Asked by: David Anderson (Labour - Blaydon)
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 effect on the economy of halving the disability employment gap; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Progress against the disability employment gap is a key factor in progress towards full employment. This is consistent with the Government’s manifesto commitment which said ‘as part of our objective to achieve full employment, we will aim to halve the disability employment gap’. The annual report on progress towards full employment will include an update on the Government’s progress towards halving the disability employment gap.
Bringing disabled people out of inactivity and into employment increases the productive capacity of the economy. While it is not possible to quantify exactly the economic impact of halving the disability employment gap, it would directly benefit both the individuals affected, through higher employment allowing more people to support themselves and their families, and also the wider economy, by supporting economic growth and the public finances.
Asked by: David Anderson (Labour - Blaydon)
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 effect of measures announced in the Summer Budget 2015 on the level of child poverty among families who are (a) in and (b) out of work.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
This Government is committed to working to eliminate child poverty and improving life chances for children.
We know that work is the best route out of poverty, which is why we are focused on ensuring people have the skills and the opportunities to move into employment.
The Government has carefully considered the impact of the tax and benefit reforms introduced in the Summer Budget. The intended impact of these reforms is to incentivise work, ensure work always pays, and then allow people to keep more of what they earn.
Asked by: David Anderson (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to implement the new complaints procedure in response to its consultation on the draft complaints procedure.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Department has not undertaken consultation about its complaints procedures and has no plans to revise these procedures: details of which can be seen on Gov.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/complaints-procedure). However, it has taken on board comments from an external stakeholder group about making the complaints information on Gov.UK more accessible and user-friendly and will be updating the complaints pages shortly.
Asked by: David Anderson (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department plans to publish as a result of the consultation on its draft complaints procedure; and (a) when and (b) where his Department plans to publish that information.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Department has not undertaken consultation about its complaints procedures and has no plans to revise these procedures: details of which can be seen on Gov.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/complaints-procedure). However, it has taken on board comments from an external stakeholder group about making the complaints information on Gov.UK more accessible and user-friendly and will be updating the complaints pages shortly.