Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date his Department (a) announced proposals to close Whitley Bay Jobcentre Plus and (b) informed the current landlords of that property of that decision.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Department announced its proposals for Whitley Bay Jobcentre on 26 January 2017. The full list of sites we have announced has been published and is available from the Gov.uk website at this address: http://qna.files.parliament.uk/ws-attachments/678953/original/DWP%20Estates%20Proposals.pdf.
Since 1998 the Department occupies the majority of its accommodation under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME contract. Under the terms of this 20-year PFI, the Department contracts to occupy fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner, Telereal Trillium.
The lease for the building in question is included within the provisions of this PFI arrangement and is therefore not held directly by DWP. Telereal Trillium was informed of the proposals to close Whitley Bay Jobcentre on 26 January 2017.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are registered at Whitley Bay Jobcentre.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The information requested is not available. However, such information that is available is in the tables and provides the number of (a) Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit (required to seek work) claimants; plus the number of new claims to (b) Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support from people who are required to attend Whitley Bay Jobcentre.
Table (a) The number of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit (required to seek work) claimants required to attend Whitley Bay Jobcentre
| The number of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit claimants required to attend Whitley Bay Jobcentre |
Position at January 2017 | 400 |
Table (b) The number of new claims to Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support from people required to attend Whitley Bay Jobcentre
Position For 12 Month Period | The number of people making a new claim to Employment and Support Allowance required to attend Whitley Bay Jobcentre | The number of people making a new claim to Income Support required to attend Whitley Bay Jobcentre |
January 2016 to December 2016 | 554 | 47 |
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants subject to the lower benefit cap in Tynemouth are in receipt of (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) housing benefit and (e) another benefit.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The information is provided in the table below.
Estimated breakdown of households affected by the lower cap levels by benefit receipt, 2016/17, GB
Benefit Received | Proportion of Capped Households | |
North Tyneside Council | Great Britain | |
Employment and Support Allowance | 20% | 21% |
Income Support | 62% | 49% |
Jobseeker's Allowance | 17% | 21% |
Other | 1% | 9% |
Total (Housing Benefit) | 100% | 100% |
These estimates focus on the benefit cap continuing to be applied under Housing Benefit and therefore all households affected will be in receipt of Housing Benefit. The benefit cap will increasingly be applied under Universal Credit as it gradually rolls out. Universal Credit will replace Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-based Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit, along with Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit.
Notes:
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on which date a Minister of his Department last visited a jobcentre in (a) North Tyneside and (b) the North East.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The date of the last ministerial visit to a jobcentre specifically in North Tyneside could only be provided at disproportionate costs.
The last ministerial visit to a jobcentre in the North East was on 18 January 2017. When the Minister for Employment, Damian Hinds MP, visited Newcastle City.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Tynemouth constituency have had income support capped since the introduction of the benefit cap.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The number of households subject to the benefit cap by Parliamentary Constituency is published on gov.uk each quarter. The latest data, showing the total number of households capped from 15 April 2013, when the benefit cap was introduced, to August 2014, can be found in Table 1 of the data tables published here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014
The benefit cap applies to the combined income from a number of benefits, including Income Support.
• the main out-of-work benefits (Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, and Employment and Support Allowance except when the Support Component is in payment);
• Housing Benefit;
• Child Benefit;
• Child Tax Credit;
• other benefits such as Carer’s Allowance.
However, the cap is currently administered through Housing Benefit. This means that, if affected, it is only a household’s Housing Benefit entitlement that is reduced so that the total amount of benefit received is no longer higher than the cap level.