Tag: Frank Field

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he intends to respond to the recommendations made by the Social Security Advisory Committee in Occasional Paper 12 published in April 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb

The Department is currently considering its response to the Social Security Advisory Committee’s recent study “The Cumulative Impact of Welfare Reform: a Commentary“. A response will be published in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects Atos to appoint new agency staff to administer appeals on reassessment of eligibility for disability benefits.

Mike Penning

Appeals on the disability benefits are administered and heard by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service. Atos has no role to play.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payments entitlement decisions on applications made by people not suffering with a terminal illness were made in each of the three months to June 2014.

Mike Penning

The available data on the number of claims and decisions made up to 28 March 2014 has been published and is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/317425/pip-statistical-release-june-2014.pdf. Entitlement data to PIP up to 28 February 2014 are available using the Stat-Xplore tool: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk. Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

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These statistics and data will be updated in due course.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consideration is given to fibromyalgia in the work capability assessment; and how many and what proportion of people diagnosed with fibromyalgia have been declared fit for work following such an assessment.

Mike Penning

As with any medical condition, DWP recognises fibromyalgia as a potentially significantly disabling condition. The statistical information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payments applications made by people not suffering with a terminal illness were made in each of the three months to June 2014.

Mike Penning

The available data on the number of claims and decisions made up to 28 March 2014 has been published and is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/317425/pip-statistical-release-june-2014.pdf. Entitlement data to PIP up to 28 February 2014 are available using the Stat-Xplore tool: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk. Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

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These statistics and data will be updated in due course.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-05-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit budgeting advances were made between April 2013 and April 2014.

Esther McVey

Budgeting support is available at the start of a Universal Credit claim. The requested information is not currently available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help blind and partially sighted passengers travel on buses.

Stephen Hammond

The Department for Transport is committed to ensuring that all disabled people have the same access to transport services and opportunities to travel as other members of society. The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) outline specific requirements for the bus industry to ensure that buses are as accessible as possible for disabled passengers. Latest statistics (September 2013) show that 78% of buses in England now meet PSVAR accessibility requirements, while 92% operate with a low floor facility and these figures continue to grow steadily.

The Department also recognises that blind and partially sighted passengers find audio and visual announcements particularly useful when travelling on buses. We will therefore continue to encourage bus operators and local authorities to invest in audio/visual announcement systems for their buses where possible. However, we also understand that this technology comes at a considerable cost.

With this in mind, my noble colleague, Baroness Kramer wrote to bus operators on 4^th February 2014 to encourage the development of simpler, more affordable audio/visual announcement systems for buses that can provide benefits to as many passengers as possible. Alongside this, the Department for Transport is also looking into the possibility of establishing a research initiative involving small businesses and academic institutions through the ‘Transport Systems Catapult’to encourage further innovation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for personal independence payments have been made by claimants whose disability living allowance payments have been terminated; and what interim financial support his Department makes available to such claimants.

Mike Penning

There is no data available on claims to personal independence payment (PIP) by claimants in receipt of, or previously in receipt of, disability living allowance (DLA).

Exisiting recipients of DLA claiming PIP do not have their DLA terminated at the point of claim but continue to recieve their DLA while the PIP claim is being assessed.