Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what awareness training for autism is provided to work coaches and JobCentre Plus staff.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is committed to providing the best possible support for all claimants to meet their individual circumstances.
Jobcentre staff undergo a comprehensive learning journey which includes self-paced and facilitated classroom based learning, incorporating complex needs of individuals, to equip staff when engaging with claimants on the autistic spectrum.
Supporting information is also available in Guidance which incorporates all complex needs of different vulnerable groups, together with a short bitesized learning product which was launched as part of Autism Awareness Week in April 2019. All of which is available at the point of need for each individual personal requirement.
Support is also provided by Disability Employment Advisers and Work Psychologists. Work Coaches can refer individuals to personalised provision and support, such as the Work and Health Programme (available in England and Wales) or Fair Start Scotland (devolved programme available Scotland).
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Gingerbread Caring without Sharing, published in May; and what steps they are taking to provide financial support to single parents once the furlough scheme ends.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
No assessment has been made by the Department.
Single parents who become unemployed may be eligible for Universal Credit (UC). UC provides help with childcare costs and a dedicated Work Coach. The Government considers that, where possible, it is in the best interests of children to be in working households, and we are committed to helping lone parents into a job which fits in around their caring responsibilities. Jobcentre Plus staff can help parents to find work that fits around childcare responsibilities and provide intensive support to lone parents. Claimants with children will benefit from a work allowance, and Universal Credit pays up to 85 per cent of childcare costs, compared to 70 per cent in legacy benefits, and can be claimed up to a month before starting a job.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Government’s priority has been to protect lives and people’s livelihoods, through its economic response.
This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, including by increasing the living wage, and by spending an estimated £112 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2020/21. This included around £7.4 billion of Covid-related welfare policy measures.
We introduced our Covid Winter Grant Scheme providing funding to Local Authorities in England to help the most vulnerable children and families stay warm and well fed during the coldest months, now the Covid Local Support Grant, with a total investment of £269 million.
As the economy recovers, our ambition is to help people move into and progress in work as quickly as possible based on clear evidence around the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. We are investing over £30 billion in our ambitious Plan for Jobs which is already delivering for people of all ages right across the country.
Asked by: Baroness Sherlock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Department for Work and Pensions Armed Forces Champions there are (1) in total, (2) on Jobcentre sites, and (3) in Jobcentre plus districts.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The Department remains committed to the Armed Forces Covenant and will do what is necessary to provide members of the Armed Forces Community with the help and support they need and deserve.
It wants to move towards a situation where it helps serving veterans and others in a more intelligent and effective way and better matches available resources with demand.
The Department started to put in place new arrangements in April to transform the way it supports members of the Armed Forces Community, building on the successful network of Armed Forces Champions.
For the first time there will be a dedicated armed forces role at middle management level in each of the 11 Jobcentre Plus Groups. The 11 group Leads will form a virtual network and will be responsible for building capability and sharing best practice across the network. They will also be expected to be pro-active in liaising with the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force on both recruitment and resettlement.
These Armed Forces Champions Leads will oversee 50 Armed Forces Champions across the Jobcentre Plus network (including at least one in each of the 37 Jobcentre Plus Districts) who will have specific responsibilities for supporting members of the Armed Forces Community as part of their job – and again for the first time this will involve a front line role personally handling some claims, supporting veterans into work and helping resolve complex cases where necessary.
Recruitment to these roles is largely complete and the Department expects all of the roles to be filled within the next few weeks. All of the Leads have been appointed, with most in post already. Armed Forces Champions have been appointed in 34 Districts so far.
Officials in the Department have discussed the new model with a number of Armed Forces stakeholders, and so far it has been very well received.
There are also many staff across the DWP network based in individual Jobcentre offices who will be the local “expert” on Armed Forces issues and the Department is continually working to build capability across the Jobcentre Plus network. It has also recently introduced an Armed Forces “identifier” on to the Universal Credit system which will help ensure that veterans and serving personnel making new claims to Universal Credit are given the help and support they need.
