Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure people on transitional Severe Disability Premium are not adversely financially affected as a result of Universal Credit uprating.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The transitional Severe Disability Premium (SDP) element’s (SDP TE) serves as part of the wider transitional protection in place and is designed to support eligible claimants in their transition from legacy benefits to Universal Credit (UC).
The Social Security Up-rating Regulations 2023 amended the rates used to calculate SDP TE for eligible new claims from 10th April 2023. This uprating aligns awards of the transitional element with the rate of uprating for wider benefits within the annual uprating order.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding Housing Benefit to the list of qualifying benefits for eligibility to access the Cost of Living payment.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Housing Benefit is not an income replacement benefit; it is intended to cover only housing costs. Those with the lowest incomes may be able to claim a qualifying means-tested benefit alongside Housing Benefit to cover their other living costs, which would make them eligible for a Cost of Living Payment.
Housing Benefit is administered by Local Authorities, and is sometimes paid directly to a landlord. Payments to those receiving only Housing Benefit could not therefore be delivered in a quick, accurate and straightforward manner.
For those who require additional support the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable a further extension to the Household Support Fund in England. In England, this will run from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, backed by £842m. Local Authorities use the Fund to help households with the cost of essentials, and they are expected to help households in the most need, particularly those who may not be eligible for the other support the government has recently made available.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing benefits in line with (a) inflation and (b) the cost of living; and if he will review his Department's processes for recovering social security debt.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
State pensions and benefits will increase by 10.1% in April 2023. This is in line with the increase in the cost of living as measured by the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2022.
The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the current exceptionally high cost of living, which is why, in addition to the £37 billion of support we have provided for cost of living pressures in 2022/23, we are acting now to ensure support continues throughout 2023/24. Subject to passage of the necessary legislation, this will include further Cost of Living Payments of up to £900 for households in receipt of qualifying means-tested benefits and £150 for people in receipt of qualifying disability benefits. In addition, eight million pensioner households will receive a further £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment as a top-up to their Winter Fuel Payment.
The Government will also continue to provide support to all households through the Energy Price Guarantee, which caps the price paid for each unit of energy. From April, the typical household will now pay on average £3,000 a year.
With respect to the Department’s processes for recovering social security debt, anyone who is repaying a benefit overpayment and feels they cannot afford the proposed rate of recovery is encouraged to contact the Department to discuss their situation. The Department has a well-established process for working with individuals to support them to manage their debts.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure those migrated from legacy benefits to Universal Credit do not incur a loss of income as a result.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The vast and on majority an average 55% of claimants will be £220 better off on Universal Credit. Where a claim for Universal Credit stops entitlement to a DWP income-related legacy benefit, a claimant will automatically receive a two-week run on of those benefits. Those entitled to Housing Benefit will also receive a two-week Transition to Universal Credit Housing Payment.
In addition, those claimants the Department moves from legacy benefits to Universal Credit through the managed migration process will be assessed for transitional protection at the point they move to Universal Credit. Transitional protection will be paid to eligible claimants who would see a lower entitlement on Universal Credit. The aim of this temporary payment is to maintain the same level of entitlement at the point of transition so that claimants will have time to adjust to the new benefit system.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing personal independence payment (PIP) criteria so that people with worsening health conditions who did not receive the mobility component of PIP prior to reaching retirement age can claim that component (a) on and (b) after reaching retirement age in the event that their health condition worsens.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The aim of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is to focus additional help with the extra costs of disability on people who become severely disabled earlier in life and who, as a consequence, face limited opportunities to work, earn and save compared with other people. Once PIP has been awarded, and subject to the conditions of entitlement continuing to be met, it can continue in payment after reaching State Pension age (SPa).
It is normal for social security schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives, which reflect varying priorities and circumstances. For PIP, claimants who are in receipt of the benefit when they reach SPa can continue to receive it after that point but cannot establish a new entitlement to the mobility component or receive a higher award of the mobility component if they were receiving the standard rate. This was also the case for Disability Living Allowance which PIP replaces.
