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  • Rosie Cooper – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rosie Cooper – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the main reasons for the time taken to process personal independence payment claims.

    Mr Mark Harper

    Claimants to employment and support allowance (ESA) are not being asked to claim personal independence payment (PIP). PIP was introduced in April 2013 to replace disability living allowance (DLA) for working age people (between 16 and 64 years old) and operates an entirely separate assessment from the work capability assessment used for ESA claims. From October 2013 we have begun inviting some existing claimants of DLA to claim PIP. The current arrangements for this can be found on the gov.uk website:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-personal-independence-payment-toolkit-for-partners/the-personal-independence-payment-pip-toolkit-for-partners .

    We are continuously looking at ways to increase the number of decisions made on PIP claims and to improve the claims process.

    Internal DWP processes and the assessment part of the process are taking longer than expected and some claimants are taking longer than anticipated to return their claim forms but we are working closely with both PIP assessment providers as part of our plans to speed up the end to end claimant journey. We have introduced improvements in communications to claimants about the type of evidence they can supply to speed up their claim and we are taking action to support the assessment providers in clearing backlogs of work.

    “

  • Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Lazarowicz on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many current applications for funeral expenses from the Social Fund have been outstanding for longer than (a) 16 days, (b) 18 days and (c) 21 days.

    Steve Webb

    This information is not held in the format requested and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Lazarowicz on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average time is taken to process an application for funeral expenses from the Social Fund from the time an application is submitted to a decision being taken.

    Steve Webb

    The clearance time for Funeral Payments, as published in the 2012/13 Social Fund Annual report, is an average of 14.76 days, against a target of 16 days

  • Rosie Cooper – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rosie Cooper – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken to (a) process claims for personal independence payments and (b) receive a work capability assessment appointment.

    Mr Mark Harper

    Claimants to employment and support allowance (ESA) are not being asked to claim personal independence payment (PIP). PIP was introduced in April 2013 to replace disability living allowance (DLA) for working age people (between 16 and 64 years old) and operates an entirely separate assessment from the work capability assessment used for ESA claims. From October 2013 we have begun inviting some existing claimants of DLA to claim PIP. The current arrangements for this can be found on the gov.uk website:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-personal-independence-payment-toolkit-for-partners/the-personal-independence-payment-pip-toolkit-for-partners .

    We are continuously looking at ways to increase the number of decisions made on PIP claims and to improve the claims process.

    Internal DWP processes and the assessment part of the process are taking longer than expected and some claimants are taking longer than anticipated to return their claim forms but we are working closely with both PIP assessment providers as part of our plans to speed up the end to end claimant journey. We have introduced improvements in communications to claimants about the type of evidence they can supply to speed up their claim and we are taking action to support the assessment providers in clearing backlogs of work.

    “

  • Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the annual cost to his Department of (a) stationery and (b) postage incurred when sending a ministerial reply to hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.

    Steve Webb

    The cost of paper and envelopes incurred in sending ministerial replies to hon. Members and others during the 2013-14 parliamentary session was £618.00.

    The information requested on postage costs is not available.

  • Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will estimate the annual cost to his Department of (a) stationery and (b) postage incurred when sending a ministerial reply to hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.

    Stephen Crabb

    The stationary and postage costs incurred when sending a Ministerial reply to hon Members is not separately identifiable from general office stationary and postage costs.

  • Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train operating companies (TOCs) missed their annual punctuality targets in each year of Control Period 4, 2009-14; and whether the Office of Rail Regulation can impose fines on TOCs for missing punctuality targets for timetabled train services.

    Claire Perry

    The regulatory targets for punctuality set by the Office of Rail Regulation for Control Period 4 applied to Network Rail, but not to the individual TOCs. ORR holds Network Rail accountable for its delivery to TOCs by enforcing targets agreed between Network Rail and TOCs.

  • Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of the existing franchise agreements between his Department and train operating companies contain punctuality targets for timetabled passenger services; what the target is in each case; and what the penalties are for missing such a target.

    Claire Perry

    6 existing franchise agreements contain punctuality targets for timetabled passenger services.

    The targets are in the franchise agreements, which are published online by the Department for Transport at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-register-of-rail-passenger-franchise-agreements. The associated contractual payments are commercially confidential.

    “

  • Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria are used to establish whether delays over five minutes to a scheduled commuter train service in (a) London and (b) the South East were caused by (i) Network Rail, (ii) the train operating company or (iii) other factors; and what changes have been made to those criteria since January 2008.

    Claire Perry

    The criteria for establishing delay causes are to be found in the Delay Attribution Guide, issued by the Delay Attribution Board – a joint industry body remitted to provide guidance to the industry on delay attribution issues.

    The current guide was issued in April 2014. Copies of the all the guides since 2007 can be seen at:

    http://www.delayattributionboard.co.uk/delayattributionguides.htm

    “

  • Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road traffic accidents there were per 100,000 of the population in (a) the UK, (b) London and (c) Barnet in each of the last five years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The numbers of reported personal injury road traffic accidents per 100,000 population in a) Great Britain, b) London and c) Barnet for the years 2009 to 2013 are shown in the table below:

    The number of reported personal injury road traffic accidents in a) Great Britain b) London and c) Barnet per 100,000 population: 2009 to 2013.

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    a) Great Britain

    270

    253

    246

    235

    223

    b) London

    234

    300

    298

    290

    274

    c) Barnet

    317

    343

    311

    280

    269