Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what total cost to the public purse, inclusive of VAT, was incurred by her Department between May 2018 and May 2022 for media buying services provided under the Crown Commercial Service's media buying framework agreement reference RM6003.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Media Buying framework agreement (RM6003) started 7 November 2018 and ended 21 May 2022 and has now expired.
The framework agreement was awarded to OMD Group Ltd (OmniGov) following a competitive tendering process in 2018. Customers used this framework agreement by putting in place a call off.
Media Buying spend by the Department for Work and Pensions is included in spend data published on GOV.UK DWP: departmental spending over £25,000 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which aspects of European social security law her Department is currently reviewing in the context of (a) proposals to amend or remove retained EU law through the Brexit Freedoms Bill, (b) deregulatory proposals arising from the Government's Benefits of Brexit paper, or (c) general co-operation on matters of mutual interest with the EU.
Answered by David Rutley
The Department for Work and Pensions is participating in the ongoing Cabinet Office-led review to assess the scope of retained EU law across all policy areas and the UK statute book. At present, no conclusions have been made on what pieces of retained EU law will be amended under the proposed Bill.
The Department continues to co-operate with the EU and the Member States on social security matters as set out in the Withdrawal and Trade and Co-operation Agreements
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what services the Government Legal Department’s Litigation Group has provided to her Department since 1 January 2021.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Since 1 January 2021, Litigation Group has continued to provide litigation services to the majority of government departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions, and executive agencies, as well as many non-departmental public bodies.
The Group’s work encompasses litigation in public and private law as well as supporting public inquiries and acting in Inquests. This has involved, amongst other things, attending in a wide range of courts, including Coroners’ Courts, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, the Royal Courts of Justice and the Supreme Court. Our Employment and Commercial Groups similarly provide litigation services to the majority of government departments.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU with no deal on her Department’s ability to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 1 in the UK.
Answered by Will Quince
Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. As the Prime Minister has made clear, the best way forward is for the UK to leave the EU in an orderly way with a good deal and the Government is working to deliver legal certainty on the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
However, as a responsible Government, we continue to prepare appropriately for all scenarios. This includes the potential impact of a no deal scenario on the full range of government priorities.
Accurately predicting poverty rates is very difficult. Poverty projections are inherently speculative as they require projecting how income will change for every individual in society which are affected by a huge range of unknown factors.
Whatever the outcome of our future relationship with the EU, Tackling poverty will always be a priority for this government and we remain committed to supporting the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals both domestically and internationally. The UK’s first Voluntary National Review (VNR) will be published shortly. The VNR will review UK action both domestically and internationally in support of Goal 1. It will also outline key challenges and next steps, recognising that while progress is being made, there is more work to do.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will undertake a distributional analysis of the effect of recent changes to the work allowances within universal credit.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
We have no plans to publish further distributional analysis. Changes to work allowances are one part of a package of changes to the tax and welfare systems at the Summer Budget and Autumn Statement, which are intended to move Britain from a low wage, high welfare economy to a high wage, lower welfare economy.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the forecast number of people who will (a) move into work, (b) move out of poverty, (c) have increased income and (d) have increased of income of more than £25 a week following transition to universal credit.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Universal Credit (UC)is fundamentally different from the current legacy benefit system and supports more people into work and encourages them to earn more. We expect up to 300,000 more people to be in work as a result of UC.
The Government has committed to transitional arrangements as we reform the benefits and Tax Credit system. Those transferred by DWP from tax credits to UC will receive Transitional Protection. In addition, estimates of entitlements under UC of the sort requested are not available as they will vary depending on assumptions on the level of earnings.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
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 uprating the Minimum Income Floor for the self-employed on universal credit inline with the National Minimum Wage on the number of people moving into self-employment.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
An estimate of the overall impact on self-employment is not available. The Minimum Income Floor is intended to encourage those reporting very low self-employed income to increase their earnings either through increasing their earnings from self-employment, or through other employment.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people within each of the four Universal Credit North West Pathfinder jobcentres who meet the eligibility criteria for claiming universal credit under the Pathfinder programme have started a claim for jobseeker's allowance since the launch of universal credit in each of those jobcentres.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
The information requested is not available.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in which areas the digital service for universal credit is (a) in operation and (b) expected to be in operation by April 2016.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
The digital service is currently in operation in areas of Sutton, Croydon and London Bridge. Between January and April 2016 Hounslow, Musselburgh, Purley, Thornton Heath and Great Yarmouth will begin delivering the full Universal Credit service.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the six pilot areas for Universal Support Delivered Locally were selected for an additional six months extension from September 2015.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Following discussions with the external evaluation team it was agreed that an extension would enable the gathering of more robust evidence.