Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any support in addition to the energy bill rebate will be made available to disabled universal credit claimants.
Answered by Chloe Smith
This Government is committed to supporting people on lower incomes through a range of measures, including by spending around £59 billion on people with disabilities and health conditions in 2021/22, which will increase by £3.5 billion to over £62 billion in 2022/23.
We have announced our new package of measures worth £9.1bn in 2022-23 to protect the majority of households from half of the forecast £700 rise in energy bills. Alongside this, we are providing £12 billion of support over this financial year and next to ease cost of living pressures, including help for working families, low-income households and the most vulnerable.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department is making on clearing the backlog of state pension payments; and what her Department's timeframe is for making those payments.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of 4 November, there were 3,220 claims where we await further information from the customer before we can finalise their claim.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
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 financial effect of the covid-19 outbreak on women born in the 1950s.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has introduced significant measures to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19. It is committed to providing financial support for people at every stage of their life, including when they near or reach retirement. The welfare system will continue to provide support to men and women who are unable to work or those who are on a low income but who are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of increasing the basic rate of the state pension during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet Ministers, but has not had any meetings on this.
The Government remains committed to providing dignity and security in retirement to all pensioners. In April 2020, full amounts of the basic and new State Pensions increased by 3.9%, in line with average earnings growth. This was the highest increase since 2012.
The full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is worth around £700 more in 2020/21 than if it had been uprated by earnings since 2010. That is over £1,900 in cash terms.
Pension Credit provides a safety net for people of State Pension age most in need. It provides a top up for people with a weekly income below £173.75 (for single people) or £265.20 (for couples). On 6th May we introduced an online claim process for Pension Credit in addition to the existing ways of claiming by telephone and by post, making it quicker and easier for people to apply.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had on the potential merits of granting 1950s-born women that are not eligible for universal credit but would otherwise be eligible for pension credit, early access to pension credit in response to the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a range of issues.
The Government has introduced significant measures to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19. It is committed to providing financial support for people at every stage of their life, including when they near or reach retirement. The welfare system will continue to provide support to men and women who are unable to work or those who are on a low income but who are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that people are provided with information on the potential effect of making a claim for universal credit claim on the continued receipt of existing benefits.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department has prioritised ensuring people have the information they need to understand the benefits and employment support they may be eligible for, including launching a new website to help people navigate the range of support available and apply for it.
Although DWP cannot advise existing claimants of legacy benefits whether they should claim UC, we actively encourage them to use benefit calculators to check their eligibility for Universal Credit before applying, and have strengthened communications to ensure that people understand that claiming UC will stop existing legacy benefits. This includes adding information to HMRC’s Interactive Voice Response for people calling on the phone, and updating GOV.UK pages. We have used the DWP Twitter and Facebook channels to share messages, and have used paid media to ensure we reach millions of people.
The Department continually makes improvements to the UC service in response to feedback and user research. Therefore, on 3 June we introduced a check-through box to remind claimants to check their eligibility before making a claim and to remind them that legacy benefits will cease when the UC claim is submitted.