Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2019 to Question 323, when he plans to place the memorandum in the Library.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department has sent a copy of the memorandum of 2 May 2019 to the House’s Library. We have been advised by the Library that it is currently processing the deposit of this document.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2019 to Question 316, whether the graphics used in the six-week long advertising campaign entitled, Universal Credit Uncovered, in The Metro were designed by (a) staff in her Department or (b) Associated Newspapers.
Answered by Will Quince
The information used in the ‘Universal Credit Uncovered’ Metro campaign was sourced by Departmental officials. The campaign graphics were designed by Metro’s in-house design team as part of the Department’s media partnership with them.
We went to great lengths to ensure the factual accuracy of the campaign through extensive consultation within the Department, including the Government Legal Department. We also consulted with the Advertising Standards Authority Copy Advice Team prior to the launch and continued to do so throughout the campaign lifetime.
The Metro partnership was designed to increase understanding of Universal Credit and ensure people have the right factual information they need to make a claim and understand their potential entitlement.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policy of the report entitled, A Hidden Harm: Why healthcare professionals want to stop unfair asthma prescription charges published by Asthma UK with the Royal College of Nursing, Association of Respiratory Nurse Specialists and Primary Care Respiratory Society.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Department has no plans to change the list of medical exemptions from prescription charges. Extensive arrangements are already in place to help people access National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of NHS prescription charge exemptions for which someone with asthma may qualify.
People on a low income, who do not qualify for an exemption, may be eligible for full or partial help with prescription charges through application to the NHS Low Income Scheme.
To support those with the greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, the cost of the prescription pre-payment certificates has been frozen for another year. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to provide an update on the universal credit managed migration pilot that began in Harrogate in July 2019.
Answered by Will Quince
We have commenced our Move to Universal Credit pilot, as scheduled, in the area served by Harrogate Jobcentre. The goal of the pilot is to learn as much as possible, and to increase numbers as slowly and gradually as necessary.
Testing the system and our processes will allow us to make sure we can provide the best possible service to those claimants who move to Universal Credit from their legacy claims.
The Department has already committed to updating the House when appropriate progress has been made.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on payments of universal credit advances to claimants in each month since advances were introduced.
Answered by Will Quince
Universal Credit is now the main system of working age welfare support across the country. It is available in every Jobcentre, with a caseload of over 2.5 million claimants, growing every month, now able to access the additional support and flexibilities it offers.
Around 60 per cent of new claims take up an advance. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take-up has been broadly consistent over the last 12 months. As the overall Universal Credit caseload grows, we expect the volume and value of advance payments to change in correlation. This shows that claimants are being made aware of advances and are using it where they need this help.
Information surrounding the amount spent on Universal Credit advances each month since they were introduced is shown in the table below:
Jun-13 | £1,000 |
Jul-13 | £2,000 |
Aug-13 | £3,000 |
Sep-13 | £10,000 |
Oct-13 | £10,000 |
Nov-13 | £18,000 |
Dec-13 | £18,000 |
Jan-14 | £25,000 |
Feb-14 | £30,000 |
Mar-14 | £47,000 |
Apr-14 | £42,000 |
May-14 | £36,000 |
Jun-14 | £34,000 |
Jul-14 | £33,000 |
Aug-14 | £48,000 |
Sep-14 | £133,000 |
Oct-14 | £153,000 |
Nov-14 | £203,000 |
Dec-14 | £278,000 |
Jan-15 | £360,000 |
Feb-15 | £371,000 |
Mar-15 | £607,000 |
Apr-15 | £574,000 |
May-15 | £1,050,000 |
Jun-15 | £1,061,000 |
Jul-15 | £1,261,000 |
Aug-15 | £1,605,000 |
Sep-15 | £1,786,000 |
Oct-15 | £1,762,000 |
Nov-15 | £2,081,000 |
Dec-15 | £2,171,000 |
Jan-16 | £2,736,000 |
Feb-16 | £2,642,000 |
Mar-16 | £4,080,000 |
Apr-16 | £3,801,000 |
May-16 | £3,996,000 |
Jun-16 | £3,827,000 |
Jul-16 | £4,438,000 |
Aug-16 | £4,629,000 |
Sep-16 | £4,817,000 |
Oct-16 | £4,801,000 |
Nov-16 | £4,879,000 |
Dec-16 | £5,452,000 |
Jan-17 | £6,062,000 |
Feb-17 | £5,601,000 |
Mar-17 | £7,876,000 |
Apr-17 | £6,847,000 |
May-17 | £7,051,000 |
Jun-17 | £6,873,000 |
Jul-17 | £7,367,000 |
Aug-17 | £8,002,000 |
Sep-17 | £8,396,000 |
Oct-17 | £9,363,000 |
Nov-17 | £12,130,000 |
Dec-17 | £13,254,000 |
Jan-18 | £25,685,000 |
Feb-18 | £24,977,000 |
Mar-18 | £25,721,000 |
Apr-18 | £25,934,000 |
May-18 | £28,812,000 |
Jun-18 | £32,678,000 |
Jul-18 | £43,321,000 |
Aug-18 | £46,636,000 |
Sep-18 | £44,778,000 |
Oct-18 | £55,693,000 |
Nov-18 | £62,991,000 |
Dec-18 | £58,697,000 |
Jan-19 | £75,758,000 |
Feb-19 | £79,955,000 |
Mar-19 | £91,646,000 |
Apr-19 | £91,957,000 |
May-19 | £103,096,000 |
Notes:
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of universal credit claimants with children are not eligible for a budgeting advance to pay for upfront childcare costs due to (a) an existing budgeting advance, (b) not having made a debt repayment and (b) not claiming universal credit for a sufficient amount of time in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Explanatory Memorandum to The Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2019, 7.12, whether in the event of a Serious Shortage Protocol being issued for immunosuppressant medicines patients would always be referred back to the prescriber for any decision on their treatment before any therapeutic or generic alternative is supplied.
