Tag: Owen Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the likely change in the pay gap between workers under and over 25 and those older than 25 over the course of the 2015 Parliament.

Nick Boles

The National Minimum Wage rate structure provides different rates according to age and the National Living Wage will apply to those aged 25 and over. The Low Pay Commission will continue to monitor, evaluate and review pay conditions for younger workers when it makes recommendations for future changes to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of in-work recipients of housing benefits in the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson

Under this Government the number of out-of-work Housing Benefit claimants has fallen and one key reason for this is that they have made the positive move into work. In this way it is unsurprising, therefore, that the number of in-work recipients of Housing Benefit should rise.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the cost resulting from the reduction in the work allowance of universal credit relates to (a) new claimants to universal credit, (b) current recipients of universal credit and (c) current tax credit recipients naturally migrated onto universal credit.

Priti Patel

This information is not available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what feedback his Department has received on its trial of work coaches in foodbanks.

Priti Patel

Early feedback suggests that this has resulted in strong working relationships between Jobcentre Plus and local partners.

It has shown that it can have a positive impact in supporting people who have a range of complex needs to access in work and out of work support.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what duration for the Fit for Work programme was agreed in his Department’s contract with Maximus/HML.

Justin Tomlinson

The contract was awarded on the 25^th July 2014 for a period of 5 years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.

Justin Tomlinson

The Secretary of State has met with a number of his constituents who have raised this issue, and he will be meeting with Tim Loughton, who has been involved in the WASPI campaign, very soon. He is clear that there are no plans to change policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many war veterans have applied for personal independence payment.

Justin Tomlinson

Information on the number of claims to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) by war veterans is not available as details about current or previous occupations are not collected as part of the application or assessment process.

Service personnel and veterans who are entitled to a Guaranteed Income Payment of 50% or higher through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme are eligible to apply for Armed Forces Independence Payment instead of PIP. There have been 873 applications for this payment to date.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons expenditure on personal tax credits has increased since 2009.

Damian Hinds

The OBR’s Welfare Trends Report 2014 sets out how historical spending changes have been driven by, for example, changes to caseloads and average awards.

As it sets out, policy decisions between 2003 and 2009 increased the caseload of tax credit claimants and increased discretionary uprating of the child element, contributing to expenditure as a percentage of GDP increasing from 1.1% in 2003/04 to 1.9% in 2009/10.

By 2010, 9 out of 10 families with children were eligible for tax credits. Reforms under the Coalition government decreased this to 6 out of 10.

http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/wordpress/docs/Welfare_trends_report_2014_dn2B.pdf

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to provide transitional protection for tax credit recipients who have been naturally migrated onto universal credit.

Priti Patel

Natural migration occurs where people have had a significant change of circumstances that would previously have triggered a new claim to benefits or tax credits. They would always have had their entitlement recalculated based on a new set of rules. That principle is maintained in Universal Credit, and therefore transitional protection is not appropriate. Universal Credit is already proving better than the system it replaces with claimants moving into work faster and earning more. It also provides a seamless taper as well as better support for childcare.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will amend the terms of reference for the independent review of the state pension age to exclude the existing timetable up to 2028 from the scope of the review.

Justin Tomlinson

The Government has no plans to make changes for those reaching State Pension age before 2028.

The State Pension age review will be forward looking and focussed on the longer term. It will not cover the existing State Pension age timetable up to April 2028 which is already legislated for.