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  • Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Government is taking to increase public understanding of the law.

    Robert Buckland

    Public Legal Education is a statutory feature of the justice system and part of the Rule of Law. I have been actively involved with the Citizenship Foundation who are the UK’s largest provider of public legal education for young people, I was also happy to support the recent establishment of the APPG to promote the importance of public legal education. It is my role as Solicitor General and as the Government’s pro bono champion, to help individuals become confident, effective members of society, helping them to develop an understanding of, how our society works as a democracy, our legal system, and their rights and responsibilities within it.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to provide funding to the Welsh Government until the end of the Parliament for payments under the Independent Living Fund.

    Greg Hands

    Following the closure of the Independent Living Fund, £30 million was transferred to Welsh Government budgets to reflect the ILF’s previously-forecast expenditure in Wales. The Welsh Government is responsible for the allocation of this funding, in line with its devolved responsibilities. This funding was subsequently included in the Welsh Government’s Spending Review 2015 allocation.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with epilepsy are claiming employment and support allowance and personal independence payments.

    Priti Patel

    The number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants with epilepsy as their main disabling condition, as at August 2015, is 44,720.

    Information on the number of people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment at 31 October 2015, by a range of conditions including epilepsy, has been published and can be found at:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk.

    Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

    https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started—SuperWEB2.html

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  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims have been made for a Short Term Benefit Advance in the last six months for which data is available; and what the outcomes of those claims were.

    Priti Patel

    Please see table below for Short Term Benefit Advance (STBA) applications and the outcomes of those claims;

    Aug-15

    Sep-15

    Oct-15

    Nov-15

    Dec-15

    Jan-16

    STBA Requests Received

    17,450

    17,188

    17,391

    17,355

    17,428

    17,526

    STBA Requests Primary Benefit Paid
    (where the primary benefit has been paid negating the need for an STBA)

    3,420

    3,984

    3,890

    3,688

    3,971

    3,699

    STBA Requests Disallowed

    5,691

    5,398

    4,973

    4,749

    4,938

    5,375

    STBAs Awarded

    15,372

    15,922

    17,515

    18,240

    21,844

    25,118

    The data provided is for Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefits, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with epilepsy have been assessed as being fit to work by their work capability assessments in each year since 2010.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is shown in the table below.

    Assessment type

    10/11

    11/12

    12/13

    13/14

    14/15

    FFW outcomes

    2,200

    4,000

    3,300

    1,500

    900
  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to its staff on proactively making callers claiming universal credit or seeking advice by telephone related to that benefit aware that they can be rung back free of charge.

    Priti Patel

    The department does not hold guidance on this.

    As we continue to develop the Universal Credit service we will introduce greater opportunities for claimants to manage their claim on-line reducing the need for claimants to use the telephone to contact us.

  • Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of his Department’s invoices for goods and services supplied by (a) private companies and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are completed on time; and what proportion of the (i) number and (ii) value of contracts between his Department and private companies are held by SMEs.

    Justin Tomlinson

    DWP does not hold the information to answer ‘what proportion of his Department’s invoices for goods and services supplied by (a) private companies and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are completed on time.’

    However, the figures below are published monthly and quarterly on Gov.UK and confirm DWP’s commitment to paying invoices within 30 days (contractual) and 5 days. We cannot disaggregate the invoices into SMEs and other private companies.

    2015-16 (Financial Year)

    Percentage of invoices paid within 5 days

    Percentage of invoices paid within 30 days

    Quarter 1

    97.3%

    99.8%

    Quarter 2

    95.5%

    99.7%

    Quarter 3

    97.5%

    99.8%

    At December 2015, 2534 (9.3%) of the Department’s suppliers were SMEs.

    At December 2015, SMEs accounted for 2.5% of the Department’s direct commercial spend. However, there is a substantially greater proportion of commercial spend with SMEs via prime contractors. The Department relies upon Cabinet Office survey information in order to estimate the combined total spend with SMEs. The most recent combined total estimate we have (2014/15), is 16.2% of the total or some £483 million.

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what amount of (a) 1993 and (b) 2003 Child Support Agency scheme arrears are currently being handled by the Child Maintenance Service; and to how many case groups those arrears relate.

    Priti Patel

    As at 31 December 2015 the total amount of 1993 and 2003 Child Support Agency scheme arrears held on the 2012 system and currently being handled by the Child Maintenance Service stood at £92.6 million.

    Information on related case groups and break downs by scheme are not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what amount of direct pay arrears has accrued on the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme; and to how many case groups those arrears relate.

    Priti Patel

    A case is classed as ‘Direct Pay’ when the maintenance calculation has been derived by the Child Maintenance Service (after assessment of the case) and the Paying Parent pays child maintenance directly to the Receiving Parent. These cases are assumed to be fully meeting their current liability since clients can come back to the CMS if there is a default on their payment or to request a revised calculation.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will carry out an impact assessment of the effect that the replacement of disability living allowance by personal independence payment has had on the mobility of disabled people.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department published an impact assessment about the reform of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and the introduction of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) under the Welfare Reform Act 2012 in May 2012: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-living-allowance-reform-personal-independence-payment-impact-assessment.

    A further assessment on estimates of projected DLA and PIP caseloads was published in December 2012: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/timetable-for-introducing-personal-independence-payment-and-estimates-of-projected-caseloads-policy-briefing-note

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