Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to fund the Citizens Advice help to claim scheme beyond April 2020; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department takes seriously the need to support vulnerable claimants, and wants the application process for Universal Credit to be as quick and easy as possible, ensuring that claimants receive money at the earliest opportunity.
Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland have been delivering the ‘Help to Claim’ service on a pilot basis since April 2019, supporting claimants with making a new claim to Universal Credit. The Citizens Advice Help to Claim service offers tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time, and is available online, on the phone and face-to-face through local Citizen’s Advice services.
We are committed to ensuring that delivery of services, such as Help to Claim, are carefully monitored and evaluated to provide effective support to our most vulnerable claimants, whilst ensuring value to taxpayers. We have begun evaluation of the service and will use this to inform decisions about the future of the service beyond March 2020.
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timetable is for the roll-out of universal credit in Nottingham; which categories of claimants will be included in each phase of that roll-out; and what deadline is planned for the completion of that roll-out.
Answered by Lord Sharma
Universal Credit was recently rolled out to jobcentres in Nottingham on Wednesday 17 October, and in December, Universal Credit will be live in every Jobcentre in the country.
The Managed Migration regulations will come before Parliament in the autumn, and during 2019 we will test and refine our processes on a small scale to ensure they are working well before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards, and complete the process in 2023.
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers are currently accredited under the Two Ticks scheme.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The previous Positive about Disability (Two Ticks) scheme has been replaced by the new Disability Confident scheme, which was formally launched on 2 November 2016 with attendant publicity aimed at both employers and disabled people. Prior to the change there were about 3,500 employers listed as “Two Ticks”. There are currently more than 2,400 employers signed up to Disability Confident, with that number growing daily.
The new scheme has been designed to give employers the tools they need to recruit, retain and develop disabled staff. Employers currently registered with the Two Ticks scheme are invited to transfer to Disability Confident. If they accept, they are sent the Disability Confident Employer self-assessment pack and allowed 12 months to undertake the self-assessment.
Some employers have chosen to undertake the self-assessment straight away. In submitting details to be awarded Disability Confident Employer, the employer is required to confirm that they have undertaken the self-assessment.
No validation of the self-assessment is required. However, to reach the highest level of Disability Confident Leader, a business must put that assessment up for external challenge, which could include examination by disabled groups, disabled staff networks or professional assessment bodies.
The new Disability Confident scheme went live in a test and learn phase from July 2016. Feedback was considered and changes made to the scheme before it was launched on 2nd November. The effectiveness of the scheme will now be closely monitored, looking at the number of employers signed up by sector and by geographic area, as well as such issues as what offers of employment, apprenticeships, internships, etc. they are making and delivering.
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled people are made aware that the Two Ticks scheme is being transferred to the Disability Confident scheme.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The previous Positive about Disability (Two Ticks) scheme has been replaced by the new Disability Confident scheme, which was formally launched on 2 November 2016 with attendant publicity aimed at both employers and disabled people. Prior to the change there were about 3,500 employers listed as “Two Ticks”. There are currently more than 2,400 employers signed up to Disability Confident, with that number growing daily.
The new scheme has been designed to give employers the tools they need to recruit, retain and develop disabled staff. Employers currently registered with the Two Ticks scheme are invited to transfer to Disability Confident. If they accept, they are sent the Disability Confident Employer self-assessment pack and allowed 12 months to undertake the self-assessment.
Some employers have chosen to undertake the self-assessment straight away. In submitting details to be awarded Disability Confident Employer, the employer is required to confirm that they have undertaken the self-assessment.
No validation of the self-assessment is required. However, to reach the highest level of Disability Confident Leader, a business must put that assessment up for external challenge, which could include examination by disabled groups, disabled staff networks or professional assessment bodies.
The new Disability Confident scheme went live in a test and learn phase from July 2016. Feedback was considered and changes made to the scheme before it was launched on 2nd November. The effectiveness of the scheme will now be closely monitored, looking at the number of employers signed up by sector and by geographic area, as well as such issues as what offers of employment, apprenticeships, internships, etc. they are making and delivering.
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that employers transferred from the Two Ticks scheme to the Disability Confident scheme are meeting the requirements for which they are being accredited.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The previous Positive about Disability (Two Ticks) scheme has been replaced by the new Disability Confident scheme, which was formally launched on 2 November 2016 with attendant publicity aimed at both employers and disabled people. Prior to the change there were about 3,500 employers listed as “Two Ticks”. There are currently more than 2,400 employers signed up to Disability Confident, with that number growing daily.
The new scheme has been designed to give employers the tools they need to recruit, retain and develop disabled staff. Employers currently registered with the Two Ticks scheme are invited to transfer to Disability Confident. If they accept, they are sent the Disability Confident Employer self-assessment pack and allowed 12 months to undertake the self-assessment.
Some employers have chosen to undertake the self-assessment straight away. In submitting details to be awarded Disability Confident Employer, the employer is required to confirm that they have undertaken the self-assessment.
No validation of the self-assessment is required. However, to reach the highest level of Disability Confident Leader, a business must put that assessment up for external challenge, which could include examination by disabled groups, disabled staff networks or professional assessment bodies.
The new Disability Confident scheme went live in a test and learn phase from July 2016. Feedback was considered and changes made to the scheme before it was launched on 2nd November. The effectiveness of the scheme will now be closely monitored, looking at the number of employers signed up by sector and by geographic area, as well as such issues as what offers of employment, apprenticeships, internships, etc. they are making and delivering.