These dedicated Armed Forces roles will complement the investment in recruiting an additional 13,500 Work Coaches overall (and every Work Coach receives appropriate training to support members of the Armed Forces Community), as well as investing billions of pounds in employment support schemes (such as Kickstart and JETS). And this will come on top of the other support already in place. For example, veterans are given early voluntary entry to the Work and Health Programme. And using Service Medical Board evidence where possible, a severely disabled person does not have to undergo additional examinations for Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit purposes.
Asked by: Baroness Sherlock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the 13,500 recruited work coaches since March 2020 have started work in Jobcentres.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Over 13.5k new Work Coaches have completed their initial learning and are now delivering Jobcentre services.
Asked by: Baroness Sherlock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Jobcentre work coaches are employed (1) in total, and (2) as full-time equivalents.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The latest confirmed figure for Work Coaches, was taken on 31st March 2021 and is a headcount of 27,286, this is 24,956 full-time equivalents (based on contractual hours).
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 she is taking to ensure equity of treatment for lone parents in the administration of (a) child benefit payments, (b) national insurance contributions, (c) carers' allowance and (b) other social security system matters.
Answered by Will Quince
(a) Entitlement to Child Benefit is dependent on a person making a claim for it and is payable to a person responsible for the child or qualifying young. All claimants are treated equally within the administration of Child Benefit, with the exception that payments can be made weekly rather than four-weekly for lone parents.
(b) The amount of NICs payable is dependent on the person’s earnings and there is no difference in this regard between lone parents and non-lone parents.
(c) The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. All carers are treated equally within the administration of Carer’s Allowance.
(d) Under Universal Credit (UC), comprehensive support is provided to lone parents. There is help available for childcare costs for children of any age. Claimants can recover up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs through UC (or 70% of those costs through working tax credits). Further assistance may be available through the Flexible Support Fund. Jobcentre Plus staff can help parents to find work that fits around childcare responsibilities and provide intensive support to lone parents. UC is designed to make work pay, so not all of a person’s net earnings are deducted from UC. Claimants with children and/or disabilities will benefit from a work allowance which means they can keep either: £293 per month if they also receive housing costs element, or £515 per month if they don’t receive any housing costs element.
Asked by: Karen Buck (Labour - Westminster North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Universal Credit Programme Board minutes, Paper 1, deposited in the Library on 15 April 2021, if she will publish an update on (a) the work of the Universal Credit Complex Needs Steering Group and (b) alternative access to claiming and managing universal credit for people with learning disabilities.
Answered by Will Quince
The Universal Credit Programme Board papers deposited in the Library relate to meetings held between October 2018 and March 2019.
The Universal Credit application process is deliberately designed to be as quick and easy as possible, so that claimants receive money at the earliest opportunity. It has been designed to be a predominantly digital service, ensuring we make best use of technology to deliver a modern and effective working-age welfare system, allowing our staff to concentrate on those people who require additional support. The value of this approach has been clearly demonstrated as the Universal Credit caseload doubled, very rapidly, in the months following the outbreak of the pandemic. Where an individual has difficulties using or accessing our online service, help is available through our Freephone Helpline.
Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, Jobcentre Plus offices across the country remained open to support the most vulnerable claimants, including those with complex needs and learning disabilities. The Department strives to identify individuals who have complex user needs and/or require additional support to enable them to access our services, ensuring we make necessary adjustments for them to be effectively supported by Universal Credit.
In addition, the Department has continued its Help to Claim funding for 2021/22. This service, delivered through Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, was already a multi-channel offer prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, capable of supporting people through the entire Universal Credit claim through various channels including by telephone and web chat, up to receiving their first full correct payment on time.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to ask the Secretary of State, how many claimants her Department has provided with a laptop or computer in each of the last twelve months; and what recent estimate she has made of the number of claimants without online access to their journal.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Throughout the pandemic, jobcentres have remained open for anyone who needs face-to-face support and cannot be helped in any other way. To help keep customers and staff as safe as possible in the latest phase of the pandemic, jobcentre opening hours have changed to 10am to 2pm. This temporary change means we can continue providing safe, essential services for those who need to come into the Jobcentre and who are unable to interact with us on the phone or digitally. The opening hours of our phone lines remain as they were.
