Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 1.99 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, when her Department plans to issue guidance to employers on the operation of the Statutory Sick Pay repayment mechanism.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is working closely with HMRC on the necessary clauses in the Coronavirus Bill and on the underpinning guidance which employers will need.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has targets for moving people from jobseeker's allowance to employment support allowance; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
There are no Departmental targets for moving people from Jobseeker’s Allowance to Employment and Support Allowance. Every benefit claim is considered on its merits, and decisions are made based on the available evidence and the legislation according to which such decisions are made.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of mandatory reconsiderations have upheld the original decision on employment support allowance in each of the last three years.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The number of Mandatory Reconsiderations for Employment Support Allowance (ESA), by decision type, can be found in the official published statistics: “ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: March 2018”. The relevant data can be found in Table 14.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of mandatory reconsiderations have upheld the original decision on personal independence payment in each of the last three years.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The volumes of disposal types at the mandatory reconsideration stage broken down by month for Personal Independence Payment can be found in Table 7b of the quarterly bulletin “Personal Independence Payment: April 2013 to January 2018”.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-january-2018
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance have died since May 2014 were found to be fit for work.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The information requested is not readily available.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 8 of the Child Maintenance Service's leaflet entitled Changes you need to tell us about: A guide for paying parents and receiving parents, published in November 2013, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a legal duty on parents who pay child maintenance to report increases in their income when those increases occur rather than on an annual basis.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Paying parents are already required to provide information needed to make any decision where requested under the Child Support Act 1991. Where a calculation is based on a parent’s historic income, then changes may be reported within the year, however such changes will be picked up from the income data obtained from HMRC at annual review, so additional legal duties are not required. This provides a stable predictable maintenance amount allowing effective budgeting for both parents. There is also an existing duty within the Child Support Information Regulations 2008 which requires parents whose maintenance calculation is based upon their current income to report relevant income changes.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people on lifetime awards for disability living allowance received lower payments as a result of a transfer to personal independence payments.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of a personal independence payment award is for people who transferred from a lifetime awards for disability living allowance.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the rate of statutory maternity pay; if he will take steps to increase the level of protection for pregnant women against detriment or dismissal by their employers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The standard rate of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is reviewed annually. Since 2011, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has provided the basis of any uprating and, for the 2018/19 tax year, the standard rate of SMP will increase by just under 3%
The first six weeks of an award of SMP are also related directly to the earnings of the claimant, with no upper limit, rather than being set at a prescribed rate.
In respect of protection provided for pregnant women, the law is absolutely clear: discrimination in the workplace is unlawful, with clear regulations in place which every employer must follow. We are working to raise employees’ and employers’ awareness of what the law already requires, and considering options for legislation if this does not drive change.
We are also funding the Equality Advisory and Support Service, an entirely free advice helpline open to anyone in England, Scotland and Wales, who feels that they may have been the victim of unlawful discrimination, including because of pregnancy and maternity.