Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support the Government is providing to clinically extremely vulnerable people who have (a) been unable to work from home and consequently have been unable to work as a result of the nature of their employment and (b) amassed debts in covering basic living costs.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Government has put in place an unprecedented package of support to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting livelihoods with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, and a range of temporary welfare measures. The Government has also worked with mortgage lenders, credit providers and the Financial Conduct Authority to help people manage their finances with payment holidays, and has taken unprecedented action to support renters, ensuring that no-one has been forced from their home during lockdown.
Although Shielding advice was paused on 1 April 2021, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is still available until 30 September, and clinically extremely vulnerable people may be eligible throughout this period, providing their employer agrees. Clinically extremely vulnerable people may also be eligible for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if they are sick or incapable of work due to coronavirus or other health reasons, subject to meeting the eligibility conditions. Those who are not receiving any support through the furlough scheme or Employment and Support Allowance may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) where they meet the qualifying conditions.
The Government recognises that the full impact of COVID-19 on people’s personal finances is still unfolding, and that some are struggling at this challenging time. To help people in problem debt get their finances back on track, the Government has agreed to maintain record levels of funding for free-to-consumer debt advice in England for the Money and Pension Service in 2021/22.
In addition to this, the Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space) has now been launched in England and Wales. A standard breathing space offers people in problem debt a pause of up to 60 days on most enforcement action, interest, fees and charges, and will encourage them to seek professional debt advice. A mental health crisis breathing space, with some stronger protections, is available to people receiving mental health crisis treatment. It lasts as long as the person's mental health crisis treatment, plus a further 30 days.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has plans to reduce the waiting period for universal credit claimants to receive support for mortgage interest payments.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department currently has no plans to amend the qualifying period for Support for Mortgage Interest for Universal Credit claimants.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people in receipt of contribution- based jobseekers’ allowance who are unable to migrate to universal credit as result of living in temporary accommodation.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
Contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance is not a benefit that Universal Credit has replaced. Those entitled to it can continue to receive this without migrating to Universal Credit.
Claimants in receipt of contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance can claim for a total of 182 days. Some Claimants can also be entitled to Universal Credit, whilst claiming the 182 days of contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, depending on their personal circumstances.
If they are living in temporary accommodation, they can continue to receive housing support through Housing Benefit rather than Universal Credit.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 merits of extending the six month term for jobseekers’ allowance whilst furlough is in place.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The 182-day limit is provided for in primary legislation and has remained unaltered since 1995.
The time limit strikes a balance in providing support whilst keeping the cost of this and other contributory benefits affordable based on the overall income to the National Insurance Fund each year. The government has no plans to extend the period of entitlement in response to the pandemic.
People who are entitled to new style Jobseeker’s Allowance, or whose entitlement ends before they find employment, may have access to income-related support through Universal Credit. Entitlement will depend on individual circumstances.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department plans to take to identify universal credit and employment support allowance claimants who cannot be assessed by telephone or video as a result of their health condition; and what steps she is taking to determine the priority for face-to-face assessments when such assessments can safely resume in the event that her Department is unable to provide data on the number of (a) universal credit and (b) employment support allowance claimants who were not (i) offered and (ii) deemed suitable for a virtual or telephone work capability assessment during 2020.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
We have continued to assess people on paper evidence, using this route whenever possible throughout the pandemic. In June 2020 we introduced telephone assessments in a phased approach with limited outcomes in the first instance. This allowed us to build our capability and improve processes. From the beginning of February 2021, all outcomes have been available in telephone assessments which enables us to ensure that claimants receive their correct benefit entitlement as quickly as possible and reduce the time claimants who may be entitled to a higher award have to wait for their assessment. We are also undertaking some video assessments where appropriate.
Through our enhanced capability and improved processes for telephone assessments, we are now able to carry out a second telephone assessment for those claimants who have previously had a telephone assessment with no outcome.
Where a claimant is unable to undertake a telephone or video assessment because of their health condition, they remain on their current award until we are able to gather the evidence needed for a recommendation to be made or, in contributory ESA, until their benefit is due to end.
Claimants who we are unable to assess by telephone or video because of their health condition will be prioritised when we are able to safely resume face-to-face assessments.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many remote work capability assessment decisions took place for first-time universal credit claimants in each month of 2020.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many remote work capability assessment decisions have been made for people who had been on universal credit prior to the covid-19 outbreak and who had attended a work capability assessment previously since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people in receipt of income-based jobseekers allowance who are unable to migrate to Universal Credit as they are living in temporary accommodation.
Answered by Will Quince
Claimants on income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance can make a claim for Universal Credit if they believe that they will be better off. Claimants should check carefully their eligibility and entitlements under Universal Credit before applying as legacy benefits will end when claimants submit their claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future.
Claimants that are living in temporary accommodation can continue to receive housing support through Housing Benefit alongside Universal Credit.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) universal credit and (b) employment support allowance claimants who were not (i) offered and (ii) deemed suitable for a a virtual or telephone Work Capability Assessment during 2020.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The data you have requested is not available.
Face to face assessments for health and disability benefits are currently suspended in line with public health advice. We continue to complete paper-based assessments and make recommendations based on the written evidence available, as often as we are able to.
Where a case cannot be progressed by a paper-based assessment, a telephone assessment will be conducted, where appropriate to do so. Telephone assessments were introduced during the pandemic, as part of the Covid-19 response and we are working hard to increase the number of people able to participate in these assessments. We also undertake some video assessments, where appropriate.
The suspension of face to face assessments is regularly reviewed in line with the latest public health guidance and will recommence as soon as it is safe to do so. Claimants who cannot be assessed by telephone or video because of their health condition will be prioritised when we are able to safely resume face to face assessments.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to people on universal credit and employment and support allowance who have been told that they have to wait for face-to-face work capability assessments to resume before they can be assessed, what additional support is available to help claimants identified as not suitable for a telephone consultation, according to the specifications outlined in the CHDA COVID-19 Filework process document of 15 May 2020, to manage their health condition or disability while they are without additional support from their benefits income.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The health and safety of our claimants and staff is our key priority. We suspended all face-to-face assessments for sickness and disability benefits in March 2020. This temporary suspension, brought in to protect people from unnecessary risk of coronavirus at the outset of the pandemic, remains in place, and is being kept under review in line with the latest public health guidance.
Throughout the pandemic we have continued to assess people on paper evidence, using this route whenever possible. We are aware there are some claimants who are unable to undertake a telephone assessment because of their health condition and we are currently developing ways in which we can support these individuals. We also continue to undertake some video assessments where appropriate.
Individuals invited for a telephone assessment are encouraged to inform their assessment provider of any additional requirements they may have, and the provider will endeavour to meet any reasonable requests. This is explained to the individual in the initial invitation letter for all telephone assessments. For example, companions are able to join a telephone assessment, as they could for a face to face assessment.
Where a claimant is unable to undertake a telephone assessment because of their health condition, they remain on their current award until we are able to gather the evidence needed for a recommendation to be made or, in contributory ESA, until their benefit is due to end.
As ever, claimants should get in touch if their health condition has worsened or they are experiencing financial hardship.