Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help support women experiencing the menopause in the workplace in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
In July 2021, DWP asked members of the 50PLUS Roundtable on older workers to look at the important issue of menopause and employment, given the impact menopause can have on women’s working lives, particularly in the latter stages of their careers. An independent ‘menopause and the workplace’ report was published later in 2021 and the Government’s response was outlined in July 2022.
The Government has again committed, in its response to Recommendation 6 of the Women and Equalities Select Committees report: Menopause and the Workplace, that they will appoint a DWP Menopause Employment Champion. The Menopause Employment Champion will work with the Women’s Health Ambassador on the topic of menopause and employment and drive forward work with employers on menopause workplace issues and spearhead the proposed collaborative employer-led campaign as outlined in the independent report.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of inflation on pensioners in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
The Secretary of State announced on 17 November that State Pensions and benefits will be up-rated from April 2023 by 10.1%, in line with the increase in the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2022, subject to parliamentary approval.
The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living, which is why, in addition to the £37 billion of support we have provided for cost of living pressures in 2022/23, we are acting now to ensure support continues throughout 2023/24.
Over 8 million UK households on eligible means tested benefits, including those on Pension Credit, will receive additional Cost of Living Payments totalling up to £900 in the 2023/24 financial year.
In addition, eight million pensioner households will receive a £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment as a top-up to their winter fuel payment, and pensioners in receipt of an eligible disability benefit will receive the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment.
Specific statistics relating to cost-of-living payments are not available. However, the latest published Pension Credit figures (May 2022) show there were 2,883 claimants in Coventry North East and 7,152 claimants in Coventry. The latest available winter fuel payment statistics (2021/22) show 14,352 customers in Coventry North East and 46,614 customers in Coventry received a winter fuel payment.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department is providing to unpaid carers in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry to help mitigate the effects of the rising cost of living.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by carers in supporting some of the most vulnerable in our society, including pensioners and those with disabilities.
Unpaid carers have access to the full range of social security benefits depending upon their circumstances. As well as Carer’s Allowance, carers in low-income households can apply for Universal Credit, Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit. As of May 2022, around 433,000 carer households in Great Britain were in receipt of Universal Credit, which includes a Carer Element worth around £2,000 a year.
During 2020/21, expenditure on Carer’s Allowance in Coventry North-East was £8.4 million. As of February 2022, 2,332 carers in Coventry North East were receiving Carer’s Allowance. These figures do not include carers in receipt of benefits other than Carer’s Allowance, such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit.
The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee will save a typical British household around £700 this winter, based on what the energy price would have been under the current price cap, reducing bills by roughly a third. This support will be in place from 1 October 2022 until 31 March 2023. A review will be launched to consider more targeted measures to support households with their energy bills after this period. This is in addition to the over £37 billion of cost of living support announced earlier this year, which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
The £37 billion also includes Cost of Living Payments (paid in 2 lump sums of £326 and £324) to more than 8 million low-income households (including eligible carers) in receipt of an eligible, means-tested benefit. There are separate one-off payments of £300 to pensioner households alongside the Winter Fuel Payment, and £150 to individuals receiving disability benefits.
It also includes an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of household essentials. This is on top of what the Government has already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England, this includes an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421 million, running from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. Devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett Formula.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the average waiting time for mandatory reconsideration of a benefit decision in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that mandatory reconsiderations are carried out (i) quickly and (ii) effectively.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
We endeavor to complete Mandatory Reconsiderations without delay. Recently, we added over 400 staff to the Disputes Resolution Service to help ensure that applications are dealt with in a timely manner. Our overarching focus, however, is on taking the time necessary to thoroughly review all the available evidence, to help ensure we make the right decision.
Information on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) clearances are available on GOV.UK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics
Additional breakdowns of the figures, including by region, local authority and parliamentary constituency, are available on Stat-Xplore for PIP and ESA WCA MR clearance times:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.
Guidance for users is available at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html.
PIP MR clearance times for financial year 2021-22 are shown in the table below. Additional figures by region, local authority and parliamentary constituency, are available in the tables released with the PIP publication referenced above, specifically Tables 4B(ii) and 4B(iii).
Table 1: Median PIP MR clearance times (calendar days), Normal Rules, from April 2021 to March 2022
Year | Coventry | West Midlands | England |
April 2021 to March 2022 | 61* | 62** | 62*** |
*Source: PIP statistics to July; table 4B_(ii)
**Source: PIP statistics to July; table 4B_(iii)
***Source: PIP ADS
Notes:
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department is providing to pensioners in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry to mitigate the effects of the rising cost of living.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
This winter, pensioner households in Coventry North East constituency and Coventry, will receive an increased Winter Fuel Payment of £500 or £600 depending on their age. This will be paid on top of any other one-off support they are entitled to, for example where they are on Pension Credit or receive disability benefits, including the £650 Cost of Living Payment.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
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 people living in food poverty in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England; what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the rising cost of living on the levels of food poverty in those areas; and what steps her Department is taking to alleviate food poverty levels in those areas.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
National and regional statistics on the number of food insecure households are published annually in the “Family Resources Survey” publication. Statistics on levels of food insecure households in England and the West Midlands, covering 2020/21, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2020-to-2021. Data for Coventry and the Coventry North East constituency is unavailable due to insufficient sample size.
No such assessments have been made of the effect of the rising cost of living on the levels of food poverty in these areas.
