Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data protection measures his Department has in place to ensure the safety of claimant's personal information from a potential online data breach.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Department takes the security of personal information very seriously. The Department has a range of capabilities in place to ensure the safety of the data it holds and processes. Disclosing the exact nature of the measures it takes to prevent data breaches would be prejudicial to the Department’s ability to keep that data safe.
The Department works with other agencies, Departments and delivery partners to prevent online data breaches in support of the National Security Strategy.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he plans to take to strengthen the protection of personal claimant data stored online.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Department adopts best practice to protect the data it stores as advised by other agencies and Government and industry standards; and in doing so uses a range of technologies that detect and prevent data breaches. The use of these technologies is based on a risk focused approach to security and is a continuing process.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what regulations apply to the size and colours of printed information on benefits published by his Department to ensure access to that information for people with visual impairments.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Department has the following documented standards for printed information:
• Minimum type size of 10pt FS Me or 12pt Arial, based on recommended best practice from RNIB
• The majority of publications are printed in black and white.
• Where colour is used, we apply international standards for suitable contrast between text and background.
• The Department provides staff guidance explaining how to commission large print, Braille or audio versions of publications in response to individual requests.
• Publications can also be made available in electronic formats suitable for most computers equipped with screen reader software; or as Portable Document Format (PDF) files which have been optimised for the free-of-charge Adobe Reader built-in 'Read out loud' function.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have had their mobility allowance withdrawn requiring them to immediately return their Motability vehicle to the dealer for disposal in each full calendar month in tax years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16; and how many such people have won an appeal against the withdrawal of mobility allowance allowing them to return to a dealer to purchase a second Motability vehicle to aid their mobility.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Department does not routinely collect information on the numbers of people who have had to return a Motability vehicle nor on whether they were successful on appeal. This information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Motability is an independent registered charity. It is not sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. The Department works closely with Motability and facilitates the transfer of benefit to Motability on behalf of those claimants who have chosen to join the Motability Scheme. The Scheme purchases vehicles which are then leased to Scheme customers. The purchase of the vehicles is funded by the Scheme and there is no cost to the public purse.
Responsibility for the charity’s policies and operational strategy falls to the Governors and Director of Motability. Motability is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme including collating its own management information. Questions about the number of vehicles returned to Motability and number of vehicles purchased can be sent to: Declan O'Mahony, Director, Motability, Warwick House, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex CM19 5PX.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many vehicles were purchased through the Motability scheme for each full calendar month in tax years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16; what the cost to the public purse was of those vehicles; and what the cost to the public purse was of vehicles purchased to replace vehicles earlier withdrawn from claimants who lost mobility allowance but later won return of that allowance on appeal.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Department does not routinely collect information on the numbers of people who have had to return a Motability vehicle nor on whether they were successful on appeal. This information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Motability is an independent registered charity. It is not sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. The Department works closely with Motability and facilitates the transfer of benefit to Motability on behalf of those claimants who have chosen to join the Motability Scheme. The Scheme purchases vehicles which are then leased to Scheme customers. The purchase of the vehicles is funded by the Scheme and there is no cost to the public purse.
Responsibility for the charity’s policies and operational strategy falls to the Governors and Director of Motability. Motability is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme including collating its own management information. Questions about the number of vehicles returned to Motability and number of vehicles purchased can be sent to: Declan O'Mahony, Director, Motability, Warwick House, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex CM19 5PX.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the gross value of all housing benefit payments was allocated to claimants in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales in each of the last three years.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The table below shows the proportion of total Housing Benefit expenditure in Great Britain that was spent in England, Wales and Scotland over the last three years. Housing Benefit in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Office.
| 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 |
England | 88% | 89% | 89% |
Wales | 4% | 4% | 4% |
Scotland | 7% | 7% | 7% |
Source: Local Authority subsidy returns
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to nearest 1%, and do not sum to 100% in 2012/13.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of changes to (a) the benefit cap and (b) housing benefits with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Ministers had regard to all relevant international obligations when formulating the welfare policies announced at the Budget and consider that these obligations have been complied with.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of changes to (a) the benefit cap and (b) housing benefits with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Ministers had regard to all relevant international obligations when formulating the welfare policies announced at the Budget and consider that these obligations have been complied with.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of changes to (a) the benefit cap and (b) housing benefits with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Ministers had regard to all relevant international obligations when formulating the welfare policies announced at the Budget and consider that these obligations have been complied with.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of changes to (a) the benefit cap, (b) child tax credits, (c) housing benefits, (d) working tax credit reductions, (e) working tax credit restrictions and (f) the restriction of working tax credit to two children only with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Ministers had regard to all relevant international obligations when formulating the welfare policies announced at the Budget and consider that these obligations have been complied with.