Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Child Maintenance Service caseworkers receive training to identify parents with poor mental health.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Within Child Maintenance Service learning there are several points where the material places emphasis on the importance of recognising potential mental health issues our customers may have and to signpost the customer to available support.
Telephony modules focus on ensuring our processes are explained well and that customers have the time to provide information regarding their circumstances. The customer charter emphasises the need to try to understand the customers circumstances and to treat fairly and with respect. Empathy is defined and expectations for its use, are made clear.
Our Domestic Abuse module focuses on recognising domestic abuse and signposting the customer when we are ready to take action. The module emphasises that our processes may cause distress and that learners must be sensitive to this.
There is an emphasis on vulnerable customer support and the Tools to Support Complex Needs together with our Six Point Plan is available to remind learners of the support they have available to signpost customers. This module also references making referrals to our Advanced Customer Support.
In addition, all CMS case workers colleagues receive Mental Health for Non-Coaching role. The overall objectives of this are to increase knowledge of mental health and behaviour, in order to work positively with customers considering their individual needs. The main subjects within this learning are:
There are also additional supporting products available for follow up learning on mental health. Our classroom learning is supported by a full programme of workplace support with the emphasis on customer impact.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much and what proportion of his Department's contact with people applying for child maintenance is by (a) telephone, (b) letter and (c) email.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the quarter ending September 2023, 97% of child maintenance applications applied online and 3% applied over the telephone. During the course of an application the Child Maintenance Service will need to contact both parents, and this may take the form of inbound and outbound telephone calls, emails, letters, messages on their Child Maintenance Account or through live chat. We do not routinely track or measure the total number of contacts and contact type throughout the application process.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average wait time is for people in receipt of child maintenance to obtain a detailed schedule of (a) payments made and (b) payments owed.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data is not kept or reported on the average time taken to provide detailed account statements that have to be produced individually.
All Child Maintenance new applications receive a written response, issued by letter to both customers, which details a payment schedule and any arrears owed. A renewed payment schedule and balance is issued if the liability changes due to changes in circumstance or in any event at the annual review.
My Child Maintenance Case, Child Maintenance online portal, allows customers to view their statement back to their annual review which includes payments made and payments owed.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is his Department’s policy to remove sanctions from Universal Credit claimants who were wrongly awarded a benefit due to an administration error.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The DWP has taken significant steps to ensure the accuracy of benefit payments and the vast majority of benefit expenditure is paid correctly.
The question is difficult to answer without the specifics of any individual case but the broad policy is as follows:
Where overpayments do occur, Section 105 of The Welfare Reform Act 2012, amending the Social Security Act 1992 (Section 71ZB), states that any overpayment of Universal Credit, new style JSA or ESA in excess of entitlement, is recoverable.
If the claim is subsequently found to be invalid due to administrative error, then the entirety of the claim is removed, and any sanction imposed would be removed.
A sanction can only be applied if entitlement to benefit has been established and if the claimant has failed to meet their agreed requirements or failed to take up or stay in employment without good reason.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people with (a) Crohn’s Disease and (b) Ulcerative Colitis were awarded zero points on a Personal Independence Payment assessment for the managing toilet needs or incontinence descriptor in 2022.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Table (a) – Volume and proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants with Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis as a primary condition that scored zero points on Activity 5 (Managing toilet needs or incontinence) in an assessment during 2022.
Volume of scoring zero points on activity 5 | Proportion of total assessments | |
Crohn’s Disease | 2,470 | 54% |
Ulcerative Colitis | 1,590 | 53% |
Source: PIP Atomic Data Store (ADS)
Notes:
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that concerns about (a) pain and (b) fatigue are considered in Personal Independence Payment assessments for claimants with (i) Crohn’s Disease and (ii) ulcerative Colitis.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Personal Independence Payment assessment providers are required to ensure that all health professionals (HP) carrying out assessments are experts in disability analysis, focusing on the effects of health conditions and impairments on the individual claimant's daily life.
Whilst HPs do not receive specific training relating to Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, they have access to a range of resources as well as experienced clinicians to support them in assessing individuals with conditions that they may not be familiar with. Additionally, assessment providers engage with medical experts, charities, and relevant stakeholders to strengthen their training programmes. Capita recently developed a Condition Insight Report for HPs on Ulcerative Colitis in collaboration with Crohn’s and Colitis UK.
It is stressed in the HP training that, although a claimant may sometimes be able to perform a task, they may not be able to do so safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, or in a reasonable time-period due to pain, fatigue etc. HPs are expected to take into consideration the invisible nature of fatigue and pain, which may be less easy to identify, when assessing the disabling effect of any condition, including Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, on a claimant’s daily life. This is further explained in parts 1.6.29 and 1.6.35 of the PIP Assessment Guide available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to support people with epilepsy in the workplace.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
A range of Government initiatives are supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including epilepsy, to start, stay, and succeed in work. These include:
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support single parents to re-enter the workplace.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that Universal Credit helps parents prepare for, move into, stay and progress in work.
Single parents, like all claimants, are set requirements that take into account their circumstances and capability, including caring responsibilities, health conditions and disabilities. These requirements will be tailored by the Work Coach and will be achievable and realistic.
Claimants whose youngest child is aged two to four can have their support adjusted so they can attend training (such as refresher courses) for up to a year, where it will improve their chance of returning to a previous occupation or increasing their earnings. Work coaches can consider adjusting work search and work availability requirements for up to one year, where the work coach believes the course or training will help the parent find work before the youngest child reaches 5.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people with epilepsy in long-term employment.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Estimates from the Annual Population Survey (APS) show that there were 177,000 individuals of working-age (16 to 64) in the UK who reported epilepsy as their main long-term health condition in 2021/22 (Employment of disabled people 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) - Table POP003. Of these, approximately 96,000 (55%) were in employment, with 83% (80,000) of those employed for 12 months or more. There is no recognised definition of long-term employment. 12 months or more has been used because this is the length of time used to define long-term unemployment.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support single parents during the cost-of-living crisis.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In April, we are uprating benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels are also increasing by the same amount.
To further support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023 subject to parliamentary approval, the National Living Wage (NLW) will increase by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.
Childcare is a key enabler of employment for parents and has clear developmental benefits for children. The Government has spent more than £20 billion over the past five years supporting families with the cost of childcare through the free early education entitlements administered through DfE and support through the benefits system or Tax-Free Childcare. Work continues across Government to identify opportunities to improve support further, including to boost the take-up of existing offers.
Households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments in 2023/24. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. In addition, individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Further to this, the Energy Price Guarantee will be extended from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, meaning a typical household bill will be around £3,000 per year in Great Britain.
This support is in addition to that provided in 2022/23, including cost of living payments for people on eligible benefits, the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.