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  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with motor neurone disease who have been awarded the daily living component of personal independence payment scored all of their points due to aid and appliances

    Justin Tomlinson

    For Motor Neurone Disease, the number of individuals awarded the Daily Living component of PIP who scored all of their points due to aids and appliances is 50.

    This data relates to the period April 2013 to 30th September 2015, and includes Normal Rules awards only.

    DWP are currently running a consultation to seek views on how support can best be provided to help meet the costs of disability which are faced by people who are currently awarded points due to aids and appliances. The department is keen to hear views from all interested parties, especially disabled people and disability organisations.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many completed repeat assessments there have been of people with Parkinson’s disease by year of repeat assessment, since the introduction of employment and support allowance in 2008.

    Priti Patel

    The information available is shown in the table below. Repeat assessments are conducted to ensure that individuals receive the right level of support.

    Calendar years:

    Cystic Fibrosis

    Spinal Muscular Atrophy

    Parkinson’s Disease

    Multiple Sclerosis

    Other Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Oct-08 to Dec-08

    –

    –

    –

    –

    –

    Jan-09 to Dec-09

    –

    –

    –

    –

    –

    Jan-10 to Dec-10

    –

    –

    100

    700

    600

    Jan-11 to Dec-11

    100

    100

    300

    1,500

    1,500

    Jan-12 to Dec-12

    200

    100

    500

    2,900

    2,500

    Jan-13 to Dec-13

    100

    100

    400

    2,400

    2,500

    Jan-14 to Dec-14

    100

    –

    300

    1,900

    2,100

    Jan-15 to June-15

    –

    –

    –

    300

    300

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson’s disease have had at least one repeat assessment, by year of initial assessment, since the introduction of employment and support allowance in 2008.

    Priti Patel

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

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will take into account the effect on blind and partially sighted people when deciding whether to change eligibility for recipients of the personal independence payment daily living component who qualify because of their use of aids and appliances.

    Justin Tomlinson

    DWP are currently running a consultation to seek views on how support can best be provided to help meet the costs of disability faced by people who are currently awarded points due to aids and appliances. The Department is keen to hear views from all interested parties, including blind and partially-sighted people and their representative organisations.

    No decision has been made as to whether any change should be made to the current system and the government does not have any preference between the 5 options presented in the consultation. However, in reaching any decision the Department will consider the effects on people with disabilities, including those who are blind or partially-sighted.

  • Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the gross working premium of insurers which was required to fund the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payments Scheme in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

    Justin Tomlinson

    In 2014/15 the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) levy was charged at £32m which represented 2.2% of employers’ liability gross written premium (EL GWP). The actual cost of the DMPS in 2014/15 was £24.2m, and the additional £7.8m collected has been carried forward into 2015/16.

    On 12 January 2016 the Department announced that it anticipated the gross cost of the DMPS in 2015/16 to be £31m. This represents 2% of EL GWP. However, the amount actually levied on the insurance industry for 2015/16, taking into account the £7.8m carried forward, is £23.2m, which represents 1.5% of EL GWP.

    Note: The proportions quoted above use the most recently available EL GWP data in any one year. Due to the time taken to collect and verify this data, the EL GWP figure used to calculate the proportion the levy represents will be two years old. For example, for the 2014/15 levy the EL GWP data is from 2012.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to assist people with restricted visibility pursuing careers and training opportunities.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The government has a wide variety of measures to help visually impaired and other disabled people prepare for, enter and remain in employment. These include:

    • Work Choice and Specialist Employability Support (SES), which help to prepare participants for work and move them into employment;

    • New Enterprise Allowance (NEA), which offers support to unemployed people who wish to start their own businesses. Disabled jobseekers who are accepted onto the NEA scheme may also be entitled to receive an Access to Work grant; and,

    • Access to Work, which provides practical and financial support with the additional costs faced by individuals whose health or disability affects the way they do their job, including some costs associated with new employment opportunities and supported internships. Access to Work has recently set up a specialist team visual impairment to further improve the service offered to the visually impaired people, who comprise the second largest group of Access to Work users.
  • Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the removal of housing allowance for 18 to 21 year-olds who receive universal credit in the number of (a) homeless people and (b) claimants living on temporary accommodation.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department continues to liaise with a range of key stakeholders as it develops exemptions to the removal of automatic entitlement to housing support for 18-21 year olds in Universal Credit. This includes discussing this policy with landlords, housing associations and charities.

    Once this work has been completed we will bring forward detailed proposals.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many motability vehicles were held by people in (a) Wrexham, (b) Wales and (c) the UK in receipt of the enhanced mobility component of personal independence payments in each of the last six months for which records are available.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department does not hold this information. Motability is an independent charitable organisation that is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme. Whilst the Department meets regularly with Motability to discuss scheme performance, questions relating to the details of the scheme’s operation should be directed to Motability itself.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the likely average change in the amount received by workless 18 to 21 year olds as a result of the removal of housing allowance from such people in April 2017.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The amount of Universal Credit awarded where the housing element is payable is not being changed; this policy will simply remove entitlement from certain 18 -21 year olds. Some 18-21 year olds will be unaffected by this change as exemptions will allow support with housing costs to continue in their award.

    The Department continues to liaise with a range of key stakeholders as it develops exemptions. This includes discussing this policy with landlords, housing associations and charities. Once this work has been completed we will bring forward detailed proposals.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidelines are in place on the amount of time that should be taken to process reimbursement claims from UK citizens for health treatment in other European countries; and what data his Department holds on the average amount of time taken to process such claims.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The EU regulations do not provide set timescales for the processing of reimbursement claims. The DWP Overseas Healthcare Team work proactively with colleagues in the other EEA states to progress reimbursement claims on behalf of UK citizens. When all the appropriate information is received from the relevant EEA state, such claims are normally cleared for reimbursement within 10 days.