Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Warrington North constituency are in receipt of universal credit.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Our published statistics show that there are 1,800 people in Warrington North in receipt of a Universal Credit payment in June 2017
The information requested is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
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 potential merits of relocating the operations of his Department carried out at Birchwood, Warrington into the building his Department rents in Warrington town centre.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Our proposals for Birchwood, Warrington are part of a broader national approach and we have carefully considered the merits of alternative options as part of these proposals.
Our future corporate centre strategy is to increase collaborative and multi-disciplinary working. Like other government departments, we are planning to move to a new corporate centre hub model, whereby we would work from fewer buildings, primarily in cities like Manchester. This strategy involves expanding our workforce, bringing in new recruits with the digital and technical skills needed for our future digital services and bringing the many teams together that we need to develop and support our services under one roof to improve the way we work.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place a copy in the Library of the business case for the proposed move of operations of his Department's office at Birchwood, Warrington.
Answered by Damian Hinds
It is not possible to place a copy of the business case for the proposed move of operations of his Department's office at Birchwood, Warrington in the House Library as it contains commercially sensitive information.
However, it may help if I explain that Birchwood is one of 14 offices that form our corporate centre. Our future corporate centre strategy is to increase collaborative and multi-disciplinary working. Like other government departments, we are planning to move to a new corporate centre hub model, whereby we would work from fewer buildings, primarily in cities like Manchester. This strategy involves expanding our workforce, bringing in new recruits with the digital and technical skills needed for our future digital services and bringing the many teams together that we need to develop and support our services under one roof to improve the way we work.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what account has been taken of the rail journey times between Birchwood and Manchester when deciding on the future location of operations carried out by his Department at Birchwood, Warrington.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The Manchester city centre location will help DWP attract and retain talent in the North West, making a real difference to designing, developing and delivering future customer services. We want to ensure that our staff can travel easily between our corporate centre hubs around the country and be able to work closely with colleagues in other central government departments. We also want to ensure that our range of customers can easily get to our office by public transport to help us test new digital services which are in development. With a Metrolink tram stop within a few yards and both Piccadilly and Victoria Stations just 15 minutes’ walk away, the office is within easy daily reach by public transport.
Our office at Birchwood currently employs just over 300 people, approximately 80% of whom live outside the Warrington area and commute to the business park by car or train.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the effect on the local economy of the plans to close his Department's office in Birchwood, Warrington.
Answered by Damian Hinds
As a large employer, DWP understands the potential impact that a closure or relocation of an office may have. This is why we carefully considered the wider impacts on local communities, like Birchwood, as part of the review of our estate which focussed on our longer-term strategy and which sites matched most closely to our future needs.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
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 cost to the public purse of increased rental and rate charges in the event that his Department's office in Birchwood, Warrington is moved to Manchester.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Birchwood is one of 14 offices that form our corporate centre which we plan to reduce to 7 offices. Our proposal for Birchwood, Warrington is part of the Department’s continued drive to deliver public services in more innovative and cost effective ways. Manchester will increasingly be an important, strategic location for the Civil Service with its skilled workforce, great public transport links and local amenities.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many 18 to 21-year olds resident in (a) the North West and (b) Warrington claim the housing costs element of universal credit.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
In December 2016, the number of 18 to 21-year olds claiming the housing costs element, and living in a household on Universal Credit was:
(a) 2,800 for those resident in the North West; including
(b) 70 resident in Warrington.
Where a couple claim Universal Credit and both are between the age of 18 and 21, both have been counted in the above figures. If only one half of a couple is between the age of 18 and 21, only the 18 to 21-year old has been counted.