The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Graham on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department’s current targets are for processing benefit payments.
Priti Patel
The Performance of the processing of benefit payments is regularly monitored internally against a set of planning assumptions but there are no published targets
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all types of credit union account are eligible for the receipt of universal credit.
Priti Patel
DWP can pay Universal Credit into any credit union account.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedure his Department follows in investigating cases of discrepancies between statements in disability benefit claimant questionnaires and assessor reports.
Justin Tomlinson
Following the gathering of evidence, including the assessor’s report which would reflect the claimants own evidence from the consultation and the questionnaire, a DWP decision maker will decide the facts of the case and then make a decision, applying those facts to the conditions for benefit. Any contradictions within the evidence will be decided on the balance of probabilities. The claimant can raise any such issues again at the Mandatory Reconsideration stage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedures his Department follows when a jobcentre client requests a food bank voucher for the fourth time in any given year.
Priti Patel
The Department for Work and Pensions does not issue food bank vouchers.
Jobcentre Plus holds details of local organisations to which its staff can signpost claimants experiencing financial difficulty.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times he has (a) met and (b) corresponded with a minister of the Welsh Government on the draft Wales Bill in the last 12 months.
Priti Patel
The Wales Office is the lead Government department on the draft Wales Bill, and is the primary point of contact with the Welsh Government on matters related to the draft Bill.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training has been given to Jobcentre Plus staff on the application of benefit sanctions in circumstances where a parent is unable to comply with conditions for benefit because of lack of suitable childcare.
Priti Patel
The Government sees sanctions as playing an important part in the labour market system, encouraging people to comply with conditions which will help them move into work. We want the sanctions system to be clear, fair and effective in promoting positive behaviours and we will continue to keep it under review so that it meets those aims.
Benefit sanction decisions within Jobcentre Plus are made by Decision Makers and Work Coaches. It is made clear that claimants’ caring responsibilities must always be taken into consideration, as well as emphasising the importance of a personalised and individual approach in every case.
This Government spent £5bn on childcare in 2014-2015– more than any previous administration and an increase of £1bn since 2010. We are now going further still, with a new package of support designed to improve the affordability and accessibility of childcare for working families. We are extending the free entitlement for 3 and 4 years from 15 hours to 30 hours per week for working parents, from September 2017, worth £5,000 per child per year. We are also introducing Tax-Free Childcare for working parents from early 2017, with a Government contribution of up to £2,000 per child.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the matters within his Department’s responsibility in Schedule 1 of the draft Wales Bill have been designated as reserved.
Priti Patel
The reservations listed in Schedule 1 to the draft Wales Bill reflects the Government’s view of where the Welsh devolution boundary lies following the devolution of further powers to the Assembly provided for in the draft Bill.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what process his Department identified the areas of policy within its responsibility proposed for reservation in Annex B of the publication Powers for a Purpose: Towards a lasting devolution settlement for Wales, published on 27 February 2015.
Priti Patel
Annex B to the Powers for a Purpose Command Paper provided an illustrative list of the main areas in which reservations would be needed in a reserved powers model. The list described the Government’s emerging thinking as the new reserved powers model was being developed. The Government published its full proposals in the draft Wales Bill on 20 October. .
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department will provide a definition of the term vulnerable group for the purposes of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill; and with whom his Department will consult on that definition.
Priti Patel
Our reforms aim to ensure that work always pays more than a life on benefits; that the system is fair to those who pay for it, as well as those who benefit from it; and that support is focused on the most vulnerable which is why we are protecting pensioner benefits and payments for the additional costs of care and disability.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Tim on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants claimed support for childcare costs in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Priti Patel
The information you have requested is not currently available. The Department published its strategy for releasing official statistics on Universal Credit (UC) in September 2013. As outlined in the strategy, officials are currently quality assuring data for UC therefore it is not yet possible to give a definitive list of what statistics will be provided in the future. These statistics however will be published in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for official statistics.
The latest official experimental statistics on UC and the Department’s release strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics.
“