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, with reference to mitigating the risk of covid-19 transmission through ventilation in JobCentre Plus premises and other buildings owned and managed by her Department, with and without public access, what guidance she has issued or plans to issue to relevant building managers on that matter; how ventilation standards throughout her Department's estate will be monitored; what steps her Department will take to ensure that guidance is followed; and whether she plans to provide funding to improve standards of ventilation throughout her Department's estate.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP has continued to follow the BEIS guidance for offices and contact centres which refers also to the Health and Safety Executive’s advice on air conditioning and ventilation. DWP is aware that BEIS guidance is due to be updated and DWP will impact review this once issued. DWP also review the guidance issued by the Representatives of European Heating and Ventilation Associations (REHVA) and Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). On behalf of DWP, the Integrator and Supply Chain partners (Facilities Management engineers) took actions based on these recommendations when they were issued in 2020, to mitigate the risk of covid-19 transmission. DWP issued guidance to site based Senior Responsible Officers on these changes and has also maintained an informative Coronavirus Hub on its intranet.
DWP will continue to review guidance issued by the authoritative sources and will maintain systems via its planned preventive maintenance (PPM) schedules and monitors action plans for any sites that require further improvements or mitigation. Each property has its own risk assessment and COVID controls checklists that include ventilation. Work orders can be raised by its employees through the recognised helpdesk system, where issues are identified outside of the PPM process. DWP is also currently completing a further review of ventilation systems as part of the cross Government COVID taskforce, utilising documentation issued by the Cabinet Office led taskforce.
DWP will impact any further guidance issued, as it has with existing guidance and will ensure appropriate actions are taken when necessary. DWP staff such as its site-based Senior Responsible Officers, managers, estates field teams and trade union colleagues will ensure that the guidance is followed at local level and formal auditing / inspections will take place.
DWP continues to maintain its building systems via planned preventive maintenance and improve standards across the estate as part of Life Cycle Works / Capital Investment works.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the inclusion of covid-19 as a registrable cause for a long term health condition when applying for personal independence payment (PIP) since March 2021, what discussions his Department has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on developing a system of monthly published reporting of PIP application numbers to allow for additional tracking of the economic impact of long covid.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself.
PIP statistics are published on a quarterly basis and include breakdowns by month. From March 2021, the published statistical series that include low level disability breakdowns (clearances, PIP cases with entitlement, MR registrations and clearances, Award Review & Change of Circumstance clearances) include the additional category “Coronavirus covid-19”. This reflects an operational change implemented in March 2021 to include this code on the PIP Computer System. This will allow us to track the volume of clearances with Coronavirus covid-19 as a primary disability and the corresponding volume/proportion of the PIP caseload. There are currently no plans to publish the PIP statistics on a monthly basis.
There are regular, ongoing discussions between the Secretary of State and Cabinet colleagues.
Asked by: James Davies (Conservative - Vale of Clwyd)
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 engage with local employers to support new graduates into employment.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are working closely with employers and other partner’s to deliver the Government’s Plan for Jobs, providing a comprehensive package of support for all young people – including graduates.
Our national and local Employer and Partnership Teams are engaging with employers across the country to bring in employment opportunities in a variety of sectors. These include many of the opportunities established as part of the Plan for Jobs, including Kickstart, Sector-based Work Academy Programme, Apprenticeships and traineeships. These provide a wide range of ways for young people to access work in their local area and enable employers to engage their future workforce. Young people, including new graduates will have access to these through their local Jobcentre Plus and via the Government’s official job matching service Find a Job website.
We have supported the development of the Department for Education’s Graduate Employment and Skills Guide that is published on the Office for Students website. The guide is designed to help final year students and recent graduates by signposting to a range of public, private and voluntary sector opportunities, to help build employability skills, gain work experience or enter the labour market.
We have provided Plan for Jobs information for employers on GOV.UK and employers can access our Help for Employers website which offers a range of advice to help businesses overcome challenges associated with the coronavirus pandemic. Whether employers are needing to expand rapidly, or worried about redundancies, they can find advice on next steps and the best ways to support their staff.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of companies' covid-19 risk assessments including provision of covid-19 fogging equipment.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
COVID-19 risk assessments fall under the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) remit. As each workplace is different, it is for an employer to identify, as part of their risk assessment, how to control COVID-19 transmission. Guidance has been produced by HSE that gives advice and information to employers on how to do such an assessment and manage the risk from COVID-19 in a proportionate manner. Risk assessment - Working safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (hse.gov.uk)
Frequent surface cleaning is one of several control measures that can be implemented to manage the transmission risk. Fog, mist, vapour or UV (ultraviolet) treatments may be suitable options to help control the spread of coronavirus and disinfecting a larger space or room when people are not present. Any use of these treatments for these purposes should form part of your COVID-19 risk assessment. Users must be competent and properly trained. HSE provides guidance on its website as to when using these systems may be appropriate. Airborne disinfection does not remove the need for surface cleaning and surfaces that are dirty can reduce the effectiveness of disinfectant applied by airborne dispersion.
HSE and public health bodies in England, Wales and Scotland have agreed joint advice for dutyholders considering using walk-through spraying or misting disinfecting systems to reduce transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19). Spraying people with disinfectants in this way is not recommended under any circumstances (including in a tunnel, cabinet, or chamber). For further information see: Disinfecting using fog, mist and other systems during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic - HSE news
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to provide universal credit claimants who have taken temporary trips overseas special dispensation when that trip has been extended as a result of travel bans or restrictions during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Will Quince
It is a general requirement that a claimant must be in Great Britain (GB) to be entitled to Universal Credit but there are circumstances when a person is still entitled to Universal Credit whilst temporarily being absent from GB.
