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  • Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women born between 6 April and 5 December 1953 will be affected by the increase to the state pension age under the provisions of the Pension Act 2011.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Of the group stated in the question only women born on or after 6 April 1953 are affected by the changes in State Pension age in the 2011 Pensions Act.

    The faster increase to 65 under the Pensions Act 2011 affect an estimated 230,000 women born between 6 April 1953 and 5 December 1953. This figure, rounded to the nearest 10,000, is for Great Britain and is based on DWP calculations using ONS statistics.

    During the passage of the Pensions Bill 2011 the Government tabled an amendment so that the maximum delay to State Pension age relative to the previously legislated timetable that any individual faced was 18 months. This amendment affected people born between 6 January 1954 and 5 September 1954. The analysis accompanying this amendment is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/182066/pensions-bill-spa-info.pdf

    “

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been affected by the under-occupancy penalty in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in each of the last 12 months.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Information concerning how many people have been affected by the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in each of the last 12 months is published and can be found at the link below:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

    “

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland will receive a reply to his letter of 14 December 2015 addressed to Robert Devereux, Permanent Secretary to his Department.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Permanent Secretary replied to the hon. Member on 28 January 2015.

  • Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what modelling his Department has undertaken on potential transitional arrangements for women born in the period 1951 to 1953 who are affected by accelerated equalisation of the state pension age; and if he will publish the results of any such modelling.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Of the group stated in the question only women born on or after 6 April 1953 are affected by the changes in State Pension age in the 2011 Pensions Act.

    The faster increase to 65 under the Pensions Act 2011 affect an estimated 230,000 women born between 6 April 1953 and 5 December 1953. This figure, rounded to the nearest 10,000, is for Great Britain and is based on DWP calculations using ONS statistics.

    During the passage of the Pensions Bill 2011 the Government tabled an amendment so that the maximum delay to State Pension age relative to the previously legislated timetable that any individual faced was 18 months. This amendment affected people born between 6 January 1954 and 5 September 1954. The analysis accompanying this amendment is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/182066/pensions-bill-spa-info.pdf

    “

  • Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of adults with autism are in full-time employment; and what steps his Department is taking to help adults on the autism spectrum into work.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Government does not collect data specifically on employment rates for people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC).

    Estimates are available from the National Autistic Society (NAS), who suggest that 15% of working age people with autism are in full time employment.

    Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is taking a number of steps to help adults on the autism spectrum into work, including:

    • the development of an Autism/ Hidden Impairment Network across Jobcentre Plus;
    • the expansion of the Access to Work Mental Health specialist advisory team to cover people with autism and associated hidden impairment conditions;
    • work to implement autism specific opportunities on LMS, Jobcentre Plus’s IT system;
    • the introduction of a Job-Shadowing Work Placement Initiative for young disabled people (65% of participants in the first tranche had autistic spectrum conditions)
    • The formation of an Autism Taskforce involving disability organisations and disabled people.

    DWP has worked in close partnership with the Hidden Impairment National Group (HING) to produce an ‘Uncovering Hidden Impairments’ toolkit, which helps employers to recruit and retain people with hidden impairment conditions.

    DWP is fully committed to the Government’s Autism Strategy. The latest progress report on the Autism Strategy can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/progress-report-on-strategy-for-adults-with-autism

    “

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been employed on a zero hours contract in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many Start-up loans the Government has issued in Brighton and Hove since that scheme started.

    Anna Soubry

    To date, 230 Start-Up loans have been issued in Brighton and Hove, totalling over £1.1million.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many businesses in Brighton and Hove which received a loan from the Start-up loans scheme are still in operation.

    Anna Soubry

    The Start Up Loans Company tracks the repayment performance of each loan rather than the status of each business created. However, it does undertake regular research and evaluation which shows that, for the programme as a whole, 80% of the businesses created continue to trade into the second year following their founder’s receipt of a Start-Up Loan.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 21746, what estimate has been made of the value of the contract to provide Debt Market Integrator services; and what fee was paid by the TDX/Equifax partner for its contract in March 2015.

    Matthew Hancock

    The DMI establishment fee is commercially sensitive information. The expected value of the contract published in the DMI award notice in the Official Journal of the European Union was GBP £500,000,000.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason statutory guidance Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (2015) does not apply to higher education institutions.

    Edward Timpson

    Higher education institutions are not covered by the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years for good reason.

    The new system of Education Health and Care (EHC) plans has a strong focus on the outcomes sought for children and young people with SEND. The Code of Practice defines the attainment of a place in higher education as a successful outcome.

    Local authorities are not responsible for the education of young people in higher education. The sector has its own support system in the form of the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). It would not be sensible for these systems to overlap. For example, it would not be reasonable to hold a local authority to account for securing special educational provision for a young people in an independent higher education institution.

    In the academic year 2013/14, the last year for which full figures are available, DSA totalling £152.7m was provided to 68,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Government also currently provides annual funding to publicly funded institutions, through the Disability element of the Student Opportunity Funding of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) grant, to help them recruit and support disabled students. This funding rose to £20 million for 2015/16, an increase of £5 million on the previous year.

    The Code of Practice provides guidance on the transition to higher education. It says that good transition planning should include:

    • sharing the EHC plan with the university (with the young person’s consent);
    • ensuring the young person is aware of DSA and has made an early application, so that support is in place when their university course begins; and
    • ensuring the continuity of health and care services where these continue to be required by the young person.

    In addition we are working with those conducting DSA assessments to ensure that they understand EHC plans and how they can assist and inform assessments.

    As independent and autonomous bodies, higher education institutions are entirely responsible for addressing any issues of discrimination that might come to their attention. The Government provides a legal framework for individuals, which protects their right not to be discriminated against – primarily through the Equality Act 2010. Through the Equality Act, higher education institutions are prohibited by law from discriminating against students with protected characteristics, such as disability.