Asked by: Richard Graham (Conservative - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the full basic State Pension increased in cash terms between (a) 1997 and 2010 and (b) 2010 and 2024.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Between April 1997 and April 2010, the basic State Pension increased from £62.45 per week to £97.65 per week– representing an increase of £35.20 or 56 per cent in cash terms. The full yearly amount of the basic State Pension increased by £1,837.
Between April 2010 and April 2024 the basic State Pension increased from £97.65 per week to £169.50 – representing an increase of £71.85 per week or 74 per cent in cash terms. The full yearly amount of the basic State Pension increased by £3,749.
Asked by: Richard Graham (Conservative - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) aged 16 to 64 who were economically inactive between February and April 2010, (b) aged 16 to 24 who were employed between February and April 2010 and (c) aged 16 to 24 who were unemployed between February and April 2010.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The 16-64 UK economic inactivity level was 9.5 million between February and April 2010. The 16-24 employment level was 3.7 million between February and April 2010 and the 16-24 unemployment level was 0.9 million.
Employment and unemployment data is published and available at:
Asked by: Richard Graham (Conservative - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners in Gloucester constituency who received the winter fuel allowance also received the (a) £400 energy bill discount, (b) £150 council tax rebate, (c) £150 warm home discount, (d) £900 energy price guarantee and (e) the £150 disability Cost of Living payment; what assessment he has made of the impact of those allowances on pensioners in Gloucester constituency; and what assessment he has made of trends in the number of pensioners in that constituency in 2023-24.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The information requested for part a) to d) is not held by this department. Therefore, the department cannot make an assessment of how many pensioners received the combination of support listed in the question or the impact of receiving such allowances.
The number of Winter Fuel Payments received in Gloucester constituency in winter 2021 to 2022 was 18,468. Statistics for the Winter of 2022 to 2023 will be published in September 2023. A full breakdown of Winter Fuel Payment statistics can be found here: Winter Fuel Payment statistics for winter2020 to 2021 and winter 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Department for Work and Pensions has published management information on the total number of Pensioner Cost of Living Payments made. The information can be found here: Pensioner Cost of Living Payment management information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The department has also published management information on the number of means-tested benefits and disability Cost of Living payments made. The information can be found here Cost of Living Payment management information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
In line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, the number of Cost of Living Payments made in specific constituencies is the subject of an upcoming statistical release, and cannot be released before that publication is ready, subject to usual quality assurance.
As reported in the DWP benefits statistics, there were 18,817 people in receipt of State Pension in Gloucester constituency in the quarter ending August 2022, a very slight increase from 18,597 in the quarter ending August 2021. This information can be found here DWP benefits statistics: February 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The ONS has released constituency level data on the age of the UK population using an interactive dashboard which can be found here Constituency data: population, by age (parliament.uk)
Asked by: Richard Graham (Conservative - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of (a) the number of residents that will be eligible and (b) the cost to the public purse of (i) cost of living payments and (ii) disability cost of living payments in Gloucester constituency in 2023-24.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions published an impact assessment analysing the impact of the Social Security (Additional Payments) (No. 2) Bill which made provisions to deliver means-tested benefit Cost of Living Payment worth up to £900 and the disability Cost of Living Payment worth £150 to support people in the financial year 2023/24.
In the impact assessment, the department estimated that the number of benefit units eligible for the means-tested payment in 2023-24 in Gloucester constituency is 15,000. The number of individuals eligible for the disability payment was estimated to be 11,900.
The impact assessment did not formally assess the cost to the public purse of administering these payments on a constituency basis. Assuming the caseloads outlined above are correct and all families receive the stated amount, the cost to the public purse of (i) cost of living payments would be £4.5 million and (ii) the cost of the disability cost of living payments would be £1.8 million.
The full impact assessment can be found here.
Asked by: Richard Graham (Conservative - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners received (a) a winter fuel payment and (b) cost of living support in Gloucester constituency in 2022-23.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The number of Winter Fuel Payments received in Gloucester constituency in winter 2021 to 2022 was 18,468. Statistics for the Winter of 2022 to 2023 will be published in September 2023. A full breakdown of Winter Fuel Payment statistics can be found here: Winter Fuel Payment statistics for winter 2020 to 2021 and winter 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Department for Work and Pensions has published management information on the total number of Pensioner Cost of Living Payments made. The information can be found here: Pensioner Cost of Living Payment management information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The department has also published management information on the number of means-tested benefits and disability Cost of Living payments made. The information can be found here Cost of Living Payment management information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
In line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, the number of Cost of Living Payments made in specific constituencies is the subject of an upcoming statistical release, and cannot be released before that publication is ready, subject to usual quality assurance.
Asked by: Richard Graham (Conservative - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of people between ages 50 and retirement age who were employed in 2019.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Official Statistics are published annually on the economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over: Economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Richard Graham (Conservative - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of employment rate for people aged between 50 and retirement age.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Official Statistics are published annually on the economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over: Economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Richard Graham (Conservative - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on the conversion of Kickstart jobs into full-time equivalent roles and apprenticeships.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are delighted that over 130,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people and around 235,000 roles have been made available for young people to apply to through the scheme.
Many of these Kickstart jobs will lead on to further employment, training, or apprenticeships.
Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches promote apprenticeship opportunities to claimants in their regular interventions with customers and actively participate in “National Apprenticeship Week”
The Department for Work and Pensions will be monitoring and evaluating the Kickstart scheme throughout and after its implementation, and will continue to evaluate the longer-term outcomes for Kickstart participants after they have completed their six-month jobs
Jobs made available and starts quoted here include some unfunded Kickstart jobs.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.
The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Asked by: Richard Graham (Conservative - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Gloucester constituency and (b) the UK (i) applied for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) (ii) had their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claim rejected and (ii) successfully contended a rejected Personal Independence payment (PIP) claim at appeal in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The table below provides the information requested for initial decisions following a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment for the Gloucester Parliamentary constituency and Great Britain in 2018-19:
Initial decisions in 2018-19 | Gloucester | Great Britain |
PIP initial decisions following a PIP assessment | 1,320 | 630,260 |
Of which, disallowed | 430 | 222,930 |
|
|
|
Of those disallowed at initial decision |
|
|
Award changed at Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) | 40 | 15,940 |
Award unchanged at MR and decision overturned at a tribunal hearing | 20 | 14,510 |
Award unchanged at MR and appeal lapsed | 10 | 6,140 |
Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Claimants who have received benefit decisions more recently may not yet have had time to complete the claimant journey and progress to appeal.
A lapsed appeal is where DWP changed the decision in the customer’s favour after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at tribunal.
The Northern Irish Assembly has devolved responsibility for social security benefits. The responsibility for statistics in Northern Ireland lies with the Department for Communities:
https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/articles/personal-independence-payment-statistics
Asked by: Richard Graham (Conservative - Gloucester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department has made on the roll-out of the Pensions Dashboard.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On Tuesday 4 September 2018, I published a written statement providing an update on pensions including the pensions dashboard. This can be found here: : https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-09-04/HCWS933/
We will shortly report on the findings of the Feasibility Study, and will engage with industry, consumer groups and other stakeholders to agree timelines for delivery.