Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
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 ensure BNO holders are able to secure a National Insurance number.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
You can apply for and start work without a National Insurance number if you can prove you can work in the UK. 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.
As part of the application process for a National Insurance Number, BN(O) holders would be required to attend a face to face appointment where the DWP could validate and confirm their Identity and Right to Work. Due to Covid, the face to face NINo service is currently suspended.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
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 ensure people who are unable to secure a National Insurance number as a result of the temporary suspension of services are able to access employment.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DWP have worked closely with HMRC to enable them to issue revised guidance to employers regarding the continued suspension of the NINo service, which reiterates that they are able to employ individuals who do not have a NINo.
An individual does not need a National Insurance Number (NINo) to apply for, or take up employment. They evidence their right to work in the UK by providing their status within the UK, through either Home Office documentation, for example a Biometric Residence Permit, Passport or National Identity card to prospective employers.
All employers are required to conduct mandatory Right to Work checks on all prospective employees, however these checks do not include the provision of a NINo. A list of acceptable documents that enables an individual to demonstrate they have the right work is set out on Gov.uk in the Employers Guide to Right to Work Checks.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide
The possession of a NINo does not prove to an employer that the employee has a right to work.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she estimates the National Insurance issuance service will resume a full service, following the temporary suspension of services as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The National Insurance Number allocation service (NINo) has continued to offer a service, throughout the pandemic, to our most vulnerable customer groups (Benefit Applicants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees) Students who are entitled to Student Finance and in June we resumed our service for visa applicants.
DWP started testing a partial digital solution, on a small scale, in mid-October, to support the issuing of National Insurance Numbers, which is still ongoing. This solution enables collection of the applicant’s data, but not the online verification of their identity. Alternative identity verification solutions to reduce the need for a face to face identity check for some customer groups is under development as part of this test.
The digital solution will be considered by the Government Data Service (GDS) for its ability to move into Public Beta and thereby deliver a service to a greater number of customers early next year.
Given the uncertainty of COVID-19 restrictions impacting upon DWPs ability to offer an interview service to some customers who will still be required to attend an office to confirm their Identity, it is not possible at this time to provide you with a firm date as to when DWP are able to resume their full service.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of automatically issuing National Insurance numbers alongside the issuance of Hong Kong BNO visas.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DWP and Home Office officials continue to review and assess the best way to support BN(O)s seeking national insurance numbers upon entry to the UK. As it stands a BN(O) holder would be required to attend a face to face appointment where the DWP could validate and confirm their Identity and Right to Work. Due to Covid, the face to face NINo service is currently suspended.
You can apply for and start work without a National Insurance number if you can prove you can work in the UK. 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.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value was of unclaimed pension credit in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) Manchester Gorton constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The information requested is not available. On 29th October 2020 the Department for Work and Pensions published the report “Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2018 to 2019”. This provided figures on the value of some unclaimed benefits in Great Britain. Estimates are not available for other DWP benefits, including Sure Start Maternity Grant and Universal Credit, and sub-national figures are not published because of small sample sizes.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value was of unclaimed housing benefit in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) Manchester Gorton constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The information requested is not available. On 29th October 2020 the Department for Work and Pensions published the report “Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2018 to 2019”. This provided figures on the value of some unclaimed benefits in Great Britain. Estimates are not available for other DWP benefits, including Sure Start Maternity Grant and Universal Credit, and sub-national figures are not published because of small sample sizes.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value was of unclaimed income support and income-related employment and support allowance in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) Manchester Gorton constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The information requested is not available. On 29th October 2020 the Department for Work and Pensions published the report “Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2018 to 2019”. This provided figures on the value of some unclaimed benefits in Great Britain. Estimates are not available for other DWP benefits, including Sure Start Maternity Grant and Universal Credit, and sub-national figures are not published because of small sample sizes.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value was of unclaimed universal credit in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) Manchester Gorton constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The information requested is not available. On 29th October 2020 the Department for Work and Pensions published the report “Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2018 to 2019”. This provided figures on the value of some unclaimed benefits in Great Britain. Estimates are not available for other DWP benefits, including Sure Start Maternity Grant and Universal Credit, and sub-national figures are not published because of small sample sizes.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value was of unclaimed job seeker's allowance in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) Manchester Gorton constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The information requested is not available. On 29th October 2020 the Department for Work and Pensions published the report “Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2018 to 2019”. This provided figures on the value of some unclaimed benefits in Great Britain. Estimates are not available for other DWP benefits, including Sure Start Maternity Grant and Universal Credit, and sub-national figures are not published because of small sample sizes.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value was of unclaimed Sure Start maternity grants in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) Manchester Gorton constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The information requested is not available. On 29th October 2020 the Department for Work and Pensions published the report “Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2018 to 2019”. This provided figures on the value of some unclaimed benefits in Great Britain. Estimates are not available for other DWP benefits, including Sure Start Maternity Grant and Universal Credit, and sub-national figures are not published because of small sample sizes.