Questioner: Ruth Jones (LAB - Newport West)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the impact of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 on support for disabled people in Newport West constituency.
Answered by Chloe Smith
As set out in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, Newport West will benefit from UK Government support that applies in all parts of Wales, from targeted UK Government investment in the local area, and from funding that the UK Government provides to the Welsh Government.
The UK Government set out a range of policies that will apply in all parts of Wales. This includes increasing the National Living Wage, cutting the Universal Credit taper rate, increasing the Universal Credit work allowances, investing in R&D, funding the commitment to recruit additional police officers, and freezing fuel duty. These will help a wide range of people including disabled people.
In addition, the Government published the National Disability Strategy in July 2021 which aims to break down barriers and extend opportunities for disabled people in all parts of the UK. The strategy respects and showcases the diversity of approaches across the UK on disability, in relevant policy areas which are devolved. Reflecting those devolved areas, each nation has - or is in the process of developing - its own disability strategy.
Questioner: Dan Carden (LAB - Liverpool, Walton)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the changes proposed in the consultation on Public Service Pensions: Police Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 2022 on the (a) value of police officer pensions and (b) length of service required by an officer to access their pension in full.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The government is committed to ensuring that public servants, including police officers, have access to good pensions that are affordable and sustainable in the long term. That was the basis on which the police pension scheme, alongside the main public sector pension schemes, was reformed in 2015 following the recommendations of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission.
The government is taking steps to remove discrimination on the grounds of age, associated with the transitional protection arrangements linked to the 2015 pension reforms, which was subsequently identified by the courts during the McCloud and Sargeant litigation. Following a public consultation, it has been decided that eligible members will be offered a choice of scheme benefits for the remedy period. From 1 April 2022, all those in service in the relevant workforces will be members of the reformed pension schemes, ensuring equal treatment from that point on. The government believes this is the most appropriate and proportionate way of ending the age discrimination identified.
The Home Office consultation concerns the amendments to the police pension scheme regulations that are required to enact the first phase of this established policy.
The consultation opened on 8 November 2021 and will close on 2 January 2022. We will consider the responses carefully before confirming the regulation amendments.
Since the reformed schemes were introduced in 2015 many police officers are already members of the 2015 police pension scheme and will continue as such.
The 2015 police pension scheme and the other reformed public sector schemes are some of the most valuable available in the UK: backed by the taxpayer, index-linked and offering guaranteed benefits on retirement, comparing very favourably to the typical private sector scheme.
Questioner: Clive Lewis (LAB - Norwich South)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that police officers are not discriminated against within the new Police Pension Scheme.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The government is committed to ensuring good public service pension provision, but this has to be affordable and sustainable in the long term.
The main public sector pension schemes – including the police pension scheme – were reformed following the recommendations of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission, resulting in the introduction of the 2015 schemes.
The government is taking steps to remove discrimination on the grounds associated with the transitional protection arrangements, identified by the courts during the McCloud and Sargeant litigation. Eligible members will be offered a choice of scheme benefits for the remedy period for those in scope of the remedy and, from 1 April 2022, when the remedy period ends, all those in service in main unfunded schemes will be members of the reformed pension schemes, ensuring equal treatment from that point on. The government believes this is the most appropriate and proportionate way of ending the age discrimination identified.
The 2015 police pension scheme and the other reformed schemes are some of the most valuable available in the UK: backed by the taxpayer; index-linked; and offering guaranteed benefits on retirement; comparing very favourably to the typical private sector scheme.
Questioner: Jessica Morden (LAB - Newport East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value was of all claims identified as fraudulent benefit claims through identity theft; how much has been recovered from those fraudulent claims; and how many people have been prosecuted for fraudulent benefit claims through identity theft in (a) 2018-2019, (b) 2019-2020 and (c) 2020-2021.
Answered by David Rutley
Where there is a suspicion of fraud, the Department takes the issue extremely seriously. DWP’s Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service coordinates the detection of, and response to, fraud risks from organised crime groups detecting and shutting down systematic attacks. Last year, this led us to suspend 152,000 Universal Credit claims and prevented £1.9 billion in benefits from being paid to people trying to defraud the system.
