Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what training in customer mental health they give to contractors providing assessments of benefits claimants.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are fully committed to supporting those with mental health conditions. The assessment of mental, cognitive, and intellectual function is an integral part of the assessment process.
All healthcare professionals (HPs) undertaking assessments on behalf of the department must be registered practitioners who have undergone comprehensive training in the functional assessment of disability, and mental health conditions. HPs continue to keep this knowledge up to date through continuous professional development.
In addition, mental health function champions support HPs by providing additional expertise about mental health, cognitive, developmental, and learning disabilities, and can be referred to at any time during the assessment process.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of personal independence payments (PIP) to support the financial needs of people with Parkinson's disease since the introduction of PIP 10 years ago.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself. Award rates and their durations are set on an individual basis, based on the claimant’s needs and the likelihood of those needs changing. Award reviews allow for the correct rate of PIP to remain in payment, including where needs have increased because of a worsening condition.
PIP is a contribution to the extra costs arising from a disability or health condition. PIP is increased every April by at least the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Prices Index in September the previous year. PIP payments were uprated by 10.1% from April 2023.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 8 March (HL Deb col 797), for how long they have recorded changes of name by individuals following conviction; and how such data is (1) collected, and (2) recorded.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Protecting the public from dangerous criminals is a top priority for the Government. The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and those who pose a risk, and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be.
Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs) and Registered Terrorist Offenders (RTOs) are required, by law, to notify their details to the police annually and whenever those details change (including name changes) and they face up to five years in prison for failing to do so.
The Government has been reviewing whether more can be done in the legislative and non-legislative space to prevent criminals from being able to evade detection. This includes ensuring that law enforcement and other partners are fully utilising the monitoring tools and information sharing sources available to them, such as those provided by HM Passport Office, in addition to other ways to strengthen the system further.
We take this issue seriously and will take whatever action is required to prevent nefarious criminals from seeking to evade detection.
RSOs and RTOs are required to report name changes within three days of that change taking place. This information is collected and recorded by the police, and is not collected centrally by the Home Office.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to change the law applying to those individuals who change their name to avoid being brought to justice.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Protecting the public from dangerous criminals is a top priority for the Government. The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and those who pose a risk, and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be.
Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs) and Registered Terrorist Offenders (RTOs) are required, by law, to notify their details to the police annually and whenever those details change (including name changes) and they face up to five years in prison for failing to do so.
The Government has been reviewing whether more can be done in the legislative and non-legislative space to prevent criminals from being able to evade detection. This includes ensuring that law enforcement and other partners are fully utilising the monitoring tools and information sharing sources available to them, such as those provided by HM Passport Office, in addition to other ways to strengthen the system further.
We take this issue seriously and will take whatever action is required to prevent nefarious criminals from seeking to evade detection.
RSOs and RTOs are required to report name changes within three days of that change taking place. This information is collected and recorded by the police, and is not collected centrally by the Home Office.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the NHS about changes they are making to (1) outpatient departments, and (2) in-patient care, to avoid hospital acquired COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Kamall
NHS England and NHS Improvement work with National Health Service trusts to ensure effective implementation of United Kingdom infection prevention and control guidance in all areas, for both outpatient and inpatient care.
Mechanisms for infection prevention including physical distancing, optimal hand hygiene, equipment and environment decontamination, and extended use of face masks by healthcare staff, patients and visitors, are continually reviewed. The Department continues to have ongoing discussions with NHS England and NHS Improvement on controlling the spread of COVID-19 infection in all healthcare settings.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their future management of COVID-19 will be determined by scientific advice.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The Government continues to listen to advice provided by the scientific community, including the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and its sub-groups, when making decisions on the approach to the management of COVID-19.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) residential home, and (2) nursing home, capacity in England since March 2020.
Answered by Lord Kamall
In March 2020, there were 234,416 residential care beds which decreased by 0.4% to 233,444 in October 2021. The number of nursing beds in March 2020 was 222,607 which rose by 1.1% to 224,979 in October 2021.
Since March 2020, the number of overall care beds rose by 0.3% to 458,423 in October 2021.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that people with learning disabilities have (1) training on, and (2) access to, IT, so that they are not isolated from information and services.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Government’s Plan for Jobs provides new funding to ensure more people, including those with learning disabilities get tailored Jobcentre Plus support to help them find work and to build the skills they need to get into work. This includes £895 million to recruit an additional 13,500 Work Coaches which the Department is on track to achieve by Quarter 1 2021/22, and £2.9 billion invested in the Restart Programme, which is due to go live from summer 2021. The Restart Programme will support individuals who have been unemployed for over 12 months and through regular, personalised support providers will work with participants to identify the best way to support them into sustained employment.
From April 2021, the Disability Employment Advisors (DEA) Direct Support will be strengthened to include an element of Direct Support to customers with health condition or disability who require additional support over and above the ESA and Universal Credit core offer. DEA Direct Support will deliver work focussed bespoke support to move individuals with a disability or health condition towards a work outcome.
In addition, the Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme provides highly personalised packages of employment support for disabled people who want to work but have complex needs or barriers and require specialist support to achieve sustained employment. People will get coaching, work experience, and a dedicated key worker who will work with them to overcome complex barriers, including lack of IT skills, which may be preventing them from entering work.
The Help to Claim service provides all UC customers with tailored, practical support at every step of their claim until they receive their first payment. It includes help with setting up an email address or a UC account, verifying identity, accessing a DWP home visit or preparing for their first payment. At a local level, there are a range of digital inclusion courses available, which a work coach can help a learning disabled jobseeker access.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take support the mental health needs of frontline care workers in the charitable and not-for-profit sectors.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We have worked alongside the National Health Service and other organisations to provide a package of emotional, psychological and practical resources for all care workers, including those in the charitable and not-for-profit sectors. This package includes support helplines, guidance, bereavement resources and a bespoke package of support for registered managers. We have also worked with the sector to ensure that wellbeing resources and best practice advice are streamlined and easier to navigate.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of National Living Wage costs on care providers in the charitable sector.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department does not make separate assessments of the cost of the National Living Wage in respect of for-profit, local authority-run and not-for-profit providers, or at the level of individual providers.