Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners have lost entitlement to Pension Credit as a result of their calculated entitlement being short by 50p or less.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department does not hold information about the total income and circumstances of all pensioners.
That is why we ask people to apply for pension credit rather than being able to make awards automatically.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has had recent discussions with retailers on the safety and security of people who are lone working in stores.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has the policy lead for workplace health and safety in Great Britain. However, the primary responsibility for managing risk to health and safety lies with employers. An employer is the person or organisation that is legally responsible, under health and safety law, for managing and controlling risks created by their work activities. It is for the employer to determine the best way to manage those risks taking account of the circumstances of their business and work activity and to take appropriate action if employees report any health and safety concerns.
Local authorities are responsible for the regulation of health and safety in most retail businesses. They can use criteria such as injury rates, trends, numbers and demographics of people at risk and implementation of effective control measures to inform their interventions, and ensure compliance with regulations. HSE does not collect this data centrally.
There may be greater risks for lone workers without direct supervision or someone to help them if things go wrong, and an employer must identify the risks to lone workers and put control measures in place to protect them. HSE provide guidance on lone working: Lone working: Protect those working alone - HSE which includes advice on violence in the workplace. This guidance was updated in 2022 and remains fit for purpose.
HSE has no plans to commission a review or discuss with retailers the safety of lone workers in stores.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help increase awareness of (a) Access to Work and (b) other employment support programmes.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce.
Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. It is a personalised discretionary grant that provides support with workplace adjustments beyond an employer’s obligation as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.
As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers. We will review all aspects of Access to Work after evaluating the findings of the Pathways to Work consultation.
The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The scheme covers all disabilities, including hidden disabilities. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face.
We recognise there are opportunities to improve the scheme, and the I have been discussing ideas for making the Disability Confident scheme criteria more robust, and officials are continuing to engage with stakeholders to discuss reform proposals.
In addition, DWP has a digital information service for employers, (www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk), which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments.
In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate, making their recommendations later this year.
In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) support is provided for claimants with (i) severe health conditions and (ii) daily-living needs who score zero on a Personal Independence Payment assessment, (b) decisions take into account a claimant’s circumstances and (c) interim assistance is provided pending appeal.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution towards the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition.
Entitlement to PIP focuses on the functional impacts of a person’s health condition or disability on their daily life. It is assessed on the basis of needs arising and not on the condition itself, so is available to individuals when they meet the PIP qualifying criteria. If PIP is not in payment, then the claimant can claim any other benefit to which they consider they may be entitled
A claimant appealing against their PIP decision will continue to receive the level of award, if any, that the decision entitles them to until such time as a new decision is made by the tribunal. If the tribunal allow the appeal, then in most cases the decision will be effective from its original date and arrears will be paid if appropriate.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of service for users provided by the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Through the Service Modernisation Programme, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has made significant improvements to both communications and digital service in order to provide separated parents a greater level of service.
The online digital service 'Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance ' through GOV.UK is a service open to any parent who needs to communicate with us and can receive unbiased advice and support to make an arrangement through CMS.
Through increased use of SMS text and email, an extensive review of letters, which focussed on making the letters easier for customers to understand, and by promoting self-service online through My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), the CMS is ensuring customers have greater choice of how they communicate with us and access our service.
MCMC offers customers the ability to access and update information held on their case and request changes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. CMS has the ability to process simple changes through MCMC, automatically speeding up the time taken to make a change and greatly improving customer outcomes. These changes are a fundamental step towards the CMS modernisation goal of evolving our service to be predominately online.
Although online communication is the preferred option, CMS fully recognises digital is not suitable for all customers. For those customers who have to contact us by telephone, steps have been taken to update the service through efficient call routing. We have freed up resources to deliver a more responsive service which allows caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. The CMS telephony opening hours are regularly reviewed based on the demand requirements; CMS has extended their telephony service to 6pm on weekdays to meet this demand.
On the 26 February 2024, the CMS removed the £20 application fee for those parents opting to use the service to ensure families on the lowest incomes do not face a barrier to accessing the service. As more customers apply to the CMS, the demand for the service is increasing. To allow CMS to meet this demand and provide an efficient service we continuously look at the resources we have and where we should focus our efforts in order to get the greatest value for money and deliver the best service to our customers. We review our overall resource supply twice yearly and take appropriate steps to ensure that staffing levels meet demands. We have an ongoing recruitment campaign for 2025; this will ensure CMS is resourced to meet current and future forecasted service demand.
Furthermore, we have taken timely action to review, evaluate and enhance tools and training material to support staff in delivering a quality service to our customers. We have improved training for new entrant colleagues and caseworkers and upgraded our Operational Instructions with around 90% transformed into Smart Instructions, making them easier for caseworkers to understand and use.
The CMS regularly gathers feedback from customers and stakeholders on our service. The Customer Experience Survey is a way in which the Department interacts with customers to understand their experience; this insight is used to inform ways to improve our service.