The table below shows the number of Fraud Investigations concluded in each of the requested years where the allegation was recorded as Identity Fraud and the primary benefit in payment was Universal Credit. Also shown is the value associated to these Investigations.
| 2018/2019 | 2019/2020 | 2020/2021 |
Cases closed - all outcomes (figures rounded to nearest 100) | 900 | 2,400 | 2,600* |
Values calculated in respect of above cases (rounded to nearest 100) | £65,300 | £928,500 | £2,092,500** |
*As this was identified as a result of serious and organised fraud this figure reflects the number of referrals made and not the number of individual claims that may be incorporated in that referral.
**These cases and values do not include the large number of additional Identity Fraud attempts during 2020/21 (many of which were the result of co-ordinated attacks) which we spotted and stopped before they went into payment, as the cases are still ongoing.
DWP’s Debt Management system does not match recovery to specific fraud type, so it is not possible to state how much money has been recovered in relation to closed cases classified as Identity Fraud.
Covid-19 restrictions have impacted prosecution cases as it has not been possible to carry out face to face interviews. This is because a face to face interview under caution, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, is a legal requirement before a case can be referred for either prosecution or for an administrative penalty to be issued.
However, DWP is making considerable progress in securing Covid safe rooms across the country for its fraud investigators and is also securing digital facilities, which will enable interviews to be conducted remotely.
DWP will always look to prosecute this type of offence to the full extent where possible and conducted 4 prosecutions for this offence in 2018/19, 9 in 2019/20 and 3 in 2020/21.
There will always be a time lag between the formal investigation and the court’s final verdict, but a number of investigations into hijacked identity are currently being pursued and will come to court in due course.
DWP is currently considering how future legislative change could help target fraud and error even more acutely moving forwards.
All cases where ‘Departmental error’ leads to overpayments of Universal Credit are logged on DWP’s Debt Management system as Official Error cases. These debts are recoverable. The table below shows the total number of these cases recorded on the system in each of the last 3 years.
Financial Year | Volume* |
2018/2019 | 106,000 |
2019/2020 | 199,000 |
2020/2021 | 337,000 |
*figures rounded to nearest 1000
Ensuring benefit correctness is a DWP priority. Despite an additional 3 million claimants to Universal Credit as a result of Covid-19, published National Statistics on Fraud and Error in the Benefit System show that Universal Credit Official Error fell in 2020/21 from 1.3% to 0.9% of benefit expenditure.
Note that the data supplied in this response is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.
Questioner: Jessica Morden (LAB - Newport East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims have been identified as involving (a) identity fraud, (b) departmental error in (i) 2018-19, (ii) 2019-20 and (iii) 2020-21.
Answered by David Rutley
Where there is a suspicion of fraud, the Department takes the issue extremely seriously. DWP’s Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service coordinates the detection of, and response to, fraud risks from organised crime groups detecting and shutting down systematic attacks. Last year, this led us to suspend 152,000 Universal Credit claims and prevented £1.9 billion in benefits from being paid to people trying to defraud the system.
The table below shows the number of Fraud Investigations concluded in each of the requested years where the allegation was recorded as Identity Fraud and the primary benefit in payment was Universal Credit. Also shown is the value associated to these Investigations.
| 2018/2019 | 2019/2020 | 2020/2021 |
Cases closed - all outcomes (figures rounded to nearest 100) | 900 | 2,400 | 2,600* |
Values calculated in respect of above cases (rounded to nearest 100) | £65,300 | £928,500 | £2,092,500** |
*As this was identified as a result of serious and organised fraud this figure reflects the number of referrals made and not the number of individual claims that may be incorporated in that referral.
**These cases and values do not include the large number of additional Identity Fraud attempts during 2020/21 (many of which were the result of co-ordinated attacks) which we spotted and stopped before they went into payment, as the cases are still ongoing.
DWP’s Debt Management system does not match recovery to specific fraud type, so it is not possible to state how much money has been recovered in relation to closed cases classified as Identity Fraud.
Covid-19 restrictions have impacted prosecution cases as it has not been possible to carry out face to face interviews. This is because a face to face interview under caution, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, is a legal requirement before a case can be referred for either prosecution or for an administrative penalty to be issued.
However, DWP is making considerable progress in securing Covid safe rooms across the country for its fraud investigators and is also securing digital facilities, which will enable interviews to be conducted remotely.
DWP will always look to prosecute this type of offence to the full extent where possible and conducted 4 prosecutions for this offence in 2018/19, 9 in 2019/20 and 3 in 2020/21.
