Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that employers support those living with migraine.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We recognise that migraines are a serious neurological condition that can have a significant impact on people’s ability to work and live well. Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions, such as migraines, to thrive in the workforce. All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments.
There are a range of existing initiatives that already provide support. The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The scheme provides resources such as the Disability Confident Manager’s Guide, which includes guidance on flexible working and workplace adjustments. The Government also offers tailored guidance to employers on supporting disabled people and people with health conditions in the workplace, through its Support with Employee Health and Disability service. This includes guidance on disclosures and having conversations about health and disabilities, plus guidance on legal obligations and making reasonable adjustments. The WorkWell pilot which is live in 15 areas across England accepts referrals from employers and provides low intensity holistic work and health support for disabled people and those with health-related barriers to employment.
In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations later in the Autumn.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to publish the findings of the review of rodenticide stewardship.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government Oversight Group for Rodenticide Stewardship will meet in June to address the conclusions from working groups established to make recommendations for strengthening stewardship. Further discussions will take place over the summer, with final recommendations set for publication following discussions with the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU UK) at the end of the year.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
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 implications for his policies of the recommendations in the report by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council entitled COVID-19 and Occupational Impacts, published on 16 November 2022.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The department is advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent scientific body, on changes to the list of occupational diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit can be paid.
Their report ‘COVID-19 and Occupational Impacts’ was published in November 2022, and recommended prescription for health and social care workers with five serious pathological complications following COVID-19 infection. The department is currently carrying out a detailed assessment of the report’s recommendations. Once this work is complete, the department will provide a formal response.
It would be premature therefore, at this stage, to give a view on the Council’s recommendations or their wider applicability to DWP policies.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he will accept the recommendations in the report by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council entitled COVID-19 and Occupational Impacts, published on 16 November 2022.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The department is advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent scientific body, on changes to the list of occupational diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit can be paid.
Their report ‘COVID-19 and Occupational Impacts’ was published in November 2022, and recommended prescription for health and social care workers with five serious pathological complications following COVID-19 infection. The department is currently carrying out a detailed assessment of the report’s recommendations. Once this work is complete, the department will provide a formal response.
It would be premature therefore, at this stage, to give a view on the Council’s recommendations or their wider applicability to DWP policies.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) non-disclosure and (b) other confidentiality agreements relating to (i) employment, (ii) bullying, (iii) misconduct and (iii) harassment cases have been agreed by their Department in each year since 1 January 2010; and how much money from the public purse has been spent on (A) legal costs and (B) financial settlements for such agreements in each year since 1 January 2010.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
DWP follows the: Cabinet Office Guidance on Settlement Agreements, Special Severance Payments on Termination of Employment and Confidentiality Clauses, launched in 2015 and revised in 2019. The Government is clear that confidentiality clauses should not be used to prevent staff from raising or discussing allegations of bullying, harassment or discrimination.
DWP does not hold confidentiality agreement data between the periods 1 January 2010 and 31 March 2020 but has been reporting this information to the Cabinet Office annually since 1 April 2020 following the revision to the guidance. DWP has not agreed any non-disclosure or other confidentiality agreements in the financial years ending April 2021 and April 2022, nor the current financial year to date.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to lay the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council command paper concerning Long Covid and occupation before Parliament.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council, in its independent advisory capacity to the DWP on Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, has prepared a Command Paper - COVID-19 and Occupational Impacts. The paper has been submitted to the department for consideration and will be published as soon as practicable.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which Minister holds responsibility for the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The responsibility for the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council is with the Department for Work and Pensions, Minister of State, Tom Pursglove MP.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of (a) the number of officials in her Department involved in recording retained EU legislation for the purposes of the Retained EU Law Dashboard in the latest period for which figures are available and (b) the cost to the public purse of recording that information.
Answered by Chloe Smith
No additional full time staffing resource was required for the completion of this exercise which forms part of the overall project to list Retained EU Law held by this Department. Three officials worked on the exercise in addition to their other duties over a period of four months which in turn fed into the compilation of the dashboard.
There has been no additional non-pay cost to the public purse by creating the dashboard. The process was led by the Cabinet Office, who commissioned Government Departments to find Retained EU Law within their legislation and compile an authoritative account of where Retained EU Law sits on the UK statute book.
The dashboard itself is made by the Government Strategic Management Office and is hosted on Tableau Public, which is a free platform for hosting public dashboards. The dashboard will continue to be updated at no additional cost.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants on legacy benefits had deductions made to their payments for third party debt deductions in May 2021.
Answered by David Rutley
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average monetary value was for deductions made from (a) universal credit, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) jobseeker's allowance, (d) income support and (e) pension credit claimant’s payments by (i) categories of third party debt deductions, (ii) benefit overpayments and (iii) other types of deductions in May 2021.
Answered by David Rutley
The average deduction amount per claim by deduction type, for (a) Universal Credit, in May 2021 is provided in the attached spreadsheet.
Information for (b) (c) (d) (e) (i) (ii) (iii) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The Government recognises the importance of supporting the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. We seek to balance recovery of debt against not causing hardship for claimants and their families. Processes are in place to ensure deductions are manageable, and customers can contact DWP Debt Management if they are experiencing financial hardship, in order to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment or a temporary suspension, depending on their financial circumstances. The Department is not able to
change the rate of most Third Party deductions as these are set out in the regulations.
Advances are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. They ensure nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit and those who need it are able to receive financial support as soon as possible. Claimants can receive up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period.