To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Forms
Thursday 14th March 2024

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the forms it issues are accessible to people with limited ability to complete a form by hand.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department’s forms are designed to be accessible for people who use assistive technology. Our online PDFs are compliant with Work Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 accessible standards. Claim form design and standards are regularly tested to ensure they continue to meet user needs.

DWP seeks to identify individuals who require additional support to enable them to access our services, providing a tailored service and ensuring appropriate support is quickly made available.

Jobcentre Plus provides access to services for claimants who need face-to-face support.

Help to Claim is a service delivered independently by Citizens Advice and in partnership with Citizens Advice Scotland, for those who are claiming Universal Credit.

DWP Visiting supports those who are unable to complete requirements through any of the other channels.


Written Question
Working Hours: Health and Safety
Monday 3rd July 2023

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to consult on health and safety protections for night workers.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 all employers have a duty, so far as it is reasonably practicable, to protect the health, safety, and welfare at work of all their employees. Specifically, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess the health and safety risks to employees, to which they are exposed whilst they are at work, and to put in place arrangements to control those risks.

Reducing ill health at work is an important area of focus for the Health and Safety Executive, as outlined in their strategic objectives, however there are no current plans to consult on health and safety protections for night workers.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Employment
Monday 12th June 2023

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

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 effectiveness of the implementation of the two-child limit on Universal Credit claimants at incentivising parents to (a) move into work, (b) work more hours and (c) increase their incomes.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

No such assessment has been made and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Children
Monday 12th June 2023

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families with more than two children made a first claim for Universal Credit in each of the last five years.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Ageing
Thursday 11th May 2023

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to develop an ageing population strategy.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

We have no current plans to develop an ageing population strategy.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Children
Tuesday 9th May 2023

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181665 on Universal Credit: Children, what process his Department uses to assess the value for money of policies on which it does not collect data.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The DWP Evaluation Strategy sets out our approach for ensuring that our evaluation work delivers high quality evidence on the right questions at the right time. It covers all types of evaluation – process, impact and value for money.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Children
Monday 24th April 2023

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

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 amount his Department has saved as a result of the two child cap on Universal Credit in 2022; and what proportion of the total Department budget that figure represents.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 April to PQ 180302


Written Question
Universal Credit: Children
Wednesday 19th April 2023

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

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 money his Department has saved as a result of the two child cap on Universal Credit in each of the last three years; and what proportion of the total Department budget this represents.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The requested information is not available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Access to Work Programme: Standards
Wednesday 15th March 2023

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the average waiting times, including to assessment and outcome, of the Access to Work programme.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Access to Work official statistics are published annually and include how many approvals have been made. However, the publication does not include waiting times as the data on this is not of sufficient quality to meet the standard requirement for an official statistics publication.


Written Question
Cost of Living Payments: Means-tested Benefits
Wednesday 14th December 2022

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing part of the Cost of Living Payment to people on means tested benefits in Winter 2022.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

No such assessment has been made. We will be bringing forward legislation for the 23/24 Cost of Living Payments in due course.