There will always be a time lag between the formal investigation and the court’s final verdict, but a number of investigations into hijacked identity are currently being pursued and will come to court in due course.
DWP is currently considering how future legislative change could help target fraud and error even more acutely moving forwards.
All cases where ‘Departmental error’ leads to overpayments of Universal Credit are logged on DWP’s Debt Management system as Official Error cases. These debts are recoverable. The table below shows the total number of these cases recorded on the system in each of the last 3 years.
Financial Year | Volume* |
2018/2019 | 106,000 |
2019/2020 | 199,000 |
2020/2021 | 337,000 |
*figures rounded to nearest 1000
Ensuring benefit correctness is a DWP priority. Despite an additional 3 million claimants to Universal Credit as a result of Covid-19, published National Statistics on Fraud and Error in the Benefit System show that Universal Credit Official Error fell in 2020/21 from 1.3% to 0.9% of benefit expenditure.
Note that the data supplied in this response is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.
Questioner: Gareth Thomas (LAB - Harrow West)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to require Police forces to offer training on financial resilience, including (a) planning for retirement and (b) building savings; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, like all employers, have a duty to manage and support their workforces. It is the responsibility of individual forces to provide training and support, including on financial resilience, where appropriate.
Police forces provide a package of reward and support for police officers and staff, including their salary and relevant additional allowances. They also provide access to occupational pension schemes, including generous employer contributions, that compare favourably to those available to others.
Chief Constables are responsible for the administration of pensions for their respective workforce, including providing information on pensions and retirement.
The government has provided further support for savings in retirement, including for the police workforce, by introducing automatic enrolment in occupational pension schemes.
Questioner: Lord Blunkett (LAB - Life peer)
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to use the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to amend the law to raise the mandatory retirement age for judicial office holders; and whether, further to consultation on the matter, they will propose an amendment to that Bill to fulfil the commitment made by the Lord Chancellor on 9 March to “legislate to increase the mandatory retirement age as soon as parliamentary time allows”.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
As set out in the background briefing notes to the Queen’s Speech on 11 May, the government intends to legislate to raise the mandatory retirement age of judicial office holders to 75 through the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Bill, to be introduced shortly.
Questioner: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (LAB - Slough)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2021 to Question 3996 on Social Security Benefits, whether her Department has undertaken a cost/benefit analysis of the benefit cap (a) in general and (b) which has included (i) police costs in responding to domestic abuse reports, (ii) local authority costs for temporary housing, (iii) the administration costs of Discretionary Housing Payments and (iv) additional costs to other public services; and whether there are any other policies and programmes which are delivered by her Department where the associated annual costs to the public purse are unknown.
Answered by Mims Davies
(a) DWP has published four impact assessments of the benefit cap, each one including a cost/benefit analysis. The first two relate to the introduction of the benefit cap. The second two relate to the introduction of a lower, tiered cap. They can all be found here:
https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/impact-assessments/IA12-003.pdf
https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006.pdf
(b) These cost benefit analyses do not include the specific costs listed in (i) to (iv). The funding of all DWP policies is set out at the time they are introduced and, where relevant, updated at subsequent fiscal events. Documentation on all past fiscal events is set out at Gov.uk, and by the Office for Budget Responsibility where relevant. The most recent documentation can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/965777/Budget_2021_policy_costings_.pdf and https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2021/ respectively.
Questioner: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (LAB - Slough)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the annual cost to the public purse is of retaining the benefit cap; and whether that figure includes (a) police costs in responding to domestic abuse reports, (b) local authority costs for temporary housing, (c) the administration costs of Discretionary Housing Payments and (d) additional costs on other public services.
Answered by Mims Davies
This information is not readily available, and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.
Questioner: John Nicolson (SNP - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent fraudulent phone calls from overseas being routed through UK exchanges.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The UK Government has taken a range of actions to reduce the number of these scam calls, including those originating from overseas. It has supported the National Trading Standards Scams Team to roll out call blocking devices to vulnerable people. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has also provided over £1 million in the last 3 years to National Trading Standards for distribution of call blocking devices to vulnerable people. This funding has helped to protect some of the most vulnerable in society from nuisance calls and scams.