All Jobcentre Plus offices across the country have Wi-Fi and computers available for claimants to access the internet.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support the Government is providing to people aged over 55 who have lost their jobs as a result of the covid-19 pandemic to retrain and re-enter employment.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department is supporting people of all ages back in to work. The Government’s Plan for Jobs provides new funding to ensure more people, including those aged 50 and over, get tailored Jobcentre Plus support to help them find work and to build the skills they need to get into work. This includes £895m to recruit an additional 13,500 Work Coaches which DWP is on track to achieve by Quarter 1 of 2021/22; a £150m increase in the Flexible Support Fund which will also boost the capacity of the Rapid Response Service to help those facing redundancy move into other jobs; and £10m for a new online support through the Job Finding Support Service which will provide tailored one-to-one job finding support to the recently unemployed.
The Government aims to increase the number of Sector based Work Academy programme placements, supporting unemployed claimants of all ages through training, work experience and a guaranteed interview for a real job. We are also investing £238m into Job Entry: Targeted Support (JETS) to offer new support to those who have been made unemployed for three months.
To support the long term unemployed, £2.9 billion is being invested in the Restart Programme, which is due to go live from summer 2021. The Restart Programme will support individuals who have been unemployed for 12 months plus and through regular, personalised support providers will work with participants to identify the best way to support them into sustained employment.
The Department also has a network of 50 PLUS Champions (formerly Older Claimants Champions) throughout all of the 34 Jobcentre Plus districts. These Jobcentre Plus staff work collaboratively with Work Coaches to raise the profile of over 50s claimants, highlighting the benefits of employing them and sharing best practice.
Further, Government recognises the importance of planning effectively for the future and in encouraging productive workplace conversations. We therefore launched a webpage in 2019 to promote the mid-life MOT, which offers support from the National Careers Service, Public Health England and Money and Pensions Service to those considering a change in career by encouraging them to take stock across the key areas of skills, health and financial planning.
The Department for Education continues to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) (£1.34bn in 2019/20 and 2020/21). The principal purpose of the AEB is to engage adults and provide the skills and learning they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. It enables more tailored programmes of learning to be made available, which do not need to include a qualification, to help those furthest from learning and in the workplace.
Government is providing £2.5 billion (£3 billion when including Barnett funding for devolved administrations) for the National Skills Fund to help adults learn valuable skills and prepare for the economy of the future, which will start in financial year 2021/22. The National Skills Fund will support adults to learn and reach their potential in the labour market. It will complement other provision available for adults, such as through the Adult Education Budget and other recent reforms to adult skills provision and funding.
The Skills Bootcamps, which are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving adults aged 19 and over the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. Skills Bootcamps have the potential to transform the skills landscape for adults and employers.
These were launched in West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Lancashire, and Liverpool City Region in September 2020, initially focusing on digital skills such as software development, digital marketing, and data analytics. Registrations opened in December 2020 for the Skills Bootcamps in the Leeds City Region, Heart of South West (Devon and Somerset) and Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, with delivery set to begin in early 2021.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the unemployment rate of those aged 65 years old and over; and what steps they are taking to reduce that rate.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The employment rate for people aged 65 and over has dropped from 11.6 per cent at the start of the pandemic to 10.9 per cent in November 2020.
To support people aged 65 and over to return to work, the Government’s Plan for Jobs provides new funding to ensure more people, get tailored Jobcentre Plus support to help them find work and to build the skills they need to get into work. This includes £895 million to recruit an additional 13,500 Work Coaches which the Department is on track to achieve by March 2021; a £150 million increase in the Flexible Support Fund which will also boost the capacity of the Rapid Response Service to help those facing redundancy move into other jobs; and £10 million for a new online support service that will provide tailored one-to-one job finding support to the recently unemployed.
The Government also aims to triple the number of sector-based work academy programme placements, supporting unemployed claimants of all ages through training and work experience to find a job. We are also investing £238 million into Job Entry: Targeted Support (JETS) to offer new support to those who have been made unemployed for three months.
To support the long term unemployed, in the Spending Review 2020, Government has also announced the Restart programme that will provide intensive and tailored support to over one million people and help them find work.
The Department also has a network of 50 PLUS Champions throughout all of the 34 Jobcentre Plus districts. These Jobcentre Plus staff work collaboratively with Work Coaches to raise the profile of over 50s claimants, highlighting the benefits of employing them and sharing best practice.