Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to provide an adequate allocation of funding through the Youth Guarantee Scheme for people not in work, employment or training in North Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are developing a Youth Guarantee to ensure young people aged 18-21 can access high-quality training, apprenticeships, or personalised support to find work.
As a first step, we are working with eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers across England who are testing innovative approaches to identify and deliver localised support to young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET. This includes strengthening local coordination, through local leadership, and outreach to better connect young people with opportunities. We will use the learning from these Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls out across the rest of Great Britain, including North Shropshire.
We have also recently announced that we will offer a guaranteed job to eligible young people on Universal Credit, who are unemployed for over 18 months. This forms a key part of the government’s Youth Guarantee, and further details will be announced in due course.
We also continue to deliver targeted support through the Youth Offer, which provides tailored assistance to 16–24-year-olds claiming Universal Credit. In North Shropshire, this includes a local Youth Hub offering the 6 Steps to Succeed programme – a six-week course that builds confidence, communication, and customer service skills, leading to formal qualifications.
We also want to ensure we provide support for young people with health conditions and disabled young people. If you take UC health and ESA for example, the number of young people claiming these has increased by more than 50% in the last five years from 156,000 to 239,000, with 80% of young people on the UC Health element currently citing mental health reasons or a neurodevelopmental condition among declared health conditions.
We are currently organising talking therapies to be delivered from the Youth Hub to support young people with Mental Health challenges. We are also delivering Sector-Based Work Academies for roles in Teaching Assistance, Hospitality, Warehouse, Logistics, and HGV driving. Additionally, we have run employment sessions for customers with health conditions promoting Access to Work, Adjustment Passports, and Disability Confident Employers.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase levels of employment in North Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
From a JCP perspective, North Shropshire forms part of the Marches collective and we have been working with key stakeholders to develop the Marches Get Britain Working plan. This is currently going through final sign off before being presented to the SoS.
Three jobcentres support the North Shropshire region, as well as a youth hub, working alongside Shrewsbury Town FC Foundation, supporting Young People aged 16 -18 NEETS and 18 - 24 Universal Credit, along with Youth Employability Coaches who support young people with complex needs. The sites offer several initiatives, alongside key partners to support customers into work – WEX, MTW, Apprenticeships, SWAPs, Job Fairs.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help young people in supported accommodation in North Shropshire constituency increase their (a) working income and (b) financial security.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.
We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 help support pensioners in North Shropshire constituency whose pre-1997 contributions are not subject to indexation.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Most schemes do pay some pre-1997 indexation, because of scheme rules or as a discretionary benefit. Analysis published last year by the Pensions Regulator shows that as of March 2023, only 17 per cent of members of private sector defined benefit pension schemes do not receive any pre-1997 indexation on benefits. This information can be found at: https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests#f3a5fe60511a445f91112bd7dd8a64ae
But for those affected by a lack of indexation I recognise the significance this can have.
Members of these pension schemes are now understandably concerned at seeing inflation erode the value of their retirement income.
It would be unreasonable to retrospectively increase the cost to schemes for benefits already earned, as these costs could not have been taken into account in the funding assumptions used to set contribution rates at the time.
The Government’s upcoming pension reforms on the use of surpluses in defined benefit schemes will make it easier for individual schemes to make decisions that improve outcomes for both sponsoring employers and members, which could include discretionary benefit increases.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the longest waiting time was for a PIP application in each month of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to ensuring that people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner and reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the department. We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence.
The longest waiting time for a PIP application is potentially disclosive, and the longest waiting times recorded may not be accurate. Therefore, the 99th percentile is provided.
Table 1 – 99th Percentile of End to end wait time, for the last five years up to October 2024.
Year of Clearance | 99th Percentile |
2020 | 45 |
2021 | 47 |
2022 | 53 |
2023 | 44 |
2024 (to October) | 44 |
Table 1 – 99th Percentile of End to end wait time, by month for the last five years up to October 2024.
Month of Clearance | 99th Percentile |
Jan-20 | 40 |
Feb-20 | 37 |
Mar-20 | 37 |
Apr-20 | 43 |
May-20 | 41 |
Jun-20 | 46 |
Jul-20 | 47 |
Aug-20 | 51 |
Sep-20 | 49 |
Oct-20 | 52 |
Nov-20 | 51 |
Dec-20 | 47 |
Jan-21 | 46 |
Feb-21 | 46 |
Mar-21 | 42 |
Apr-21 | 42 |
May-21 | 42 |
Jun-21 | 44 |
Jul-21 | 45 |
Aug-21 | 47 |
Sep-21 | 49 |
Oct-21 | 50 |
Nov-21 | 49 |
Dec-21 | 49 |
Jan-22 | 51 |
Feb-22 | 53 |
Mar-22 | 54 |
Apr-22 | 55 |
May-22 | 56 |
Jun-22 | 56 |
Jul-22 | 54 |
Aug-22 | 54 |
Sep-22 | 53 |
Oct-22 | 50 |
Nov-22 | 52 |
Dec-22 | 52 |
Jan-23 | 48 |
Feb-23 | 49 |
Mar-23 | 49 |
Apr-23 | 46 |
May-23 | 45 |
Jun-23 | 43 |
Jul-23 | 42 |
Aug-23 | 42 |
Sep-23 | 43 |
Oct-23 | 41 |
Nov-23 | 40 |
Dec-23 | 41 |
Jan-24 | 42 |
Feb-24 | 43 |
Mar-24 | 42 |
Apr-24 | 42 |
May-24 | 43 |
Jun-24 | 42 |
Jul-24 | 43 |
Aug-24 | 43 |
Sep-24 | 47 |
Oct-24 | 46 |
Median PIP application clearance times are also available on a monthly basis as part of the PIP Official Statistics quarterly release. The latest release, with data to October 2024, is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/675bf09bb915d092055a01d8/tables-pip-statistics-to-october-2024-eng-wales.ods
Table 1A in this release shows the median average clearance times for normal rules new claims.
