The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-05-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of half-day sittings in the Youth Court by members of the Youth Court Bench was in the last year.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The Department does not keep this information centrally and it could only be collected at a disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the review of personal independence payment operational systems and problems recommended by the National Audit Office in February 2014 was undertaken; what the outcome of the review was; and when it will be published.
Mike Penning
We are committed to driving up PIP performance and we are taking action to improve this by working with providers and reviewing DWP internal processes.
We continuously review the initiatives that link to the NAO actions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made on his Department’s child maintenance arrears and compliance strategy for 2012 to 2017; and if he will make a statement.
Steve Webb
Since 2008 we have considerably slowed down the growth of arrears via faster case processing and better enforcement. The successful introduction of the new 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme allows most paying parents to be assessed more quickly, which reduces the number of cases that accrue arrears. The new Child Maintenance Scheme is also built to trigger notification of missed payments so we can investigate non-compliance earlier, reducing the time in which arrears could build.
We are also looking at new techniques for collecting older debt. The trial of the process of reclassifying arrears has concluded and we are analysing how this initiative might be used in the future.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-05-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates sat more than 70 half days in the last year.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The latest records for the number of magistrates that sat for more than 70 half days are for 2012/13. 759 magistrates sat for more than 70 half days in that year. It may also assist if I explain that 244 of those magistrates sat on panels, such as youth, family and fine enforcement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions have been held with HM Treasury about changes in costs of administering the personal independence payment assessment process; what the outcomes of those discussions have been; and how they affect the current Spending Review benefits savings target and the proposed cap on benefit expenditure.
Mike Penning
The costs of administering the PIP assessment process were published in the NAO report in February 2014 and quote the current PIP business case (2013-2014)
http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Personal-independence-payment-early-progress.pdf
Forecast expenditure on PIP will be updated at Autumn Statement. The most recent forecasts were published by the Office for Budget Responsibility following Budget 2014.
http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/37839-OBR-Cm-8820-accessible-web-v2.pdf
The Department meets regularly with HM Treasury to discuss progress on all programmes.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he plans to take to ensure the effectiveness of the Sorting Out Separation Web app in providing constructive support to assist collaboration for longer-term separated parents in response to the evaluation commissioned by his Department which indicated that the Web app had little relevance or use for this group.
Steve Webb
DWP research report 863: Sorting Out Separation Web App: evaluation of effectiveness highlighted that the longer-term separated found the Sorting out Separation Web app less relevant because they were more likely to know most of the information provided.
The evaluation confirmed that we need better to understand the needs of this group. Several projects funded in the second round of the Innovation Fund are specifically focussing on what type of support works to help longer-term separated couples to collaborate. When these projects have been completed and evaluated, we will be able to consider how further to improve support for longer-term separated parents.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-05-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total number of sittings was by magistrates who sat more than 70 half days in the last year.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The Department does not keep this information centrally and it could only be collected at a disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of current performance towards achieving the target of assessing all current disability living allowance claimants for personal independence payment by 2018; and if he will estimate the potential additional costs in (a) the amount of benefit claimed and (b) the cost of processing claims if the current rate of assessments were to be maintained.
Mike Penning
We continue to monitor performance in the current phase of reassessment and along with our performance on new claims, this will inform further rollout plans for natural reassessment.
Our plan is to complete reassessment within our original timescales and budget.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Written Statement of 27 March 2014, Official Report, columns 56-7W, on Atos, whether Atos Healthcare will continue to carry out assessments for industrial injuries disablement benefits; and if he will make a statement.
Mike Penning
The Written Statement, Official Report, 27 March 2014, Col. 56WS refers to the exit of Atos Healthcare from the the Medical Services Agreement. This contract includes assessments for industrial injuries disablement benefits. Atos will continue to provide assessments until the transition to a new provider in early 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-05-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates were recruited in each of the last three years.
Mr Shailesh Vara
Magistrates are recruited locally according to the business needs of the magistrates’ courts. The number of magistrates recruited in each of the last three financial years is shown below:
2011/12 – 442
2012/13 – 414
2013/14 – 162
The downturn in recruitment of new magistrates is a natural consequence of falling workloads in the magistrates’ courts, due to factors such as falling crime. The fall in overall numbers is a consequence of the downturn in recruitment combined with the relatively steady levels of retirements and resignations.