Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional steps she will take to improve response times to pensions inquires from hon. Members.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Retirement Services are currently experiencing a very high volume of enquiries, and it is taking us longer than usual to reply as we recover from the challenges of the pandemic.
DWP now triage enquiries giving priority to vulnerable claimants who may be at risk, and those with benefit payment issues.
We are reviewing the effectiveness of the approach we have taken throughout the pandemic and to improve our level of service we have introduced a bespoke Retirement Services mailbox for MP enquiries, improved our MP engagement at local level and are reviewing resourcing levels.
We are in the process of designing the future operating model for DWP complaints and correspondence. As part of this we will be looking for further opportunities to drive efficiency in the process whilst ensuring that vulnerable customers are prioritised.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress the Government has made on ensuring that cohabiting couples are treated equitably for Bereavement Support Allowance.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 15th July 2021, we laid the draft proposal for a Bereavement Benefits (2021) Remedial Order before Parliament. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bereavement-benefits-proposal-for-implementation-of-the-mclaughlin-2018-and-jackson-2020-judgments
This proposes to extend eligibility for Widowed Parent’s Allowance and Bereavement Support Payment to surviving cohabitees with dependent children.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to rulings of the (a) Supreme Court in 2018 and (b) High Court in 2020, what plans the Government has to ensure that cohabiting couples are recognised as being entitled to bereavement support payments.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 15th July 2021, we laid the draft proposal for a Bereavement Benefits (2021) Remedial Order before Parliament. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bereavement-benefits-proposal-for-implementation-of-the-mclaughlin-2018-and-jackson-2020-judgments
This proposes to extend eligibility for Widowed Parent’s Allowance and Bereavement Support Payment to surviving cohabitees with dependent children.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to deploy additional staff to her Department’s Retirement Services Centre to help improve response times to pensions enquires.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Between 5 July and 9 August 2021, DWP Retirement Services are recruiting 183 new members of staff to enhance our resources to work on our State Pension teams. This will enable us to continue to deliver the very best level of service to our customers.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department has provided the Home Office on the continued payment of universal credit to people who are (a) awaiting a decision about their EU Settled Status application or (b) appealing a rejection of their EU Settled Status application.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The department has not shared any guidance with the Home Office on the continued payment of Universal Credit (UC) to people (a) awaiting a decision on their EU Settled Status Application or (b) appealing a rejection of their EU Settled Status application.
I refer the honourable member of North Ayrshire and Arran to my previous response on this subject: UIN 19715