Tag: Department for Work and Pensions

The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 20 September 2022.

• Six million people who are paid certain disability benefits will begin to receive a one-off payment of £150 from today
• Payments are part of the government’s wider £37 billion support package, including the Energy Price Guarantee and cost of living payments totalling £650

Those who had confirmed payment of their disability benefit for 25 May will receive the £150 automatically, with the vast majority to be paid by early October.

The payment will help disabled people with the rising cost of living, acknowledging the higher disability-related costs they often face, such as for care and mobility needs.

The cost of living payments from the government are part of a £37 billion package of support, which will see millions of households receive at least £1,200 this year to help cover rising costs, and follows the Prime Minister’s announcement of a new Energy Price Guarantee for the next two winters saving households on average £1,000 a year on their energy bills.

Work and Pensions Secretary Chloe Smith said:

We know disabled people face additional costs and this government is listening and taking decisive action to protect the most vulnerable in our society.

In addition to the £150 Disability Cost of Living payment, households will save an average of £1,000 a year through our new Energy Price Guarantee and the lowest-income households will receive at least £1,200 to help with the rising cost of living this year.

This multi-billion-pound package of support reinforces our commitment to help UK households, particularly those with disability challenges, through the tough times ahead.

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng said:

The government is providing vital support to shield the most vulnerable from rising prices caused by global economic challenges.

From today, a one-off £150 payment will automatically land in over six million disabled peoples’ accounts. This is in addition to the decisive action we took last week to hold down energy bills over the next two years, saving the average household £1,000 a year.

The government is standing behind people this winter, and in the longer term we are focusing on driving economic growth – the only way to permanently boost everyone’s living standards.

The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 14 September 2022.

• Accessible queueing scheme for disabled, D/deaf and neurodiverse people and people with long-term health conditions and mobility issues
• Step-free access and British Sign Language interpreters to help ensure people who need accessibility arrangements can pay their respects

Accessibility arrangements include:

• Step-free access along the whole route;
• Arrangements and facilities signposted along the length of the route;
• Guidance and information available in alternate formats including HTML compatible with screenreaders and with the ability to increase text size;
• A separate accessible route for people unable to stand for long periods, or who have specific accessibility requirements (either visible or non-visible disabilities) – more detail below;
• Assistance dogs permitted throughout the route, including in Westminster Hall;
• British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters available at the accessible queue kiosk;
• TfL have worked with organisers to integrate accessible and step-free stations into route planning;
• Portable toilets and accessible portable toilets available throughout the route;
• All marshals and volunteers have received disability awareness training to signpost to nearest facilities, including nearby changing places toilets in Victoria Station and Guy’s Hospital;
• Queue marshals monitoring the queue to identify guests with accessibility needs or those otherwise experiencing difficulty, to provide additional support.

Separate accessible route

An accessible queue will be open to people who have specific accessibility requirements or who are unable to stand for long periods of time. The scheme will enable people with specific needs to be admitted in the next available entry slot for the Lying-in-State. When it is time for your visit, you can join the accessible queue.

Disabled people who need to join the separate, accessible queue, should travel to a kiosk located outside Tate Britain, where accessible facilities – including accessible toilets, a water point, and BSL interpreters – will be available.

Capacity for each time slot will be capped. People can use the space in the Tate Britain which has seating, toilets and ‘quiet space’ areas while waiting for the next slot to open. We cannot guarantee everyone seeking a place in the accessible queue will be given access to the Lying-in-State because of overall capacity limits.

The route from the kiosk to Westminster Hall is approximately 800 metres and is step-free for people with mobility needs. Accessible toilets will also be provided on the route from the Tate Britain to Westminster Hall in Victoria Park South. Changing places toilets are available within Westminster Palace. Trained marshals and volunteers will be on hand to provide support to people travelling to the Lying-in-State.

Further information

• Time slots cannot be booked in advance.

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 13 September 2022.

• Queue will begin on the Albert Embankment and continue to Southwark Park
• Volunteers from the Scouts, Samaritans, The British Red Cross, First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and The Salvation Army along with faith representatives will support those in the queue
• Those paying their respects are urged to plan ahead and prepare appropriately

Details of the route that thousands of members of the public will use to queue ahead of paying their respects to Her Majesty The Queen in Westminster Hall have been published.

Mourners from across the UK, Commonwealth and around the world are expected to join the line which will form on the Albert Embankment, run along Belvedere Road behind the London Eye, and head onto the South Bank where it will follow the River Thames past the National Theatre, Tate Modern and HMS Belfast through to Southwark Park.

Once people have passed through Albert Embankment they will be directed across Lambeth Bridge, into Victoria Tower Gardens and through airport-style security before entering the Palace of Westminster where The Queen will be Lying-in-State. There are strict bag restrictions in place.

