Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and which family test assessments he has seen in the last six months.
Answered by Priti Patel
We do not record the number of assessments conducted. Assessments against the Family Test are completed by policy officials in the course of developing advice on new policy and can be included in submissions to Ministers. Assessments can be completed for some policies in the early stages of development, including for some ideas that do not progress beyond the design stage.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Schedule 6 of the Welfare Reform Act 2009, when he expects the Government to implement equal birth registration.
Answered by Priti Patel
The Government is currently reviewing this policy.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking under his Department's social justice strategy to reduce family breakdown.
Answered by Priti Patel
This government is committed to strengthening families which are key to giving children the best start in life and supporting them to develop and flourish.
We are funding provision which includes preventative relationship support and help for those experiencing difficulties.
We are also piloting relationship education in perinatal classes and supporting Local Authorities to develop strategies to improve the quality of family relationships.
In addition to this we are providing wider help for families via the Marriage Tax Allowance, introduction of shared parental leave, expansion of free childcare, the Troubled Families Programme and reforms to the adoption system.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Prime Minister's press release of 18 August 2014, what steps he is taking to assess the impact of his Department's policies on the family.
Answered by Priti Patel
The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014 through the publication of guidance for officials - Family Test Guidance
The objective of the Test is to introduce a family perspective to the policy making process, specifically to make the potential impacts on family functioning and relationships explicit.
DWP has applied the Test to a number of policies and is also working to embed the Test across Government.