Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the equalities impact assessment undertaken by her Department in respect of The Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance (Work Search and Work Availability Requirements - limitations) (Amendment) Regulations 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department aims to place a copy of the equalities impact assessment for these Regulations in the House Library in due course.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for cold weather payments to include people who are (a) unable to work and (b) retired.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Cold Weather Payments are intended to provide extra help to the people most vulnerable to the cold, who are in receipt of certain income-related benefits. This includes:
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, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2022 to Question 138302, if her Department will carry out a detailed impact assessment analysing the potential effect of the Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance (Work Search and Work Availability Requirements - limitations) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 on the self-employed, including those with variable and unpredictable income such as performing arts practitioners.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Further to our answer to Question 138302, these Regulations have been introduced as part of the Way to Work campaign, and reflect the evidence that the longer a person is out of work, the harder it is for them to secure a job. Way to Work also means that we are giving new claimants more time with their Work Coach and bringing employers into our jobcentres in order to quickly move claimants into work. Gainfully self-employed claimants are exempt from work search and availability requirements to allow them to focus on their business.
We do not hold data that allows us to identify those with marginal employment or within specific sectors that have been granted a permitted period. As is routine, we will be assessing the impact of the changes on Universal Credit claimants more generally.
We are enhancing our programme of support for workers on Universal Credit starting from April 2022. More people who are in work and on low incomes will be able to access Work Coach support to help them to increase their earnings and move into better paid quality jobs. Work coach support will focus on removing barriers to progression and offering career progression advice, such as considering skills gaps, identifying training opportunities, or looking for progression opportunities for the claimant in their current role or supporting them into a new role. Jobcentres will be supported in this new role by a network of 37 Progression Champions across Great Britain who will spearhead the scheme. Progression Champions will work with key partners, including local government, employers, and skills providers to identify and develop local progression opportunities. They will also work with partners to address local barriers that limit progression such as childcare and transport.
Asked by: Mark Tami (Labour - Alyn and Deeside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the £350 allowance payable to hosts in the Homes for Ukraine scheme will be (a) treated as earned income, (b) treated as unearned income or (c) disregarded for the purposes of (i) universal credit, (ii) employment and support allowance, (iii) jobseeker's allowance, (iv) pension credit, (v) carers allowance and (vi) housing benefit.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are ensuring those who have stepped up to sponsor a Ukrainian individual or family do not see their household benefit entitlements affected as a result. Payment of the £350 ‘thank you’ payment will not be counted as income for the purpose of calculating benefit entitlement.
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, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of the Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance (Work Search and Work Availability Requirements - limitations) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 on performing arts practitioners.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have no evidence to suggest that this change will impact the performing arts sector or performing arts practitioners any differently from any other sector. The Regulations in question have introduced changes impacting only those claimants entitled to limit their job search to a preferred sector for a limited time. This period (known as the “permitted period”) has been reduced to a maximum of four weeks. The permitted period is available at the discretion of a Work Coach and only claimants with substantial experience in a certain sector/occupation or at a level of remuneration are eligible. After this period, such claimants will be expected to broaden their job search activity to include any suitable job at or above national minimum wage or national living wage that they are capable of, that can support them while they pursue any longer-term career options.
These changes are part of the Way to Work campaign to move half a million job-ready claimants into work by the end of June 2022. Way to Work also means that we are giving new claimants more time with their Work Coach and bringing employers into our jobcentres in order to quickly move claimants into work.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total value was of contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance payments made to people resident in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK in each year since 2000.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information on Contributory and Income Based JSA for England and Scotland is available here. A breakdown of the value of Contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance payments made to people resident in Scotland is not currently available.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of appeals to the tribunals service in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in respect of (i) personal independence payments, (ii) employment and support allowance, (iii) jobseeker's allowance and (iv) universal credit were successful in each of the last three years.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Information about the outcomes of appeals in the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at:
www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics
SSCS appeals are listed into the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. The published data (which can be viewed at the link above) provide information about the outcomes of (i) Personal Independence Payment (PIP), (ii) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and (iv) Universal Credit (UC) appeals for hearing venues covering (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England for the period requested.
