Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 real-terms change as a result of inflation in the value of pension payments that were not index linked for Allied Steel and Wire pensioners under the FAS since 2007.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information required to carry out such an assessment is not readily available and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs. The Department has therefore made no such assessment and does not intend to do so, at this time.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 potential merits of index linking pension payments of failed pension schemes under the (a) Financial Assistance Scheme and (b) Pension Protection Fund.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
While all pensions legislation is kept under review as a matter of course, there are currently no plans to amend (a) the Financial Assistance Scheme rules on indexation or (b) the Pension Protection Fund rules on indexation. These are complex matters and require careful consideration before any changes are made.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 potential merits of using alternative methods of determining eligibility for cold weather payments.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department continually monitors Cold Weather Payment policies and procedures to identify opportunities to improve the scheme's effectiveness. This includes working with the Met Office, who review the scheme each year to assess whether the linkages between postcode areas and weather stations remain the best available.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 potential merits of offering secured e-mail as a communications option for his Department's customers upon request.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP utilises technology which allows encryption with most providers of personal email services, such as Gmail or Outlook, helping this stay secure. As such, email communication with customers is currently permitted in certain circumstances, for example, where the customer has a reasonable adjustment in place.
The Department is keen to utilise the benefits provided by email communication and is currently exploring the possibilities of expanding its use of email to communicate with customers.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Back to Work plan, published on 16 November 2023, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on whether measures to restrict the eligibility to free prescriptions of benefit claimants who are subject to sanctions will apply to claimants in Wales.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are not restricting eligibility to free prescriptions of benefit claimants who are subject to sanctions. Claimants may still be entitled to access those passported benefits through other means.
At Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced that we will be closing claims for people who refuse to engage in employment support following a sanction decision and in receipt of a nil award for a period of 6 months or longer. As always, if entitlement to passported benefits is reliant solely on a Universal Credit claim to establish eligibility, that will cease if the claim is closed.
DWP has a well-established relationship with the Welsh Government, ensuring that we work together on devolved and reserved areas effectively. Universal Credit is reserved, and as such once the proposal is in legislation it will apply in England, Scotland and Wales.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department last reviewed the adequacy of rates for Disability Living Allowance for children.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Secretary of State will shortly be conducting his annual review of benefit levels and will report in due course.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for Disability Living Allowance for children were (a) successful and (b) not successful in Arfon constituency in each of the last three years for which data is available.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We have grouped the response to the above two parliamentary questions.
The information is not available. However, quarterly statistics for the number of children receiving Disability Living Allowance, by length of claim and by Westminster Parliamentary Constituency to February 2023, are published on Stat-Xplore.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for Disability Living Allowance for children were made in Arfon constituency in each of the last three years for which data is available.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We have grouped the response to the above two parliamentary questions.
The information is not available. However, quarterly statistics for the number of children receiving Disability Living Allowance, by length of claim and by Westminster Parliamentary Constituency to February 2023, are published on Stat-Xplore.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unsuccessful claims for Disability Living Allowance for children were (a) appealed and (b) successful following an appeal in Arfon constituency in each of the last three years for which data is available.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Figures for Disability Living Allowance appeals for claimants in the Arfon parliamentary constituency completed in each of the last 3 years are too small to be disclosed. The table below provides figures for the full 3 year period.
Year | Appeals completed | Appeals lapsed | Appeals overturned at tribunal |
July 2020 – June 2023 | 5 | - | 5 |
Notes:
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what was the average time taken for Disability Living Allowance for children claims to be concluded, including appeals processes, in the last 12 months.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The information requested on end-to-end journey times for Disability Living Allowance for children is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.