Tag: Chris Bryant

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to Healthy Start vouchers and vitamins to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

Dr Daniel Poulter

We plan to provide access to Healthy Start for pregnant women, new mothers, and children under four in the lowest earning families receiving Universal Credit. Our intention is to ensure that a broadly similar number, and range, of Universal Credit families will qualify as currently do so through income based benefits and tax credits.

The current annual delivery cost of Healthy Start throughout the United Kingdom (vouchers, vitamins and administration) is approximately £100 million. We estimate that if eligibility were extended to pregnant women, new mothers, and children under four in all families claiming Universal Credit it would increase the total spent annually to around £290 million.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to (a) legal aid and (b) remission from court costs to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The information requested is contained in a letter that I sent on 10 June to the Rt Hon Member for East Ham in response to his earlier Parliamentary Question on the same subject. That letter has now been deposited in the Library of the House. (Deposit Reference: DEP2014-1040)

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to court fees exemptions to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out in Scotland.

David Mundell

The Scottish Government is responsible for defining the entitlement criteria for these passported benefits. They will need to consider the current eligibility criteria and make arrangements to ensure that they can continue to deliver these benefits as Universal Credit is introduced.

There is ongoing engagement between the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that any solution is simple, fair, easy to understand and affordable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to repayment of children’s welfare loans to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out in Scotland.

David Mundell

The Scottish Government is responsible for defining the entitlement criteria for these passported benefits. They will need to consider the current eligibility criteria and make arrangements to ensure that they can continue to deliver these benefits as Universal Credit is introduced.

There is ongoing engagement between the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that any solution is simple, fair, easy to understand and affordable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to education maintenance allowance to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out in Scotland.

David Mundell

The Scottish Government is responsible for defining the entitlement criteria for these passported benefits. They will need to consider the current eligibility criteria and make arrangements to ensure that they can continue to deliver these benefits as Universal Credit is introduced.

There is ongoing engagement between the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that any solution is simple, fair, easy to understand and affordable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to the energy assistance package, stage 3, to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out in Scotland.

David Mundell

The Scottish Government is responsible for defining the entitlement criteria for these passported benefits. They will need to consider the current eligibility criteria and make arrangements to ensure that they can continue to deliver these benefits as Universal Credit is introduced.

There is ongoing engagement between the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that any solution is simple, fair, easy to understand and affordable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to NHS prescriptions to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out in Scotland.

David Mundell

The Scottish Government is responsible for defining the entitlement criteria for these passported benefits. They will need to consider the current eligibility criteria and make arrangements to ensure that they can continue to deliver these benefits as Universal Credit is introduced.

There is ongoing engagement between the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that any solution is simple, fair, easy to understand and affordable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to NHS dentistry exemptions to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out in Scotland.

David Mundell

The Scottish Government is responsible for defining the entitlement criteria for these passported benefits. They will need to consider the current eligibility criteria and make arrangements to ensure that they can continue to deliver these benefits as Universal Credit is introduced.

There is ongoing engagement between the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that any solution is simple, fair, easy to understand and affordable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many councils in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland funded discretionary housing payments beyond the funds allocated to them by his Department in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Steve Webb

In 2013/14, a) 85 (out of 326) English authorities, b) 15 (out of 27) Welsh authorities and c) 27 (out of 32) Scottish authorities spent more than the contribution provided by DWP towards Discretionary Housing Payments.

Figures for 2014/15 will not be available until after 30 April 2015 – the deadline for local authority DHP returns for the year in question.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to free school meals to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out in Scotland.

David Mundell

The Scottish Government is responsible for defining the entitlement criteria for these passported benefits. They will need to consider the current eligibility criteria and make arrangements to ensure that they can continue to deliver these benefits as Universal Credit is introduced.

There is ongoing engagement between the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that any solution is simple, fair, easy to understand and affordable.