in a claimant facing role, whether they engage with claimants by telephone, face to face or digitally.

At the end of March 2019 all 1589 Work Coaches in Scotland had received Mental Health Training.

* The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution

The Department’s policy has not changed in the last six months. The Universal Credit regulations regarding EEA nationals’ entitlement to Universal Credit were last amended on 10 June 2015.

The Department already places copies of Universal Credit guidance in the House of Commons library, which is updated periodically.

The requested information can be accessed via the following link, clicking on DEP2018-0759 and then “show all files”. For information on the Habitual Residence Test please select HRT_V5.pdf.

https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2018-04-02&td=2018-08-23&search_term=Department+for+Work+and+Pensions&itemId=119004#toggle-759

We have carefully considered the impact and deliverability of the measures announced in the Autumn Budget 2018 for Universal Credit. The delivery dates we announced achieve the best balance between continually improving Universal Credit to respond to claimant need and ensuring the service is technically and operationally scalable as the volumes on Universal Credit continue to rise through 2019 and 2020.

We have carefully considered the impact and deliverability of the measures announced in the Autumn Budget 2018 for Universal Credit. The delivery dates we announced achieve the best balance between continually improving Universal Credit to respond to claimant need and ensuring the service is technically and operationally scalable as the volumes on Universal Credit continue to rise through 2019 and 2020.

The cost of administrative activity is drawn from the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit budget and payment of arrears from the Resource Annually Managed Expenditure budget.

The total number of Pension Credit Claimants in Scotland from most recent published data (as of August 2018) is 157,573.

The number of Pension Credit claimants in Scotland and each constituency in Scotland is published and available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

Guidance for users is available at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

The Government is committed to action that helps to alleviate levels of pensioner poverty. The absolute poverty rate for pensioners has fallen to record lows. The number of pensioners in absolute poverty before housing costs has fallen by 200,000 since 2010. In the early 1970s roughly 40% of pensioners were in poverty. Relative poverty after housing costs is now down to 16% - one of the lowest rates since comparable records began.

This change in the way support is provided to couples where one partner is below State Pension age will ensure that the same incentives to work and save for retirement apply to the younger partner as apply to other people of the same age. Unlike Pension Credit, which in most cases allows couple to retain only £10 a week of earned income, Universal Credit provides clear incentives for people to find and progress in work.

The change to the Pension Credit rules was legislated for in the Welfare Reform Act 2012. As part of the Parliamentary process, an Equality Impact Assessment was published in November 2011, which included an assessment of the impacts of Universal Credit reforms on older couples, including mixed age couples. This can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-equality-impact-assessment

The change does not affect either partner’s entitlement to a State Pension. And it will not affect mixed age couples who are receiving Pension Credit and/or pensioner Housing Benefit immediately before the implementation date, unless their entitlement to both those benefits ends and they subsequently need to re-enter the system of support through means-tested benefits before the younger partner reaches State Pension age.

No mixed age couples who are receiving Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners immediately before the implementation date will see a reduction in the amount of benefit they receive as a result of the policy change (unless their entitlement to both those benefits subsequently ends).

Under provisions enacted in the Welfare Reform Act 2012, in future, Pension Credit and Housing Benefit for pensioners will not be available to couples before both partners have reached State Pension age. These changes will take effect from 15 May 2019.

Information on the characteristics of the estimated number of future mixed age couples who may be affected by the forthcoming changes to be introduced on 15 May 2019 is not available.

An estimate of the notional loss to household income as a result of the benefit freeze can be found at: https://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf

No assessment has been made of this saving by parliamentary constituency or country.

Information is available for the number of claimants of individual benefits, at different points in time, affected by the benefits freeze.

The available information for claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance is published on the NOMIS website and can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp

Guidance for users can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

The available information for claimants for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit is published and available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

Guidance for users is available at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:

https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/topics/benefits-statistics

There has been no assessment of the total number of claimants subject to the benefits freeze. Claimants can receive multiple benefits so caseload numbers cannot be added together to estimate the total number subject to the benefits freeze.

We are clerically collecting Management Information on the number of programme participants from January 2019. This is the first month in which we will have fully rolled out the programme across the entire country. We will consider whether this information can be published in due course, subject to appropriate quality assurance checks.

