Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Gingerbread report entitled Fix the CMS, published on 25 November 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of enabling Child Maintenance Service users to correspond with caseworkers via the digital platform.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to delivering the best possible digital service for our customers.
The CMS Service Modernisation Programme has delivered improvements to the customer experience, enabling parents to access their case on-line through My Child Maintenance Case and ensuring parents can report changes of circumstances and access their digital communications at any time of the day.
CMS are currently discussing with stakeholders how we can further improve our digital messaging function for customers as well as updates to our current SMS and email notifications. The aim of further digital Improvements is to further increase flexibility for customers to correspond, gather customer information at an accelerated rate, and reduce inbound and outbound telephony demand allowing caseworkers more time to support vulnerable customers and those who cannot use digital channels.
We will continue to engage with stakeholders as we consider CMS reforms and recommendations from the Gingerbread report ‘Fix the CMS’.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 impact of job centres on economic growth in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Jobcentre colleagues understand the labour market needs of their local areas. Across Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, our Jobcentre teams engage with employers and providers to host job fairs, Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes, recruitment events and group information sessions to support customers to improve their ability to enter and retain employment. Higher participation in the labour market, and more people in work are key to supporting the Government’s mission to kickstart economic growth.
As announced in the recent Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers advice. This new service will transform our ability to support people into work, help those on low pay to increase their earnings, and create a more flexible workforce for a fast changing, higher skilled jobs market. This transformation is expected to contribute to economic growth by addressing local skills gaps and providing tailored support to meet the needs of local labour markets.
Since September 2024 we have delivered 42 Sector Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) in Staffordshire with the majority of them supporting the Construction, Education & Teaching, Transport and Adult Social Care. Thes SWAPs have supported several employers with their recruitment activity.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to support parents who live in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire into work.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Our recently published Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our aspirations to overhaul the Jobcentre system and establish a new Job and Career Service, which will focus on people’s skills and careers instead of just monitoring and managing benefit claims. This will be kickstarted by £55million of investment, to help people – including parents - get into work, stay in work, build skills and progress in their career.
The Get Britain Working White Paper also committed DWP to supporting and providing all areas in England with resource to produce a local ‘Get Britain Working Plan’. Initially focussing on economic inactivity, local Get Britain Working plans will enable all areas to take the lead in shaping a coherent offer of support for their local citizens, including the offer of support for parents, across work, health, and skills.
We are also considering how we can improve our support to help parents into work as part of our Child Poverty Strategy which will be published later this year.
At present Work Coaches provide individual, tailored support to all customers across the country, this includes advice to parents on childcare support or help to address their skills gaps to aid career progression.
Both areas also have access to The UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which was extended for a further year until March 2026. Areas are free to select from three investment priorities, with People and Skills interventions are designed to help reduce the barriers some people – including parents - face to employment, support them closer towards employment and education, reduce economic inactivity and to fund skills support.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps she has taken to support pensioners with the lowest incomes in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The last Labour Government lifted more than 1 million pensioners out of poverty, and this Government remain absolutely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement. We are honouring our commitment to the Triple Lock with a 4.1% increase to the basic State Pension, the new State Pension, and to the standard minimum guarantee in Pension Credit. As such, according to the latest OBR projections, the full yearly rate of the new State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,900 over the course of this parliament whilst the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,500.
We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit, and we are urging pensioners to come forward and check their eligibility for Pension Credit to ensure as many people in need as possible have access to this support. This will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payment alongside other benefits – hundreds of pounds that could really help them.
Low income pensioners and others struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what support may be available to them, as they may be able to receive support from the Household Support Fund, Council Tax Reduction, or through energy support programmes such as the Homes Upgrade Grant and Energy Company Obligation.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are claiming Pension Credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Caseload statistics are routinely published and made publicly available via DWP Stat-xplore. At February 2024, there were 1,878 people claiming Pension Credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has had made of the number of people in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency eligible for but not in receipt of pension credit.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Information relating to Pension Credit eligibility is only available via take-up statistics. The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics for Great Britain cover the financial year 2021 to 2022 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). However, these statistics are only available at Great Britain level and cannot be broken down to smaller geographical areas.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) accessibility and (b) other aspects of the application process for Pension Credit.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department is in the process of modernising the Pension Credit delivery and consideration of accessibility, having previously undertaken an assessment of the application process and introduced online claims, in addition to telephone and paper claims. DWP Agents and third-party organisations being available to support customers with the application process, and ease of the application process, form core elements of our transformational design activities.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with (a) Staffordshire County Council and (b) Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council on their potential role in increasing the number of people claiming pension credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions wrote to all local authorities on 20 August. The letter acknowledged the vital role local authorities play in supporting their communities. The Government recognises that many local authorities already do a huge amount of work to promote benefit take-up. We are asking that local authorities support our national Pension Credit campaign and help us reach those eligible pensioners who have not claimed Pension Credit, so they continue to receive an annual Winter Fuel Payment.
Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit.
We will be inviting these households to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December backdating deadline, in order to ensure that if they are eligible they will also qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.
As part of last week’s Pension Credit Week of Action, we joined forces with national charities, broadcasters and local authorities to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim.
From 16 September, we will be running a national paid marketing campaign on a range of channels (including print advertising in the Stoke Sentinel and regional radio advertising - including on Greatest Hits Radio - Staffordshire and Cheshire). The campaign will target potential pension-age customers, as well as the influencers who can encourage and support them to apply, such as friends and family.
Our future campaign messaging will also focus on encouraging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit before the 21st December 2024, which is the last date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps she has taken to help increase take-up of Pension Credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions wrote to all local authorities on 20 August. The letter acknowledged the vital role local authorities play in supporting their communities. The Government recognises that many local authorities already do a huge amount of work to promote benefit take-up. We are asking that local authorities support our national Pension Credit campaign and help us reach those eligible pensioners who have not claimed Pension Credit, so they continue to receive an annual Winter Fuel Payment.
Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit.
We will be inviting these households to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December backdating deadline, in order to ensure that if they are eligible they will also qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.
As part of last week’s Pension Credit Week of Action, we joined forces with national charities, broadcasters and local authorities to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim.
From 16 September, we will be running a national paid marketing campaign on a range of channels (including print advertising in the Stoke Sentinel and regional radio advertising - including on Greatest Hits Radio - Staffordshire and Cheshire). The campaign will target potential pension-age customers, as well as the influencers who can encourage and support them to apply, such as friends and family.
Our future campaign messaging will also focus on encouraging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit before the 21st December 2024, which is the last date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 claimants known to her Department who applied for personal independence payments but died with six months of making their application.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Table 1 shows the number of claimants who died within 6 months of their PIP application per year up to 2023, the last year for which complete data is available.
Table 1
Year of PIP Application | Number of Claimants who died within 6 months of PIP application |
2014 | 11,800 |
2015 | 12,000 |
2016 | 12,300 |
2017 | 12,400 |
2018 | 12,200 |
2019 | 12,500 |
2020 | 12,100 |
2021 | 13,000 |
2022 | 12,600 |
2023 | 11,300 |
Notes: