Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
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 potential implications of the state pension rise from April 2024 for the sustainability of pension funding.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The new State Pension was introduced in April 2016 with the aim of providing a clearer, sustainable foundation for State Pensions for decades to come.
Each year, the Government Actuary’s Department publishes a report showing the impact of uprating decisions on the National insurance Fund. The most recent report in January this year took into account the 8.5% increase in the basic and new State Pensions which will come into force from 8 April. The assessment was that the Fund would have enough money to self-finance for at least the next five years. HM Treasury has the ability to top up the National Fund from the Consolidated Fund when needed, even if receipts do not match expenditure. The report said that a Treasury Grant would not be needed in the next five years.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to use artificial intelligence to help process benefit claims.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is continually exploring the use of all types of Artificial Intelligence and its potential to support providing more digital services with a human touch in a safe, ethical and considered way. Artificial Intelligence will never replace the role of our colleagues in supporting customers throughout their journey. We are using Artificial Intelligence to undertake administrative or repeatable tasks freeing up our staff to spend more time with their claimants.
As part of our approach, and in-line with the Prime Minister’s Foundation Model Taskforce, DWP has created a Generative Artificial Intelligence Lighthouse Programme which will safely guide our innovation in emerging Artificial Intelligence technology. The role of this programme is to ‘test and learn’ in a safe and governed environment where all types of AI can be used to assist us in the delivery of our customer outcomes and department efficiencies.
Where Artificial Intelligence is used to assist its activities in prevention and detection of fraud within UC applications, DWP always ensures appropriate safeguards are in place for the proportionate, ethical, and legal use of data with internal monitoring protocols adhered to. Through the work of departmental governance, we can always explain how the AI reaches the conclusions through the use of data that it does.
DWP will not use AI to replace human judgement to determine or deny a payment to a claimant; a human agent always makes final decisions, safeguarding the protection of individuals. Where appropriate Equality and Data Protection Impact Assessments have been carried out.
DWP's Personal Information Charter explains how and why we use personal information and citizen’s rights and responsibilities.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made in addressing the list of vacancies in the job market in (a) Southport and (b) the wider North West region.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In Southport, and across the North West, our Jobcentre teams are supporting people back into work and helping those in work to progress. We are working with local and national employers to help fill vacancies quickly, delivering a range of support including Sector Work Based Academy Programmes (SWAPs), recruitment days and job fairs. For example, to support recruitment in the run up to Eurovision, 12 successful job fairs were held across Merseyside including in the Sefton Community Learning centre, and Southport college.
The North West team continue to work with local employers to deliver SWAPs in various sectors including transport, education, construction, hospitality, and healthcare, amongst others. SWAP’s deliver short vocational training linked directly to vacancies within a particular employer or in a specific sector, helping customers to learn the skills and behaviours that employers in particular industries look for.
Claimants also have access to the Plan for Jobs offer, delivering a comprehensive range of support to help people back into work. Mainstream employment support is supplemented through DWP’s local Flexible Support Funded (FSF) provision, in response to needs identified within the local community, delivering tailored support to enhance employment prospects.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a sinking fund to fully fund the State Pension.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
There have been no assessments made regarding the potential merits of establishing a sinking fund. The Government has no plans to change the funding arrangements for the State Pension, which is paid for through the National Insurance Fund.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has plans to fully fund the State Pension.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
There have been no assessments made regarding the potential merits of establishing a sinking fund. The Government has no plans to change the funding arrangements for the State Pension, which is paid for through the National Insurance Fund.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Disability Unit has made an assessment of the adequacy of current accessibility requirements for local businesses.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We are fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society.
Businesses are required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) protects people from being discriminated against or harassed because of a disability in the provision of services. The Act also requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises/buildings, provide auxiliary aids and services (such as providing information in an accessible format, provide induction loop for customers with hearing aids, special computer software or additional staff support when required), and allowing access to guide or assistance dogs, so that disabled customers have the same right to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers.
This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty. This means that those who provide goods, facilities and services to members of the public are expected to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require.
The Disability Unit has not made a comprehensive assessment of the adequacy of current accessibility requirements for local businesses. However, we continue to engage closely with stakeholders to build and share the evidence base on the issues affecting disabled people.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made a comparative assessment of the impact of receiving the (a) basic State Pension and (b) new State Pension on recipients of those pensions, in the context of the cost of living crisis.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government understands the pressures pensioners are facing with the cost of living and has taken clear action to support all pensioners. Nearly 12 million pensioners will benefit from a 10.1% increase to their State Pension payments from April 2023, under the Triple Lock.
People on the basic State Pension can receive amounts of earnings-related additional State Pension or, if they were contracted-out, an occupational or private pension, or a combination of the two. In 2023/24, additional State Pension payments will also increase by 10.1%. Most people on the new State Pension do not receive the full rate, as the amount is based on an individual’s National Insurance record paid both before and after 2016 when the new State Pension was introduced. Transitional arrangements are in place that reflect this and ensure fairness to both groups of people.
Pension Credit is an income-related benefit that targets help at the poorest pensioners, whether they reached State Pension age before or after the introduction of the new State Pension.
In addition, all Pensioner households have been supported by a £300 Cost of Living payment in 2022/23. In 2023/24 a further Cost of Living payment will be made. More than eight million pensioner households will receive an additional £300 to help with bills.
The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee, running from October 2022-March 2023, saves a typical British household around £900 this winter, based on what the energy price would have been under the current price cap – reducing bills by roughly a third. This is in addition to 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. To ensure stability and certainty for households, the Government is providing a further £26bn in cost of living support for 2023/24.
Pensioners can also benefit from the discretionary Household Support Fund for which the government has provided total funding of £2.5 billion.
This is a substantial package of support which recognises the current additional costs faced by pensioners.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps is the Department is taking to ensure the basic state pensions rises in line with the new state pension.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government has announced plans to increase the rates of both the basic State Pension and the new State Pension by 10.1% in April 2023. Subject to Parliamentary approval, this will mean that the full yearly basic State Pension will be over £3,000 higher than in 2010.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
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 ensure that accessibility requirements are fully taken into account when making a decision on the most appropriate Personal Independence Payment assessment method.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
It is important that all our claimants can access our services and that they do not face obstacles in applying and communicating with the department and its providers. The feasibility of a paper-based assessment will always be considered in the first instance for all cases. Where this is not possible the claimant will be invited to a telephone, video or face-to-face assessment. Before an invite to assessment is sent, consideration will be given to claimants who need a specific assessment channel due to their health condition or circumstances. In addition, before attending a face-to-face or telephone consultation, claimants are given the opportunity to alert their assessment provider of any additional requirements they may have, and the providers will meet any such reasonable requests.
Claimants identified as being vulnerable (e.g. having mental health or learning disabilities) can access additional support at any point in the claim or assessment process.
An audit criteria was introduced from 1 July 22 for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which will ensure claimants are allocated to the most appropriate assessment channel for their needs and circumstances.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
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 ensure that paying parents are paying a fair and balanced amount of Child Maintenance in light of the rising cost of living.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The child maintenance calculation was designed to be fair for the paying parent, while ensuring they contribute a significant proportion of their income to support their children.
The calculation represents an amount of money that is broadly similar with the amount that a non-resident parent would spend on supporting the child if they were still living with them.