The information requested on sanctions is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Information on the type of employment entered by those who have completed the Youth Obligation Support Programme and the number of re-entries into the programme is not centrally recorded and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Information on the industry outcomes of those who have completed the Youth Obligation Support Programme is not centrally recorded and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The Government’s reforms to the welfare system are designed to support those who need it and help people into work. We have reduced pensioner poverty to close to historically low levels and the triple lock on the State Pension has helped lift the incomes of millions of pensioners. Since 2010, we have increased the annual level of the basic State Pension by £1,450. In 2018/19 we will spend £121.5 billion on benefits for pensioners and by 2023/24 this rises to £143.5 billion.

In 2012, Parliament voted to modernise the welfare system to ensure that couples, where one person is of working age and the other person is over State Pension age, access support, where it is needed, through the working age benefit regime. This replaces the previous system whereby the household could access either Pension Credit and pension-age Housing Benefit, or working-age benefits.

Pension Credit is designed to provide long-term support for pensioner households who are no longer economically active. It is not designed to support working age claimants. This change will ensure that the same work incentives apply to the younger partner as apply to other people of the same age, and taxpayer support is directed where it is needed most.

The Government set out to Parliament last year that this change would be implemented once Universal Credit was available nationally for new claims. On 14th January 2019, the Government confirmed that this change will be introduced from 15th May 2019. The change was being brought into effect in Great Britain through a Commencement Order[1] under the Welfare Reform Act 2012. There was an equivalent Order to introduce the change for Northern Ireland.

The change will not affect mixed age couples who are entitled to Pension Credit and/or pension age Housing Benefit immediately before the implementation date unless their entitlement to both those benefits subsequently ends.

In February 2017, Government published an employer-led Strategy “Fuller Working Lives: A Partnership Approach”, which sets out the importance of Fuller Working Lives for employers and individuals. It also sets out action Government is taking to support older workers to remain in the labour market.

Honourable Members can seek the opportunity to debate the issues raised by this commencement order through applying for an adjournment or Backbench Business Committee debate.

[1] The Welfare Reform Act 2012 (Commencement No. 31 and Savings and Transitional Provisions and Commencement No. 21 and 23 and Transitional and Transitory Provisions (Amendment)) Order 2019

Universal Credit was designed to simplify the benefits system and focus on getting people into work and supporting in-work progression. It has a much simpler age-related structure which aligns the rates for claimants who are under the age of 25 years. By setting a clear benefit rate for under 25s this reflects the lower wages that younger workers typically receive. This is intended to maintain the incentive for younger people to find work.

Additional amounts that are added to provide for particular needs such as children and disability are paid at a standard rate.

At the start of the RJ/MH administrative exercise Disability Services redirected a number of experienced people from PIP Reassessments into the administrative exercise. Within PIP those gaps were filled through a combination of recruitment and redeployment from other areas of DWP operations.

In addition to the 250 recruited to increase resources, the total number of people redirected onto the administrative exercises was 244.

The Northern Irish Assembly has devolved responsibility for social security benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Information regarding PIP in Northern Ireland is therefore the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.

The table below shows, for Scotland and Wales, the number and proportion of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis who received the highest rate of Mobility under DLA but who did not receive the enhanced mobility award after reassessment to PIP. This data includes claimants who were disallowed pre-referral, who withdrew their claim and who were disallowed at assessment.

We’re committed to ensuring that disabled people get the full support that they need, and under PIP 52% of people with MS receive the highest possible award, compared with 39% under the previous benefit DLA. May 2013 is chosen for comparison as this is the last month with a full DLA caseload prior to claimants being reassessed from DLA to PIP.

Table 1: PIP mobility awards for reassessment claimants with Multiple Sclerosis who had previously received the highest rate of Mobility award under DLA (by year of DWP decision)

Source: PIP ADS

Notes:

• PIP Reassessment outcome shows the outcome of the first DWP decision on each reassessment claim (i.e. they reflect outcomes prior to any reconsideration, appeal action and award review), where that decision was made between 8^th April 2013 and 31^st October 2018.
• Figures exclude ‘rising 16s and claimants who did not respond to the invitation. Rising 16s are claimants who reach 16 years of age and so cease to be eligible for Disability Living Allowance but may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment.
• Figures include reassessment outcomes for individuals who were aged between 16 and 64 on 8^th April 2013, and include both PIP Normal Rules and Special Rules for the Terminally Ill claims.
• Totals have been rounded to the nearest 10 and may not sum due to rounding.
• Percentages are calculated using actual figures rather than rounded figures and have been rounded to the nearest 1%
• This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.
• Data is based on main disabling condition as recorded on the DLA computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.

