Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
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 merits of increasing the level of Statutory Sick Pay for people who have (a) tested positive for covid-19 and (b) been notified to self-isolate via the Track and Trace App.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are sick or incapable of work. SSP is payable from the first day of absence from work, rather than the fourth, where an individual is unable to work due to COVID19. It is paid by employers at £95.85 per week for up to 28 weeks in any one period of entitlement. Some employers may also decide to pay more, and for longer, through Occupational Sick Pay.
SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider government offer to support people in times of need, and we have taken steps to strengthen that safety net. Where an individual’s income is reduced while off work sick and they require further financial support, for example where they are not eligible for SSP, they may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance, depending on their personal circumstances. The Government introduced a package of temporary welfare measures worth around £9.3 billion this year to help with the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This included the £20 weekly increase to the Universal Credit Standard Allowance rates as a temporary measure for the 20/21 tax year. We are continuing to work with the Treasury on the best ways to support those receiving benefits.
To help support people in Northern Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic the Department for Communities has put in place additional support. Financial support may be available for short-term living expenses for those who have a positive Covid-19 diagnosis or are in self-isolation. A non-repayable Discretionary Support Self Isolation Grant may be available for those who are on a low income and are experiencing financial difficulties as a result of being told to self-isolate.
Background
To help support people during the COVID-19 pandemic the Department for Communities has put in place additional support. This includes:
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to extend the Minimum Income Floor suspension for six months.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The suspension of the Minimum Income Floor for Universal Credit that was due to expire on 12 November 2020 will be extended to the end of April 2021.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
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 merits of reforming the welfare system in response to the (a) economic and (b) social challenges arising as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Will Quince
No such assessment has been made of reforming the Welfare system.
Universal Credit has stood up to the challenge of the COVID-19, whereas the previous legacy benefit system would have buckled under the pressure. Millions more are able to access welfare which is fairer and more generous than the legacy benefit system. It is a modern, flexible, personalised benefit responding effectively to economic conditions. It replaces six outdated and complex benefits with one – helping to simplify the benefits system, providing support in times of need and making work pay.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether redundancy payments with limited tax liability under the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 are treated as capital in the assessment period in which they are received, as opposed to income under Regulation 54 of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013; whether those payments are not counted as earnings or surplus earnings for the purposes of a universal credit award; and whether those payments are assessed as capital for that award.
Answered by Will Quince
For those who are made redundant and make a claim to Universal Credit (UC), their redundancy payments, with limited tax liability under the Income Tax (earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, are treated as capital. A claimant’s capital is taken into account to determine their entitlement to UC and in the calculation of their UC award.
If capital exceeds £16,000 (after having deducted allowable disregards, such as, personal injury compensation payments) there will be no entitlement to UC.
Redundancy payments treated as capital are therefore not taken into account as earnings, nor would the surplus earnings rules apply to them.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to increase the rates of (a) income support and (b) job seekers allowance for (i) all claimants and (ii) claimants with chronic health conditions during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no current plans to increase the amount of Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support due to COVID19. These benefits were increased by 1.7% from 6 April, following the Government announcement to end the benefits freeze in November 2019.
DWP and HMRC are experiencing significant increased demand and the Government has to prioritise the safety and stability of the benefits system overall, announcing measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised.
Taken together, DWP’s measures represent an injection of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system and, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support introduced by an advanced economy in response to COVID19.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to enshrine the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into UK domestic law.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK is a fully committed party to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which we ratified in 2009. The UK as a general principle does not incorporate international treaties into domestic law. However, the rights of disabled people under this Convention are largely reflected and given effect in existing domestic policies and legislation.
The Equality Act 2010 provides, in domestic legislation, protections for people in Great Britain against discrimination, harassment or victimisation because of any of the nine protected characteristics set out in the Act – which include disability – as well as the public sector equality duty to promote equality of opportunity for all. Equivalent provisions for Northern Ireland are set out in a range of devolved legislation.
In 2019 we launched a new cross-government approach to disability and we will publish a ‘National Strategy for Disabled People’ in 2020.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to maintain the disability rights of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights after the end of the transition period.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The European Charter of Fundamental Rights was not the source of fundamental rights in EU law and did not create any new rights, freedoms or principles. Rather, it reaffirms fundamental rights which already existed in EU law. The Charter will cease to have effect in UK domestic law at the end of the implementation period. Domestic law which implemented the rights and principles which underpin the Charter will be retained through the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
All the protections covered in our domestic legislation including the Equality Act 2010 and equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland, will continue to apply after the end of the implementation period.
In addition, the protections which derive from the European Convention on Human Rights, which have been given further domestic effect by the Human Rights Act 1998, are unaffected by EU exit.