Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he been made of the adequacy of the Cost of Living Payments for disabled people not on means tested benefits who have higher energy usage.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
I refer the Hon and Rt Hon Members to the answer I gave on 13 December 2022 to Question UIN 106507.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in Neath constituency have (a) opted out after being auto-enrolled into a workplace pension and (b) saved more than the auto-enrolment minimum contribution.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Automatic enrolment has achieved a quiet revolution through getting employees into the habit of pension saving, and reversing the decline in workplace pension participation in the decade prior to these reforms. Workplace pension participation rates are being transformed with 87% of eligible employees saving into one in 2018, up from 55% in 2012.
The DWP does not hold data for individual constituencies in relation to opt outs or the number of individuals who have saved above the automatic enrolment minimum contribution level. However, we do know that overall around 9% of automatically enrolled workers have chosen to opt out which is significantly below original estimates; and our latest evaluation report shows that, in April 2017, approximately 5.9 million eligible employees were already meeting the April 2019 minimum contribution rates.
In the Neath constituency, since 2012, approximately 3,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 860 employers have met their duties.
Automatic Enrolment Evaluation Report 2018, available via the following weblink: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/764964/Automatic_Enrolment_Evaluation_Report_2018.pdf.
The Pensions Regulator’s data on Automatic enrolment declaration of compliance by constituency, available via the following weblink: https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what formula is used to determine the figures for the JSA Applicable Amount as set out in regulations 83 and 84 (1) of Schedule 1 on Applicable Amount Part 1 Personal Allowances in the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations 1996.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The “applicable amount” for Jobseeker’s Allowance is set each year by the government after a review of the level of benefit that a claimant may receive. The rates for Jobseeker’s Allowance were originally based on the equivalent provisions for Income Support, which were in force in October 1996, when JSA replaced the element of that benefit for those who are unemployed, on low or no income or other financial means and are available and looking for work.
The proposed benefit and pension rates for 2018/19 can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proposed-benefit-and-pension-rates-2018-to-2019
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, why her Department is asking the recipients of state pensions to switch the accounts that their pensions are paid into from the Post Office to a bank, building society or credit union.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Direct Payment into a bank, building society or credit union account is the standard way to make all government payments.
The Post Office card account (POca) was introduced in 2003 as a very simple service through which pension and benefits can be paid. It was always intended as a stepping stone into mainstream banking, and financial inclusion, while customers got used to elements of banking.
There are now fewer barriers to prevent people, who do not have an existing account, from accessing and using one. Importantly as most bank accounts can be accessed at the post office it doesn’t need to change how or where they collect their money.
Additionally, POca is expensive to administer and as we deal with public funds we have a duty to use the most cost-effective method for issuing customer payments - which is into a bank, building society or credit union account.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
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 inform Employment and Support Allowance claimants who are approaching retirement age that their benefit is coming to an end and that they must prepare to make a new claim for state pension.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Provided the Department has their up-to-date address, it will send ESA claimants a letter four months before they reach State Pension age telling them they can now claim State Pension; and another letter telling them that their ESA payments will soon stop and advising them to claim State Pension instead. Claimants will also get help and guidance from their work coach and Benefit Centre staff, should they need it.
This gives ESA claimants every opportunity to claim in time to ensure that there are no delays or disruptions between their final benefit payment and their first State Pension payment.
More than one-third of people now choose to claim their State Pension online. People can also claim by phone or in writing ensuring all customers can access their Pension via whichever method suits their needs. It has never been easier to claim your State Pension.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what arrangements are in place to ensure that there are no delays or disruptions between final ESA payment and and the first state pension payment for people reaching state pension age.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Provided the Department has their up-to-date address, it will send ESA claimants a letter four months before they reach State Pension age telling them they can now claim State Pension; and another letter telling them that their ESA payments will soon stop and advising them to claim State Pension instead. Claimants will also get help and guidance from their work coach and Benefit Centre staff, should they need it.
This gives ESA claimants every opportunity to claim in time to ensure that there are no delays or disruptions between their final benefit payment and their first State Pension payment.
More than one-third of people now choose to claim their State Pension online. People can also claim by phone or in writing ensuring all customers can access their Pension via whichever method suits their needs. It has never been easier to claim your State Pension.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the number and proportion is of people in Neath constituency who were categorised as lifelong recipients of disability living allowance and who were subsequently judged ineligible to receive personal independence payments in each year for which data is available.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the number and proportion is of constituents in Neath who had their original decision on claiming personal independence payments overturned as a result of (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) an appeal hearing in each year for which data is available.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) clearances split by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.
Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html
The table below shows the number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Mandatory Reconsideration decisions and appeal decisions where the award was changed by year of each decision since the introduction of PIP in the Parliamentary Constituencies of Cardiff Central, Swansea East, Ogmore, Wrexham and Neath
Number of Initial decisions and Mandatory Reconsiderations decisions where the award changed by year of decision.
Year of Mandatory Reconsideration | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 (to April) | Total |
Number of Awards Changed at Mandatory Reconsideration | ||||||
Cardiff Central | # | 40 | 70 | 50 | 20 | 180 |
Swansea East | # | 40 | 90 | 230 | 40 | 390 |
Ogmore | # | 30 | 90 | 70 | 30 | 230 |
Wrexham | # | 20 | 70 | 190 | 30 | 300 |
Neath | # | 30 | 100 | 180 | 60 | 360 |
Year of Appeal Decision | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 (to April) | Total |
Number of Awards Changed at Appeal | ||||||
Cardiff Central | # | 10 | 70 | 60 | 20 | 160 |
Swansea East | # | 10 | 120 | 150 | 130 | 400 |
Ogmore | # | # | 100 | 90 | 20 | 210 |
Wrexham | # | # | 20 | 70 | 50 | 140 |
Neath | # | 10 | 100 | 140 | 100 | 350 |
# is used for instances where there are less than 5 cases to avoid the release of confidential data.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
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 effectiveness of back-to-work programmes for people with mental health problems; and if he will take steps to change programmes judged to be ineffective.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Our ambition to halve the disability employment gap has been a key driver in establishing the Work and Health unit with the Department for Health. At least £115m of funding will go to the Work and Health Unit, including an innovation fund to test new ways to join up health and employment to help people with disabilities and health conditions to return to and stay in work.
Our wider employment programmes provide those with mental health conditions with the appropriate support to find work. Work Choice is an employment programme is specifically for those with a disability or health condition. Of the 14,290 starters who declared either a Severe or Mild to Moderate Mental Health condition as their Primary Disability, 6,650 (over 46%) have achieved a job outcome.
The Department conducts a monthly review of a sample of claimants from each employment contract, to assess the effectiveness of those programmes and requires providers to rectify any issues identified.
Further support is available through the Access to Work Mental Health Support Scheme. Last year, it supported 1630 people who declared a Mental Health condition as their Primary Medical Condition – a 15% increase on 2013/14 and a record number for the scheme.
Over the next three years, we are investing £43 million to develop an evidence base, via a range of voluntary trials, for what works to support people with mental health conditions into employment. Each of the voluntary trials will test a different approach of combined health and employment support.
Asked by: Christina Rees (Labour (Co-op) - Neath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to publish statistics on national food bank usage.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Government has no plans to collect or publish statistics on food bank usage.