Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Child Maintenance Service is currently contacting people who are believed to owe child maintenance payments.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where payments have been missed we have asked parents to report the changes via the self-service portal. In order to ensure that receiving parents do not lose out in the long run, the Child Maintenance Service is updating cases with notified changes. Where payments have been missed the Service is contacting parents to re-establish compliance and collect any unpaid amounts that may have accrued.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Child Maintenance Service will resume enforcement action against people who owe child maintenance payments.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where payments have been missed we have asked parents to report the changes via the self-service portal. In order to ensure that receiving parents do not lose out in the long run, the Child Maintenance Service is updating cases with notified changes. Where payments have been missed the Service is taking action to re-establish compliance and collect any unpaid amounts that may have accrued.
Those found to be abusing the system are subject to the full extent of our enforcement powers and the Child Maintenance Service will pursue these, where appropriate.
We are working with key partners, such as bailiffs and courts, who support enforcement activity to establish arrangements supporting enforcement. Once our key partners are fully able to support our referrals we will then move quickly to re-establish our normal and full range of enforcement services.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
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 help young disabled people into work in (a) Medway and (b) England.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Government is committed to building a country that works for everyone and supporting disabled people and those with long-term health conditions to reach their potential. That is why we made the ambitious commitment to see one million more disabled in work by 2027. In November 2017, we published ‘Improving Lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability’, which sets out actions we’re taking across the three key settings: the welfare system, workplace and health services.
We are taking decisive action to support young disabled people into work. Programmes for young people with disabilities include:
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the effects of the benefits cap on reducing unemployment in (a) Medway and (b) Gillingham and Rainham constituency; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
A suite of evaluation was published on 15 December 2014 finding those who would be impacted by the benefit cap were 41 per cent more likely to go into work, as defined by having an open Working Tax Credit claim, than a similar group with benefit entitlement just under the cap level and 38 per cent of those capped said they were doing more to find work. Further information can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-cap-evaluation
The number of households capped in Medway Local Authority from the introduction of the benefit cap (on 15 April 2013) to August 2014 (the latest available data) was 239. Of the 109 households who were no longer capped as at August 2014, 36 had an open Working Tax Credit (WTC) claim, indicative of a move into work. This is not a comprehensive measure of moves into work; some individuals may go into work but may not be eligible to claim WTC if their earnings are too high or the hours worked do not meet the claim requirements.
The number of households capped in Gillingham and Rainham Parliamentary Constituency from the introduction of the benefit cap (on 15 April 2013) to August 2014 (the latest available data) was 81. Of the 35 households who were no longer capped as at August 2014, 6 had an open Working Tax Credit claim, indicative of a move into work. This is not a comprehensive measure of moves into work; some individuals may go into work but may not be eligible to claim WTC if their earnings are too high or the hours worked do not meet the claim requirements. Further information can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of days lost to long-term sick leave (a) in total and (b) for reasons related to mental health in (i) Gillingham and Rainham constituency and (ii) Medway in each of the last three years.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The information requested is not available. Such information as is available on long-term sickness absence is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/long-term-sickness-absence. In addition to this, there is an ONS publication on sickness absence here http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_353899.pdf