Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with mobile phone providers on enabling their customers to make online claims for benefits and access online information without incurring a mobile data usage charge.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DWP has not held any discussions with mobile phone providers around free access to online information without incurring a mobile data usage charge.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 135706, on Flexible Support Fund, what estimate he has made of the average funding received per person from the Flexible Support Fund in each of the last five financial years for which data is available.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 135706, on Flexible Support Fund, what assessment her Department has made of trends in (a) claimant needs and (b) volumes between 2013-14 and 2016-17.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that unemployment fell by 1 million (just under 40%) between April 2013 and March 2017. Because of this fall in unemployment we have been able to reduce the size of the Flexible Support Fund (FSF). The Department keeps the FSF and other budgets under continuous review.
In January to March 2018 our unemployment rate currently stands at 4.2% - it has not been lower since 1975.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress her Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
I refer the Honourable Member for Stretford and Urmston to the answer given by the Right Honourable member for Gosport, Stubbington, Lee-on-the-Solent and Hill Head in response to PQ3878 which stated:
“The Department does not currently report on Gypsies and Travellers separately. As a relatively small group it can be difficult to obtain reliable data for statistical analysis especially when claimants are not required to give ethnicity. The Department has raised awareness of amongst Jobcentre work coaches regarding the cultural aspects of gypsy / traveller lifestyles.”
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, since 2016, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings (a) she and (b her predecessor have had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
There have been no meetings between the Minister for the Cabinet Office & Paymaster General and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions since 2016 on using 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 20 March 2018 on Access to Work Scheme, HCWS563, what estimate her Department has made of the number of additional disabled people who will potentially receive assistance as a result of increasing the Access to Work grant.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Written Ministerial Statement of 20 March on Access to Work announced that the Access to Work award limit, currently £42,100 per year, will rise from 1st April 2018 to £57,200 per annum. This will make available an increased level of potential support to those using Access to Work. We intend to publish an update to the Equality Analysis published in May 2015 as a formal addendum.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-access-to-work
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department plans to publish its mid-term review of the European Social Fund Operational Programme.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
England’s Managing Authority (MA) for the European Social Fund (ESF) has conducted a ‘mid-term review’ of the ESF England Operational Programme (OP) to ensure it is fit for purpose going forward. The review notably focused on strategic objectives, lessons learned, and maximising value for money. The MA is now implementing these changes in conjunction with the European Commission (EC) through a two-stage approach. Any amended elements of the revised OP are subject to the Commission's approval under Article 96(10) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 and we are unable to publish amendments until we have received the formal adoption notification.
The first phase of the review was concluded in December 2017 through the European Commission’s Implementing Decision C(2017) 8861. We will be finalising the second phase of the review over the coming months and anticipate publishing the refreshed OP (reflecting both stages) in the spring, subject to EC approval timelines.
ESF is a devolved matter for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.