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Written Question
Universal Credit: ICT
Wednesday 5th April 2017

Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what records his Department keeps of when the universal credit IT system is not functioning.

Answered by Damian Hinds

The Department keeps records of all incidents where the UC IT system is not available for use, either by DWP staff or by customers where the services are delivered digitally. These records are held electronically in other systems specifically used to record and manage such incidents and provide information that allows the Department to track performance and continuously improve the quality of service it delivers.

Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 14 Sep 2016
Social Fund Funeral Payments

"I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on initiating the debate and on the very effective way in which he is putting across his case. Does he agree that in the interest of compassion at a time of bereavement, that judgment is actually right and the Government ought to look at the …..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

View all Andrew Smith (Lab - Oxford East) contributions to the debate on: Social Fund Funeral Payments
Written Question
Social Security Benefits
Wednesday 11th May 2016

Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27490, if he will make it his policy to collect information on the time taken from application to making a payment for (a) jobseekers allowance and (b) employment and support allowance.

Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs

Data is already held on the time taken from a claim being received to a decision being made, which the Department views as the more meaningful statistic due to the different rules on payment dates for different benefits.

Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 13 Apr 2016
Personal Independence Payments

"I congratulate my hon. Friend on his speech and on securing this debate. Are not the shortcomings that he rightly describes underlined by the success rate at first-tier tribunal appeals? The Barton advice centre in my constituency has an 82% record in overturning such wrong decisions...."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

View all Andrew Smith (Lab - Oxford East) contributions to the debate on: Personal Independence Payments
Written Question
Employment and Support Allowance
Tuesday 17th November 2015

Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have not been able to request employment and support allowance paid at the assessment rate pending an appeal since March 2015.

Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs

The information requested is not available.

Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 27 Oct 2015
Young Jobseekers

"I join others in congratulating the hon. Lady on securing the debate. Does she agree that the quality of information and advice available to young people still leaves a great deal to be desired? Indeed, schools having the prime responsibility to provide careers advice has not been an unqualified success. …..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

View all Andrew Smith (Lab - Oxford East) contributions to the debate on: Young Jobseekers
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 19 Jun 2012
Crisis Loan Funding

"I congratulate the hon. Lady on securing this debate on a very important subject. Underlining the point she makes, does not the DWP’s own research, “Local Support to Replace Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans for Living Expenses in England”, show that there is indeed a close correspondence between flows …..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

View all Andrew Smith (Lab - Oxford East) contributions to the debate on: Crisis Loan Funding
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 19 Jun 2012
Crisis Loan Funding

"In the time that remains, will the Minister address another important point that the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford) raised about what safeguards there will be to ensure that vulnerable people who need this support actually get it from local authorities and that other local pressures do …..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

View all Andrew Smith (Lab - Oxford East) contributions to the debate on: Crisis Loan Funding
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 23 Nov 2011
Credit Unions

"I too congratulate the hon. Gentleman on this debate and on his wider work in this area. My intervention gives me the opportunity to praise Blackbird Leys credit union and Oxford credit union in my own area. Does he not agree that there is scope to do more through the …..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

View all Andrew Smith (Lab - Oxford East) contributions to the debate on: Credit Unions
Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 23 Nov 2011
Credit Unions

"I am very grateful to the Minister for giving way. He mentioned the feasibility study and the welcome agenda of work it is addressing. Can he give us any indication of when the study is likely to report?..."
Andrew Smith - View Speech

View all Andrew Smith (Lab - Oxford East) contributions to the debate on: Credit Unions