The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graeme Morrice on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what processes his Department has in place to monitor the welfare of personal independence payment applicants awaiting a decision on their claim.
Mike Penning
The Department does not routinely monitor the welfare of people applying for benefits.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graeme Morrice on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many days were lost due to illness among Jobcentre Plus staff in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) West Lothian local authority area and (d) Livingston constituency in each of the last five years.
Mike Penning
DWP has robust and effective measures in place for managing sickness absence and has succeeded in cutting sickness absence from an annual average of 11.1 days per employee in 2007 to 6.9 days per employee currently. To place this in context the Civil Service average is 7.6 days.
Jobcentre Plus was re-structured and absorbed into a revised Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Operations structure in October 2011. Since that point, it has no longer existed as a separate organisation. This means the information beyond September 2011 is not available.
In accordance with cross government arrangements; the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reports sick leave expressed as average working days lost (AWDL) per employee, over a rolling 12 month period
The following table shows Jobcentre Plus AWDL for 2009/10 and 2010/11. Information was not available for the period April to September 2011 because this was less than a 12 month period.
|
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
|
|
UK |
8.8 |
8.6 |
|
Scotland |
8.2 |
7.3 |
|
West Lothian LA Area |
9.6 |
7.4 |
|
Livingston Constituency* |
10.9 |
6.1 |
*Information by Parliamentary Constituency is not held directly but information is available by office, therefore we have created a combined figure for the two offices in the Constituency – Livingstone Jobcentre and Broxburn Jobcentre.
To put these reductions into context, if Average Working Days Lost in DWP was still at the level it was in 2007, the Department would be paying over £27.5m more in sick pay than it is at present.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graeme Morrice on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many meetings (a) officials and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with (i) disability groups and charities and (ii) providers of the Work Capability Assessment in each of the last five years.
Mike Penning
Ministers and officials meet regularly with a range of stakeholders about the Work Capability Assessment, including our health assessment providers, disability representative groups and charities.
The current contractual agreement between DWP and Atos Healthcare contains a number of key performance indicators. DWP monitors and discusses performance with Atos on a weekly basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the effect on the number of people subject to improved incentives to work of the introduction of universal credit.
Esther McVey
Universal Credit will encourage claimants to move into employment by allowing individuals to keep more of their income as they move into work and by introducing a smoother and more transparent reduction of benefits.
Once Universal Credit is fully rolled out, the number of households losing more than 70% of their earnings when starting work of ten hours per week will fall by 800,000.
Overall it is estimated that up to 300,000 individuals will move into work as a result of Universal Credit, through improved financial incentives, increased simplicity of the system and increased conditionality.
These estimates are consistent with the policy assumptions underpinning the Universal Credit costings published by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance he has issued to jobcentres on how claimant commitments should take into account the caring responsibilities of single parents.
Esther McVey
All Advisers have access to comprehensive and clear procedures, guidance and extensive learning which equips them to agree a Claimant Commitment, taking account of each claimant’s individual circumstances, including the caring responsibilities of single parents.
As with other claimants, lone parents are still expected to be Available and Actively Seeking Employment. However, there are restrictions that can be applied to the requirements of this group, in order to take into account their caring responsibilities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 103-4W, on state retirement pensions, if he will assess whether a woman born on 6 April 1981 who was in continuous employment from her 21st birthday until her state pension age as derived in line with the practice outlined in the Pensions Bill, had worked consistently in contracted-in employment for 30 hours a week in a role which paid the National Minimum Wage, had average female life expectancy, in line with the most recent ONS population projections, and was subject to any other assumptions used in the Impact Assessment which accompanied the Pensions Bill, would receive a different level of pension at the point of retirement under the Single Tier mechanism than they would have expected under the current pension system; and what the difference in the level of pension would be.
Steve Webb
The state pension reforms radically simplify state pension provision, by replacing the current, two-tiered pension system with a simpler single-tier state pension for people reaching state pension age after 6 April 2016.
The majority of people reaching state pension age in the 40 years after the new state pension is implemented will have a higher pension income overall over the course of their retirement as a result of the reforms. The new state pension will also underpin automatic enrolment, which will see around 9 million people saving more, or saving for the first time, into a workplace pension.
The Pensions Bill provides for the Government to carry out a review of State Pension age every parliament. It is our intention that State Pension ages will only be finalised once someone is within ten years of their proposed state pension age. Because this date will be affected by future changes in longevity, at this point we cannot say with certainty what will be the state pension age for people born in the 1980s. In addition, any calculation on pension entitlement would also depend on decisions that have not yet been taken, including the starting rate for the single tier. Furthermore, future State Pension levels are determined by up-rating decisions taken by Governments on a year-by-year basis. Therefore, whilst we have forecast the possible impacts of the new system at a population level, it is not possible to give definitive statements of the future state pension entitlements for individuals who do not yet have a set State Pension age, whether under the current system or under the single tier pension
For the first few cohorts of people reaching State Pension Age from April 2016, the government will provide a statement service to help them plan for retirement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Turner on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of jobseeker’s allowance claimants were subject to sanctions in each county in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Esther McVey
The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Information on JSA sanctions, including a range of geographical breakdowns is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
JSA claimant count data by geographical area is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for assessing the effect of his Department’s policies on the welfare of children.
Esther McVey
Each of the Department’s Ministers is responsible for assessing the effect of their policies on the welfare of children.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to make it easier to report benefit fraud allegations.
Esther McVey
The public can report benefit fraud by telephoning the National Benefit Fraud Hotline which is a confidential free phone service that anyone can use anonymously to report their suspicions. The service is widely used handling over 350,000 referrals in 2013/14. Alternatively an allegation can be made using an online facility, by letter, or by telephoning a Jobcentre Plus office.
We recently ran a communications campaign pilot to test the effectiveness of communications in reducing fraud and error and we are looking to expand this activity. Our communication campaign aims to challenge and change attitudes and behaviours towards benefit fraud. This includes improving awareness of the need for claimants to report changes in their circumstances and encouraging the general public to report potential benefit fraud.
We are actively looking at ways to improve fraud referrals, in particular, focusing on making better use of digital channels and technology.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase understanding of pensions and retirement planning amongst women.
Steve Webb
The Department is taking a range of steps to address understanding of pensions and retirement planning, including amongst women.
The DWP is working closely with the Money Advice Service (MAS), the government body with responsibility for improving the British public’s financial capability, including tackling the knowledge gaps which can inhibit individuals from saving into pensions.
The Department is facilitating joint-working between its information services and those of The Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS), which is playing an important role in supporting individuals who are automatically enrolled, and MAS. The DWP will also support MAS in increasing its reach, including through contact channels with DWP customers.
As part of automatic enrolment, to encourage women to continue to save in a workplace pension we are running an awareness campaign with supporting information that emphasises the importance of saving for retirement and outlines the benefits of saving in a workplace pension. This reaches women via the use of appropriate media channels and by working in partnership with trusted brands.
We are creating a simpler state pension so that everybody can know both what counts towards their state pension and how much they can expect to receive. We will take account of the different ways in which men and women are affected by the reforms in our communications approach. Our strategy includes using partnerships with media outlets most likely to reach these women to make them aware of the changes. We will evaluate the impact of our communications to make sure we are reaching women to increase their awareness and understanding.