The main queue has step free access and there is a separate accessible route, for those who need it. The accessible route will begin at Tate Britain where timed entry slots will be issued for a queue heading along Millbank to the Palace of Westminster.

Guide dogs, hearing dogs and other official assistance dogs will be permitted in Westminster Hall. British Sign Language interpreters will also be available to people joining the queue.

More than 1,000 dedicated volunteers, stewards and Metropolitan Police officers will be on hand to assist members of the public wanting to pay their respects and keep them safe.

Extra welfare facilities in place will include toilets and water fountains at various locations along the route. Local organisations including Southbank Centre, National Theatre, BFI Southbank, Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe will be opening their doors for extended hours to provide refreshments and comfort breaks to queuers around the clock. The BFI will have an outdoor screen showing archive footage of The Queen and Her reign.

Cafes and other local businesses are also expected to open for extended periods alongside welfare centres to provide refreshments for those in the queue.

St John Ambulance will be stationed along the route to provide first aid if required.

More than a hundred Scouts aged between 18 and 25 from across the UK will join volunteers from Samaritans to offer help where it is needed.

Once inside the Palace of Westminster, people will be able to walk past the Coffin which will be raised on a catafalque and draped in the Royal Standard, with the Orb and Sceptre placed on top. It will be guarded around the clock by a vigil of units from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London.

The BBC’s red button service will provide a live feed from Westminster Hall and ITV and Sky will be running extensive coverage. An online book of condolence is available for people to add personal messages.

The Lying-in-State opens to the public at 5pm on Wednesday, 14 September. It will be open 24 hours a day until it closes at 6.30am on Monday, 19 September. The queue will close early to ensure as many visitors as possible can enter the Palace before the Lying-in-State period comes to an end, and any decision to close the queue will be communicated widely via government social media channels.

People wishing to attend the Lying-in-State, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions, are encouraged to check the guidance, plan accordingly and be prepared for significant wait times, including possibly overnight. Members of the public are also urged to check for travel updates, plan their journey and check times for last services. People should also check the list of prohibited items as certain items and large bags will need to be left in a bag drop facility, which has limited capacity.

The aim is to make sure as many people as possible can pay their respects and regular updates will be provided on queue length and estimated time on government social media channels. Follow us on social media for live updates, including the position of the back of the queue for the Lying-in-State.

The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 13 September 2022.

• People expecting to receive benefits and credits on Monday 19 September will be paid early
• Benefits and credits will be paid on Friday 16 September, the last working day before the bank holiday

The Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs have put arrangements in place to ensure all benefits and credits due to be paid on this date – now a bank holiday for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral – will be delivered in advance.

People who are due to receive payments on Monday 19 September will instead be paid on Friday 16 September, the last working day before the State Funeral.

This arrangement follows standard DWP and HMRC protocol that sees benefit and credit payment dates brought forward in line with national bank holidays.

The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 31 August 2022.

He will take on the new appointment from 16 January 2023. The current Pensions Ombudsman, Anthony Arter, will remain in post until 15 January 2023.

Harris is currently a Partner in the Pensions Team at law firm CMS. He also serves as Chair of the Investment and Defined Contribution Committee of the Association of Pension Lawyers.

Minister for Pensions Guy Opperman said:

“I am pleased to announce Dominic Harris as the new Pensions Ombudsman and wish to express my thanks to Anthony for his service in the role. Dominic’s previous experience makes him the ideal candidate to lead the service.”

New Pensions Ombudsman Dominic Harris said:

“I am delighted to be appointed as the new Pensions Ombudsman. The Ombudsman has a key role to play in ensuring access to justice in the pensions arena, and I am proud to be able to continue the good work of Anthony and his team at the organisation.”

The Pensions Ombudsman is an independent organisation set up by law to investigate complaints about pension administration. It is a Tribunal non-departmental public body of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The role is a public appointment made by the Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions.

The main responsibilities of the Pensions Ombudsman are to:

– investigate and determine pensions complaints

– investigate and determine disputes concerning the Pension Protection Fund, and hear appeals against decisions made by the Financial Assistance Scheme manager

– work with the Pensions Ombudsman Board to set the strategic direction for the organisation, and

– build constructive and effective relationships with external and internal stakeholders, including the DWP and its ministers.

Further information

The appointment process has been an open competition regulated by The Office for the Commissioner of Public Appointments.

The Pensions Ombudsman is a full-time role and the Ombudsman is entitled to an annual remuneration of £143,095, which is uprated annually.

Two roles are fulfilled, the Pensions Ombudsman and the Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman.

For more information about the Pensions Ombudsman visit: www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk

The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 23 August 2022.

£150 disability Cost of Living payments to be made from 20 September 2022
6 million people who are paid certain disability benefits will benefit

Automatic support part of wider package of help with the rising Cost of Living, including other cost of living payments totalling £650
Those being paid a qualifying disability benefit will be paid automatically from 20 September, with the vast majority of those eligible expected to receive their one-off payment within a couple of weeks by the beginning of October.

The payment will help disabled people with the rising Cost of Living acknowledging the higher disability-related costs they often face, such as care and mobility needs.

For those disabled people on low-incomes, this payment comes on top of other Cost of Living payments totalling £650, £400 for all households to help with energy bills, and an extra £150 for properties in Council Tax bands A-D in England.

Over eight million eligible households in receipt of a means-tested benefit received the first of two automatic Cost of Living payments of £326 from 14 July. The second means-tested payment of £324 will be issued later this year.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Chloe Smith said:

“We know disabled people can face additional costs, which is why we are acting to help reduce the financial pressures on the most vulnerable.

This £150 disability payment is on top of the £1,200 most low income benefit claimants will also receive and alongside wider support targeted at disabled people, including help with transport and prescription costs.

We know it’s a worrying time for some people and I’d urge them to check they are getting all the support on offer by searching Help for Households.”

The Cost of Living payments from the government are part of a £37 billion package of support, which will see millions of households receive at least £1,200 this year to help cover rising costs.

The government has also expanded support for the Household Support Fund in England – which helps people with food and energy bills – with an extra £421 million – for October 2022 to March 2023, and topped up funding by £79 million for devolved nations; the total value of this support now stands at £1.5 billion.

This is all in addition to changes to the Universal Credit taper rate and work allowances worth £1,000 a year on average for 1.7 million working claimants, a rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour, and a tax cut for around 30 million workers through a rise in National Insurance contribution thresholds.

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi said:

“We know that rising prices faced by many countries around the world are a significant worry for many people here in the UK, especially those most vulnerable to additional costs.

Today’s announcement that disabled people will begin to receive an additional £150 payment from the end of September reinforces our commitment to help UK households through the challenging times ahead.

This payment is in addition to further help households can expect over the coming months – including a second cost of living payment of £324 for households on means-tested benefits, £300 for pensioners this winter and £400 discount on energy bills for every household. This is all part of our significant £37 billion support package.”

The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 18 August 2022.

The Local Supported Employment (LSE) initiative is providing grant funding to 24 local authorities in England and Wales, representing an investment of £7.6 million over the next three years.

Each local authority area will support between 60 and 140 adults with learning disabilities, autism or both to move into competitive employment and provide the help they need to maintain that employment.

An average of 91 participants in each local authority are set to benefit from the grant funding and support, which will include assigning job coaches who can carry out vocation profiling, engage employers and provide in-work support to help develop more careers.

This follows the government hitting its target to see one million more disabled people in work by 2027 five years early, as ministers consider a new target to help bring down the disability employment gap further in the forthcoming Health & Disability White Paper, due in the autumn.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Chloe Smith MP said:

“Disabled people deserve the same opportunities to start, stay and succeed in employment as everyone else.

We know that those with autism and learning disabilities can face particular barriers to employment, which is why we’re spending £7.6m through the Local Supported Employment initiative.

We hope to break down those barriers and use local networks to help more disabled people reach their full potential.”

A total of 22 local authorities in England and two in Wales will benefit from the funding worth £7.6m over the Spending Review period.

The DWP along with nine local authorities ran an LSE proof of concept pilot in November 2017 for 18 months. Following a consultation process with those involved, the DWP has incorporated feedback and lessons learned into the design of the latest initiative.

Evidence from other supported employment programmes suggests that at least 30% of participants should start some form of work following involvement in the initiative.

The longer-term ambition is to provide further evidence to local authorities of the value of supported employment to help drive further investment and secure effective employment for more people with learning disabilities, autism or both.

The government made a public commitment to delivering LSE in the Adult Social Care Reform White Paper)

and the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper (England) to ensure that everyone should get the support they need whatever their disability or health condition.

Additional information

Local Supported Employment (LSE)

DWP is providing grant funding for 24 County Councils and Unitary Authorities (including Metropolitan Councils and London Boroughs) in England and Wales, to take part in the LSE Initiative.

These are:

Cheshire East Council
Gloucestershire County Council
Barking and Dagenham
Lincolnshire County Council
Surrey County Council
City of Cardiff Council
The Council of the City of Wakefield
Oxfordshire County Council
Norfolk County Council (NCC)
Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council
Leicester Council
Cheshire West and Chester Council
Tower Hamlets
Salford Council
Lancashire County Council
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
Durham County Council (DCC)
Southampton Council
Hertfordshire County Council (HCC)
Pembrokeshire County Council
Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Barnsley MBC
Kent County Council

Supported Employment has been successfully used for decades as a model for supporting people with significant disabilities to secure and retain paid employment. Supported Employment does not adhere to a work readiness model, rather a Place, Train and Maintain approach is implemented.