Claimants generally should notify Universal Credit of the intention to go abroad. Claimants can go abroad on holiday for any reason for up to one month, but they must still satisfy their work related requirements on the claimant commitment. An absence can be extended and in some specific circumstances work-related requirements may be ‘switched-off’.
The Department has put into place measures to support existing benefit recipients in exceptional cases where their absence abroad goes over the period allowed under the temporary absence benefit rules and are awaiting repatriation due to covid-19 travel restrictions.
Foreign, Commmonwealth & Development Office consular staff continue to provide advice and support to British nationals who face financial difficulties overseas due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Those in real financial distress whilst stranded overseas can seek advice and support from their local consular team, who will be able to advise on any local support that may be available, as well as facilitate contact with friends and families who may be able to help.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of covid-19 international travel restrictions on an individual's ability to meet the criteria for the Habitual Residency Test.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Eligibility for Universal Credit and other income related benefits depends on an individual’s immigration status. In order to assess this the Department operates a Habitual Residence Test (HRT). The HRT contains two elements: an assessment of the legal right of residence and an assessment of factual habitual residence.
All claimants to income related benefits must be factually habitually resident in the UK in order to make a claim. Existing benefit recipients who have left the country on a temporary basis and found it difficult to return due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, will satisfy the second element of the HRT upon their return if they can be shown to be resuming a former period of residence. Each case would be dealt with on an individual basis.
Income-related benefits are only payable to people who are in the UK and cannot be claimed by those outside the UK. The Department has put into place measures to support existing benefit recipients in exceptional cases where their absence abroad goes over the period allowed under the temporary absence benefit rules and are awaiting repatriation due to covid-19 travel restrictions.
FCDO consular staff continue to provide advice and support to British nationals who face financial difficulties overseas due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Those in real financial distress whilst stranded overseas can seek advice and support from their local consular team, who will be able to advise on any local support that may be available as well as facilitate contact with friends and families who may be able to help.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to amend the employment and support allowance eligibility to include claimants who have been unable to pay National Insurance contributions as a result of shielding.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We have no plans to amend the National Insurance (NI) contributions conditions for contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals advised to ‘shield’ in line with public health guidance were eligible for ESA and would have received NI credits as part of their award. Where an individual required further financial assistance they may have been eligible for Universal Credit.
In addition, employers could and still can furlough clinically extremely vulnerable employees, who remain eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) even whilst shielding guidance is not in place. Individuals continue to pay NI contributions as normal as part of CJRS.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to provide support for renters who are in arrears as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Government support has ensured that the vast majority of tenants have maintained their rent payments. Data from the English Housing Survey (EHS) Household Resilience Study November-December 2020 suggests that around 9 per cent of households in the private rented sector are in rent arrears, and two thirds of those are in less than 2 months of arrears.
The UK Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support which is available to tenants. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit are supporting private renters to continue paying their rent. Local housing allowance rates have been maintained at their increased level in cash terms in 2021/22, meaning claimants renting in the private rented sector continue to benefit from the significant increase in the local housing allowance rates applied in April 2020 in cash terms. For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. For 2021-22 the Government has made £140 million available in DHP funding, building on the £180 million provided last year.
We continue to closely monitor the ongoing impact of the pandemic on renters, working with the Department for Work and Pensions.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department plans to take to support people with No Recourse to Public Funds when the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-employed Income Support Scheme have been extended to the end of September 2021 to recognise some industries will return no earlier than 21 June.
Immigration status holders who do not return to work because they have lost their employment will need to check the conditions attached to their leave. Where their immigration status is linked to a particular job, they may need to find alternative employment or another basis of stay, and make a further application if they wish to remain in the UK.
Non-UK nationals and family members who are issued with a residence permit with a NRPF condition are not eligible to access taxpayer-funded benefits such as Universal Credit, Child Benefit or housing assistance for the duration of their leave. DWP has no powers to award taxpayer-funded benefits to an individual whose Home Office immigration status specifies no recourse to public funds.
People with leave under the Family and Human Rights routes can apply to have their NRPF condition lifted by making a ‘change of conditions’ application if they are destitute or at risk of destitution, or if the welfare of their child is at risk due to their low income. NRPF ‘change of conditions’ applications are prioritised and dealt with compassionately.
Other support is available to people with an NRPF condition once the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme comes to an end. Contribution-based benefits, such as New Style JSA, will continue to be available for those who meet the eligibility criteria.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
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 ensure that workplaces are implementing the recommendations from covid-19 risk assessments.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Businesses must control the risks in their workplace including those from COVID-19. The first step is to conduct a risk assessment. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has detailed web guidance on COVID risk assessments which complements information on Gov.UK about Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) and that published by the Welsh & Scottish Governments. Businesses are responsible for implementing the controls identified by this risk assessment.
HSE and Local Authorities use a range of interventions to influence, encourage and advise business and, where necessary, hold to account those who fail to meet their responsibilities. Throughout the pandemic, HSE has engaged with businesses through the three stage Spot Check process which includes phone calls and, where face to face contact is necessary, site visits. Determining whether businesses have implemented the controls identified by this risk assessment is a central part of the process.
HSE has to date conducted 183,632 COVID related spot checks in 2020/21.