Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff his Department has requested to loan from the Ministry of Defence to assist with preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Jake Berry
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government no deal Yellowhammer response was formally activated on 21 October and currently a total of 155 Ministry of Defence (MOD) staff are rostered to work on that response. In addition MOD will provide military personnel to act as Government Liaison Officers (GLOs). GLOs will work alongside and support Local Resilience Forums. A total of 47 Military GLOs have to date been activated to cover the eleven priority port areas in support of Operation Yellowhammer.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
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 reduce the number of complaints made against independent personal independence payment assessment providers.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are committed to ensuring that all claimants receive a fair, objective and accurate assessment as well as a quality service at all stages of a claim.
In 2017 and 2018, complaint volumes for Assessment Providers equated to less than 1% of the total number of assessments carried out that year. However, the Department is continually working alongside the PIP Assessment Providers to further improve the quality of assessments.
Assessment Providers engage with medical experts, charities and relevant Stakeholders to strengthen, review and update their training programmes. Alongside this, the Departments clinicians have been observing PIP assessments to provide further assurance of the face-to face assessment process and suggest areas for improvement.
The Department ensures a high standard is always maintained by having an Independent Audit function that continually monitors the performance and provides feedback to our Providers. Improvements have been supported by two Independent Reviews of the PIP assessment process, and we take on board recommendations from the Select Committee Enquiry. This ensures that our Providers consistently exceed the Customer Satisfaction target of 90%.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of food poverty in Scotland of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Government has been clear that leaving the EU with a deal is its preferred option and is in the interests of Scotland and the UK as a whole.
The Government has put in place contingency plans for a range of exit scenarios. These contingencies include ensuring that the Department for Work and Pensions can continue to provide its vital services and that individuals will continue to be able to access benefits and services on the same basis as they do now.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for the effectiveness of Police Scotland of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
I have regular discussions with the Home Secretary and other colleagues on a number of matters. I am aware that Home Office officials have been working closely with counterparts in the Devolved Administrations as well as with policing representatives to ensure that a joined up approach is taken to planning for EU Exit.
The UK Government remains committed to managing the policing implications of EU Exit in the UK through a collective approach, working with the devolution of policing in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Police Scotland is represented at a number of strategic groups created for EU Exit, including the police-led EU Exit Strategic and Regional Leads Group, and input into key planning structures.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of personal independence payment claims which have been rejected in Scotland in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The latest available data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims cleared by type of decision (e.g. awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) can be found in the ‘PIP clearances’ table at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. The statistics provide monthly breakdowns up until the end of July 2019, the latest available data, and can also be broken down by region; England, Wales and Scotland.
Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of rent levels on household income.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The English Housing Survey provides data on the proportion of income that is spent on rent in both the Private Rented Sector and the Social Rented Sector. This information is available online:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/817630/EHS_2017-18_PRS_Report.pdf and
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/829741/EHS_SRS_report_revised_Sept_19.pdf'.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring that people are able to access free-to-use cash machines throughout Scotland.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
I have regular discussions on important Scottish economic matters with my Cabinet colleagues, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Technology has transformed banking for millions of people, but we know that many still rely on cash. That is why we are co-ordinating work across government, regulators and industry so we can protect access for everyone who needs it.
LINK, the scheme that runs the UK’s ATM network, has publicly committed to maintain the broad geographic spread of ATMs and has put in place specific arrangements to protect remote free-to-use ATMs one kilometre or further from the next nearest free-to-use ATM. More recently, LINK has committed to protecting free access to cash on high streets – where there is a cluster of five or more retailers – that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within 1 kilometre.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent assessment his Department has made of public satisfaction with public services in Scotland.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
In a recent Scottish Government Household survey, we see that public satisfaction in health, schools, education and public transport in Scotland has dropped to 51.7%, its lowest level since 2007, which is extremely disappointing. These policy areas are devolved to the Scottish Government and they must do more to improve public services for the people of Scotland.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
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 ensure that information relating to Pension Credit eligibility is accessible to people who are classed as being digitally excluded.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are over 1.6 million people already claiming £5.4 billion in Pension Credit but the Government wants to ensure that all pensioners eligible can claim the Pension Credit to which they are rightly entitled.
The DWP uses a wide range of channels, in addition to www.gov.uk, to communicate information about benefits to potential claimants. We target activity on engaging with people who may be eligible to benefits at pivotal stages, such as when they claim State Pension, Attendance Allowance or when they report a change in their circumstances which could result in them becoming eligible for Pension Credit. Staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres as well as DWP visiting officers are able to provide help and advice about entitlement to benefits including Pension Credit either to individuals or community groups. Staff in Local Authorities who administer Housing Benefit also provide information about Pension Credit
For general enquiries about Pension Credit, potential customers can telephone the freephone Pension Service helpline on 08007310469 and the easiest way to make a claim is via the freephone claim line 0800991234. Anyone wishing to make a claim by post can request a paper application form.
The Government wants to make sure that all older people receive the support they are entitled to and we therefore also welcome and encourage initiatives to promote take up of Pension Credit by national and local organisations who may often be the first place people turn to for information and help.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the time taken for universal credit payments to be made to claimants on trends in the level of food bank use in Scotland.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department does not keep official statistics on food bank use, so no such assessment has been completed. Some food aid providers produce statistics on the number of food parcels distributed, but the Government has no plans to require individual food banks to keep records as this would place a significant burden on charitable and voluntary organisations.
We have listened to feedback on how we can improve Universal Credit to support our claimants and acted quickly, making improvements such as extending advances, removing waiting days, and introducing housing benefit run on. These changes are giving support to vulnerable people who need it most, whilst at the same time helping people get into work faster.
Furthermore, in Scotland, the Department delivers Universal Credit Scottish choices on behalf of the Scottish Government, providing the option of Universal Credit being paid twice a month rather than monthly, and having Universal Credit housing element being paid directly to landlords.