Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appeals against decisions to refuse incapacity benefit were dismissed in (a) Blackburn and Darwen, (b) Burnley, (c) Hyndburn, (d) Pendle, (e) Ribble Valley and (f) Rossendale and Chorley in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012, (iii) 2013, (iv) 2014, (v) 2015 and (vi) 2016.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The information requested is not available. Neither the Ministry of Justice, who publish the official appeal statistics, nor the Department for Work and Pensions, which collates its own data on appeals, has information about appeals made only against refusals. The information that is available is in relation to all appeals lodged for any given benefit.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appeals against decisions to refuse disability living allowance were (a) lodged, (b) upheld and (c) dismissed in respect of children resident in (i) Blackburn and Darwen, (ii) Burnley, (iii) Hyndburn, (iv) Pendle, (v) Ribble Valley and (vi) Rossendale and Chorley in (A) 2011, (B) 2012, (C) 2013, (D) 2014, (E) 2015 and (F) 2016.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The information requested is not available. Neither the Ministry of Justice, who publish the official appeal statistics, nor the Department for Work and Pensions, which collates its own data on appeals, has information about appeals made only against refusals. The information that is available is in relation to all appeals lodged for any given benefit.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times he has attended public meetings of the Work and Pensions Committee since his appointment.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Attendance at Work and Pensions Select Committee meetings is a matter of public record and transcripts of such appearances can be found on the Committee’s web pages.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of increasing the state pension age on levels of life expectancy.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
No such assessment has been made however the Pensions Act 2014 provides a statutory framework, which commits future governments to regular and structured review of the State Pension age at least once every six years.
There is no conclusive evidence that working around State Pension age has an effect on life expectancy. There is a strong evidence base showing that employment is generally good for physical and mental health and well-being, and that overall, the beneficial effects of work outweigh the risks of work, and are greater than the harmful effects of long-term unemployment or prolonged sickness absence (Waddell and Burton 2006). Evidence further suggests that leaving the labour market early can be harmful to overall well-being with those who experience a decline in social interaction in retirement seeing a negative impact on their health.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of raising the state pension age on income inequality between men and women of the same age.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The average woman reaching State Pension age last year (2015) gets a higher state pension income over her lifetime than an average woman who reached State Pension age at any point before her – despite the equalisation of State Pension age. Also, over a lifetime, the average woman who reached State Pension age last year will receive more than the average man. This is consistent with the trend going forward, with, for those reaching State Pension age between 2016 and 2060, women receiving 10 per cent more new State Pension lifetime income than men.
Further information on the impacts of the new State Pension can be found at:
Women live longer than men, on average, and as a consequence spend a longer proportion of their lives above State Pension age. Without equalisation, in 2010, women would spend on average 41 per cent of their lives in retirement, compared to men at 31 per cent. Even after equalising women’s State Pension age with men’s, women will spend on average around two years more in receipt of their state pension because of their longer life expectancy. Women reaching 65 in 2018 are expected to live until 88.9 years, whilst the figure for men is 86.7 years.
The new State Pension is being introduced for those who reach State Pension age from April 2016. In the first ten years after implementation over 650,000 women will benefit from the new State Pension valuation of their National Insurance record, receiving on average £8 a week more in state pension. Around 75 per cent of women (and 70 per cent of men) who reach State Pension age under the new system in the first fifteen years will have a higher value State Pension when compared to the value of the State Pension they would have received under the old system. The new system will bring forward by a decade the point at which women have equivalent State Pension outcomes to men (by the early 2040s instead of the early 2050s).
Independent analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown that the rise in women’s State Pension age since 2010 has been accompanied by increases in employment rates for the women affected. For those who are unemployed, or unable to work, working age benefits are still available.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
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 effect of raising the state pension age on people paying into personal pension schemes.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
No assessment has been made of the effect of raising the state pension age on people paying into personal pension schemes.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on raising of the state pension age.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
I can confirm that the Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have recently discussed and agreed the Terms of Reference for the Independent State Pension age review. The Government’s position on future State Pension ages is to consider the independent review’s report when it is received in 2017.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of increasing the state pension age on productivity.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The projected increase in the number of people working as a result of the rise in State Pension age provided for by the Pensions Act 2011 was estimated to generate a significant increase in gross employment earnings. Under this new timetable the peak increase compared to the previous timetable would be £5.0 billion in 2022/23 (in 2011/12 prices).
At an individual level, working longer and saving into a private pension will, on average, increase lifetime pension income. Taking into consideration the additional employment income, individuals’ lifetime income will be improved if they work longer. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown that the rise in women’s State Pension age from 60 to 62 has been accompanied by increases in employment rates for the women affected.
Research by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research in 2011 showed that an increase of one year in the average effective working life is estimated to result in additional annual national output worth up to one per cent of GDP. In the same research, it was estimated that real GDP would be six per cent lower than it otherwise would have been by 2030, if plans for raising the state pension age (according to the Pensions Act 2007) were not implemented.
The increase in labour supply as a result of the Pensions Act 2011 was also estimated to boost GDP above the projected baseline of the previous timetable. GDP could be between £7 billion and £9 billion higher in 2022/23 (in 2011/12 prices); in the period 2016 to 2026, the increase in labour supply due to the increase in State Pension age could boost national output by £70 billion (in 2011/12 prices).
More information on both impacts can be found in Annex A of the Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment at::
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pensions-act-2011-impact-assessment
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of increasing the state pension age on savings.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The projected increase in the number of people working as a result of the rise in State Pension age provided for by the Pensions Act 2011 was estimated to generate a significant increase in gross employment earnings. Under this new timetable the peak increase compared to the previous timetable would be £5.0 billion in 2022/23 (in 2011/12 prices).
At an individual level, working longer and saving into a private pension will, on average, increase lifetime pension income. Taking into consideration the additional employment income, individuals’ lifetime income will be improved if they work longer. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown that the rise in women’s State Pension age from 60 to 62 has been accompanied by increases in employment rates for the women affected.
Research by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research in 2011 showed that an increase of one year in the average effective working life is estimated to result in additional annual national output worth up to one per cent of GDP. In the same research, it was estimated that real GDP would be six per cent lower than it otherwise would have been by 2030, if plans for raising the state pension age (according to the Pensions Act 2007) were not implemented.
The increase in labour supply as a result of the Pensions Act 2011 was also estimated to boost GDP above the projected baseline of the previous timetable. GDP could be between £7 billion and £9 billion higher in 2022/23 (in 2011/12 prices); in the period 2016 to 2026, the increase in labour supply due to the increase in State Pension age could boost national output by £70 billion (in 2011/12 prices).
More information on both impacts can be found in Annex A of the Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment at::
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pensions-act-2011-impact-assessment
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2016 to Question 26169, on social security benefits: disqualification, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that safeguards to prevent the accrual of sanctions are effective.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
The sanctions regime has a range of safeguards for claimants, including ensuring all requirements placed on claimants are reasonable, taking into account individual capability and circumstances, such as health conditions, disability and caring responsibilities.
A further safeguard exists so that sanctions at the same level do not increase in duration when the claimant accrues 2 or more within a two week period. This ensures claimants cannot accrue lengthy sanctions within a short period in between meetings with their work coach. We keep the sanctions process under constant review and use research analysis and insight to improve the clarity of all our products and policies.