Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Gingerbread report entitled Child maintenance: research on the experiences and impact on separated families published on 25 November 2024, whether her Department is working with charities and others with expertise in domestic abuse to embed trauma-informed principles into the operation of the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) takes the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring that victims of abuse get the help and support they need to use the service safely.
Incorporating views and feedback from external stakeholders with experience of domestic abuse, CMS has updated and refreshed its Domestic Abuse training which includes awareness of a Trauma Informed Approach. All CMS caseworkers have received training to help identify abuse, support vulnerable customers, and provide signposting. A Domestic Abuse Plan is in place to support caseworkers in having these conversations. Domestic Abuse training will continue to be reviewed regularly and developed with the support of stakeholders, including Gingerbread, as we develop policies and processes that support victim-survivors of domestic abuse.
Additionally, there is work underway around the Trauma-Informed Approach across the Department, and CMS will, of course, be part of this work. This includes a dedicated programme that will integrate the six key pillars of the approach as defined by the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (December 2022).
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 2025 to Question 21604 on Department for Work and Pensions: Artificial Intelligence, whether her Department has taken steps to inform benefits claimants that machine learning is used by her Department to flag cases for further examination.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The DWP Personal Information Charter explains to benefit claimants how we use Machine Learning to help detect and prevent fraud and error.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 19694 on Department for Work and Pensions: Artificial Intelligence, what period of time her Department considers a regular interval.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Machine learning for tackling fraud is used to flag cases that require further examination. The departments Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) provides an annual assessment to Parliament on the impact of machine learning on protected groups and vulnerable claimants. Outside of the ARA the department will review its fairness analysis if new models are developed or there are changes to the existing model. There is no single timescale across the development, testing and operation of models.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 19693 on Department for Work and Pensions: Artificial Intelligence, on what date her Department decided not to publish that equality impact assessment.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Machine learning is currently used to flag cases requiring further examination. Our equality analysis found no issues of concern as set out in the Annual Report and Accounts.
The most recent consideration of the release of this information took place following receipt of Question 19693 on 13th December 2024 where the department considered the balance between releasing information and protecting the effectiveness of our fraud prevention and detection methods.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the equality impact assessment carried out prior to the introduction of the Advances Model artificial intelligence system.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP has considered the benefits and risks of publishing the results of Equality Impact Assessment. DWP has concluded it is not in the public interest to do so because it will undermine the effectiveness of the model as a fraud prevention control and therefore erode the ability to protect the public purse.
You can find further information in the ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 2023-24 (publishing.service.gov.uk) page 112.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what timetable her Department has for conducting a fairness analysis on the Advances Model artificial intelligence system in respect of potential bias according to race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, pregnancy, maternity or gender reassignment status.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is committed to continue iterating the fairness analysis method and improving the data available for future analyses for the machine learning Advances model. Fairness analysis will be completed at regular intervals, the results of which will continue to inform regular decisions on the continued operation and improvement of the model as a reasonable and proportionate fraud prevention control.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to table 6 of his Department’s publication entitled Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to December 2023, published on 26 March 2024, how much child maintenance had not been paid and needed to be collected through Collect and Pay in (a) each nation, (b) each region and (c) Newcastle Central constituency as of 31 December 2023.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The data provided within table 6 of the Child Maintenance Service national tables is based upon transactional financial data. CMS do not capture geographical data aligned to these transactions and as such it is not possible to apportion this information to geographical regions.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of the working age population are disabled in the North East; and how many and what proportion were disabled in 2010.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The information requested is shown in the table below.
The definition of disability changed in 2013 therefore estimates for 2010 and 2022 are not directly comparable.
Number and percentage of disabled people aged 16 to 64 by country/region
Country/ region | 2010 | 2022 | ||
Number of disabled people | Percentage of disabled people | Number of disabled people | Percentage of disabled people | |
United Kingdom | 8,257,200 | 20.5 | 9,311,800 | 22.4 |
North East | 399,400 | 24.0 | 429,500 | 26.4 |
North West | 1,012,200 | 22.5 | 1,111,300 | 24.7 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 738,500 | 21.9 | 818,200 | 24.2 |
East Midlands | 629,200 | 21.8 | 712,500 | 24.1 |
West Midlands | 720,900 | 20.5 | 819,300 | 22.6 |
East | 729,400 | 19.9 | 790,200 | 20.8 |
London | 935,500 | 16.9 | 1,092,600 | 17.7 |
South East | 992,100 | 18.3 | 1,144,800 | 20.4 |
South West | 653,600 | 20.0 | 766,900 | 22.9 |
Wales | 469,200 | 24.4 | 506,600 | 26.5 |
Scotland | 746,500 | 21.9 | 861,200 | 25.0 |
Northern Ireland | 230,700 | 19.9 | 258,700 | 22.1 |
Source: Annual Population Survey (APS) -Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (nomisweb.co.uk)
Notes:
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to formally respond to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report into the communication of state pension age increases, published on 21 March 2024.
Answered by Paul Maynard
We are considering the Ombudsman’s report and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons is there an average 5-week wait for claimants to receive a first payment of Universal Credit; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of this wait on levels of poverty in the north east of England.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure are fundamental parts of its design as agreed by parliament. Universal Credit reflects payment patterns in the world of work, where the majority of people are paid monthly or four-weekly. Ensuring similarities between paid employment and being on benefits eliminates an important barrier which could prevent claimants from adjusting to paid employment.
Universal Credit is determined by the date of entitlement, the first payment is usually made around five weeks after the claim is made. The first calendar month is the initial assessment period. At the end of that period, entitlement for that month is calculated and paid 7 days later. Payments thereafter are made monthly in arrears. It is not possible to award a Universal Credit payment as soon as a claim is made as the assessment period must run its course before the award of Universal Credit can be calculated. It is not possible to accurately determine what a claimant’s entitlement will be in the month ahead. This process ensures claimants are paid their correct entitlement, based on verified information (such as actual housing costs verified from the rental agreement) and actual earnings, and prevents significant overpayments from occurring.
No assessment has been made.