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, if her Department will make an estimate of the number of people claiming (a) benefits and (b) state pensions who do not have a bank account.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under successive governments of different persuasions, the Department has never held information on the reason that benefit claimants or pensioners do not provide details of a transactional account.
In October 2021, there were less than 300k active Post Office accounts.
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 of benefit and pension claimants being required to provide proof of identity when cashing vouchers under the new Payment Exception Service.
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; all users are required to show proof of identity.
A wide range of documents are accepted as proof of identity including a recent benefit entitlement letter, which is available on request by everyone in receipt of a DWP payment for State Pension or benefit.
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, when benefit and pension claimants Post Office Card Accounts will be closed as part of the changes in benefit and state pension claim mechanisms.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Post Office card account contract ends in November 2022. The Department is contacting Post Office card account customers asking them to update their payment method to a transactional bank, building society, credit union or internet based account. The number of Post Office card account customers has reduced from 2.2m in January 2016 to less than 300k in October 2021. Post Office card account customers who do not update their payment method to a transactional account are being migrated on a month by month basis to the new Payment Exception Service.
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 her Department is taking to promote inclusive recruitment practices in the private sector.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Jobcentre Plus offers a range of recruitment services to employers which include recruitment advice and support, advice about offering work experience and apprenticeships as well as support to employers on employment schemes such as Sector-based Work Academies and Kickstart. These recruitment services are delivered through our National Employer and Partnership Team and network of Employer Advisers in Jobcentres. Our Employer Advisers understand the local labour market and work with employers to promote fair open and inclusive recruitment, for example, by offering advice on wording on vacancies and encouraging employers to offer flexible working patterns. They also arrange Jobsfairs which connect employers directly to jobseekers, including DWP customers.
Our National Employer and Partnership Team run regular sector focussed employer panels where they discuss and share good practice amongst employers including how to recruit and build an inclusive workforce.
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 tackle the technical issues that have caused delays to some households receiving their winter fuel payments for 2020-21.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DWP paid ninety-nine per cent of payments on time, which equated to 11.4 Million payments.
DWP has deployed additional resources to ensure that the remaining Winter Fuel Payments are made as soon as possible, as well as boosting our capacity to handle an increase in telephone enquiries.
The remaining 1% of payments, and supplementary payments generated by a customer’s change of circumstances, will be made by 31 March 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, whom in her Department constituents can contact for emergency support to arrange the payment of overdue winter fuel payments for 2020-21.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DWP customers can contact The Winter Fuel Payment Freephone helpline on 0800 731 0160 if they wish to raise an enquiry or request an urgent payment.
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, pursuant to Treasury's Answer on 18 December 2020 to Question 127577 on Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus, with reference to the recommendations on uplift of legacy benefits in the report published by Scope in May 2020, entitled Disabled People and the Coronavirus, and with reference to the scheduled cessation of the universal credit £20 uplift in April 2021, if she will (a) commission and (b) review research on the potential merits of extending the covid-19 universal credit uplift to recipients of legacy benefits; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
There are no plans to extend the temporary £20 uplift to legacy benefits. Claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for Universal Credit (UC) if they think they will be better off and should check carefully their eligibility and entitlements under UC before applying, as legacy benefits will end when claimants submit their UC claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future. For this reason, prospective claimants are signposted to independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK. Neither DWP nor HMRC can advise individual claimants whether they would be better off moving to UC or remaining on legacy benefits. There are special arrangements for those in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium, who will be able to make a new claim to Universal Credit from 27 January 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, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2020 to Question 118536 on Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus, with reference to the report published by Scope in May 2020, entitled Disabled People and the Coronavirus, what comparative assessment she has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on people receiving (a) legacy benefits and (b) universal credit; and for what reasons people receiving legacy benefits are not entitled to a £20 uplift during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Will Quince
The £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit was announced by the Chancellor as a temporary measure in March 2020 to support those facing the most financial disruption as a result of the public health emergency. This measure remains in place until March 2021. As the Government has done throughout this crisis, it will continue to assess how best to support low-income families, which is why we will look at the economic and health context before making any decisions.
There are no plans to extend the uplift to legacy benefits. Claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for Universal Credit if they believe that they will be better off. There are special arrangements for those in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium, who will be able to make a new claim to Universal Credit from 27 January 2021. Claimants should check carefully their eligibility and entitlements under Universal Credit before applying as legacy benefits will end when claimants submit their claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future.
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, for what reasons her Department opened the new Job Finding Support scheme to private tender.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Job Finding Support is designed to help those who have recently become unemployed, by offering tailored support and advice, to help them re-enter employment quickly. Work Coaches are at the core of our employment offer and this provision will complement their role by helping customers who would benefit from light-touch support delivered digitally. The provision is being let through a commercial competition to utilise the expertise and experience of those private, charitable and third sector organisations operating in this sector.
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, with reference to the Motability Scheme, what contracts the Government holds with (a) British Car Auctions and (b) other car auctioneer organisations on the disposal of motability vehicles once the lease has expired.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government holds no contracts with British Car Auctions or other car auctioneer organisations. The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability scheme. Motability Operations is independent commercial FCA regulated company responsible for the operational delivery of the scheme. Motability Operations is accountable to the Motability charity. With this in mind, any questions relating to the operation of the scheme itself should be directed to Motability. You can contact them at the following address:
Chief Executive of Motability, Motability, Warwick House, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex, CM19 5PX.