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 25th 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.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost to the public purse is of the Maximus/HML contract for delivery of the Fit for Work programme.
Justin Tomlinson
The original agreed contract value with HML was £132.9m. This is for the whole life of the contract and was awarded on 25 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, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2016 to Question 33647, whether he plans to continue the Fit for Work programme for the full length of the contract.
Justin Tomlinson
In England and Wales, the Fit fir Work contract was awarded on the 25th July 2014 for a period of 5 years. DWP continues to undertake contract management with the supplier. In Scotland, the service is delivered via an agency agreement with the Scottish Government, made in November 2015 and reviewed annually.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has held with food bank providers on his Department’s plans to locate job advisers in food banks.
Priti Patel
Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches already undertake outreach work every day in local communities. Work Coaches recently began offering back-to-back support in the Lalley Centre in Manchester. Early feedback has been positive. We will reflect on this, and consider if there is potential for expansion
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the final version of the Evaluation of Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy was agreed within his Department.
Justin Tomlinson
The contractors who were commissioned to undertake the report into the evaluation of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy provided the Department with the final version of the report on 8 December 2015.
It was agreed within the Department on 11 December 2015 and publication details were announced on the same day.