In the last month, CMS continued to exceed our official key performance indicators, demonstrating improved outcomes and service for customers. We are always working to modernise our service and how we communicate with our customers. Commencement of any additional activity as part of the Service Modernisation Programme will be informed by the value to our customers and the cost to the Department.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the communication of the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Through the Service Modernisation Programme, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has made significant improvements to both communications and digital service in order to provide separated parents a greater level of service.
The online digital service 'Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance ' through GOV.UK is a service open to any parent who needs to communicate with us and can receive unbiased advice and support to make an arrangement through CMS.
Through increased use of SMS text and email, an extensive review of letters, which focussed on making the letters easier for customers to understand, and by promoting self-service online through My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), the CMS is ensuring customers have greater choice of how they communicate with us and access our service.
MCMC offers customers the ability to access and update information held on their case and request changes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. CMS has the ability to process simple changes through MCMC, automatically speeding up the time taken to make a change and greatly improving customer outcomes. These changes are a fundamental step towards the CMS modernisation goal of evolving our service to be predominately online.
Although online communication is the preferred option, CMS fully recognises digital is not suitable for all customers. For those customers who have to contact us by telephone, steps have been taken to update the service through efficient call routing. We have freed up resources to deliver a more responsive service which allows caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. The CMS telephony opening hours are regularly reviewed based on the demand requirements; CMS has extended their telephony service to 6pm on weekdays to meet this demand.
On the 26 February 2024, the CMS removed the £20 application fee for those parents opting to use the service to ensure families on the lowest incomes do not face a barrier to accessing the service. As more customers apply to the CMS, the demand for the service is increasing. To allow CMS to meet this demand and provide an efficient service we continuously look at the resources we have and where we should focus our efforts in order to get the greatest value for money and deliver the best service to our customers. We review our overall resource supply twice yearly and take appropriate steps to ensure that staffing levels meet demands. We have an ongoing recruitment campaign for 2025; this will ensure CMS is resourced to meet current and future forecasted service demand.
Furthermore, we have taken timely action to review, evaluate and enhance tools and training material to support staff in delivering a quality service to our customers. We have improved training for new entrant colleagues and caseworkers and upgraded our Operational Instructions with around 90% transformed into Smart Instructions, making them easier for caseworkers to understand and use.
The CMS regularly gathers feedback from customers and stakeholders on our service. The Customer Experience Survey is a way in which the Department interacts with customers to understand their experience; this insight is used to inform ways to improve our service.
In the last month, CMS continued to exceed our official key performance indicators, demonstrating improved outcomes and service for customers. We are always working to modernise our service and how we communicate with our customers. Commencement of any additional activity as part of the Service Modernisation Programme will be informed by the value to our customers and the cost to the Department.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will issue guidance on raising an issue of safety on a housing development where the operators are aware of the risks.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive already provide guidance on raising health and safety issues in a workplace or public space. This can be found on their website www.hse.gov.uk/contact/tell-us-about-a-health-and-safety-issue.htm
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the (a) length in number of applicants and (b) duration of time of the backlog in Personal Independence Payment awards for appeals where a decision was previously made.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of April 2025, a total of 8,900 appeals are currently in progress. This figure has been rounded to the nearest 100.
DWP is not solely responsible for appeals wait time. Appeals are lodged by claimants with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), which the claimant may take up to 13 months to do. DWP then have 28 days to respond to the appeal when notified by HMCTS. DWP will either lapse the appeal and overturn the initial decision if new evidence allows or uphold the original decision and provide a written response as to why the decision cannot be revised. After this the time taken to list the appeal is dependent on HMCTS, who run tribunal hearings.
For clearances made in the Financial Year 23-24, the median time between an appeal being lodged and DWP’s response was 5 weeks. For those cases who had a tribunal hearing, the median time between an appeal being lodged and tribunal hearing was 34 weeks.
Data for Financial Year 23-24 was used to ensure reasonable time has passed for an accurate assessment of the time between an appeal lodgement and clearance within DWP.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the (a) length in number of applicants and (b) duration of time of the backlog in Personal Independence Payment awards.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As at the end of January 2025, a total of 265,000 New Claims were in progress. This figure has been rounded to the nearest 1,000.
For the average clearance times in median weeks for New Claims under Normal Rules, please see the Personal Independence Payment Official Statistics to January 2025, the information you requested can be found on Table 1A.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to the public purse of (a) food insecurity and (b) economic hardship.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is unacceptable that people are falling into hardship and using foodbanks. This is why we have committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels.
Our plan for Making Work Pay and our Get Britain Working White Paper, alongside our work to develop our Child Poverty Strategy, will ensure better outcomes for families whose lives are damaged by poverty as well as supporting the delivery of our missions on economic growth and opportunity.
We have taken action to help those facing hardship through the increase in the National Living Wage from April, the extension of the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales in 2025/26 and the introduction of the Fair Repayment Rate from April.