The UK Government recognises nuisance calls and cold calling can be a gateway to scams, with opportunistic criminals targeting potential victims in the UK. The UK Government has therefore banned cold calls from personal injury firms and pensions providers unless the consumer has explicitly agreed to be contacted. We have also introduced director liability for nuisance calls.
The City of London Police, the lead force for Economic Crime, has partnered with Law Enforcement and Industry to combat call centre fraud from overseas jurisdictions.
The UK Government recognises there is more to do and is working closely with communications providers, law enforcement, regulators and consumer groups to consider further legislative and non-legislative solutions.
Questioner: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (LAB - Slough)
Question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of lowering the private pension age.
Answered by John Glen
The normal minimum pension age is the minimum age at which most pension savers can access their pensions without incurring an unauthorised payments tax charge (unless they are retiring due to ill-health). The normal minimum pension age was set at 50 in 2006 when it was introduced and since then, life expectancy at birth for both men and women increased significantly. According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, life expectancy has also continued to increase since 2014, when the Coalition Government announced it would increase the normal minimum pension age from 55 to 57 in 2028.
Increasing the normal minimum pension age reflects increases in longevity and changing expectations of how long individuals will remain in work and in retirement. Raising the normal minimum pension age to age 57 keeps it around 10 years behind state pension age, and could encourage individuals to save longer for their retirement, and so help ensure that individuals will have financial security in later life.
In 2014 the Coalition Government announced that the normal minimum pension age would increase from age 55 to 57 in 2028, following a consultation on the appropriate normal minimum pension age for individuals to access their private pensions without incurring an unauthorised payments tax charge. On 11 February the Government published a consultation on the appropriate protection regime for individuals who have unqualified rights to access their pension before the minimum age. The consultation is open until 22 April 2021. The normal minimum pension age increase will not apply to the public service pension schemes for firefighters, police and the armed forces.
Questioner: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (LAB - Slough)
Question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the Government plans to raise the private pension age.
Answered by John Glen
The normal minimum pension age is the minimum age at which most pension savers can access their pensions without incurring an unauthorised payments tax charge (unless they are retiring due to ill-health). The normal minimum pension age was set at 50 in 2006 when it was introduced and since then, life expectancy at birth for both men and women increased significantly. According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, life expectancy has also continued to increase since 2014, when the Coalition Government announced it would increase the normal minimum pension age from 55 to 57 in 2028.
Increasing the normal minimum pension age reflects increases in longevity and changing expectations of how long individuals will remain in work and in retirement. Raising the normal minimum pension age to age 57 keeps it around 10 years behind state pension age, and could encourage individuals to save longer for their retirement, and so help ensure that individuals will have financial security in later life.
In 2014 the Coalition Government announced that the normal minimum pension age would increase from age 55 to 57 in 2028, following a consultation on the appropriate normal minimum pension age for individuals to access their private pensions without incurring an unauthorised payments tax charge. On 11 February the Government published a consultation on the appropriate protection regime for individuals who have unqualified rights to access their pension before the minimum age. The consultation is open until 22 April 2021. The normal minimum pension age increase will not apply to the public service pension schemes for firefighters, police and the armed forces.
Questioner: Stephen Timms (LAB - East Ham)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the Health and Safety Executive's response is to representations made to it by the Road Haulage Association on tightening guidance on the provision of toilet facilities to visiting truck drivers; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Mims Davies
Early in the pandemic, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) produced guidance for drivers which can be found at https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/drivers-transport-delivery.htm. In addition, HSE published a joint letter with the Department for Transport on gov.uk in May 2020, reminding businesses of their legal obligation to provide toilet and handwashing facilities to drivers visiting their premises to deliver or collect goods as part of their work. The joint letter is available to download and print, via the following link:
This guidance continues to be reinforced with messages (for example that HSE is checking businesses in the transport sector are COVID-secure – https://press.hse.gov.uk/2020/11/23/hse-is-checking-businesses-in-the-transport-sector-are-covid-secure/ to explain expectations on businesses).
In mid-July 2020 HSE clarified that visiting workers must be allowed access to toilets in both their cleaning and hygiene guidance (https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/cleaning/bathrooms-toilets-washbasins.htm) and social distancing guidance (https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/social-distancing/common-areas.htm)
HSE has engaged extensively with industry associations and trade unions to set out the legal requirements. They used their communications channels including social media and newsletters to engage with stakeholders directly, and last year worked with other agencies such as Highways England and police forces to amplify our messaging on access to welfare facilities via their social media channels.