The table below contains this information for (iii) Job Seekers Allowance (JSA):
| Coventry | West Midlands1 | England2 |
2018/19 | ~ | 25% | 34% |
2019/20 | 50% | 27% | 39% |
2020/21 | ~ | ~ | 27% |
Q1 2021/22P | 100% | ~ | 17% |
Q2 2021/22p | 86% | 39% | 30% |
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Notes:
SSCS data are normally registered to the venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. We cannot retrieve data based on the appellant’s actual address but can produce reports detailing the numbers of cases that were dealt with at one of our Regional centres or heard at a specific venue. The proportion of successful appeals is based on the number of cases found in favour of the appellant at a tribunal hearing as a percentage of the cases heard at a tribunal hearing. |
1West Midlands includes the venues: Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Coventry, Nuneaton, Stoke, Telford, Hereford and Worcester. | |||||
2 Excludes SSCS Scotland Region and Wales Region. |
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~ Equates to a value of fewer than five |
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P Provisional, in line with published data |
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Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data that are available. These data may differ slightly to that of the published statistics as these data were run on a different date. | |||||
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, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Benefit sanctions statistics to October 2021, what recent assessment she has made of the ability of the Social Security Advisory Committee to undertake its statutory scrutiny of the Universal Credit and Jobseeker's Allowance (Work Search and Work Availability Requirements - limitations) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 in the context of the benefit sanction decisions and durations data available to it.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made.
The Social Security Advisory Committee will continue its role to scrutinise statutory regulations and provide advice whilst continuing to have access to sanction statistics.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support families who are not entitled to tax credits and whose wages have not risen to manage (a) energy costs and (b) the cost of living.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a strong welfare safety net that supports people whether they are in or out of work through Universal Credit and the legacy benefits it is replacing including tax credits, Employment and Support Allowance and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance. In 2021/22, DWP will spend around £110bn on welfare benefits for people of working age.
As our economic recovery continues and with around 1.25 million vacancies across the UK there are many further opportunities for people to move into and progress in work and increase their earnings. Building on our Plan for Jobs, we launched ‘Way to Work on 27 January, a new campaign to help more people into work by matching jobseekers to the thousands of jobs available across the country.
We understand the pressures people are facing with the cost of living. We are providing support worth around £12bn this financial year and the next, to help families - changing the Universal Credit taper and work allowance which means, nearly two million households will keep, on average, £1000 a year, freezing fuel duties to keep costs down, and providing targeted support to help households with their energy bills.
For the lowest earners we are further increasing the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 from April 2022, meaning a full-time worker on the National Living Wage will see their annual earnings rise by over £1,000; we have set a target for the National Living Wage to reach two-thirds of median earnings by 2024, provided economic conditions allow.
We recognise that some people require extra support over the winter, which is why vulnerable households across the country can access the £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund provides £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula applies in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive)
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average monetary value was for deductions made from (a) universal credit, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) jobseeker's allowance, (d) income support and (e) pension credit claimant’s payments by (i) categories of third party debt deductions, (ii) benefit overpayments and (iii) other types of deductions in May 2021.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The average deduction amount per claim by deduction type, for (a) Universal Credit, in May 2021 is provided in the attached spreadsheet.
Information for (b) (c) (d) (e) (i) (ii) (iii) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The Government recognises the importance of supporting the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. We seek to balance recovery of debt against not causing hardship for claimants and their families. Processes are in place to ensure deductions are manageable, and customers can contact DWP Debt Management if they are experiencing financial hardship, in order to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment or a temporary suspension, depending on their financial circumstances. The Department is not able to
change the rate of most Third Party deductions as these are set out in the regulations.
Advances are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. They ensure nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit and those who need it are able to receive financial support as soon as possible. Claimants can receive up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period.