The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The new “Energy Price Guarantee” will mean a typical UK household will now pay up to an average £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years from 1 October, saving the average household in Great Britain at least £1,000 from October. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost of living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
This includes a £650 cost of living payment (paid in 2 lump sums of £326 and £324) which has been designed to target support at more than 8 million low-income households on means-tested benefits. The payment of £326 was paid between the 14 July and the 31 July for most people and the payment of £324 will be made in the Autumn. In addition, 6 million eligible disabled people will receive a one-off disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 from 20 September and pensioner households will receive a one-off payment of £300 through and as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment from November.
The government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of household essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England this will take the form of an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m. Devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula.
The current Household Support Fund runs from 1 April to 30 September, with Coventry City Council allocated £3,224,222.30 for this period. During this period, a total of £49,520,715.25 has been allocated to West Midlands Local Authorities, which takes their total funding under both Household Support Funds to £99,041,430.50. Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own funds, within the parameters of the guidance and the grant determination.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of children living in poverty in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England; and if she will make an assessment of (i) the impact of the rising cost of living on and (ii) the effectiveness of the welfare system at helping to reduce the level of child poverty in those areas.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The latest statistics on the number of children who are in low-income in Coventry North East constituency and Coventry can be found in the annual publication: Children in low income families: local area statistics. Statistics covering up until financial year ending 2021 can be found here:
National Statistics on the number of children in low income in West Midlands and England are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. Statistics, covering up until 2019/20, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2020
Due to methodological differences, the figures in these two publications are not comparable.
Given the impact of the pandemic on the size and quality of sample data additional breakdowns for regions in 2020/21 were not reliable enough to be published as part of the annual statistics.
The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The new “Energy Price Guarantee” will mean a typical UK household will now pay up to an average £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years from 1 October, saving the average household in Great Britain at least £1,000 from October. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost of living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
This includes a £650 cost of living payment (paid in 2 lump sums of £326 and £324) which has been designed to target support at more than 8 million low-income households on means-tested benefits. The payment of £326 was paid between the 14 July and the 31 July for most people and the payment of £324 will be made in the Autumn. In addition, 6 million eligible disabled people will receive a one-off disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 from 20 September and pensioner households will receive a one-off payment of £300 through and as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment from November.
The government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of household essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England this will take the form of an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m. Devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula.
The current Household Support Fund runs from 1 April to 30 September, with Coventry City Council allocated £3,224,222.30 for this period. During this period, a total of £49,520,715.25 has been allocated to West Midlands Local Authorities, which takes their total funding under both Household Support Funds to £99,041,430.50. Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own funds, within the parameters of the guidance and the grant determination.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
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 pensioners living in poverty in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England; what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the rising cost of living on the levels of pensioner poverty in those areas; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the welfare system in helping to alleviate levels of pensioner poverty in those areas.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
National Statistics on the number of pensioners in low income in West Midlands and England are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. Statistics, covering up until 2019/20, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2020. Data for Coventry and the Coventry North East constituency is unavailable due to insufficient sample size.
Given the impact of the pandemic on the size and quality of sample data additional breakdowns for regions in 2020/21 were not reliable enough to be published as part of the annual statistics.
No such assessments have been made.
The Government is committed to action that helps to alleviate levels of pensioner poverty.
In 2020/21 there were 400,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty in the UK (both before and after housing costs) than in 2009/10.
We are forecast to spend over £134 billion on benefits for pensioners in 2022/23. This amounts to 5.4% of GDP. This includes spending on the State Pension which is forecast to be over £110bn in 2022/23.
The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The new “Energy Price Guarantee” will mean a typical UK household will now pay up to an average £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years from 1 October, saving the average household in Great Britain at least £1,000 from October. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost of living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
This includes a £650 cost of living payment (paid in 2 lump sums of £326 and £324) which has been designed to target support at more than 8 million low-income households on means-tested benefits. The payment of £326 was paid between the 14 July and the 31 July for most people and the payment of £324 will be made in the Autumn. In addition, 6 million eligible disabled people will receive a one-off disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 from 20 September and pensioner households will receive a one-off payment of £300 through and as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment from November.
The government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of household essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England this will take the form of an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m. Devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula.
The current Household Support Fund runs from 1 April to 30 September, with Coventry City Council allocated £3,224,222.30 for this period. During this period, a total of £49,520,715.25 has been allocated to West Midlands Local Authorities, which takes their total funding under both Household Support Funds to £99,041,430.50. Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own funds, within the parameters of the guidance and the grant determination.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made a recent estimate of the (a) unemployment and (b) youth unemployment rates in Coventry North East constituency; if she will make an assessment of the factors that contribute to those rates being higher than the UK average; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce unemployment in Coventry North East constituency.
Answered by Julie Marson
Information relating to ILO Unemployment Levels and Rates for Coventry North East are available from ONS via the National Online Manpower Information System (NOMIS) see link www.nomisweb.co.uk . Claimant Count Unemployment Levels and Rates are also available via the link.
The Government is committed to maximising employment and levelling up to spread opportunity more equally across the UK. In January the Government announced the Way to Work scheme, which has successfully supported 500,000 jobseekers through the jobcentre and into employment by the end of June. This follows the Plan for Jobs, which successfully supported people negatively affected by the labour market impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – by introducing schemes like Kickstart, Restart, Job Entry Targeted Support and Job Finding Support.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2022 to Question 9898 on Pension Credit: Coventry, how many pensioners in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry are eligible for pension credit but do not claim it.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Estimates for the number of people eligible for Pension Credit are only available at the Great Britain level and are available in the “Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up” publication which can be found on the statistics section of gov.uk. The latest publication relates to the financial year 2019 to 2020.
Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2019 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)