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Written Question
Winter Fuel Payment: Eligibility
Monday 8th January 2024

Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) potential merits and (b) cost of expanding eligibility for winter fuel payments to those reaching state pension age in winter 2023-24.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

An individual is entitled to a winter fuel payment if they have reached State Pension age by the end of the 'qualifying week', which has been defined in law since 1999 as the week beginning on the third Monday in September.

This is to allow time to check eligibility, make the calculations (which in some cases include an assessment of household formation as well as date of birth and place of residence), and make payments as far as possible before Christmas.

In 2023, the number of people who claimed State Pension between the end of the qualifying week (25 September) and Christmas (data available to 17 December) was 158,803.

Source: Power BI


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Payments
Wednesday 18th October 2023

Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether people who are (a) usually eligible for (i) Universal Credit and (ii) other benefits and (b) have received a nil award for those benefits in the qualifying period because they have received non-consolidated additional backpay from the NHS for the year 2022-23 will receive all the cost of living payments they would otherwise be entitled to in 2023-24.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Employees who receive arrears of earnings and/or lump sum payments in one month, could have their Universal Credit award reduced to zero in the same month (known as a ‘nil award’). Claimants who receive a ‘nil award’ in the qualifying period will not have an entitlement to a Cost of Living Payment.

We are unable to distinguish whether an increase to a claimant’s earnings is temporary or permanent.

However, we are delivering the Cost of Living Payment in three separate payments over 2023/24 to reduce the chance of someone missing out altogether. Those who do not qualify for an instalment of the Cost of Living Payment may qualify for another Payment.


Written Question
Asylum: Employment
Tuesday 18th October 2022

Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of Government support systems that help refugees and asylum seekers into work.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

Once refugee status has been granted, individuals have immediate access to employment support and services.

We recognise that refugees often face additional barriers to labour market participation and are supporting the development of interventions that help to overcome these barriers. This includes developing an integration package which has a strong focus on supporting refugees to move more quickly to self-sufficiency.

DWP employment support includes help with job search and English language skills as well as with skills training, CV writing and securing work experience. Local Jobcentre Managers have considerable flexibility to provide tailored support to meet individual needs as required.

DWP also works closely with businesses expressing an interest in employing people in response to the situations in Afghanistan and Ukraine. We support them to develop job adverts open to any applicant and then share those adverts with Jobcentres and with the Refugee Employment Network, a charity who work with over 200 Refugee Support Organisations across the UK, to ensure these opportunities are widely advertised.


Written Question
Universal Credit
Friday 18th March 2022

Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)

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 people subject to managed migration do not have their existing benefit stopped until they have established a universal credit claim.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8th February to question number 120621.


Written Question
Universal Credit
Friday 18th March 2022

Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to make reasonable adjustments for people being required to apply for universal credit during managed migration, including for people who cannot access an online universal credit journal or people who need more frequent payments.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8th February to question number 120621.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Mental Illness
Friday 18th March 2022

Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she will take to ensure that people with mental health conditions do not lose their benefit entitlement during managed migration from legacy benefits to universal credit.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8th February to question number 120621.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Uprating
Friday 25th February 2022

Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made on the potential effect of not uprating benefits in line with inflation on levels of child poverty in Salford and Eccles constituency.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

No such assessment has been made. The Government is up-rating benefits in line with inflation. The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions with reference to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). All benefit up-rating since April 1987 has been based on the increase in the relevant price inflation index in the 12 months to the previous September. The relevant benefits are increasing by 3.1% from April.

The latest statistics on the number and proportion of children who are in low income families by local area, covering the six years, 2014/15 to 2019/20, can be found in the annual publication: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).

This Government is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty. Our approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment – particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits
Friday 19th November 2021

Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what equality impact assessment has been made of the effect on benefit and pension claimants no longer being able to redeem cash from ATMs and cashpoints with the new Payment Exception Service cards following the closure of the previous Post Office cards.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Equality Assessment showed no impact relating to the protected characteristic groups for the new Payment Exception Service; Post Office card account customers were able to use Post Office branded ATM’s to cash their payments, however, this was not extended to ATM’s more generally.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits
Friday 19th November 2021

Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential cost converting to the Payment Exception Service payment card scheme from the current Post Office card account system.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is realising a reduction in costs by encouraging use of transactional bank building society, credit union or internet based accounts, for benefit claimants and pensioners that are able to provide such an account, and contracting for a single payment exception service, for benefit claimants and pensioners that do not.


Written Question
Pensions and Social Security Benefits
Friday 19th November 2021

Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what equality impact assessment has been made of the impact of benefit and pension Payment Exception Service users being required to collect payment claims by a 90 day expiration date.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Equality Assessment showed no impact relating to the protected characteristic groups for the new Payment Exception Service. A 90-day expiry date ensures the Department is alerted where a benefit claimant or pensioner has not cashed a voucher and may require additional support to access their payments. The Department can then put in place and re-issue payments where appropriate.