Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many internal process reviews her Department has (a) started and (b) completed on incidences of (i) death or (ii) serious harm between (A) July 2019 and June 2020, (B) July 2020 and June 2021 and (C) July 2021 and June 2022.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The attached table shows the Internal Process Reviews (IPR) information requested:
| July 2019 to June 2020 | July 2020 to June 2021 | July 2021 to June 2022 |
IPR Started - Death | 43 | 59 | 38 |
IPR Started - Serious Harm | 3 | 19 | 17 |
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IPR Completed - Death | 39 | 40 | 41 |
IPR Completed - Serious Harm | 3 | 12 | 16 |
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* Death includes the categories death, alleged suicide and confirmed suicide. | |||
** Serious Harm includes the categories self-harm, serious harm, attempted suicide and ‘other’. | |||
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which (a) organisations and (b) individuals have been approached to join the Extra Costs Taskforce; and if she will prioritise organisations that are led by disabled people for membership of that taskforce.
Answered by Chloe Smith
Delivery of the Extra Costs Taskforce has been paused at the request of the Secretary of State Work and Pensions, while permission is sought to appeal the High Court's declaration in Binder vs Secretary of State Work and Pensions.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a 12 month eligibility definition for fast-track access to Personal Independence Payments, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Department is committed to improving the way the benefits system supports people nearing the end of their life and announced its intention to make changes in this area, in July 2021. The Department has made changes to Universal Credit and Employment Support Allowance regulations to replace the current 6-month rule for determining who can claim under the Special Rules with a 12-month, end of life approach. These will come into force on 4th April. Similar changes will also be made to Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance as soon as possible, when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many internal process reviews her Department has (a) started and (b) completed on incidences of death or serious harm since July 2019.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Internal Process Reviews (IPRs) that have been started since July 2019, are as follows:
Death* | 123 |
Serious Harm** | 34 |
The IPRs that have been completed since July 2019, are as follows:
Death* | 103 |
Serious Harm** | 28 |
* Death includes the categories death, alleged suicide and confirmed suicide.
** Serious Harm includes the categories self-harm, serious harm, attempted suicide and ‘other’.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
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 people who have been affected by the underpayment of benefits after transitioning from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance in Heywood and Middleton constituency.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19th January to question number 104377.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
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 people who have been affected by the underpayment of benefits after transitioning from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance in Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19th January to question number 104377.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many internal process reviews her Department has (a) started and (b) completed on cases of death or serious harm since July 2019.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Internal Process Reviews (IPRs) that have been started since July 2019, are as follows:
Death* | 114 |
Serious Harm** | 31 |
The IPRs that have been completed since July 2019, are as follows:
Death* | 93 |
Serious Harm** | 21 |
* Death includes the categories death, alleged suicide and confirmed suicide.
** Serious Harm includes the categories self-harm, serious harm, attempted suicide and ‘other’.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to Written Statement HCWS294 of 20 September 2021, what estimate she has made of the number of personal independence payment claims (PIP) made since 6 April 2016 which need to be reviewed; by what date she estimates (a) the Administrative Exercise to review PIP claims will be completed and (b) affected claimants will have been contacted by her Department; and when she estimates to have completed all backdated payments for those found to be eligible.
Answered by Chloe Smith
We currently estimate between 320,000 and 340,000 claimants will need their claims to be reviewed as a result of the MM judgment. Early estimates are subject to uncertainty and we will be refining this estimate as the exercise progresses. The exercise includes claims that were in payment on 6 April 2016 (the date of the original Upper Tribunal decision) as well as claims where DWP made a decision on or after 6 April 2016, including some claims where we did not award PIP. Where these claimants have made more than one claim for PIP each claim will need to be reviewed. The Department published updated guidance implementing the judgment from 17 September 2020, so new PIP decisions from that date already reflect the judgment and will not be reviewed as part of the exercise.
We are not planning to invite claimants for an assessment. However, we may contact them for more information, so that we can make a decision on their claim. We will write to all claimants whose claim(s) we review. Claimants entitled to more PIP following a review will have their award increased and will receive backdated payments.
It is too early for us to give a date by which we expect to have completed all the reviews.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who have applied for the new state pension and reached qualification age in (a) June, (b) July and (c) August 2021 are awaiting their initial payment.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This information is only available at disproportionate cost to The Department for Work and Pensions.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress her Department has made on tackling child poverty.
Answered by Will Quince
Throughout the pandemic, our priority has been to protect incomes, including additional spending of over £7.4 billion last year, to strengthen welfare support for people of working age.
The evidence shows having parents in work is the most effective way of tackling child poverty, which is why we have invested £407 billion in protecting jobs throughout the pandemic, and why we are spending over £30 billion on a comprehensive plan for jobs to help people back into work