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  • Nicholas Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nicholas Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the evidential basis is for the proposition that freezing the repayment threshold for plan 2 student loans is likely to result in student loans being repaid to a greater extent than under the current terms.

    Joseph Johnson

    Estimates of the impact of freezing the repayment thresholds for borrowers are illustrated in the consultation document, which has been published here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/freezing-the-student-loan-repayment-threshold

    These are based on analysis using the Department’s Student Loan Repayment Model: further details on the model are available at the Department’s website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/simplified-student-loan-repayment-model

    “

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Defence on the potential implications of the closure of steel plants in the UK for the UK defence industry and infrastructure.

    Anna Soubry

    This Department is regularly in contact with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) about the impact of industrial issues on the UK defence industry and supply chain, such as the challenges facing the steel industry. Any implications for defence procurement will also be considered by the steel procurement working group which was set up with cross-departmental representation (including MoD) following the Steel Summit.

  • Karin Smyth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Karin Smyth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karin Smyth on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of how many small businesses have been started in (a) Bristol, (b) London and (c) England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Anna Soubry

    There is no single data source that comprehensively measures all business start-ups within the UK.

    However, ONS publishes statistics showing the number of businesses newly registered for VAT or PAYE.

    These figures are available from the ONS Business Demography releases.

  • Jo Stevens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jo Stevens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on (a) IT systems and (b) cyber-security in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14, (v) 2014-15 and (vi) 2015-16 to date.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The available information is set out below:

    (a) IT costs which can be found in the published DWP Annual Report and Accounts, are summarised as follows:

    £ (to nearest 1,000)

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    2015-16 to September

    Total IT

    960,572,000

    926,912,000

    1,111,308,000

    802,134,000

    732,352,000

    327,006,000*

    *Please note that the figure for 2015/16 to September has not yet been audited for accounts.

    (b) DWP has tracked all core aspects of expenditure on cyber security, apart from in specific IT systems, since April 2015. The current estimate up to September 15/16 is £5.6m, with further significant investment planned for the second half of the year.

  • 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 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the duration will be of the pilot project placing jobcentre advisers in food banks.

    Priti Patel

    Jobcentre Work Coaches undertake outreach work every day in local communities, and have recently been helping people with back-to-work support and advice at the Lalley Centre in Manchester. Early feedback has been very positive. We will reflect on this and see if there is potential for extending engagement where there is local need and Jobcentre Plus are invited to do so.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Matthew Pennycook – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appeals by claimants in the work related activity group of employment and support allowance whose primary medical condition is a mental health condition have resulted in subsequent placement in the support group of employment and support allowance in each quarter since 2013.

    Justin Tomlinson

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

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) health workers, (b) Jobcentre Plus staff and (c) his Department’s staff have received adequate training to respond to the needs of people with Crohn’s disease and Colitis, which meets the six main standards set out in the Standards for the Healthcare of People who have Inflammatory Bowel Disease, 2013 update.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Guidance and training for Healthcare professionals advising the Department is developed by providers for their own staff. Both PIP and ESA assessments are based on function, not diagnosis or treatment.

    All Jobcentre Plus work coaches are trained to have the skills required to support customers with health conditions and disabilities. They have access to information which gives specific detail around various illnesses, the effects those illnesses are likely to have and access to sites such as NHS Choices. Work coaches can also use the “Employment, Health Conditions and Disabilities” intranet guide notes which provide background on specific disabilities /conditions and advice on good practice when interviewing. Finally, via the local District Provision tool, many Work Coaches are able to signpost claimants to organisations such as Crohns and Colitis UK.

    Departmental Decision Makers are given awareness of conditions, incapacities and their effects. Over time and with updates, learning and development they gather more information to increase their knowledgebase. They are also able to obtain specific advice on individual cases from Healthcare professionals employed by providers working for the Department.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce poverty in (a) Barnsley Central constituency and (b) other former mining communities.

    Priti Patel

    This Government is tackling poverty through our new Life Chances agenda. This will drive real action which will make the biggest difference to the most disadvantaged children – now and in the future. This approach will ensure that Government action is focused on tackling the root causes of child poverty – worklessness, educational failure, family breakdown, problem debt and addiction.

    This Government believes that work is the best route out of poverty and is therefore focused on getting people into employment. With more than two million more people in work than in 2010, and with the number of workless households at a record low, the progress made by this Government has been significant including in Barnsley Central constituency. In the constituency, over the past year, the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, or not in work and claiming Universal Credit, fell by 13 per cent.

    We do not have specific data on all former mining communities and this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s recent findings that 36 per cent of people with multiple sclerosis surveyed who had had a PIP face-to-face assessment declared that it had caused their condition to deteriorate or relapse.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We have made it clear that when attending a face-to-face consultation, claimants can bring someone with them in order to support them or help them manage any anxiety they may feel. In some cases assessment providers will also carry out consultations in claimants’ homes.

    Assessments for PIP are carried out by qualified health professionals who have broad training in assessing the impacts of a variety of disabilities, including fluctuating conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis. Before claimants are invited for a face-to-face consultation, all of the evidence held is reviewed and if, at that stage, a decision can be made on the paper evidence alone, then claimants will not be required to attend a face-to-face consultation.

  • Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s recent findings that almost half of the people with multiple sclerosis surveyed who had had a work capability assessment declared that it had caused their condition to deteriorate or relapse.

    Priti Patel

    We are always striving to improve the Work Capability Assessment and especially the claimant experience. To this end we have implemented, or are implementing, over 100 recommendations identified following five independent reviews. All assessments are carried out by health professionals trained in Disability Assessment Medicine and receive guidance for medical conditions which include fluctuating conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis.