The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-10-27.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many existing tax credit claimants have been in continuous receipt of tax credits for (a) one, (b) two, (c) three and (d) four years or more.
Damian Hinds
This information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects the business case for universal credit to be signed off in full.
Priti Patel
The 2nd Permanent Secretary to the Treasury explained to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the 10 December 2014 (see link below), the process for Business Case approvals within Government. The first stage of this process, the Strategic Outline Business Case, was agreed in September 2014. The next step, the Outline Business Case, has been agreed at official level and is now with Treasury Ministers for approval. The Full Business Case will follow for approval by the end of 2017. This is in line with the process within Government and a Programme of the scale and complexity of Universal Credit.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish the report on overseas domestic worker visas by James Ewins before 17 December 2015.
James Brokenshire
Mr Ewins’s report has been submitted to the Home Office and will be published shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that benefit claimants who are sanctioned receive a written notification of the sanction before their benefit payment is withdrawn.
Priti Patel
We recently reintroduced automated sanction notifications (from Monday 23rd November 2015) to ensure that all claimants who are sanctioned receive a written notification of the sanction.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether universal credit claimants working 35 hours per week and being paid at the level of the national minimum wage will be entitled to request support from his Department’s in-work progression pilot.
Priti Patel
Subject to certain exclusions (including people who are unable to work or earn more due to caring or because of health conditions or disabilities; who are recent victims of domestic violence; who provide medical evidence of unfitness for work pending a work capability assessment; prisoners; claimants absent from GB for medical treatment; claimants who are recently bereaved; and claimants undergoing treatment for drug or alcohol addiction), claimants would be eligible for selection into the In-work Progression Randomised Control Trial if they have monthly employed earnings above the Administrative Earnings Threshold (£338 per month for a single person or £541 per month for a couple in 2015/16); and have earnings below the Conditionality Earnings Threshold, which is individually set but up to a maximum of the equivalent of 35 hours work at the national minimum wage.
In order to maintain the integrity of the randomised control trial, individuals who are ineligible for selection are not able to participate in the trial.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax credit claimants in work reported income rises of (a) more than £2,500, (b) more than £2,500 but less than £5,000 and (c) more than £5,000 in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.
Damian Hinds
As announced in the combined Autumn Statement and Spending Review, the amount by which a tax credit claimant’s income can increase within the year before their tax credit award is adjusted (the income rise disregard), will be reduced from £5,000 to £2,500. This makes the tax credit system fairer so claimants on similar incomes will receive similar awards. Currently two families on precisely the same earnings at the end of the year can receive significantly different awards.
A tax credit award will only be adjusted in response to a claimant earning more money. Next year there are expected to be 800,000 claimants whose income will increase by more than £2500 and who as a result will see an adjustment in their tax credit payment. None will be cash losers because their income will have increased.
The change returns the disregard back to the level it was between 2003 and 2006 – something the tax credit system is now operationally better able to cope with now that it has more up to date information on people’s earnings through Real Time Information. HMRC are also making it easier to report changes quickly online, so that people will less often receive overpayments. Claimants can contact HMRC if they are suffering financial hardship and are having difficulty paying back an overpayment.
The change will bring forward some of the benefits of Universal Credit so that the tax credit award reflects a claimant’s recent earnings and the system responds more quickly to changes in earnings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on children whose refugee shelters in Calais are due to be demolished by the French government.
James Brokenshire
The UK is working closely with the French Government on all aspects of the migrant situation in Calais; however the management of the migrant camps in France is the responsibility of the French Government. They have recently increased capacity in heated container accommodation for vulnerable groups in the Calais camp, where women, children and the sick and injured are given priority.
Both the UK and France are clear that the right course of action is to move migrants away from Calais and for genuine refugees to be offered protection within the French asylum system. That is why as part of the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK has provided £3.6million (or €5 million) per year for two years to help provide support and facilities for migrants at centres elsewhere in France.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the maximum period is for which a back payment can be made on universal credit.
Priti Patel
The maximum period by which a claim can be backdated is one calendar month from the date of claim. Backdating is only possible in exceptional circumstances.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of new universal credit claims were processed within one month in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.
Priti Patel
The information you have requested is currently not available.
Additional breakdowns will be included in future Universal Credit official statistics as quality assurance of data from the Universal Credit systems progresses during 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-05-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many harassment warnings each police force in England issued in the most recent financial year for which figures are available.
Karen Bradley
The information requested is not collected centrally. The issuance of Harassment Warning Notices, also known as Police Information Notices (PINs), is an operational matter for Chief Constables. Responsibility for the publication of information relating to PINs rests with Chief Constables.