Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that personal independence payment applicants do not suffer financial hardship due to delays deciding their claims.
Answered by Mike Penning
Claimants already in receipt of Disability Living Allowance will continue to receive it while their personal independence payment (PIP) claim is being assessed. Most claimants to PIP will already be receiving some element of financial support, for example through earnings or through receipt of other benefits such as employment and support allowance. No successful new claimant to PIP will lose out financially as claims will be backdated.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to prevent employers who engage in blacklisting receiving Government contracts.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The blacklisting of employees is an unacceptable and unlawful practice, and Government takes any such allegations very seriously.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are claiming (a) disability living allowance and (b) personal independence payment following an adverse effect to a medical procedure.
Answered by Mike Penning
No data on causation of a health condition or disability are collected for disability living allowance or personal independence payment.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what level of funding his Department provides to tackle the effects of climate change; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Defra spent £8.3 million in 2013-14 under its core adapting to climate change programme. This included £4.1 million to the Met Office Hadley Centre for the provision of world-leading climate science, and £1.6 million to the Environment Agency's Climate Ready support service to help organisations across England adapt to a changing climate. Adaptation is mainstreamed across Government. Other departments and other Defra programmes also fund activities that build resilience to climate change.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many workplace capability assessments have been passed from his Department to Atos for processing in each of the last three years.
Answered by Mike Penning
The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment Work Capability Assessment referrals to Atos Healthcare in each of the last three years is as follows:
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 1,553,839
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,742,593
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 1,495,159
For the period October 2008 to May 2014, there have been 3,431,528 Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment cases processed by Atos Healthcare within 35 days.
The latest (April 2014) national Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment Actual Average Clearance Time (AACT) is 118.9 days.
There are a range of financial remedies available within the Medical Services contract to address service level failure. However this is a matter of commercial in confidence between the Department of Work and Pensions and its supplier Atos Healthcare.
The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Allowance cases that were referred to Atos Healthcare processed and returned within 35 days in each of the last three years is as follows:
a). UK
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 767,674
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,073,987
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 249,305
b). Scotland
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 97,951
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 133,923
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 58,326
c). West Lothian Local Authority Area
The information requested is not available
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many workplace capability assessments have been processed by Atos within 35 working days to date.
Answered by Mike Penning
The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment Work Capability Assessment referrals to Atos Healthcare in each of the last three years is as follows:
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 1,553,839
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,742,593
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 1,495,159
For the period October 2008 to May 2014, there have been 3,431,528 Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment cases processed by Atos Healthcare within 35 days.
The latest (April 2014) national Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment Actual Average Clearance Time (AACT) is 118.9 days.
There are a range of financial remedies available within the Medical Services contract to address service level failure. However this is a matter of commercial in confidence between the Department of Work and Pensions and its supplier Atos Healthcare.
The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Allowance cases that were referred to Atos Healthcare processed and returned within 35 days in each of the last three years is as follows:
a). UK
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 767,674
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,073,987
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 249,305
b). Scotland
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 97,951
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 133,923
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 58,326
c). West Lothian Local Authority Area
The information requested is not available
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current actual average clearance time is for a workplace capability assessment.
Answered by Mike Penning
The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment Work Capability Assessment referrals to Atos Healthcare in each of the last three years is as follows:
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 1,553,839
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,742,593
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 1,495,159
For the period October 2008 to May 2014, there have been 3,431,528 Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment cases processed by Atos Healthcare within 35 days.
The latest (April 2014) national Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment Actual Average Clearance Time (AACT) is 118.9 days.
There are a range of financial remedies available within the Medical Services contract to address service level failure. However this is a matter of commercial in confidence between the Department of Work and Pensions and its supplier Atos Healthcare.
The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Allowance cases that were referred to Atos Healthcare processed and returned within 35 days in each of the last three years is as follows:
a). UK
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 767,674
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,073,987
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 249,305
b). Scotland
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 97,951
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 133,923
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 58,326
c). West Lothian Local Authority Area
The information requested is not available
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what penalties his Department is able to levy on workplace capability assessment providers who miss targets.
Answered by Mike Penning
The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment Work Capability Assessment referrals to Atos Healthcare in each of the last three years is as follows:
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 1,553,839
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,742,593
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 1,495,159
For the period October 2008 to May 2014, there have been 3,431,528 Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment cases processed by Atos Healthcare within 35 days.
The latest (April 2014) national Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment Actual Average Clearance Time (AACT) is 118.9 days.
There are a range of financial remedies available within the Medical Services contract to address service level failure. However this is a matter of commercial in confidence between the Department of Work and Pensions and its supplier Atos Healthcare.
The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Allowance cases that were referred to Atos Healthcare processed and returned within 35 days in each of the last three years is as follows:
a). UK
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 767,674
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,073,987
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 249,305
b). Scotland
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 97,951
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 133,923
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 58,326
c). West Lothian Local Authority Area
The information requested is not available
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many workplace capability assessments have been submitted to Atos, processed and returned within 35 working days in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) West Lothian local authority area in each of the last three years.
Answered by Mike Penning
The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment Work Capability Assessment referrals to Atos Healthcare in each of the last three years is as follows:
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 1,553,839
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,742,593
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 1,495,159
For the period October 2008 to May 2014, there have been 3,431,528 Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment cases processed by Atos Healthcare within 35 days.
The latest (April 2014) national Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment Actual Average Clearance Time (AACT) is 118.9 days.
There are a range of financial remedies available within the Medical Services contract to address service level failure. However this is a matter of commercial in confidence between the Department of Work and Pensions and its supplier Atos Healthcare.
The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Allowance cases that were referred to Atos Healthcare processed and returned within 35 days in each of the last three years is as follows:
a). UK
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 767,674
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,073,987
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 249,305
b). Scotland
01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 97,951
01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 133,923
01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 58,326
c). West Lothian Local Authority Area
The information requested is not available
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The Ministry of Justice does not currently have any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system. However arrangements of this sort are kept under review.