Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps Department is taking with other Departmental colleagues to reduce the amount of paperwork required to be filled out by carers of people with profound disabilities.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The responsibility for unpaid carers sits across Government. DWP can provide support to eligible carers through the benefit system. The main benefit for unpaid carers is Carer’s Allowance, and we have already taken considerable steps to modernise and improve the way Carer’s Allowance can be claimed.
Carer’s Allowance can be applied for online and since this option was made available in October 2013 over 1.5 million people have applied that way. Since April 2020, over 90% of Carer’s Allowance applications have been made online and over 90% of those customers have said they are happy with the online service.
Going forward, the Department is planning further simplification of the online claim process and in the way claimants report changes online. We are also designing enhancements to support faster and more accurate decisions/payments. Where we already hold information claimants won’t be asked to provide it to us. And our online digital service will be fully compliant with Government accessibility standards to ensure it can be used by those with physical or cognitive impairments.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the 8.6 per cent claimant rate in Kingston upon Hull North constituency compared with the national average claimant rate of 6 per cent, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the Kickstart scheme on employment levels in (a) Kingston upon Hull North constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions will be monitoring and evaluating the Kickstart scheme throughout its implementation, and will continue to evaluate the longer term outcomes for Kickstart participants after they have completed their six-month job placements. This will include an examination of the impact on employment.
For the most recent information on Kickstart job starts by location I refer the Honourable Member to PQ 11544.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2021 to Question 2925, whether his Department has made an assessment on how an urgent universal credit payment in the form of a loan affects (a) people who are already in debt and (b) domestic violence survivors who are often already in debt due to economic coercion by their abuser.
Answered by Will Quince
Advances are not loans. They are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. With an advance, claimants receive an additional UC payment, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period. We have also reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 30% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance enabling claimants to take home more of the award.
Where a partner in a joint benefit claim is being financially impacted as a result of coercive control, it may be possible to arrange for payments on a joint claim to be split between two parties. If a Universal Credit claimant has been forced into claiming an advance through domestic abuse, we would urge the claimant to talk to the Department about this.
A range of other support is available across the Department for those impacted by domestic abuse.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2021 to Question 2925 on Universal Credit: Domestic Abuse, whether her Department has made an assessment of the ease of access to information that universal credit claimants can request an urgent payment as a loan.
Answered by Will Quince
Advances are not loans. They are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. With an advance, claimants receive an additional UC payment, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period.
Universal Credit Work Coaches advise claimants on access to advances of monies from Universal Credit to support them pending their Universal Credit payment being received. A range of other support is available across the Department for those impacted by domestic abuse.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
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 tackle the problem of claimants of universal credit (a) having their application for that benefit delayed and (b) being unable to make that claim as a result of their abusers withholding required documentation.
Answered by Will Quince
Jobcentres have staff trained to support victims of abuse and can direct them to specialist organisations who can offer further support.
Claimants who are unable to provide documentary evidence can undergo a biographical test. Biographical questions are generated onto a BIO template using information held on the Customer Information System (Searchlight). This can be done by telephone or in person at a Jobcentre, and it does not cause any delay as it can be done within the first Assessment Period.
In addition, the Flexible Support Fund can be used to support the claimant obtain new ID in the form of duplicate driving licences, birth certificates etc, and can help with opening new bank accounts if necessary.
Claimants can also receive an urgent payment of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2021 to Question 2925 on Universal Credit: Domestic Abuse, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of turning the universal credit advance from a loan to a grant on the (a) levels of personal debt among universal credit claimants, (b) levels of personal debt among universal credit claimants who are fleeing domestic violence and (c) the cost to the public purse.
Answered by Will Quince
Advances are not loans. They are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. They ensure nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit and those who need it are able to receive financial support as soon as possible. Claimants can receive up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period.
For (a) and (b), no such assessment has been made.
(c) We currently estimate the cost of non-repayable advances to be between £2bn - £2.7bn annually between 2020/21 and 2024/25. Even with a verification check two weeks after a claim has been made, the introduction of non-repayable advances would very likely lead to significantly increased fraud in the welfare system, as well as an administrative burden to carry out the extra verification checks.
We have numerous provisions available to support victims of abuse, for example urgent payments and referrals to expert organisations. We provide a tailored service that recognises those with complex needs at any point throughout their journey and ensures appropriate support is quickly made available: a fundamental principle in the delivery of Universal Credit
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the levels of child poverty in (a) the Kingston upon Hull North constituency and (b) England.
Answered by Will Quince
This Government is wholly committed to tackling poverty. Throughout the pandemic, our priority has been to support the most vulnerable including through spending an additional £7.4billion to strengthen the welfare system, taking our total expenditure on welfare support for people of working age to an estimated £112 billion in 2020/21. Additionally, in December 2020 we introduced our Covid Winter Grant Scheme, providing funding to Local Authorities in England to enable them to support people with food and essential utility bills during the coldest months. It will now run until June as the Covid Local Support Grant, with a total investment of £269m.
National Statistics on the number and percentage of children in low income are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. Data for Kingston upon Hull North is unavailable due to insufficient sample size.
Latest statistics for the levels of children who are in low income in England, covering 2019/20, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2020,“children-hbai-timeseries-1994-95-2019-20-tables” in table 4.16ts (relative low income, before and after housing costs) and in table 4.22ts (absolute low income, before and after housing costs).
In the three years to 2019/20, the absolute child poverty rate, before housing costs, in England was 18%, down 3 percentage points since the three years to 2009/10
The Department now publishes supplementary official statistics on the number of children in low income families at constituency level. Children in Low Income Families data is published annually.
In 2019/20 the absolute levels of child poverty, before housing costs, in Kingston upon Hull North was 26%.The latest figures on the number of children who are in low income in in Kingston upon Hull North and in England, covering 2019/20, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2014-to-2020/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-fye-2015-to-fye-2020.
Due to methodological differences, the figures in these two publications are not comparable
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the £20 uplift in Universal Credit on levels of child poverty in (a) the Kingston upon Hull North constituency and (b) England.
Answered by Will Quince
No assessment has been made.
This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, including by increasing the living wage, and by spending an estimated £112 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2020/21. This included around £7.4 billion of Covid-related welfare policy measures.
We introduced our Covid Winter Grant Scheme providing funding to Local Authorities in England to help the most vulnerable children and families stay warm and well fed during the coldest months. It will now until June as the Covid Local Support Grant, with a total investment of £269m.
As the economy recovers, our ambition is to help people move into and progress in work as quickly as possible based on clear evidence around the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. We are investing over £30 billion in our ambitious Plan for Jobs which is already delivering for people of all ages right across the country.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
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 reduce the five week wait for universal credit claimants who are fleeing domestic violence.
Answered by Will Quince
Nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit (UC). Urgent payments are available which allows claimants to receive up to 100% of their estimated UC payment upfront. These payments are designed to ensure that the most vulnerable claimants receive the money they need to live on during their transition to UC. Claimants have the option to spread twenty-five UC payments over twenty-four months, giving them more flexibility over the payments of their UC award.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government has taken to legally recognise British Sign Language.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 18 March 2003 the UK government formally recognised that British Sign Language (BSL) is a language in its own right. Provision for accessing services by users of BSL are covered by the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty.
Existing equality legislation already means employers, service providers and public bodies have to provide services in BSL and other formats when it is reasonable to do so. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies to have due regard to the needs of all those with protected characteristics.