Tag: Neil Gray

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the contribution made by the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth on 27 January 2015, Official Report, column 259, what the terms for the one year review of cuts to housing benefit will be.

Justin Tomlinson

The evidence review commissioned by the Department will work closely with charities, landlords stakeholders etc. and will look at the shape, scale and cost of the supported housing sector.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the evidence his Department has received which illustrates that a change in the level of employment and support allowance work-related activity group funding will support claimants into work.

Penny Mordaunt

A number of international studies, and a 2005 report^[1] by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development argued that “financial incentives to work can be improved by either cutting welfare benefit levels, or introducing in-work benefits while leaving benefit levels unchanged”.

There will be new funding worth £60 million in 2017/18, rising to £100 million in 2020/21, which will support those with limited capability for work to move towards and into suitable employment. We will also soon publish a Green Paper that will explore a range of options for long-term reform across different sectors, targeting the factors which contribute to the Disability Employment Gap.

[1] http://www.oecd.org/employment/emp/36780865.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people the £7 million fund for Employability in Scotland will assist in 2016-17.

Priti Patel

As funding for the new Work and Health Programme will be devolved in Scotland, by definition it will be for the Scottish Government to decide how many people it chooses to support through their devolved programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilians are employed by the (a) Ministry of Defence and its trading bodies and (b) contractors at (i) AWE Aldemaston; (ii) AWE Burghfield; (iii) BAE Systems Maritime-Submarines at Barrow-in-Furness; (iv) Babcock at Devonport and (v) Rolls-Royce at Raynewsay, Derby; and how many such employees are employed by AWE Management Limited.

Michael Fallon

The number and average wage of civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) at the listed sites is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

MOD does not hold figures relating to the employees of contractors by site. The number of civilians employed by the consortium AWE Management Ltd is 155.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2015-11-10.

To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reasons a fire safety contract with Norland Managed Services, London has been awarded outwith the Restoration and Renewal project for the Palace of Westminster.

Tom Brake

This contract is one element of a wider programme to achieve compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 by the end of 2018, in accordance with a commitment the House made in 2011 to the Crown Premises Inspection Group.

Achieving compliance will reduce the risk of fire causing loss of life or injury to individuals, destroying or damaging the building, or disrupting the work of Parliament.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what average wage was earned by civilians employed by (a) the Ministry of Defence and its trading bodies and (b) contractors at (i) AWE Aldermaston, (ii) AWE Burghfield, (iii) BAE Systems Maritime-Submarines at Barrow-in-Furness, (iv) Babcock at Devonport and (v) Rolls-Royce at Raynesway, Derby in the last 12 months.

Michael Fallon

The number and average wage of civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) at the listed sites is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

MOD does not hold figures relating to the employees of contractors by site. The number of civilians employed by the consortium AWE Management Ltd is 155.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2015-11-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on claimants of the extension of time for personal independence payment reassessments referred to in the OBR forecasts of November 2015; and what steps he is taking to address the concerns of people on disability living allowance whose reassessments will take longer to process as a result.

Justin Tomlinson

The Government is committed to delivering Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a safe and secure way, ensuring that we continue to roll it out to existing recipients of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) based on capacity, to ensure an effective and efficient service for claimants. Full PIP roll out started in July this year in a controlled way, allowing us to test, learn and improve the service before we ramp up at scale. From October, in line with previously published plans, we began the full rollout of PIP nationally. There are no delays in the claiming system and we are currently working at business as usual capacity. Existing DLA claimants are being kept informed about reassessment activity, including when or under what circumstances they may be invited to claim PIP, through a range of communication measures including information provided in the annual uprating letter or through information available on www.gov.uk.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects the findings of the review of industrial injuries disablement benefit to be published.

Justin Tomlinson

The review is ongoing and we will report our findings in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the reductions in housing benefit announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 on claimants who receive housing benefit for housing that has been purpose-built for disabled people.

Justin Tomlinson

This policy was introduced because in some areas the increases in social rents have outstripped the increases in private rents.

This policy will cap social sector rents at the relevant Local Housing Allowance rate for the area, but will only apply from April 2018 where a new tenancy is taken out or a tenancy is renewed after April 2016. By only applying the cap when a new tenancy is taken on or an existing tenancy is renewed will mean that claimants will have the opportunity to consider whether they can afford to take on the property before committing to the tenancy.

The Discretionary Housing Payment scheme will be available for those living in accommodation that has been purpose built or significantly adapted to meet the needs of a disabled person, in the same way as it is for those who receive a reduction in their eligible rent for the removal of the spare room subsidy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his oral evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee of 11 May 2016, when his Department plans to publish its Green Paper on the proposed new Work and Health programme.

Priti Patel

As the Secretary of State has said, we will be publishing a Work and Health Green Paper later in the year. Separately, it was announced in the 2015 Spending Review that the Department for Work and Pensions would introduce a new Work and Health Programme, following the end of referrals to both the current Work Programme and Work Choice. This programme will be implemented in 2017 and will help to achieve the Government’s ambition of halving the disability employment gap.