Asked by: Warinder Juss (Labour - Wolverhampton West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to prevent the Child Maintenance Service being used as a method of coercive control in previously abusive relationships.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring victims and survivors of abuse get the help and support they need to use the CMS safely.
In order to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse, all CMS caseworkers receive extensive training, which is regularly reviewed, and follow a well-managed process with clear steps to support and recognise domestic abuse, including coercive and controlling behaviour.
The CMS has access to a list of resources which helps caseworkers provide signposting to supporting organisations, and a Domestic Abuse plan which includes clear steps to follow in order to support customers who are experiencing abuse.
CMS domestic abuse training has been reviewed to ensure it reflects the Home Office’s updated statutory guidance on coercive and controlling behaviour, published in April 2023, to ensure CMS staff are equipped to recognise this form of domestic abuse and signpost parents appropriately.
We have committed to reforming the CMS by removing Direct Pay and moving all cases to a single service. As well as improving compliance, this will prevent unwanted contact between parents and remove an opportunity for perpetrators of economic control and coercion to use those behaviours in the context of the CMS.
Asked by: Warinder Juss (Labour - Wolverhampton West)
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 impact of State Pension age changes for 1950s-born women living in Wolverhampton West.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age.
Estimates can be made with ONS 2022 Census Data of how many women born in the 1950s were resident in each constituency in that year.
Asked by: Warinder Juss (Labour - Wolverhampton West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support disabled people who will never be able to work in Wolverhampton West constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The social security system will always be there for those who can’t work.
As part of the recent announcements, we are making changes to the rates in Universal Credit, we will ensure that the incomes of those with the most severe, lifelong conditions who will never be able to work have their incomes protected.
We will also guarantee that for both new and existing claims, those in this group will not need to be reassessed in future.
Asked by: Warinder Juss (Labour - Wolverhampton West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to assess the fairness of the two-child limit on Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. The Child Poverty Taskforce is exploring how we can harness all available levers to reduce child poverty, including social security reforms, before publishing a strategy that will deliver lasting change.