Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment, whether her Department plans to make exempt people with long-term health problems from assessments to include people assessed before 2017.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Since 29 September 2017, those placed in ESA’s Support Group and the UC equivalent who have the most severe and lifelong health conditions or disabilities, whose level of function would always mean that they would have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity, and be unlikely ever to be able to move into work, will no longer be routinely reassessed.
These criteria are applied at either the initial Work Capability Assessment or for existing claimants at their next assessment. We need to ensure that we have the right and most up to date information to apply the criteria fairly and make sure we identify everyone who should benefit from it. The people who best understand how their health problem or disability affects them are the individuals themselves, and so it is only right that we ask them for their information. However, we will do this in the least intrusive way possible – the vast majority of people who will fall into this category, will be assessed on paper and will not need to attend a face-to-face assessment.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to Answer of 5 February 2019 to Question 215231 on Universal Credit: Private Rented Housing, what timings her Department records when measuring time elapsed relating to complaints received from Private Rental Sector Landlords about universal credit full service tenants.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
All complaints received by the Department from any source are handled in accordance with the complaints process published on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in the last year, what is the average time taken for the Independent Case Examiner to provide an outcome to escalated complaints from PRS landlords about universal credit full service tenants.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
During 2018, the average time taken by the Independent Case Examiner’s (ICE) Office to conclude investigations into complaints from landlords concerning Universal Credit tenants was 29 weeks, from the point at which the investigation commenced. For reporting purposes the ICE Office do not distinguish between full and live service Universal Credit claimants.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to reduce the time taken to respond to complaints from PRS landlords with universal credit full service tenants.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Complaints received from Private Rental Sector Landlords about Universal Credit full service are handled in line with the overall Departmental complaints process, published on Gov.uk and aim for the majority to be resolved / responded to within 15 working days.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time was for her Department to provide an outcome to complaints from PRS landlords about universal credit full service tenants in the most recent 12-month for which figures are available.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Department does not measure timings as described in the question (average time between receiving a complaint and providing an outcome) and to determine this request, we would need to examine each individual case, which would incur disproportionate costs.
Complaints received from Private Rental Sector Landlords about Universal Credit full service are handled in line with the overall Departmental complaints process published on Gov.uk and aim to be resolved / responded to within 15 working days.