Asked by: Katie White (Labour - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to (a) support young people with mental health conditions into work and (b) help reduce the number of young people signed off work due to mental health conditions.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Get Britain Working White Paper set out the government’s plans to drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, create an inclusive labour market in which everybody can participate and progress in work, and meet the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. The White Paper set out three major reforms: to create a new Jobs and Careers Service, address the growing and unsustainable problem of people being out of work due to poor health, and establish a new Youth Guarantee.
The Youth Guarantee will be for all 18-21 year olds in England and will ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work, starting in eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazer areas this Spring.
Department for Work and Pensions already provides young people aged 16-24, who are claiming Universal Credit, with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This support includes the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Hubs across Great Britain, and Youth Employability Coaches for young people with additional barriers to finding work. Youth Employability Coaches specifically work closely with Disability Employment Advisors to support those with disabilities and health conditions.
The Government also recognises that many people find health conditions and disabilities, including mental ill health, a barrier to employment. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key.
There are a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals with health conditions to stay in work and get back into work, which involve joint working between Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Health and Social Care. Support includes Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support programme for people with severe mental illnesses, and Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme aimed at disabled people with complex barriers to employment. In addition, Department for Health and Social Care’s Early Support Hubs also provide employment advice and broader mental health and wellbeing support to young people aged 11-25.
Policy relating to waiting lists for people referred for mental health support sits with my Ministerial colleagues at the Department for Health and Social Care, and you may wish to raise the matter with them.
Asked by: Kit Malthouse (Conservative - North West Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory direct ministerial appointments excluding special advisers she has made; and (i) who the appointee was and (ii) what the (A) remuneration, (B) title and (C) terms of reference was for each appointment.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has established a non-statutory Labour Market Advisory Board which will consist of a small group of leading labour market experts to provide insight, ideas, and challenge to tackle key labour market issues. The Board will be chaired by Paul Gregg, Professor of Economic and Social Policy in the Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath with further members being announced shortly. Roles on the Board are unpaid. We will set out further details of the Labour Market Advisory Board, including the Terms of Reference, shortly.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the details of all meetings held by special advisors in her Department since her appointment as Secretary of State.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The information requested is not centrally collated.
The Government publishes an unprecedented amount of transparency data; departments publish quarterly details of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries meetings' with external organisations, and Special Advisers' meetings with senior media executives.
Published transparency returns can be found here
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-special-advisers-hospitality-and-gifts#2020
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many working days have been lost to staff sickness in his Department in each month of the last five years, by directorate.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
We do not report on sick days monthly, we do however have a return that we do annually. The number of sick days by directorate in each of the last 5 years can be found in the following tables:
2015/16
Directorate | Sick Days |
Business and International Tax | 135 |
Corporate Centre | 657 |
Economics | 107 |
Enterprise & Growth | 61 |
Financial Services | 270 |
Financial Stability | 71 |
Fiscal | 103 |
International | 428 |
IUK | 127 |
Ministerial & Communications | 148 |
National Infrastructure Commission | Fewer than 5 |
Personal Tax, Welfare & Pensions | 207 |
Public Services | 345 |
Public Spending | 227 |
Strategy, Planning & Budget | 68 |
Treasury Legal Advisors | Fewer than 5 |
Department | 2954 |
2016/17
Directorate | Sick Days |
Business and International Tax | 172.5 |
Corporate Centre | 668.5 |
Economics | 102 |
Enterprise & Growth | 76 |
Financial Services | 291 |
Financial Stability | 131.5 |
Fiscal | 68.5 |
International | 318.5 |
IUK | Fewer than 5 |
Ministerial & Communications | 211 |
National Infrastructure Commission | 27 |
Personal Tax, Welfare & Pensions | 504.5 |
Public Services | 272 |
Public Spending | 190.5 |
Strategy, Planning & Budget | 99 |
Treasury Legal Advisors | Fewer than 5 |
Department | 3132.5 |
2017/18
Directorate | Sick Days |
Business and International Tax | 103 |
Corporate Centre | 595 |
Economics | 119 |
Enterprise & Growth | 133 |
Financial Services | 400 |
Financial Stability | 213.5 |
Fiscal | 250 |
International | 425.5 |
Ministerial & Communications | 347.5 |
Personal Tax, Welfare & Pensions | 178.5 |
Public Services | 190 |
Public Spending | 180.5 |
Strategy, Planning & Budget | 71.5 |
Treasury Legal Advisors | Fewer than 5 |
Department | 3207 |
2018/19
Directorate | Sick Days |
Business and International Tax | 170.5 |
Corporate Centre | 850 |
Economics | 108.5 |
Enterprise & Growth | 116.5 |
Financial Services | 578.5 |
Financial Stability | 135 |
Fiscal | 174.5 |
International | 437.5 |
Ministerial & Communications | 148 |
Personal Tax, Welfare & Pensions | 259 |
Public Services | 268.5 |
Public Spending | 342.5 |
Strategy, Planning & Budget | 50 |
Department | 3639 |
2019/20
Directorate | Sick Days |
Business and International Tax | 245 |
Corporate Centre | 906.5 |
Economics | 366 |
Enterprise & Growth | 176.5 |
Financial Services | 490.5 |
Financial Stability | 132.5 |
Fiscal | 241 |
International | 607 |
Ministerial & Communications | 326.5 |
Personal Tax, Welfare & Pensions | 176 |
Public Services | 366 |
Public Spending | 602 |
Strategy, Planning & Budget | 71 |
Department | 4706.5 |
HM Treasury takes the wellness of its staff seriously. Wellness is incorporated within the Treasury’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing policy. Every quarter, staff complete pulse surveys to assess progress against wellbeing criteria from the annual People Survey. Directors and Deputy Directors take action relating to these results to improve their staff’s wellbeing and stress levels.
HM Treasury has the following support in place for those that are suffering due to stress:
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2019 to Question 260085 on Department for Work and Pensions: Ministerial Policy Advisers, for what reason her Department does not routinely publish the number of alleged breaches of the Special Advisers’ Code of Conduct by her Department's Special Advisers.
Answered by Will Quince
In line with standard departmental practice, we are mindful of our data protection obligations when considering what information should be part of our publication scheme.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2019 to Question 237786 on Department for Work and Pensions: Ministerial Policy Advisers, for what reason her Department has no plans to publish the number of alleged breaches of the Special Advisers’ Code of Conduct by her Department's Special Advisers in the last 12 months.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department does not routinely publish this information.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2019 to Question 235371, if she will publish the number of alleged breaches of the Special Advisers Code of Conduct by her Department's Special Advisers in the last 12 months.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Department has no plans to publish this information.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many alleged breaches of the Special Advisers’ Code of Conduct by his Department's Special Advisers have been investigated by the Minister responsible for the appointment in the last 12 months.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The conduct of all civil servants, including special advisers, is taken very seriously. Special advisers act in accordance with the Special Adviser Code of Conduct, which includes clear guidance on appropriate conduct in public life. The Code can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-advisers-code-of-conduct
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 the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
I refer the hon.Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my Rt.Hon. Friend Matthew Hancock, Question UIN 27946.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
There have been 4 occasions since May 2015, where a DWP Special Adviser has accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip.