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  • Nicholas Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nicholas Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which categories of people defined as vulnerable in relation to facilitating housing benefit payments direct to landlords under universal credit.

    Steve Webb

    We do not want to label categories of claimants as financially incapable. The guidance for alternative payment arrangements, published last year, lists a number of elements which should be considered. These factors are assessed on a case-by-case basis to inform a decision as to whether an alternative payment arrangement is needed and if so for what period.

  • Naomi Long – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Naomi Long – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naomi Long on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review his decision not to carry out a cumulative impact assessment on the effect of welfare reform on people with disability.

    Mike Penning

    The Government regularly produces analysis of the cumulative impact of all Coalition changes, including welfare, on households across the income distribution. This information is produced by the Treasury and is published alongside every Budget and Autumn Statement, in the interests of transparency. The previous government did not provide this type of analysis. The most recent update was published with the Budget on 19 March 2014, and can be found using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/293738/budget_2014_distributional_analysis.pdf

    Distributional analysis is provided for the whole population on the basis of household income and household expenditure. However this is not disaggregated to the level of household characteristics such as disability status or lower level geographies. No organisation is able to do this robustly.

    This analysis estimates the effect of Coalition measures from all fiscal events from the Budget in June 2010 to the Budget in 2014. It also includes changes that were announced before the Budget in June 2010 that have been implemented by this Government. Current Coalition policies are compared with what might have happened if the previous Government’s policies had continued into the future without any further fiscal consolidation.

    The Government currently has no plans to undertake a review or change the decision on cumulative impact assesments.

    “

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households have seen their income from benefits reduced by (a) 10, (b) 20 to 49 and (c) 50 per cent or more as a result of benefit changes since May 2010.

    Esther McVey

    The requested information is not available.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time for a decision for a reconsideration of an employment and support allowance decision has been since 28 October 2013.

    Mike Penning

    While mandatory reconsideration data is being collected, it is not sufficiently robust and reliable to make available.

    The Department is looking into what can be published. The data will need to be validated in order to ensure that it satisfies the relevant standards.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time for a decision for a reconsideration of a jobseeker’s allowance decision has been since 28 October 2013.

    Mike Penning

    While mandatory reconsideration data is being collected, it is not sufficiently robust and reliable to make available.

    The Department is looking into what can be published. The data will need to be validated in order to ensure that it satisfies the relevant standards.

  • Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what disability awareness training is provided to disability employment advisers in Jobcentre Plus.

    Esther McVey

    DWP staff have access to the ‘Raising the Game on Disability’ Seminar, which builds disability knowledge and confidence in working with disabled people. The ‘Hidden Impairment Toolkit’ training provides practical advice and guidance on how best to support individuals, into employment. This approach enables the anticipation of reasonable adjustments at appropriate stages of the individual’s journey to work

    For all Disability Employment Advisers (DEA) additional learning appropriate to this specialist area has been designed in conjunction with DWP Occupational Psychologists to enable DEA’s to provide effective support to people with particularly complex health-related needs.

  • Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of recovery actions in respect of child support arrears owed to the parent with care have been suspended in the last year for which figures are available.

    Steve Webb

    Information on the number of cases, in which recovery actions in respect of child support arrears owed to the parent with care have been suspended, is not available as it is not routinely recorded for management information purposes. To provide this information would require the creation of new information which could only be completed and appropriately assured at a disproportionate cost.

  • Mike Crockart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Mike Crockart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Crockart on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what inflation adjustment measures are applied to the pensions paid to armed forces pensioners resident outside the UK.

    Anna Soubry

    Armed Forces pensions are currently uprated annually in April using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) figure from the previous September. These are occupational pensions and are therefore paid, including any CPI increase, to scheme members wherever they reside in the world.

    The UK Government is confident that the people of Scotland will continue to support remaining within the UK. There have, therefore, been no discussions with the Scottish Government about this matter.

  • John Healey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John Healey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2014, Official Report, columns 348-9W, on social security benefits: young people, if he will publish any information relevant to the original question that is available at proportionate cost.

    Esther McVey

    Information on Jobseekers Allowance Severe Hardship decisions for 16 and 17 year olds is provided attached but please be aware that it does not relate solely to estrangement. Information on Income Support and Employment Support Allowance is not available. Similarly it is not possible to disaggregate Appeals information on an age basis.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy that Work Programme participants should be eligible for the new enterprise allowance; and if he will make a statement.

    Esther McVey

    Work Programme Providers have the freedom to provide whatever support they think will be effective in supporting claimants into employment and self-employment.

    Work programme participants may be able to access a loan to support them in setting up a business through the BIS start-up loan scheme