Notes:
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the longest waiting time was for a PIP application in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to ensuring that people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner and reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the department. We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence.
The longest waiting time for a PIP application is potentially disclosive, and the longest waiting times recorded may not be accurate. Therefore, the 99th percentile is provided.
Table 1 – 99th Percentile of End to end wait time, for the last five years up to October 2024.
Year of Clearance | 99th Percentile |
2020 | 45 |
2021 | 47 |
2022 | 53 |
2023 | 44 |
2024 (to October) | 44 |
Table 1 – 99th Percentile of End to end wait time, by month for the last five years up to October 2024.
Month of Clearance | 99th Percentile |
Jan-20 | 40 |
Feb-20 | 37 |
Mar-20 | 37 |
Apr-20 | 43 |
May-20 | 41 |
Jun-20 | 46 |
Jul-20 | 47 |
Aug-20 | 51 |
Sep-20 | 49 |
Oct-20 | 52 |
Nov-20 | 51 |
Dec-20 | 47 |
Jan-21 | 46 |
Feb-21 | 46 |
Mar-21 | 42 |
Apr-21 | 42 |
May-21 | 42 |
Jun-21 | 44 |
Jul-21 | 45 |
Aug-21 | 47 |
Sep-21 | 49 |
Oct-21 | 50 |
Nov-21 | 49 |
Dec-21 | 49 |
Jan-22 | 51 |
Feb-22 | 53 |
Mar-22 | 54 |
Apr-22 | 55 |
May-22 | 56 |
Jun-22 | 56 |
Jul-22 | 54 |
Aug-22 | 54 |
Sep-22 | 53 |
Oct-22 | 50 |
Nov-22 | 52 |
Dec-22 | 52 |
Jan-23 | 48 |
Feb-23 | 49 |
Mar-23 | 49 |
Apr-23 | 46 |
May-23 | 45 |
Jun-23 | 43 |
Jul-23 | 42 |
Aug-23 | 42 |
Sep-23 | 43 |
Oct-23 | 41 |
Nov-23 | 40 |
Dec-23 | 41 |
Jan-24 | 42 |
Feb-24 | 43 |
Mar-24 | 42 |
Apr-24 | 42 |
May-24 | 43 |
Jun-24 | 42 |
Jul-24 | 43 |
Aug-24 | 43 |
Sep-24 | 47 |
Oct-24 | 46 |
Median PIP application clearance times are also available on a monthly basis as part of the PIP Official Statistics quarterly release. The latest release, with data to October 2024, is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/675bf09bb915d092055a01d8/tables-pip-statistics-to-october-2024-eng-wales.ods
Table 1A in this release shows the median average clearance times for normal rules new claims.
Notes:
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the mean average waiting time has been for PIP applications in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to ensuring that people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner and reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the department. We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence.
The following figures are for normal rules new claims only.
Year | Mean Wait Time (Weeks) |
2020 | 18 |
2021 | 22 |
2022 | 19 |
2023 | 15 |
2024 (to October) | 15 |
Median PIP application clearance times are also available on a monthly basis as part of the PIP Official Statistics quarterly release. The latest release, with data to October 2024, is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/675bf09bb915d092055a01d8/tables-pip-statistics-to-october-2024-eng-wales.ods
Table 1A in this release shows the median average clearance times for normal rules new claims.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her planned timetable is for responding to the recommendations of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report into changes to women's State Pension age, published on 21 March 2024.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
As a newly formed Government we will need time to review and consider the Ombudsman’s report along with the evidence provided during the investigation.
Now the election has concluded we need to consider the views that have been expressed on all sides.
The issues outlined in the report are significant and complex, as such they require serious deliberation. Once this work has been undertaken, the Government will be in a position to outline its approach.
I met with representatives of the WASPI Campaign on the 5 of September.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 adequacy of the support available receivers of Universal Credit who wish to appeal a decision of her Department at an Upper Tier Tribunal.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Tribunals are administered independently of the Department and therefore appeals to the Upper Tribunal are a matter for the appellant and His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). The appellant should follow guidance from the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) on the process for appealing to the Upper Tribunal. There is also helpful information on gov.uk: www.gov.uk/appeal-benefit-decision/unhappy-tribunals-decision. This includes links to third party organisations who offer free advice on engaging with this process.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 allowing carers of children and young people with cancer to apply for Carer’s Allowance prior to the child or young person being cared for receiving the associated disability benefit.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The information requested on the number of delayed applications is not collected and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
It is a long standing principle that Carer’s Allowance can only be awarded once a decision has been made to award the “trigger” disability benefit to the person being cared for, but the award of Carer’s Allowance can be backdated to the date that the disability benefit is payable from.