The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-10-27.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average duration of a claim for tax credits was in the most recent (a) 12 and (b) 24 months for which data is available.
Damian Hinds
The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects to sign off in full the business case for universal credit.
Greg Hands
The 2nd Permanent Secretary to the Treasury explained to the 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 for Universal Credit in September 2014. The next step, the Outline Business Case, is now with Treasury Ministers for approval. The Full Business Case will follow for Ministerial 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 2015-11-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax credit claimants lost their entitlement as a result of action taken by Concentrix in the last financial year.
Mr David Gauke
5,244 tax credit claims were amended as a result of checks undertaken by Concentrix during 2014-15. This includes both partial and full loss of entitlement cases.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-06.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken is by (a) Concentrix and (b) HM Revenue and Customs to process each tax credit claim adjustment; and what guidance there is in Concentrix’s contract on how long it should take to process each tax credit claim adjustment.
Mr David Gauke
The average time taken by Concentrix to carry out a tax credit intervention – from writing to the claimant, receiving and investigating any response, through to closing the case and making any adjustment to the award – is 91 days. The average time taken by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is 64 days, but the figures are not comparable because the profiles of cases worked by Concentrix and by HMRC are different.
Concentrix are required under their contract with HMRC to complete 80% of High Risk Change of Circumstances interventions (these are a subset of Concentrix’s caseload consisting of the highest risk cases) within 75 days and 100% of such cases within 90 days. So far in 2015/16 they have closed 95.5% of these interventions within 75 days.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of homeless families with children who are living in bed and breakfast accommodation have been in that accommodation for more than six weeks.
Mr Marcus Jones
As at 30 September 2015 there were 3,000 families with children in bed and breakfast style accommodation in England, of which 960 had been in bed and breakfast style accommodation for longer than six weeks.
Whilst this is less than the previous peak, we are clear the long term use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families with children is both unacceptable and unlawful. The law and statutory guidance make clear it should only ever be used in an emergency, and then for no longer than six weeks.
Tackling and preventing homelessness remains a priority and that is why we have protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, through the provisional local government finance settlement totalling £315 million by 2019/20 , increased central government funding for homelessness programmes to £139 million over the Spending Review period; and have made a commitment to work with local authorities, homelessness organisations and across Departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more people from becoming homeless.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, under what criteria the 2016 to 2017 local government funding settlement was decided; and if he will publish the distributional effect of that settlement.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Local Government Finance Report (England) 2016/2017 sets out the basis of distribution for funding provided through the local government finance settlement. The Report was laid before the House of Commons on 8 February 2016. The results of that distribution have been published and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2016-to-2017.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will include the Food Insecurity Experience Scale survey in the next Family Food survey in order to assess households’ vulnerability to hunger.
George Eustice
We do not intend to measure household food insecurity because there is no single definition of food insecurity. The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) is one method, but the factors that impact on household food security are complex. There are multiple indicators such as quality, variety and desirability of diet as well as total intake, not all of which are measured consistently. It is therefore very difficult and potentially misleading to develop a single classification of food insecurity.
The OECD ‘Society at a Glance 2014’ report published figures showing that the proportion of those who say they are finding it difficult to afford food in the UK declined over the past 5 years 2007 – 2012: from 9.8% to 8.1%. This was based on Gallup World Poll data which actually used one of the questions which form part of the FIES.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new claims for universal credit have been made by people whose temporary employment contract has expired since the introduction of that credit.
Priti Patel
Universal Credit is paid on the basis of earnings. Information on types of contracts that claimants are on is not routinely collected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a national deposit return scheme as part of the Government’s litter strategy.
Rory Stewart
As part of its Litter Strategy, published in 2014, the Scottish Government announced that it had commissioned a feasibility study and a call for evidence investigating the implementation of a deposit return system for single use drink containers in Scotland. This valuable work, published last year, highlighted significant uncertainties regarding the impacts and benefits that a deposit return system would have, notably regarding costs, environmental quality and littering, and existing waste collection systems. The Scottish Government is doing further work on the topic and we will consider any new evidence arising from this in the course of developing our own National Litter Strategy for England.
Defra analysed the costs and benefits of implementing a deposit return system for single use drink containers as part of the 2011 Review of Waste Policy in England, and to seek views in the 2012 consultation on higher packaging recycling targets. This work showed that introducing a deposit return system may increase recycling and reduce litter, but might impose additional costs on businesses, consumers and local authorities (which would lose revenue from recycling). However, we are lacking evidence to appropriately quantify these benefits and costs. The current approach has driven a significant increase in packaging waste recycling rates, from less than 47% in 2003 to nearly 65% in 2013.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of replacing the NHS bursary with student loans on the number of healthcare students; and what steps he is taking to (a) maintain and (b) increase the number of such students.
Ben Gummer
The Government assessment undertaken to date is that nursing is consistently one of the most popular courses on University Central Administration Service with 57,000 applicants for around 20,000 nursing places in 2014. Midwifery and Allied Health Professional courses receive higher than average applications as well.
Health Education England (HEE) funding for healthcare students is currently determined at a local level based on local need and is subject to annual workforce planning. For 2016-17, HEE will fund those commissions set out in the HEE Commissioning and Investment Plan for 2016-17. HEE will set out its plans for 2017/18 training commissions in its next annual Commissioning and Investment Plan or Workforce Plan for England which is expected to be published in December 2016 prior to the start of the financial year.
We estimate that this reform will enable universities to provide up to 10,000 additional nursing and other health professional training places this Parliament. This reflects estimates on the level of unmet demand for places in the current system where, as an example, for nursing, around two out of three nursing applicants who currently apply for a place are turned down.
Under the reforms full time students will have access to more upfront living cost support, typically 25% or more.
A public consultation was published on the 7 April 2016. Preliminary Equalities Impact Analysis and Economic Impact Assessment were published alongside the consultation document.