Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are in receipt of payments from the (a) War Pensions and (b) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme are also in receipt of (i) Universal Credit, (ii) Child Tax Support, (iii) Income Support, (iv) Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, (v) Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, (vi) Working Tax Credit and (vii) Pension Credit.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested information is not held by the department.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to disregard compensation offered to wounded (a) service people and (b) veterans under the (i) Service Invaliding Pensions and (ii) Service Attributable Pensions scheme as income from (A) Universal Credit, (B) Child Tax Credit, (C) Income Support, (D) Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, (E) Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, (F) Working Tax Credit, (G) Social Care payments and (H) Pension Credit.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit replaced a number of benefits and tax credits. It was decided that War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Payments would not be taken into account in Universal Credit. Guaranteed Income Payments, Service Attributable Pensions and service-attributable, non-taxable Service Invalidity Pensions are also not taken into account. However, it has never been the intention that the rules around the treatment of income and indeed other rules - should be changed across the legacy and other benefits to align them with Universal Credit.
Social care payments are the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make n assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to disregard compensation offered to wounded (a) service people and (b) veterans under the War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation schemes as income from (i) Income Support, (ii) Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, (iii) Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, (iv) Working Tax Credit, and (v) Pension Credit.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit replaced a number of benefits and tax credits. It was decided that War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Payments would not be taken into account in Universal Credit. Guaranteed Income Payments, Service Attributable Pensions and service-attributable, non-taxable Service Invalidity Pensions are also not taken into account. However, it has never been the intention that the rules around the treatment of income and indeed other rules - should be changed across the legacy and other benefits to align them with Universal Credit.
Social care payments are the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require local authorities to disregard compensation offered to wounded (a) service people and (b) veterans under the (i) War Pensions and (ii) Armed Forces Compensation scheme as income from (A) Housing Benefit, (B) Council Tax Support, (C) Discretionary Housing Payments and (D) Disabled Facilities Grants.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Housing Benefit regulations permit local authorities to disregard beyond the standard disregard of £10 a week for the whole or part of any War Pensions and guaranteed income payments under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) can be paid to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Local authorities (LAs) administer the scheme as they are best placed to make informed judgements about relative priorities and needs in their area to ensure that the most vulnerable are supported and the funds are targeted effectively. There are no prescribed resource tests and payments are entirely at LA discretion. LAs simply have to be satisfied that the person concerned is in receipt of housing support (through HB or housing element of UC) and needs further financial assistance towards housing costs.
This Department is not responsible for the policies concerning Council Tax Support and Disabled Facilities Grants.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) serving members of the Armed Forces and (b)veterans in receipt of compensation for a service-related injury are not disadvantaged compared to their civilian counterparts in the receipt of welfare benefits.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department takes its responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant very seriously. It has an Armed Forces Advocate in place at Director level who is responsible for ensuring that members of the armed forces community do not suffer any disadvantage as a result of service. This covers both the development of policy and the way the department delivers its services. The advocate is supported by officials who provide expert advice to policy makers and others on the application of the covenant.
DWP has a range of special provisions in place to take account of the particular needs and circumstances of the armed forces community, ranging from delivering the Armed Forces Independence Payment to providing for special National Insurance Credits for spouses.
Some armed forces compensation payments also receive special treatment compared to similar payments and replies to the hon. Member’s other questions set this out in more detail.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to incorporate the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant into welfare and benefits policy making.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department takes its responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant very seriously. It has an Armed Forces Advocate in place at Director level who is responsible for ensuring that members of the armed forces community do not suffer any disadvantage as a result of service. This covers both the development of policy and the way the department delivers its services. The advocate is supported by officials who provide expert advice to policy makers and others on the application of the covenant.
DWP has a range of special provisions in place to take account of the particular needs and circumstances of the armed forces community, ranging from delivering the Armed Forces Independence Payment to providing for special National Insurance Credits for spouses.
Some armed forces compensation payments also receive special treatment compared to similar payments and replies to the hon. Member’s other questions set this out in more detail.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which trusts have been identified by Getting It Right First Time as part of its Further Faster pilot to deliver rapid clinical transformation for patients with (a) Crohn's disease and (b) ulcerative colitis.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Further, Faster pilots aim to accelerate service transformation across a range of specialities. Within gastroenterology, the pilots are driving forward interventions such as the introduction of Patient Initiated Follow Up, which can be beneficial for patients with chronic conditions like inflammatory bowel disease.
The following trusts are participating in the pilots as part of Cohort 1:
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust;
- Barts Health NHS Trust;
- Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust;
- George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust;
- Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust;
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust;
- Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust;
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust;
- Medway NHS Foundation Trust;
- Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust;
- Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust;
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust;
- Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust;
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust;
- South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust;
- The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust;
- The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust;
- Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust;
- United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust;
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust;
- University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust;
- Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust; and
- Wye Valley NHS Trust.
The following trusts are participating in the pilots as part of Cohort 2:
- Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust;
- East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust;
- Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Isle of Wight NHS Trust;
- James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust;
- Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust;
- Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust;
- Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust;
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust;
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust;
- The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust;
- University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust;
- University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust;
- University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust;
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust;
- Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;
- Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; and
- York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to tackle shortages in the supply of ADHD medicines.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites. We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom, in the short and long term.
We have issued communications to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients whilst there continue to be disruptions to supplies. Patients are advised to speak to their clinician regarding any concerns they have and to discuss the suitability of treatment with alternative medicines.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take legislative steps to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK was pleased to be among the first signatories to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement when it opened for signature at the UN on 20 September 2023 and the Agreement was laid before Parliament for scrutiny on 16 October 2023. Work is in hand on the legislation and other measures needed to translate the detailed and complex provisions of the Agreement into UK law before we can ratify the Agreement, which will be taken forward when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish a report following a review of the regulatory provision contained in regulations 3 to 16 of the Merchant Shipping (Work in Fishing Convention)(Medical Certification) Regulations 2018.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency have conducted a survey on the Merchant Shipping (Work in Fishing Convention) (Medical Certification) Regulations 2018, the results are being analysed and the report is due to be published in Spring 2024.