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  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has contracted out the maintenance and screening arrangements for Universal Jobmatch.

    Priti Patel

    The current Universal Jobmatch service is delivered through a managed service by Monster Worldwide Ltd. Monster have built into the service some screening and monitoring tools which help to detect, deter and remedy inappropriate use of the site. Further to this, the Department carries out its own checks to ensure that Universal Jobmatch continues to deliver a safe and effective service for jobseekers and employers.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson’s disease have been placed in the (a) support group and (b) work-related activity group with a prognosis statement of (i) three months, (ii) six months, (iii) 12 months, (iv) 18 months, (v) two years and (vi) more than two years since the introduction of employment and support allowance in 2008.

    Priti Patel

    I refer the Hon. Member to the reply given on the 25 January 2016 to Question UIN 23428.

    “

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to exempt supported accommodation from plans to cap social rents at local housing allowance rates.

    Justin Tomlinson

    I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave the Hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood on 3 February 2016 to Question UIN 24910

    “

  • 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 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure cost transparency from pooled retail pension funds.

    Justin Tomlinson

    It is important that savers know what costs and charges they are paying. As a first step towards achieving this, most occupational pension schemes offering money purchase benefits are now required to report the charges levied on members and, as far as they are able, transaction costs, via an annual Chair’s Statement. The Chair’s Statement, which must be given to beneficiaries and recognised trade unions on request, must also report the trustees’ view on the extent to which these costs present value for members.

    Similarly, the Financial Conduct Authority have made rules requiring Independent Governance Committees to report annually on the value for money offered by workplace personal pension schemes, taking into account scheme charges and transaction costs.

    The government is committed to ensuring that members of pension schemes are also able to obtain information about all the costs and charges which they bear. Last year, the Government and the FCA jointly carried out a call for evidence on disclosure of transaction costs in pension schemes, and we are currently planning our next steps.

    Many pension schemes which invest in pooled funds do so via institutional versions of retail funds, for which costs other than the disclosed investment management fee will be similar. Retail funds will be covered by the Packaged Retail Investment and Insurance Products (PRIIPs) Regulation, which will apply from the end of 2016 and provides for enhanced minimum standards of disclosure.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the decrease in the number of personal independence payment mandatory reconsideration new decisions in cases in which awards were changed between July 2014 and October 2015.

    Justin Tomlinson

    PIP is continuing to roll out in a safe and steady manner and as such there will be a variety of cases, and case volumes, within the system at any one time. Variation in Mandatory Reconsideration outcomes is to be expected in a live system of this scale as applications are decided on an individual basis.

    There are no targets for Mandatory Reconsideration outcomes.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will conduct an assessment of the extent to which Atos and Capita use supporting letters when conducting personal independence payment assessments.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Healthcare Professionals and DWP Decision Makers give full consideration to all information provided when assessing Personal Independence Payment claimants.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the likely change in the number of (a) children and (b) working-age adults who will be in households with net equivalised income below 60 per cent of the median (i) before and (ii) after housing costs, not including the effect of transitional protection for claimants migrated onto universal credit, in 2020-21 as a result of changes to universal credit work allowance announced in the Summer Budget 2015.

    Priti Patel

    The impact of the work allowance change cannot be considered in isolation – it is part of a broader package of measures announced at the Summer Budget which were updated for the Autumn Statement. This included the increase to the personal tax allowance and introduction of the national living wage. Taken together, these reforms are designed to support people into employment and then enable them to progress in work and generate more income for themselves.

    Universal Credit is a key element of these reforms. It is designed to ensure that work always pays. The single taper rate means people have a clear incentive to work, and to work more.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2016 to Question 23428, how many claimants of employment and support allowance who had a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease were removed from the work-related activity group because they had died.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people applying for personal independence payments have passed their medical in each of the most recent 24 months for which data is available.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The assessment for Personal Independence Payment considers the impact of conditions and impairments on individuals’ everyday lives. The assessment is not a medical one but is focussed on the claimant’s functional ability.

    DWP decision-makers review the assessment report and the Claimant Questionnaire along with any other available evidence before making a decision about benefit entitlement.

    Data on Personal Independence Payment registrations, clearances and award rates are available on Gov.UK and were most recently updated on 16 December: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics.

    “

  • Lord Addington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Addington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Addington on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the timetable for the publication of the recommendations of the Department for Education’s independent expert group, led by Stephen Munday CBE, on improving the quality of initial teacher training courses in England.

    Lord Nash

    Ministers of the Department for Education are awaiting the report from Stephen Munday’s independent expert group on the content of initial teacher training, which is expected this spring. The Government will consider the group’s recommendations carefully and determine how they should be taken forward.