Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
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 potential impact of the removal of the £20 universal credit uplift on child poverty in (a) Lanark and Hamilton East constituency and (b) other areas of deprivation.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the impact of removing the £20 uplift on child poverty. This is particularly the case at the moment given the uncertainty around the speed of the economic recovery, and how this will be distributed across the population.
The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work. Helping parents to move into and remain in work offers the best opportunity for families to move out of poverty and to improve children’s long-term outcomes. A child living in a household where every adult is working is about 5 times less likely to be in absolute poverty (before housing costs) than a child in a household where nobody works.
Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.
This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, and continues to do so through many measures, including by increasing the living wage, and by spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22.
This year, we are also investing up to £220m in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has been expanded to every Local Authority across England. Participating children will benefit from a range of support, including a healthy and nutritious meal as well as fun and engaging activities covering the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021. We also increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25 in April, which helps eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support is available to people who have been diagnosed with long covid.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
People who are under State Pension Age and have a disability or health condition that affects their ability to work can apply for New Style Employment and Support Allowance (NS ESA), subject to the wider eligibility criteria.
Where an individual is not furloughed, and they are sick or incapable of work, they may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay from their employer subject to satisfying entitlement conditions.
In addition, where an individual’s income is reduced while off work sick and they require further financial support, they may be able to receive Universal Credit, depending on their personal circumstances. Those with long term health conditions may also be eligible for help with the additional costs that can arise from a long-term health condition or disability through Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance, depending on their age.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are in receipt of (a) employment support allowance and (b) personal independence payment as a result of a long covid diagnosis.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In relation to your question on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Information on lower level medical conditions is not currently available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The available information on the number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants by high level medical conditions is published here:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
Guidance for users is available at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html
In respect of your question on Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the information you requested is not held by the Department. A specific diagnosis code for Long Covid does not exist in the PIP Computer System. Claimants who experience Long Covid symptoms will have a disability recorded that links with the claimant’s functional needs.
Statistics on the number PIP Claims with Entitlement broken down by disability for each month from April 2013 – October 2020 is published on Stat-Xplore:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
Guidance for users is available at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to provide additional (a) financial and (b) other support for people on legacy benefits during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have introduced a balanced package of support for people who are affected by the effects of Covid 19. This includes over £6.5 billion of extra support through the welfare system as part of the unprecedented series of measures, announced by the Chancellor, to support businesses and their employees to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.
For Jobseeker’s Allowance we have ensured that any periods of sickness experienced by a person who, is infected or contaminated with coronavirus, in self-isolation or caring for a child or qualifying young person in their household who is infected, will not count towards the maximum permitted number of sickness periods applicable to a claimant, whilst in receipt of that benefit. This means entitlement can continue if this causes them to exceed the maximum of 13 weeks in a 12-month period.
We have also introduced a range of additional measures to support legacy claimants deal with the impacts of the Covid 19 pandemic. We made the decision to temporarily suspend the requirement for face-to-face Jobcentre Plus appointments from 19 March for all claimants on Universal Credit, new styles Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance, and legacy benefits. Claimants will continue to receive benefits as normal and they will not be sanctioned for not taking part in appointments with Jobcentres.
We also removed waiting days for ESA for claimants affected by Covid-19, so it will be payable from day one of the claim, subject to the claimant satisfying the normal conditions of entitlement.
We have increased the Local Housing Allowance rates for private renters claiming Housing Benefit to the 30th percentile of local rents. As a result, Housing Benefit claimants will gain on average an additional £600 this year in increased housing support. In addition, we have increased the additional earnings disregard in Housing Benefit from £17.10 to £37.10 per week to ensure that the increase of approximately £20 a week we have introduced to the basic element of Working Tax Credit is not clawed back.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to provide additional support for people in receipt of legacy benefits during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has announced a suite of measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised to benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the pandemic.
These announced measures that have a positive impact on legacy and other working age benefits include:
In addition, we have provided local authorities with £500m to support the most vulnerable households in their area who may struggle to meet Council Tax payments.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the proposal from Citizens Advice to establish a Crisis Minimum Income of £180 per week for people affected by the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Will Quince
There are no plans to introduce a crisis minimum income at this time.
The Government has been clear in its commitment to support those affected in these difficult times and we have made a number of changes to the welfare system to ensure people are receiving the support they need. These changes include:
Taken together, these measures represent an injection of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system and, along with other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support introduced by an advanced economy in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
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 feasibility of allowing personal independence payments to continue without assessment during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that everyone should be supported to do the right thing.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his oral contribution of 27 January 2020, Official Report, column 525 and pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2020 to Question 7257, on Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations, if he will make an assessment of the compatibility of his statement that 82 per cent of personal independence payment claimants were satisfied and the results in the table provided in that answer.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 82% referenced in my oral contribution of 27 January 2020, referred to the overall satisfaction of PIP claimants in 2017/18 as published in the “Claimant Service and Experience Survey 2017/18”, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-claimant-service-and-experience-survey-2017-to-2018
PIP Assessment Providers, Independent Assessment Services (IAS) and Capita, have a separate Claimant Satisfaction target, set at 90%. They have consistently exceeded this target since the measurement began in 2016.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to bring forward to date to extend the repayment period for universal credit advances to 16 months from October 2021.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department has announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended further to 16 months. There are no plans to introduce this earlier.
Claimants can access up to 100% of their total expected Universal Credit monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. Proposed repayments of the advance are explained in advance, and all claimants are advised to request a level of advance which is manageable when considering the repayments required. Work Coaches gauge claimants’ financial needs from their first interview. For those who need help with budgeting, we can signpost to additional support, for example through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), who can help with personal budgeting and money management through its free helpline, printed guides and digital guidance.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 11 February 2020, HCWS104, on Personal Independence Payment, what recent estimate she has made of (a) number of claimants to still be reviewed, (b) the number of claimants entitled to a higher award, and (c) the associated estimated cost.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Management information at 5 January 2020 shows that so far we have cleared 720,000 cases under the MH decision and 820,000 cases under the RJ decision.
Continuous monitoring of the outcomes of the administrative exercise has shown which cases are most likely to benefit from the exercise. We remain on track to complete the exercise in 2020.
Claimants unlikely to benefit will be contacted in writing and provided with the information they need to decide whether they might be affected. If they feel they may be affected they will be offered the opportunity for their case to be reviewed.
We are currently re-estimating the number of claimants and associated costs as further data on the number of claimants with revised awards has become available as part of our continuous monitoring of the exercise.