Answered by Jo Churchill
While Serious Shortage Protocols (SSP) in England have the scope to cover all medicines and appliances that are on a National Health Service prescription in primary care, including immunosuppressant medicines, it is clear that an SSP for therapeutic or generic equivalents will not necessarily be suitable for all medicines and patients. For example, where medicines need to be prescribed by brand for clinical reasons, which may be the case for certain immunosuppressant medicines. In these cases, patients would always be referred back to the prescriber for any decision about their treatment before any alternative is supplied.
Any protocol would however only be introduced if clinicians with expertise in the relevant area think it is appropriate. So, if an SSP for an immunosuppressant medicine was under consideration, this would be agreed with, for example, transplant specialists or other relevant clinicians. Pharmacists will have to use their professional judgment as to whether supplying against the protocol rather than the prescription is appropriate or the patient should be referred to their prescriber.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the letter of 31 July 2019 from the Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance placed in the Library disclosing the cost of the Department’s partnership with Associated Newspapers, if she will provide (a) costs of the advertising consultancy and (b) all other costs incurred in the Universal Credit Uncovered advertising campaign which ran in May and June 2019 in The Metro and online.
Answered by Will Quince
We are the biggest Government Department with a day to day operation on which around 22 million citizens depend. The Department has a responsibility to communicate policy and essential information to claimants and other key audiences.
The Metro partnership was designed to increase understanding of Universal Credit and ensure people have the right factual information they need to make a claim and understand their potential entitlement.
We went to great lengths to ensure the factual accuracy of the campaign through extensive consultation within the Department, including the Government Legal Department. We also consulted with the Advertising Standards Authority Copy Advice Team prior to the launch and continued to do so throughout the campaign lifetime.
The letter of 31 July 2019 placed in the House of Commons Library disclosed the full cost of the Department’s partnership with Associated Newspapers. There were no advertising agencies, consultancy or additional costs associated with the campaign and detailed planning was taken forward by Departmental officials.
We have already shared a copy of the memo of 2 May 2019 from the Director General of Universal Credit and Director of Communications to DWP staff with the Work and Pensions Select Committee but can also commit to placing a copy in the House of Commons Library.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government Legal Service approved the Universal Credit Uncovered advertising campaign in the Metro and the Mail Online in May and June 2019.
Answered by Will Quince
We are the biggest Government Department with a day to day operation on which around 22 million citizens depend. The Department has a responsibility to communicate policy and essential information to claimants and other key audiences.
The Metro partnership was designed to increase understanding of Universal Credit and ensure people have the right factual information they need to make a claim and understand their potential entitlement.
We went to great lengths to ensure the factual accuracy of the campaign through extensive consultation within the Department, including the Government Legal Department. We also consulted with the Advertising Standards Authority Copy Advice Team prior to the launch and continued to do so throughout the campaign lifetime.
The letter of 31 July 2019 placed in the House of Commons Library disclosed the full cost of the Department’s partnership with Associated Newspapers. There were no advertising agencies, consultancy or additional costs associated with the campaign and detailed planning was taken forward by Departmental officials.
We have already shared a copy of the memo of 2 May 2019 from the Director General of Universal Credit and Director of Communications to DWP staff with the Work and Pensions Select Committee but can also commit to placing a copy in the House of Commons Library.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will place in the Library a copy of the memo of 2 May 2019 sent by her Department’s Director General of Universal Credit and Director of Communications to DWP staff setting out the purpose of the Universal Credit Uncovered advertising campaign in the Metro and Mail Online.
Answered by Will Quince
We are the biggest Government Department with a day to day operation on which around 22 million citizens depend. The Department has a responsibility to communicate policy and essential information to claimants and other key audiences.
The Metro partnership was designed to increase understanding of Universal Credit and ensure people have the right factual information they need to make a claim and understand their potential entitlement.
We went to great lengths to ensure the factual accuracy of the campaign through extensive consultation within the Department, including the Government Legal Department. We also consulted with the Advertising Standards Authority Copy Advice Team prior to the launch and continued to do so throughout the campaign lifetime.
The letter of 31 July 2019 placed in the House of Commons Library disclosed the full cost of the Department’s partnership with Associated Newspapers. There were no advertising agencies, consultancy or additional costs associated with the campaign and detailed planning was taken forward by Departmental officials.
We have already shared a copy of the memo of 2 May 2019 from the Director General of Universal Credit and Director of Communications to DWP staff with the Work and Pensions Select Committee but can also commit to placing a copy in the House of Commons Library.