The Northern Irish Assembly has devolved responsibility for social security benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Information regarding PIP in Northern Ireland is therefore the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.

Tables 1 and 2 below show, for Scotland and Wales, the number of decisions, Mandatory Reconsiderations (MRs) and appeals for new claims for PIP where the initial decision was disallowance post-referral to the Assessment Provider (AP) due to failing the assessment, for claimants with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis.

Tables 3 and 4 below show, for Scotland and Wales, the number of decisions, MRs and appeals relating to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis who have undergone a reassessment to PIP.

Since PIP was introduced 3.7m decisions have been made until September 2018 in Great Britain, of these 10% have been appealed and 5% have been overturned.

We’re committed to ensuring that disabled people get the full support that they need, and under PIP 52% of people with MS receive the highest possible award, compared with 39% under the previous benefit DLA. May 2013 is chosen for comparison as this is the last month with a full DLA caseload prior to claimants being reassessed from DLA to PIP.

Data on the number of people who had the mobility award increased from none or standard rate to the enhanced rate is available from internal analytical datasets, but to assess the completeness of recording and quality assure the figures to answer this PQ would incur disproportionate cost.

'#' fewer than 5 decisions in this category.

The data relates to MRs and appeals recorded up to September 2018 (the latest published data on appeals). Claimants who have received benefit decisions more recently may not yet have had time to complete the claimant journey and progress to appeal.

PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants.

Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.

Appeals data shown in the tables is taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management information. Therefore this appeals data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.

Some decisions which are changed at mandatory reconsideration, and where the claimant continues to appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at tribunal appeal. Therefore the number of people who had a decision changed at mandatory reconsideration and the number of people who had a decision changed at tribunal appeal cannot be added together.

Decisions overturned at appeal may include a number of appeals that have been lapsed (which is where DWP changed the decision after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at Tribunal).

The Northern Irish Assembly has devolved responsibility for social security benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Information regarding PIP in Northern Ireland is therefore the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.

Tables 1 and 2 below show, for Scotland and Wales, the number of decisions, Mandatory Reconsiderations (MRs) and appeals for new claims for PIP where the initial decision was disallowance post-referral to the Assessment Provider (AP) due to failing the assessment, for claimants with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis.

Tables 3 and 4 below show, for Scotland and Wales, the number of decisions, MRs and appeals relating to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis who have undergone a reassessment to PIP.

Since PIP was introduced 3.7m decisions have been made until September 2018 in Great Britain, of these 10% have been appealed and 5% have been overturned.

We’re committed to ensuring that disabled people get the full support that they need, and under PIP 52% of people with MS receive the highest possible award, compared with 39% under the previous benefit DLA. May 2013 is chosen for comparison as this is the last month with a full DLA caseload prior to claimants being reassessed from DLA to PIP.

Data on the number of people who had the mobility award increased from none or standard rate to the enhanced rate is available from internal analytical datasets, but to assess the completeness of recording and quality assure the figures to answer this PQ would incur disproportionate cost.

'#' fewer than 5 decisions in this category.

The data relates to MRs and appeals recorded up to September 2018 (the latest published data on appeals). Claimants who have received benefit decisions more recently may not yet have had time to complete the claimant journey and progress to appeal.

PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants.

Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.

Appeals data shown in the tables is taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management information. Therefore this appeals data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.

Some decisions which are changed at mandatory reconsideration, and where the claimant continues to appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at tribunal appeal. Therefore the number of people who had a decision changed at mandatory reconsideration and the number of people who had a decision changed at tribunal appeal cannot be added together.

Decisions overturned at appeal may include a number of appeals that have been lapsed (which is where DWP changed the decision after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at Tribunal).

The Northern Irish Assembly has devolved responsibility for social security benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Information regarding PIP in Northern Ireland is therefore the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.

Tables 1 and 2 below show, for Scotland and Wales, the number of decisions, Mandatory Reconsiderations (MRs) and appeals for new claims for PIP where the initial decision was disallowance post-referral to the Assessment Provider (AP) due to failing the assessment, for claimants with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis.

Tables 3 and 4 below show, for Scotland and Wales, the number of decisions, MRs and appeals relating to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis who have undergone a reassessment to PIP.