Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will set out the service delivery standards for universal support.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
DWP asks local authorities to measure the take-up of Universal Support provision.
The guidance, which sets out our expectations around Universal Support, was sent to Local Authorities with their grant-funding offer. The guidance is also published online and can be accessed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-universal-support-201819-guidance
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, including errors and duplicates, what the average number of notices is that his Department has sent to local authorities for each person transferring from housing benefit to universal credit; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost of sending such notices to local authorities.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
‘Housing Benefit Stop Notice’ is an automated system that electronically sends these notices to the Local Authorities. Notices are sent via this process at nil cost. The number of notices sent is recorded in each case, but not in a form that can be aggregated across all cases to provide the information requested.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - 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 15 January 2018 to Question 121721, on social fund, if she will place a copy of the 2014 review in the Library; whether she has conducted any similar reviews since that review; and whether her Department has any plans to hold further reviews.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
A copy of the Local Welfare Provision review was deposited in the libraries of the House of Commons and House of Lords on 10 November 2014 – DEP2014-1446. The Department has no plans for a further review.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of financial and in-kind support provided to low-income families in different local authority areas of the devolution of control over the Social Fund; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 have allowed local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help.
Our 2014 review published in November 2014 found that local authorities delivered financial and in-kind support more effectively than the previous provision under the Social Fund, and that therefore local authorities are best placed to ensure help is targeted at those who need it most, alongside their other local services. The Department has no further plans to carry out a further assessment.
Local authorities in England will receive more than £200 billion to deliver these and other community services between 2016-17 and 2019-20, and will have the certainty to plan ahead through our four-year funding settlement.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - 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 8 January 2018 to Question 121091, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that her Department's staff are aware of support available locally and that conversations during the initial stages of a universal credit claim include that reference to that support; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Accessing digital, budgeting and other support is discussed with customers at the initial claim stage and throughout the customer journey where a need/barrier is identified. Budgeting advice specifically is offered to all Universal Credit claimants when they make a new claim. This service is provided by external organisations such as a local authority, Citizens Advice Bureau or Money Advice Service.
DWP staff are made aware of the specialist help available within their area, including information on services and support and referral arrangements, via the District Provision Tool. This digital tool lists available provision and support, (in a district and nationally) delivered by Jobcentre Plus, Skills Funding Agency, Skills Development Scotland, Careers Wales, other providers, local authorities, and independent and volunteer organisations.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford 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 effect on low-income families in different local authorities of the devolution of control over the Social Fund; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 have allowed local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help.
Our 2014 review found that local authorities delivered support more effectively than the previous provision under the Social Fund, and that local authorities are best placed to ensure help is targeted at those who need it most, alongside their other local services.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether jobcentre plus staff inform clients claiming universal credit that they are eligible to claim council tax relief in those local authority areas where this relief is still available for working-age people.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
When making an online claim for Universal Credit, claimants are signposted to independent websites and benefit calculators which highlight other support that may be available in their area, including Council Tax reduction.
DWP staff are aware of support available locally and this forms a key part of the conversations during the initial stages of a Universal Credit claim.
They also promote national products of support, such as the online money manager developed by the Money Advice Service.
There is a section on Gov.uk relating to budgeting support which can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-budgeting-support-for-universal-credit-claimants
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how information on a tenant's rent arrears against housing payments are provided to social landlords within the transaction information entered in the universal credit landlords' portal.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Landlord portal is designed for a landlord to verify housing costs and apply for an Alternative Payment Arrangement. The landlord portal does not include functionality to track pre-existing and/or arrears levels.
The Social Rented Sector landlord is responsible alongside the claimant for managing their rent account. The Social Rented Sector landlord must maintain responsibility for the management of the tenants’ rent accounts as there are various reasons beyond the control of DWP that may impact arrears increasing or decreasing. For example, a tenant may choose to pay the landlord directly to reduce rent arrears. DWP would not be aware of this, making it impossible and impracticable to manage and track this type of rent arrear.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the cost of operating a paper-based system for private sector landlords to request direct payment for their tenants' housing elements of universal credit?
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Department is keeping the process for managed payment to landlords under review as we test and learn from the roll out of Universal Credit. We are also working with landlords to improve the current process for landlords requesting managed payments and how the Department deals with these requests.
In May 2016, 34% of Universal Credit claimants with support for housing costs and in social housing had a managed payment to landlord alternative payment arrangement, compared to only 5% for those in private rented accommodation.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the General Data Protection Regulation, (EU) 2016/679, on the operation of the Universal Credit landlords' portal.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Landlord Portal for Social Rental Sector landlords in Universal Credit is a fully integrated element of the Universal Credit Service and is therefore within the scope of the service's General Data Protection Regulation assessment.
The portal allows for interaction and processing with landlords that would otherwise be done by emails and phone calls, and so does not specially change the personal information being handled, but rather is a more effective and efficient way of managing those processes.