Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he plans to take to help low-income households afford essential appliances; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using the Household Support Fund to provide funding for these appliances.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work & Pensions will spend £245 billion through the welfare system in 2022/23. This includes £111 billion on people of working age and around £134 billion on pensioners.
Budgeting Advances are available to help finance intermittent or unforeseen expenses (for example, essential items like furniture or household equipment) or expenses related to maternity, obtaining or retaining employment. These advances ensure that low-income families that have an emergency financial need and do not have access to adequate savings or affordable loans can access funding to meet the emergency. Budgeting Advances are available to Universal Credit claimants who have been in receipt of Universal Credit continuously for at least six months or in receipt of a combination of existing benefits and Universal Credit continuously for at least six months.
For claimants currently in receipt of Income Support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance and Pension Credit, Social Fund Budgeting Loans are available, which mirror the rules for Universal Credit Budgeting Advances.
The Household Support Fund is a discretionary scheme run by Upper Tier Local Authorities in England to provide support to those most in need. The Household Support Fund should primarily be used to provide support vulnerable households with energy, food, and water costs, but may also provide support with essentials linked to these items and wider essentials. The guidance specifically states that this can include white goods such as fridges, freezers, ovens and slow cookers. Local Authorities have the ties and local knowledge to best determine how the Household Support Fund should be provided to their local communities. They have the discretion to design their own local schemes, within the parameters of the grant determination and guidance for the fund.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that the financial support offered to people for buying furniture is equitable across regions.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work & Pensions will spend £245 billion through the welfare system in 2022/23. This includes £111 billion on people of working age and around £134 billion on pensioners.
Budgeting Advances are available to help finance intermittent or unforeseen expenses (for example, essential items like furniture or household equipment) or expenses related to maternity, obtaining or retaining employment. These advances ensure that low-income families that have an emergency financial need and do not have access to adequate savings or affordable loans can access funding to meet the emergency. Budgeting Advances are available to Universal Credit claimants who have been in receipt of Universal Credit continuously for at least six months or in receipt of a combination of existing benefits and Universal Credit continuously for at least six months.
For claimants currently in receipt of Income Support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance and Pension Credit, Social Fund Budgeting Loans are available, which mirror the rules for Universal Credit Budgeting Advances.
The Household Support Fund is a discretionary scheme run by Upper Tier Local Authorities in England to provide support to those most in need. The Household Support Fund should primarily be used to provide support vulnerable households with energy, food, and water costs, but may also provide support with essentials linked to these items and wider essentials. The guidance specifically states that this can include white goods such as fridges, freezers, ovens and slow cookers. Local Authorities have the ties and local knowledge to best determine how the Household Support Fund should be provided to their local communities. They have the discretion to design their own local schemes, within the parameters of the grant determination and guidance for the fund.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to review (a) the overall financial support offered to, (b) eligibility for Personal Independence Payment of, and (c) eligibility for Industrial Injuries Disablement benefit of those with long covid.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is intended to act as a contribution towards the extra costs that arise from needs related to a long-term health condition or disability. It is assessed on the basis of functional needs arising from a disability, or long term health condition, rather than diagnosis of a condition. The needs arising from long Covid are assessed in the same way as for all other health conditions or disabilities.
We have no plans to review either the financial support offered to those receiving PIP, or the eligibility criteria as they apply to particular conditions.
The department is advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent scientific body, on changes to the list of occupational diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit can be paid.
Their report ‘COVID-19 and Occupational Impacts’ was published in November 2022 and recommended for health and social care workers, the addition of five serious pathological complications following COVID-19 infection to the list of prescribed diseases. The department is currently carrying out a detailed assessment of the report’s recommendations. Once this work is complete, the department will provide a formal response.
IIAC considered that the evidence is not, at present, sufficient to recommend adding Long Covid to the list of prescribed diseases. IIAC will continue to investigate the occupational implications of COVID-19, including any post-infection associations.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress he has made on delivering the Work and Health Programme.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Work and Health Programme provides support primarily to help inactive and unemployed disabled people and disadvantaged groups who are motivated to work and expect to find work within 12 months. Participants receive up to 15 months pre-employment support and up to six months light touch in-work support.
As of May 2022, the programme has delivered personalised support for 220,000 inactive and unemployed people, including 170,000 disabled people. 88,000 participants have achieved first earnings from employment and 53,000 participants have achieved a job outcome. In the most recent three months to May 2022, both measures exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Over three quarters of starts, first earnings and job outcomes on the programme are disabled people.
We are extending referrals to the programme from November 2022 to September 2024, providing additional support for around 100,000 people; we expect most of these to be disabled people.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the provision of Cold Weather Payments during the energy crisis.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Secretary of State regularly meets with Cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of topics. The Cold Weather Payment scheme makes an important contribution towards the additional costs of heating for every week of severe cold weather, between 1 November and 31 March. It is targeted at those in receipt of certain income-related benefit, to ensure the support reaches the most vulnerable.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to take steps to ensure that workers earning less than £12,570 per year still obtain national insurance credits to obtain the state pension.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
From July 2022, employees will pay no National Insurance on earnings below the Primary Threshold of £12,570 per year (£242 per week).
We have ensured that people with earnings below the Primary Threshold continue to have their entitlement to State Pension protected. Although the Primary Threshold, when people start making National Insurance Contributions, has increased from £190 to £242 per week, the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) remains at £120 per week. The LEL is the level of earnings above which people are treated as having paid National Insurance, even though they have not paid Contributions.
People with earnings from a single employer above the LEL, receive a Qualifying Year of National Insurance, which counts towards their State Pension eligibility. In addition, there is a wide range of National Insurance credits available, ensuring people can achieve the best possible State Pension outcome when they reach State Pension age.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish details of any land owned by his Department in Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not own any land in the Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency, any DWP occupations in this area is by way of an agreed Lease.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with cystic fibrosis in England are in receipt of (a) universal credit, (b) income-related employment support allowance, (c) income-based job seekers allowance and (d) income support.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The information requested for Universal Credit and income-based Employment and Support Allowance is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Information is available for those on income-based Employment and Support Allowance with the main medical condition of ‘Diseases of the respiratory system’ here:
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 information is not collected for those on Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to reply to the letter of 21 June 2021, resent on 8 September 2021, from the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys, regarding the Personal Independence Payment application process.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A reply was sent to the Honourable Member on 02/11 2021.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of eligible universal credit claimants in Blackpool North and Cleveleys are claiming for childcare.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The number of households on Universal Credit and those with Child Care entitlement, broken down by Parliamentary Constituency, can be found at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html