Questioner: Claudia Webbe (IND - Leicester East)
Question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to tackle (a) illegal levels of pay, (b) furlough fraud, (c) double record keeping and (d) VAT fraud in Leicester’s garment Industry.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC enforce the National Minimum and National Living Wage (NMW) in line with the law and policy set out by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
All businesses, irrespective of size or sector, are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff. Consequences for not complying with paying NMW can include penalties of 200% of the arrears, public naming and, for the worst offences, criminal prosecution.
Breaches of NMW legislation are normally a civil matter, but the most serious cases involving obstruction, falsifying of documents by, for example, creating a second set of ‘compliant records’ or wilful failure to pay workers the minimum wage that form part of a pattern of wider criminality may be referred to HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service and subsequently to the Crown Prosecution Service who decide whether or not to prosecute.
Since 2012-13, HMRC’s NMW team has investigated 150 textile trade employers (59 employers in Leicester), recovering over £215,000 in wage arrears for over 400 workers and issued over £325,000 of penalties to employers.
As a result of the widespread allegations about labour exploitation in Leicester this year, a new multi-agency taskforce (Operation Tacit) led by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has been set up to bring together the enforcement bodies (HMRC, Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate (BEIS), Leicestershire Police, National Crime Agency, Leicester City Council, Department for Work and Pensions and Home Office Immigration Enforcement).
Across tax and the NMW, HMRC have a significant number of live investigations involving businesses in the textile sector (over 90 NMW investigations and over 30 tax investigations), a large majority of which relate to Leicester. In 2019/20 HMRC completed 25 separate investigations into the VAT affairs of businesses in the textile trade in Leicester alone and in doing so recovered more than £2 million of tax that would otherwise have been lost and facilitated 21 director disqualifications relating to the textile sector.
HMRC are also taking steps to counteract those seeking to abuse the COVID-19 support schemes. In line with other “payment-out” regimes, HMRC undertake pre-payment authentication and risking to identify and block fraudulent claims. HMRC also carry out proportionate risk-based post-payment compliance checks to test the accuracy of claims they receive. HMRC are able to retrospectively audit all aspects of the COVID-19 schemes, with scope to claw back fraudulent or inaccurate claims, applying their existing compliance approaches.
HMRC take seriously and review all complaints from workers referred by the Acas helpline, or received via the online complaints form, and investigate as appropriate. If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact Acas, in confidence, on 0300 123 1100 or submit a query online using the link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pay-and-work-rights-complaints.
Questioner: Claudia Webbe (IND - Leicester East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to (a) tackle the payment of illegal wages to workers in parts of Leicester’s garment industry and (b) ensure those workers are (i) compensated and (ii) reimbursed.
Answered by Paul Scully
As a result of the allegations of labour exploitation in Leicester, a new multi-agency taskforce led by the GLAA has been set up to bring together the enforcement bodies to continue to work together to secure robust intelligence to enable appropriate enforcement activity. It consists of: HMRC National Minimum Wage; Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (BEIS); Leicestershire Police; National Crime Agency; Leicester City Council; Department for Work and Pensions and Immigration Enforcement (Home Office).
HMRC’s National Minimum Wage team are active participants in the Leicester Taskforce and are attending visits to textile businesses in Leicester. They have also set up a new dedicated team to investigate Leicester textile businesses and other potential non-compliance textile hotspots across the UK. Where appropriate, these cases will be investigated with HMRC tax colleagues and taskforce partners. While we cannot comment on individual cases, HMRC have a number of open investigations in the textiles industry in Leicester. Where non-compliance is found, they will take appropriate enforcement action. This can include issuing notices of underpayment, recovering arrears for workers, issuing penalties to employers and, in the most serious cases, prosecutions. Since 2012/13, HMRC have recovered over £215,000 in wage arrears for 411 textile workers in the UK and issued over £325,000 in corresponding penalties to employers.
HMRC are also undertaking outreach activities with local groups in Leicester designed to promote awareness of National Minimum Wage rights for workers, and support employers and agency partners in Leicester. This includes distributing multi-lingual advice leaflets for workers, writing directly to both textile workers and employers, and a bespoke webinar for textile sector employers.