Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job placements have been (a) created and (b) filled through the Kickstart Scheme in (a) each UK region and (b) the Sheffield City Region.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the honourable member to the Parliamentary Question HL10193, answered on 12 November. We are not yet able to break Kickstart data down by region.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Kickstart Scheme applications are assessed within the stated timeframe of one month; and what the average time taken is for an employee to begin a placement after an application has been approved under that scheme.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are not currently able to share this information. Our aim is to process applications within four weeks, although they may take longer if we have to seek additional information from the bidder.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential economic effect on self-employed workers claiming universal credit of the reintroduction of the minimum income floor.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
After careful consideration of the ongoing public health situation and the national working environment, the current easement of the suspension of the Minimum Income Floor in Universal Credit that was due to expire on 12th November 2020 has been extended to the end of April 2021.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of universal credit claimants who would be affected by the reintroduction of the minimum income floor in (a) the Barnsley Central constituency, (b) the Sheffield city region and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber. .
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
After careful consideration of the ongoing public health situation and the national working environment, the current easement of the suspension of the Minimum Income Floor in Universal Credit that was due to expire on 12th November 2020 has been extended to the end of April 2021.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the National Insurance number application process for EU citizens; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has continued to monitor all aspects of the National Insurance Number (NINo) process throughout recent months, as we continue to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on our services.
When applying for a NINo, all applicants are required to have their identity verified. For those applicants whose identity has already been verified by another UK Government Department, primarily the Home Office, their applications are dealt with by post. For those who have not had their identity verified, primarily EU/EEA nationals, the current process requires them to attend a face to face interview with DWP to verify their identity.
Due to COVID-19, the face to face interview process was suspended from 17th March 2020. This enabled us to retrain and redeploy a large number of staff to help process the substantial number of benefit claims received during this period.
It is not possible, due to the requirement to examine customers’ ID documents, to offer a virtual service. However, we are working on a digital solution that should enable us to restart the process incrementally by the end of September 2020.
Employers are required to conduct mandatory Right to Work checks on all prospective employees. Having a NINo is not part of these checks, and the possession of a NINo does not prove that an individual has a right to work. Indeed, an individual can apply for a job and take up employment without a NINo and the HMRC standard process allows payment of salary and collection of tax and NI without a NINo.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to increase personal independent payment in line with the temporary increase in universal credit during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has announced a suite of measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised to benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the pandemic. Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a tax-free extra costs benefit worth up to £151.40 a week, was not subject to the benefits freeze and was most recently uprated by 1.7 per cent from 6 April.
PIP can be paid in addition to other financial support that those with a health condition or disability may be eligible for such as Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, additional amounts and premiums paid within the income-related benefits, Carer’s Allowance or financial help with NHS travel costs.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to provide additional financial support to personal independence payment claimants with cancer during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has announced a suite of measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised to benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the pandemic. Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a tax-free extra costs benefit worth up to £151.40 a week, was not subject to the benefits freeze and was most recently uprated by 1.7 per cent from 6 April.
PIP can be paid in addition to other financial support that those with a health condition or disability may be eligible for such as Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, additional amounts and premiums paid within the income-related benefits, Carer’s Allowance or financial help with NHS travel costs.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to provide additional financial support to bereaved families where the principal earner has died as a result of covid-19.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP has a range of financial support available for bereaved families.
Bereavement Support Payment provides short-term financial support to working age people whose deceased spouse or civil partner has paid sufficient National Insurance contributions. It is intended to help with the immediate costs of bereavement and can be paid to both widows and widowers. Recipients with children can receive an initial payment of £3,500 and up to 18 monthly payments of £350, whilst those without can receive an initial payment of £2,500 and up to 18 monthly instalments of £100. It is not taxable and is paid on top of any income-related benefits the household receives thus not disadvantaging low income families. It can be paid regardless of whether the surviving spouse or civil partner is in work.
The Funeral Expenses Payments scheme provides an important contribution towards the cost of funeral for claimants in receipt of certain income based benefits or tax credits. The Funeral Expenses Payment pays for the necessary costs of a funeral including the burial or cremation fees in full and in April 2020 the additional element that can help with other costs, such as a coffin or the services of a funeral director, was increased from £700 to £1000.
For those that need support for ongoing living costs, from 6 April 2020 the Government increased the standard allowance in Universal Credit by £86.67 per month (equivalent to £20 per week) for one year on top of the planned annual uprating. This additional increase means that claimants may be up to £1040 better off, depending on their circumstances. This applies to all new and existing Universal Credit claimants.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of raising the local housing allowance to the fiftieth percentile to support renters during the outbreak of covid-19.
Answered by Will Quince
We increased Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local rents, providing additional financial support for private renters, further to lobbying from homeless charities. This significant investment of almost £1 billion, ensures over 1 million households will see an increase, on average, of £600 per year.
For renters whose circumstances mean they may require more support, Discretionary Housing Payments are also available. We have already provided £180m in Discretionary Housing Payment funding to local authorities to support vulnerable claimants with housing costs in the private and social rented sector in England and Wales for 2020/21. This includes an extra £40m announced at the spending round.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing carers who are in receipt of carer’s allowance with additional financial support during the covid-19 outbreak in (a) Barnsley Central constituency and (b) the UK.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises and appreciates the vital role played by unpaid carers now more than ever. In November 2019 there were more than 1,900 carers in the Barnsley Central constituency that were receiving Carer’s Allowance (CA) and in 2018/19 we spent approximately £6.7 million on CA there.
We have focussed on ensuring carers do not inadvertently stop receiving CA because of changes to patterns of care during the current emergency. This includes allowing emotional support to count towards the 35 hours of care being provided by the carer as well as relaxing the rules around breaks in care. These changes aim to support carers whose role has, in many cases, become harder due to the need to self-isolate or shield the person they care for.
The rate of CA was also increased in early April as part of the annual uprating process. Since 2010, the rate of Carer’s Allowance has increased from £53.90 to £67.25 a week, meaning nearly an additional £700 a year for carers. We continue to support those carers in most need through additional amounts (premiums) in means-tested benefits and have also announced increases to the standard allowance in Universal Credit. Meaning claimants will be up to £1040 a year better off, which some carers receiving Universal Credit will benefit from.