Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department are taking to ensure that no claimant for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit loses out due to delays in assessment due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I can reassure you that IIDB is being treated with the same priority as other benefits and we are working closely with our stakeholders to restart assessments safely as soon as possible. Once face-to-face assessments are recommenced and cases progressed, awards will be backdated to the date of claim to ensure no one is underpaid. In the meantime, for claimants with the most serious or terminal conditions, claims continue to be processed and decisions made as normal. We are actively considering how to deal with those cases not currently being processed.
Reassessment case awards have been extended to ensure that payments continue unhindered on those cases. Any deteriorations in condition which would have meant an increase in award, will be backdated once face-to-face assessments recommence, to ensure that no one is underpaid.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department’s policy for Jobcentre staff not to refer individuals to Trussell Trust foodbanks.
Answered by Will Quince
Under long-standing national guidance issued to all Jobcentres, staff can signpost benefit claimants to a local food bank provided all sources of formal support have been considered.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of employment support allowance back-payments owed to claimants.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Latest published forecasts of arrears owed to ESA claimants underpaid on conversion from Incapacity Benefit are available here:
The most recent published information on arrears already paid to claimants affected by underpayments on conversion from Incapacity Benefit is available here:
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of personal independence back-payments owed to claimants.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the estimated total cost to the public purse has been of payments made to claimants of universal credit that did not receive the severe disability premium as a result of natural migration.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The requested information is not available.
It is not possible to confirm exactly how many people in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium (SDP) will receive back payments following their natural migration to Universal Credit. Each case must be individually assessed to determine whether SDP eligibility would have continued following the end of their legacy benefit claim.
On Friday 3 May 2019, the High Court handed down a judgment in relation to Universal Credit and the SDP. We are currently considering the options open to us and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department owes in social security benefit back-payments to claimants as a result of errors made by her Department.
Answered by Will Quince
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department owes in social security benefit back-payments to claimants as a result of tribunals or High Court judgments finding in favour of such claimants.
Answered by Will Quince
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many veterans are claimants of universal credit.
Answered by Will Quince
The information requested is not held.
The Department continues to consider opportunities to improve our understanding of those claiming Universal Credit, including ways in which we might identify claims from veterans.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many veterans are owed back-payments for employment and support allowance as a result of historical errors from her Department.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The Department only collects data which determines benefit entitlement or which contributes to the good management of a claim.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many veterans are owed-back payments of personal independence payment as a result of the the High Court ruling of 21 December 2017 on RF v Secretary of State for Work And Pensions [2017] EWHC 3375.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Information on owed-back payments of Personal Independence Payment to veterans as a result of High Court rulings is not held as the Department does not collect information on whether claimants on Personal Independence Payment are veterans.