Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she or any of the Ministers in her Department use personal email addresses to conduct Government business.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Ministers will use a range of digital forms of communication for discussions in line with relevant guidance on information handling and security.
Ministers will have informal conversations from time to time, in person or remotely, and significant content relating to government business from such discussions is passed back to officials.
The Cabinet Office has previously published guidance on how information is held for the purposes of access to information, and how formal decisions are recorded for the official record. Ministers are also given advice on managing the security risks inherent in electronic communications.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which of her Department's non executive directors were appointed through open competition.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Non-Executive Board Members were recruited according to the guidance set out in the Corporate governance code for central government departments.
DWP announces the appointments (including reappointment dates) of Non-Executive Board Members, as well as their experience, in the Annual Report and Accounts. Our current Non-Executives are covered in the following Annual Report and Accounts.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2020-to-2021//
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
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 support young people with SEND into employment.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
All unemployed young people, including those with SEND, have access to work-focused coaching and referral to additional support tailored to address specific needs. There are a range of DWP initiatives that support disabled people to stay in and enter work. These include the Work and Health Programme, the Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme, Access to Work, Supported Internships, Disability Confident and support in partnership with the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services.
As part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs, the Kickstart programme is aimed specifically at young people. Disabled people or people with long-term health conditions can access the Kickstart programme, supported through Access to Work if required.
We have also increased the number of Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) to 1000 nationally. DEAs work alongside Work Coaches, including Youth Employability Coaches, specialising in finding the right support to help all customers that have a disability or health condition.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to allow EU citizens who miss the deadline to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme to continue to claim benefits.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Access to benefits for non-UK nationals depends on their immigration status. EEA and Swiss nationals, and their family members, resident in the UK at the end of the transition period need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to maintain entitlement to taxpayer funded benefits.
Those currently receiving benefits will not see their payments stop automatically from 1 July. It is, however, important that anyone who hasn’t applied to the EUSS does so quickly, including if the HO contacts them following the deadline, to ensure that benefit payments don’t stop.
The Government has been running a national communication campaign to make sure individuals are aware of the need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme ahead of the 30 June deadline. In addition to the national campaign, HM Government has been contacting DWP claimants to make sure that they are aware of the need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme ahead of the deadline to protect their rights.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many letters have been sent to dual UK nationals in error informing them of changes to their entitlement to state pension.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has been running a national communication campaign to make sure individuals are aware of the need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme ahead of the 30 June deadline.
In addition to the national campaign, HM Government has been contacting DWP claimants to make sure that they are aware of the need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme ahead of the deadline to protect their rights. The letter also made it clear for individuals who had already attained British citizenship to disregard the letter.
State Pension remains payable without regard to nationality based on an individual’s national insurance record.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Government will increase the capped portion of the social fund funeral expenses payment.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On the 8 April 2020, the value of the capped portion of the Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment rose by 43 per cent, from £700 to £1000. There are no current plans to increase this.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for social fund funeral expenses her Department has approved since April 2020.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the period 1 April 2020 to 31 December 2020, there were approximately 25,800 applications awarded for Funeral Expenses Payments, in England and Wales.
This figure is an estimate using unaudited internal DWP figures on the number of FEP loans. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official / National statistics.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to support (a) tenants and (b) property managers through the regulation of best practice measures for the Gas Safe Industry.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations places duties on landlords to maintain gas fittings and flues in a safe condition, and to have these checked for safety annually. To support tenants and property managers understand these duties, and what landlords need to do to comply with them, extensive guidance can found on the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) website - www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/index.htm.
The Gas Safe Register (delivered on behalf of HSE) also provides advice for tenants and landlords - Gas safety in rented properties. Landlord and Tenant Guides - Gas Safe Register
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for social fund funeral expenses payments her Department has received since April 2020.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the period 1 April 2020 to 31 December 2020, there were approximately 34,000 applications received for Funeral Expenses Payments, in England and Wales.
This figure is drawn from the Social Fund Policy, Budget, and Management Information System. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official / National statistics.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
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 Kickstart scheme on supported internships.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have been working closely with Department for Education colleagues who deliver the Internship programme to support those young people with special educational needs. We are confident that Kickstart is complementary to other programmes underway, including supported internships. Employers applying for Kickstart funding must demonstrate that any job they plan to offer through Kickstart is additional and would not have otherwise existed or been previously planned. Young people are referred to the Kickstart scheme by their Work Coach, who are able to make the best judgement as to the appropriate work programme for them.