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  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many advisers worked at Plaistow Jobcentre in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

    Priti Patel

    The information is in the table below:

    Year Number of Advisers that worked at Plaistow Jobcentre
    2010/11 24
    2011/12 26
    2012/13 27
    2013/14 23
    2014/15 27

    1. Source of management information: DWP Work Services Activity Based Management Tool

    2. The management information is collated and reported for the period from April to March for each year

    3. The numbers of advisers are expressed as Full Time Equivalents

    4. The management information contained within this document does not form part of any official statistics and is intended for DWP internal use only.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of an increase in the universal credit taper rate on (a) work incentives and (b) progression incentives.

    Priti Patel

    The impact on work incentives of the 65% taper was set out in the 2012 Universal Credit (UC) Impact Assessment (see link below).

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/220177/universal-credit-wr2011-ia.pdf

    “

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) advisers and (b) managers were interviewed during the course of the investigation which led to the dismissal of two advisers at Plaistow Jobcentre in May 2014.

    Priti Patel

    Allegations of misuse of the Flexible Support Fund at Plaistow Jobcentre were investigated fully by the Department’s professionally trained investigators. It is not appropriate for the Secretary of State to disclose detailed information about internal investigations as providing this information would risk individuals being identified.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department has used benefit off-flow data in the last three years to calculate remuneration for jobcentre (a) managers and (b) advisers.

    Priti Patel

    Benefit off-flow data is not used to calculate increases to consolidated pay.

  • Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average amount foregone by women who will wait longer to receive their state pension was as a result of changes brought about by the Pension Act 2011.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Information on the average amount foregone by women who will wait longer to receive their state pension as a result of changes brought about by the Pensions Act 2011 is not available.

    The impact on total lifetime pension income depends on income level, and whether an individual works up to their new State Pension age. The Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment presents modelled impacts using hypothetical examples of single individual male and female high, median and low earners. This analysis focuses on illustrating the impact on income in retirement. It therefore does not take account of gains in working-life income through earnings (or working-age benefits) received in the period up to the new State Pension age that will either wholly or partially replace the income a person would have received from their private and / or State Pensions.

    The Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment, published in November 2011, is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181462/pensions-bill-2011-ia-annexa.pdf

    “

  • Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide support for women who have been affected financially as a result of changes brought about by the Pension Act 2011.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government will not be revisiting the State Pension age arrangements for women affected by the Pensions Act 1995 and Pensions Act 2011. These women will receive their State Pension either at the same age as men or earlier as we remove current gender timetable inequality.

    The equalisation of State Pension age was necessary to meet the UK’s obligations under EU law to eliminate gender inequalities in social security provision. The Pensions Act 1995 contained legislation to equalise women’s State Pension age and, since April 2010, women’s State Pension age has been gradually increasing. Following sharp increases in life expectancy projections, and therefore the increase in the number of people living longer in retirement, this timetable was accelerated by the Pensions Act 2011.

    A concession was made prior to the passing of the 2011 Act which reduced the delay that anyone would experience in claiming their State Pension, relative to the previous timetable, to 18 months. This concession benefited almost a quarter of a million women, who would otherwise have experienced delays of up to two years. A similar number of men also benefited from a reduced increase, and the concession was worth around £1 billion in total.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people who are in receipt of support for mortgage interest are also in receipt of (a) income-based jobseeker’s allowance, (b) income-based employment and support allowance, (c) income support and (d) pension credit.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is in the table:

    2015/16

    Number of SMI claims

    As % of all SMI claims

    Jobseekers allowance

    16,000

    10%

    Employment and support allowance

    56,000

    34%

    Income support

    24,000

    14%

    Pension credit

    71,000

    43%

    Total

    167,000

    100%

    *The percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding

    These figures are from the DWP summer budget 2015 benefit expenditure and caseload tables, which can be found here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015

    “

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in receipt of universal credit receive help with mortgage costs.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    Universal Credit (UC) does not currently accept claims from owner occupiers. Once this claimant group starts claiming UC we expect that the numbers of any potential owner occupiers making a claim to be small.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in receipt of support for mortgage interest who were also in receipt of income-based jobseeker’s allowance, reached the end of the two-year limit in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13, (e) 2013-14 and (f) 2014-15.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people who made a claim for support for mortgage interest in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13, (e) 2013-14 and (f) 2014-15 went into arrears on their (i) interest repayments and (ii) capital repayments during the 13-week waiting period.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested regarding the number and proportion of people who made a claim for support for mortgage interest from 2009 to date who were in arrears on the interest or capital repayment during their waiting period is not available.