Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what equality impact assessment her Department has made in relation to its policy not to issue national insurance numbers to applicants without a visa during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Guy Opperman
In order to allocate a National Insurance number, the Department must validate each applicant’s identity. This was predominantly done through a face to face identity check. As part of the Department’s assessment to meet government guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19 virus, all non-essential face to face activity was suspended.
For those customer groups, where a face to face identity check is required, we are developing and testing alternative identity verification solutions.
We recently included EU/EEA and Swiss nationals, who have been granted settled or pre-settled status as part of their EU Settlement Scheme, into the test, as their identity will have been verified, through this process, by the Home Office.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on (a) tax and (b) national insurance payments of her Department not issuing national insurance numbers to many applicants during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department and HMRC have assessed the effects on customers paying tax and National Insurance Contributions without a National Insurance Number (NINo).
The collection of tax and National Insurance is a matter for HMRC. HMRCs employer checklist provides advice to employers on what information is required when submitting payroll returns for those employees who do not have a NINo.
HMRC have measures in place to ensure customers pay the right amount of tax and National Insurance contributions at the right time.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department has not been able to use pre-settled status and settled status as the required evidence in issuing new national insurance numbers to UK arrivals since March 2020.
Answered by Guy Opperman
As part of DWPs digital programme to improve access to National Insurance services, particularly through the Covid-19 pandemic, the department has explored how it can use the data provided by EU/EEA citizens as part of their Settled/Pre-settled status applications to remove the need for a face to face identity check. This process is currently in the testing phase.
My hon. Friend is making a good point about the HSE. In the European context, both the HSE and the Environment Agency fed into chemicals regulations. Is there a danger that not also increasing funding for the Environment Agency to be able to be feed into the new HSE regulator …
..."I am really pleased to hear that the Government and HSE have been engaging with businesses. However, I am still hearing concerns from businesses that are worried about re-registering pre-existing chemicals that have already been registered, and any potential need to prove that new levels of testing have been met, …
..."I appreciate what the Minister just said. What would be useful, maybe in writing, is an absolute confirmation for the industry and for animal rights organisations that any pre-existing chemical that is currently registered under the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals regulation, and will need to be re-registered …
..."Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much in discretionary housing payments was allocated between March and July (a) 2020 and (b) 2019.
Answered by Will Quince
Since 2013 the Department has requested that Local Authorities provide details of their use of Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) funds. This monitoring information is collected twice yearly; in the middle and at the end of the financial year.
The returns are published on-line, and the information to the end of March 2020 is available here:
DHPs for Scotland were devolved from 1 April 2017, information and statistics on the use of DHPs in Scotland are available here: DHPs in Scotland