These rules recognise that developing mobility needs is a common and foreseeable feature of the ageing process and puts PIP recipients in the same position as someone over State Pension age who claims Attendance Allowance which does not have a mobility component.
We have no plans to review these rules.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that British veterans living anywhere in the world receive annual uprating adjustments to their State Pensions.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions. Entitlement is based on an individual’s National Insurance record without regard to nationality.
State Pension arrangements are unchanged following the UK's Exit from the EU. The Withdrawal Agreement provides up-rating for those who moved to the EU before 1 January 2021 and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement provides up-rating for those who move to the EU from 1 January 2021
Annual index-linked increases are paid to UK State Pension recipients where there is a legal requirement to do so. For example, where UK State Pension recipients are living in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for uprating of the UK State Pension. This is a long-standing policy which has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years. The Government has no plans to change this policy.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether British veterans living in the EU will continue to receive annual uprating adjustments to their State Pensions.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions. Entitlement is based on an individual’s National Insurance record without regard to nationality.
State Pension arrangements are unchanged following the UK's Exit from the EU. The Withdrawal Agreement provides up-rating for those who moved to the EU before 1 January 2021 and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement provides up-rating for those who move to the EU from 1 January 2021
Annual index-linked increases are paid to UK State Pension recipients where there is a legal requirement to do so. For example, where UK State Pension recipients are living in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for uprating of the UK State Pension. This is a long-standing policy which has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years. The Government has no plans to change this policy.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that British veterans living in Commonwealth countries receive the full value of their pension.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions. Entitlement is based on an individual’s National Insurance record without regard to nationality.
State Pension arrangements are unchanged following the UK's Exit from the EU. The Withdrawal Agreement provides up-rating for those who moved to the EU before 1 January 2021 and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement provides up-rating for those who move to the EU from 1 January 2021
Annual index-linked increases are paid to UK State Pension recipients where there is a legal requirement to do so. For example, where UK State Pension recipients are living in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for uprating of the UK State Pension. This is a long-standing policy which has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years. The Government has no plans to change this policy.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer ahead of Spending Review 2020 on increasing the level of statutory sick pay.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is paid entirely by employers to employees where they are sick or incapable of work and where they meet the qualifying conditions. As such SSP rates are not relevant to Spending Review discussions, which focus on Departmental Admin expenditure plans.
SSP provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are sick or incapable of work. It is designed to balance support for an individual when they are unable to work because of sickness with the costs to employers of providing such support. Some employers may also decide to pay more, and for longer, through Occupational Sick Pay.
This government has a strong safety net that helps people who are facing hardship and are unable to support themselves financially and we have taken steps to strengthen that safety net. SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider government offer to support people in times of need. 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. We have strengthened our wider safety net by temporarily increasing the standard allowance of Universal Credit by the equivalent of £20 per week, meaning that claimants will be up to £1,040 better off for the 20/21 tax year.
Background
The government recognises that small and medium employers may struggle to deal with the increased costs of sick pay as a result of coronavirus.
To support businesses with the temporary economic impacts related to coronavirus, small and medium employers with fewer than 250 employees, are currently able to reclaim up to two weeks’ of SSP paid per employee for sickness absences related to coronavirus.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her Department's policy to extend the time limit of the number of days for which a person can claim contribution-based benefits for those jobseekers affected by the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
A person’s entitlement to contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance is limited to a maximum of 182 days in any period for which entitlement is established by reference to the person’s National Insurance record in the same two income tax years relevant to the claim or claims. The time limit strikes a balance in providing support whilst keeping to the cost of this and other contributory benefits affordable based on the overall income to the National Insurance Fund each year.
People who are entitled to contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or whose entitlement ends before they find employment, may have access to income-related support through Universal Credit. Entitlement will depend on individual circumstances.