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Written Question
Cold Weather Payments: Sutton Coldfield
Tuesday 29th October 2019

Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Sutton Coldfield constituency received cold weather payments in the winter period of 2017-18.

Answered by Will Quince

The Cold Weather Payment scheme is administered at weather station level rather than any other standard GB geography such as constituency level. The coverage area for each weather station is determined by the Met Office which assesses the most appropriate weather station for each postcode area. Cold weather payments are triggered when the average temperature recorded at the weather station has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0oC or below over seven consecutive days, during the Cold Weather season (November to March).

The constituency of Sutton Coldfield covers all or part of the following postcode areas: B4, B6, B23, B42, B44, B72-76.

The above postcode areas are covered by the weather station Coleshill. Coleshill weather station covers the following postcode areas, in Table 1, which include constituencies other than Sutton Coldfield.

Table 1 Postcode sectors mapped to Weather Stations

Weather station

Postcode Sectors Covered

Coleshill

B1-21, B23-38, B40, B42-50, B60-80, B90-98, CV1-12, CV21-23, CV31-35, CV37, CV47, DY1-14, LE10, WS1-15, WV1-16.

Qualifying individuals living in these postcode sectors will have received a payment in respect of a seven-day period of Cold Weather.

We estimate that 289,000 payments were made in this area as a whole, in respect of one trigger in 2017/18. We are not able to break this figure down to a lower level.

Notes

  1. The number of recipients and payments given here is an estimate as information on the exact number is not readily available. These figures are produced by determining the volume of eligible recipients in each weather station area at the start of the winter season and using these figures throughout the winter to estimate payments and expenditure based on the actual triggers recorded.

  1. The number of payments made is not necessarily the total number of individuals benefitting from a Cold Weather Payment. Any individuals making a joint claim for one of the qualifying benefits, such as a couple living together, will receive one payment between them rather than one payment each. Furthermore, if a weather station triggers more than once throughout a cold weather season then the recipients will receive more than one payment.

  1. Estimates of Cold Weather Payments are published weekly during the Cold Weather season. The latest published estimates can be found at the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/social-fund-cold-weather-payments

Written Question
Autism and Learning Disability
Monday 21st January 2019

Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to celebrate the achievements of people with learning disabilities and autism (a) in employment and (b) outside of employment.

Answered by Sarah Newton

We are working to celebrate the achievements of people with learning disabilities and autism through our support for events such as last year’s Autism Exchange event ‘Unlocking Potential: Autism and Employability’, which was hosted in Whitehall; the Speaking Out Forum, which supported young people with learning difficulties to learn and demonstrate valuable public speaking skills; and autism-related events with a range of stakeholders such as the Camden Society and National Grid.

Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability, published in 2017, sets out the Government’s strategy for helping people with disabilities or health conditions enter and remain in employment, and includes case studies highlighting the achievements of people on the autism spectrum and with learning disabilities. Through the Disability Confident scheme we are working to encourage employers to employ disabled people, including those with a learning disability or autism. There are currently over 10,000 employers signed up to Disability Confident.

We are currently delivering the Local Supported Employment proof of concept in partnership with nine Local Authorities. This initiative aims to provide people with learning disabilities and autism, who are known to adult social care, with personalised ongoing support to find and sustain employment.