Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 7037 on Restart Scheme, if the Department will publish the results of the first Customer Satisfaction Measure survey.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is no current plan to publish the full results of the first Customer Satisfaction Measure survey. DWP already publish the overall Customer Satisfaction Measure rate. The full results are used internally to improve delivery.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received an advance payment of universal credit between 1 April 2023 and 12 March 2024.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023, 880,000 Universal Credit (UC) households received at least one advance payment of UC and between 1 April 2023 and 30 November 2023, 610,000 UC households received at least one advance payment of UC.
Notes:
1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000.
2. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.
3. Data up to November 2023 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics.
4. This analysis includes New Claims, Change of Circumstances and Benefit Transfers as these are an advance of a Universal Credit payment. Budgeting Advances have been excluded since these are loans to help with emergency household costs and not an advance of Universal Credit payment.
5. Households with more than one advance payment in the stated time period have only been counted once.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received an advance payment of universal credit between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023, 880,000 Universal Credit (UC) households received at least one advance payment of UC and between 1 April 2023 and 30 November 2023, 610,000 UC households received at least one advance payment of UC.
Notes:
1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000.
2. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.
3. Data up to November 2023 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics.
4. This analysis includes New Claims, Change of Circumstances and Benefit Transfers as these are an advance of a Universal Credit payment. Budgeting Advances have been excluded since these are loans to help with emergency household costs and not an advance of Universal Credit payment.
5. Households with more than one advance payment in the stated time period have only been counted once.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to extend the restart scheme beyond 2025.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As announced in the 2023 Autumn Statement, DWP is looking to extend the Restart Scheme for an extra two years with final referrals being made in June 2026.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time was for an initial assessment for people on the Access to Work Scheme in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The average waiting time from application to decision in February 2024 was 40.8 days.
Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the average waiting time for those on Universal Credit to see a work coach for an initial interview.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact of the withdrawal of the list of travellers scheme for school trips from EU countries in October 2021 on the (a) tourism and education sectors and (b) economy.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Visitors from outside the EU are expected to hold a passport (and visa where necessary) and those visiting from EU countries are now expected to do the same.
In implementing changes to document acceptability policy following the UK’s exit from the EU, a full impact assessment was carried out which can be found at the following link: Impact Assessment (publishing.service.gov.uk). This assessment also acknowledged the end of the List of Travellers arrangements.
At the Leaders’ Summit in Paris on 10 March 2023, as part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France, the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. This agreement is specific to France.
As a result of changes to the Immigration Rules that came into effect on 28 December 2023, we now permit the use of national identity cards for French schoolchildren (aged 18 and under) travelling on organised trips and waive UK visa requirements for their visa national classmates. When travelling, their responsible adults must be in possession of a fully completed and authenticated form listing the participants on the trip. French schools are able to access the form online from gov.uk.
A number of countries in the EU already offer an exemption to visa requirements for children travelling as part of a school trip from the UK, and the details of those countries is published by the EU Commission.
There are no current plans, or ongoing negotiations, to extend the arrangement with France to other countries but, in the context of wider agreements on migration related issues, we would consider negotiating with other countries should they approach us with an interest in making similar arrangements.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to take steps to ensure parity in travel requirements for school groups travelling to the UK from (a) Germany and (b) other EU member states with those from France.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Visitors from outside the EU are expected to hold a passport (and visa where necessary) and those visiting from EU countries are now expected to do the same.
In implementing changes to document acceptability policy following the UK’s exit from the EU, a full impact assessment was carried out which can be found at the following link: Impact Assessment (publishing.service.gov.uk). This assessment also acknowledged the end of the List of Travellers arrangements.
At the Leaders’ Summit in Paris on 10 March 2023, as part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France, the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. This agreement is specific to France.
As a result of changes to the Immigration Rules that came into effect on 28 December 2023, we now permit the use of national identity cards for French schoolchildren (aged 18 and under) travelling on organised trips and waive UK visa requirements for their visa national classmates. When travelling, their responsible adults must be in possession of a fully completed and authenticated form listing the participants on the trip. French schools are able to access the form online from gov.uk.
A number of countries in the EU already offer an exemption to visa requirements for children travelling as part of a school trip from the UK, and the details of those countries is published by the EU Commission.
There are no current plans, or ongoing negotiations, to extend the arrangement with France to other countries but, in the context of wider agreements on migration related issues, we would consider negotiating with other countries should they approach us with an interest in making similar arrangements.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had discussions with his European counterparts on easing travel restrictions for UK school groups travelling to EU member states.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Visitors from outside the EU are expected to hold a passport (and visa where necessary) and those visiting from EU countries are now expected to do the same.
In implementing changes to document acceptability policy following the UK’s exit from the EU, a full impact assessment was carried out which can be found at the following link: Impact Assessment (publishing.service.gov.uk). This assessment also acknowledged the end of the List of Travellers arrangements.
At the Leaders’ Summit in Paris on 10 March 2023, as part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France, the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. This agreement is specific to France.
As a result of changes to the Immigration Rules that came into effect on 28 December 2023, we now permit the use of national identity cards for French schoolchildren (aged 18 and under) travelling on organised trips and waive UK visa requirements for their visa national classmates. When travelling, their responsible adults must be in possession of a fully completed and authenticated form listing the participants on the trip. French schools are able to access the form online from gov.uk.
A number of countries in the EU already offer an exemption to visa requirements for children travelling as part of a school trip from the UK, and the details of those countries is published by the EU Commission.
There are no current plans, or ongoing negotiations, to extend the arrangement with France to other countries but, in the context of wider agreements on migration related issues, we would consider negotiating with other countries should they approach us with an interest in making similar arrangements.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had discussions with his European counterparts on extending the rules for school groups travelling to the UK from France, to other EU member states.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Visitors from outside the EU are expected to hold a passport (and visa where necessary) and those visiting from EU countries are now expected to do the same.
In implementing changes to document acceptability policy following the UK’s exit from the EU, a full impact assessment was carried out which can be found at the following link: Impact Assessment (publishing.service.gov.uk). This assessment also acknowledged the end of the List of Travellers arrangements.
At the Leaders’ Summit in Paris on 10 March 2023, as part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France, the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. This agreement is specific to France.
As a result of changes to the Immigration Rules that came into effect on 28 December 2023, we now permit the use of national identity cards for French schoolchildren (aged 18 and under) travelling on organised trips and waive UK visa requirements for their visa national classmates. When travelling, their responsible adults must be in possession of a fully completed and authenticated form listing the participants on the trip. French schools are able to access the form online from gov.uk.
A number of countries in the EU already offer an exemption to visa requirements for children travelling as part of a school trip from the UK, and the details of those countries is published by the EU Commission.
There are no current plans, or ongoing negotiations, to extend the arrangement with France to other countries but, in the context of wider agreements on migration related issues, we would consider negotiating with other countries should they approach us with an interest in making similar arrangements.